Breaking News on Food Safety & Quality Control

Special Edition: Decontamination

Poor equipment design compromising food safety, EHEDG

12-Mar-2010 - Misinterpretation of fundamental criteria for the hygienic design of equipment by designers is resulting in incorrect installation of parts such as valves and sensors at the initial design stage of new food processing equipment and leaves processors exposed to contaminant threats, claims the EHEDG.

Special Edition: Decontamination

Ozone and vapour proving to be best in class for food pathogens

11-Mar-2010 - New research from the UK shows that whole room disinfection techniques are more effective that traditional chemical fogging, and while take up by food processors is relatively low, suppliers claim demand will accelerate based on industry recognition of the need to innovate to tackle new microbe strains and other food safety challenges.

New control panel ensures hygienic operation, says Bilwinco

10-Mar-2010 - A new touch screen control panel (HMI) ensures easy and hygienic operation of multihead weighers for the handling of wet food products including fresh, frozen and prepared meat products as well as ready meals, claims Bilwinco.

ChromaDex wins US government contract for scientific services

04-Mar-2010 - Phytochemical reference standards and contract testing services company ChromaDex has won a five-year contract to supply federal agencies with scientific services.

News in brief

Spotlight on new packaging regulation at Foodex

03-Mar-2010 - Foodex this year sees a series of seminars on the latest regulation pertaining to third party inspection certification and packaging aswell as new food hygiene initiatives, research and innovation developments in packaging and processing and shelf life evaluation.

USDA’s hundred years of food trend data

24-Feb-2010 - US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data now track a century of food trends in the United States, with the latest data revealing sharply increased availability of cheese, processed eggs and chicken.

News in brief

Fast and sensitive test for E.coli in beef, lettuce and spinach

24-Feb-2010 - A new test to check for E.coli 0157:H7 contamination in beef, lettuce and spinach is both speedy and sensitive, said manufacturer DuPont Qualicon.

Microwave sterilisation system may revolutionise food processing

23-Feb-2010 - A revolutionary microwave sterilisation processing technique that dramatically extends food shelf life while preserving its nutrients, taste and texture has been approved by US regulators.

'Game changing' high pressure processing system launched

22-Feb-2010 - A game changing high pressure processing (HPP) system makes improved food safety technology more affordable and responds to the growing trend for preservative-free products, said manufacturer Avure Technologies.

Guest article

Maximising potential and minimising risks of nanotechnology

18-Feb-2010 - Nanotechnology holds great potential and is being used increasingly in food and consumer products. So far, the connotations have mostly been positive. However this promising start is now at risk of being reversed. There is a very real danger that a scare – real or imagined – involving nanotechnology will hit the headlines, evaporating the current positive image of the ‘nano’ label.

Extrusion can boost fibre in gluten-free products, study

16-Feb-2010 - Extrusion technology has the potential to increase the levels of total dietary fibre in gluten-free products made from vegetables, fruits and gluten-free cereals, according to the findings of new research.

Super fruit may boost shelf-life for probiotic yoghurt

16-Feb-2010 - Adding the pulp of acai to probiotic yoghurt may boost the shelf-life of probiotic yoghurt, as well as improving the fat profile of the functional food, says a new study.

RFID standard to boost supply chain security - ISO

15-Feb-2010 - A new international standard on radio frequency (RF) tags has been issued to improve the tracking and traceability of products in the global supply chain.

Aluminium food pack firm achieves HACCP accreditation

12-Feb-2010 - Bachmann Aluminium Packaging has achieved HACCP accreditation and updated its IT systems in order to support business development in Germany, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe.

Purac launches fermented ingredient for safe refrigerated foods

11-Feb-2010 - Purac has added a new ingredient to its food safety portfolio, for refrigerated foods, and plans to build its offering of non-lactate and lactic acid products.

Trials prove efficacy of bread waste reducer, says supplier

11-Feb-2010 - The trial phase on a starter that enables reprocessing of rejected bread has demonstrated its efficacy in reducing waste within the bakery facility, claims the Sonneveld group.

Liquid crystal advance could boost food shelf life

10-Feb-2010 - A breakthrough in the manipulation of liquid crystals could result in food packaging that extends product shelf-life, according to new research from the United States.

Combi checkweigher and metal detector saves cash and space

09-Feb-2010 - Low cost of ownership, significant space savings and versatility are benefits claimed by manufacturer Loma Systems for its new combination checkweighing and X-ray inspection system.

Obstacles block radical innovation in fresh meat

09-Feb-2010 - The fresh meat aisle might seem a prime target for innovation in sustainable packaging. But cost issues, along with differing interpretations of ‘sustainability’, are hindering the process, reports sister title Food Manufacture.

Weekly comment

US military may enlist Omega-3s to boost performance but why wait?

08-Feb-2010 - “An army marches on its stomach.” This advice, from French military adventurer Napoleon, seems to have impressed the US military which is considering fortifying troops’ rations with omega-3 fatty acids. What is it waiting for?

Meat irradiation petition on hold as parties blame each other

05-Feb-2010 - Confusion continues to surround the lack of progress on a US meat industry appeal to allow electron beam irradiation as a meat processing aid – with each side blaming the other for the delay.

Get in for the pathogen kill with cold plasma technology

04-Feb-2010 - An increasing number of manufacturers are investing in cold plasma technology to kill pathogens in the air and on the surface areas of processing plants, reports sister title Food Manufacture.

Supermarket buying policy key to cutting campylobacter

02-Feb-2010 - The UK Food Standards Agency has urged supermarkets to overhaul their poultry purchasing policies in a bid to combat the problem of campylobacter throughout the supply chain.

Bacteria-killing protein to combat E.coli in red meat

01-Feb-2010 - A bacteria-killing protein that would be applied to raw meat during processing to “significantly reduce” the presence of E.coli is under development, said one company behind the project.