Practical Guide to Metal Detection-Food Industry
Fortress Technology
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29-Jan-2004
EU eases testing on Brazilian poultry
The EU has agreed to ease strict testing requirements of poultry meat and products from Brazil for traces of the banned antibiotic nitrofuran. At present, EU Member States are obliged...
WHO calls for co-operation to combat bird 'flu epidemic
The World Health Organisation (WHO) held talks yesterday with drugs firms and international laboratories on developing a vaccine to fight the bird 'flu virus that is ravaging parts of East...
Europe confident of GM regulation
The European Commission held an orientation debate on GM crops yesterday, hours after proposing to authorise a GM sweet corn BT11 for food use. From the Commission's point of view,...
28-Jan-2004
New detector promises safer processing
A new metal detector capable of picking up ferrous and stainless-steel contamination within aluminium foil-wrapped products has been developed. Manufactured by German technology firm Sartorius, the product, called the Observer,...
A leap forward for traceability technology
With BSE rocking the North American beef industry and Avian 'flu devastating East Asia's poultry industry at the moment, traceability has become a buzzword in food production. No surprise, then,...
Concern over public perceptions of bird 'flu
Following the Avian 'flu crisis in Asia, a major UK food retailer is already promising its customers that all its chicken products can be fully traced. Are European consumers getting...
GM legal battle overshadows EC proposal
The European Commission today backed a proposal to allow imports of Bt-11, a genetically modified (GM) maize type. This represents the first step towards lifting the EU's five-year unofficial ban...
US to amend biotech rules
The US agriculture department will 'update and strengthen' its biotechnology regulations for imports, interstate movement and environmental release of certain genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the government body said this week.
27-Jan-2004
UK supermarkets to stay GM-free
Consumer indifference - not to say hostility - towards genetically-modified products in the UK means that British supermarkets are likely to stay firmly GM-free in 2004, according to an annual...
Tagging technology takes off
Wal-Mart's announcement that it requires its top 100 suppliers to place radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on all cases and pallet loads by January 2005 has effectively secured the future...
Making ready-to-eat meals safer
New aqueous ozone technology, designed to make food safer by eliminating Listeria, has been accepted by the US Department of Agriculture's food safety inspection service (FSIS). Manufacturer BOC claims that...
Value-added food additives to boost tomato industry
Over production, European enlargement, and emerging competitive markets are three key issues facing the European tomato processing industry today. But the development of new food additives from the skin and...
26-Jan-2004
Basil and thyme oils combat foodborne bacteria
The antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties attibuted to essential oils can be used as natural additives in a range of foods. New research into basil and thyme essential oils...
EU GM food to be identified
Bioengineered food and feed sold in the European Union will have to be labelled with a unique identifier code beginning in April.
Are EU consumers at risk?
Thailand's tardy admission that its poultry industry is being decimated by an outbreak of Avian 'flu brought forth a swift EU response. A ban on Thai imports into the bloc...
Physicists to provide solution to BSE?
Ways for industry to avoid losing billions of euros and dollars through mad cow disease could find their solutions in maths and physics, claim researchers at the University of California .
Safety water marks
NSF International (NSF) has unveiled a new protocol that establishes product safety and performance requirements for microbiological water purifiers. Protocol P231: Microbiological Water Purifiers is based on recommendations from the...
23-Jan-2004
Poland lifts US beef ban
Poland has lifted its ban on the importation of certain US beef products, according to the USDA. This is the first country to rescind its beef import ban following the...
Thailand admits to Avian 'flu
After a week of denials and perhaps months of cover-ups, Thailand has finally admitted that it has been hit by Avian 'flu, the poultry virus that has ravaged other parts...
US meat origin labels delayed
The US Congress has finally decided to delay country-of-origin labels on beef until autumn 2006, despite arguments that the labels would reassure consumers during the current mad cow disease crisis.
Antibiotics in food production investigated
A new article raises concern that the banning of antibiotics in food animals may harm both human and animal health. The report, published this month in the Journal of Antimicrobial...
'May contain' gets an overhaul
In a bid to clarify labels and in response to consumer concerns, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a consultation on the use of alternative phrases to 'may...
22-Jan-2004
Bulgaria knuckles down to EU regulations
The Bulgarian government has given the domestic milk processing industry a grace period of one year to allow it to meet new labelling requirements. The stipulation falls in line with...
German GM bill causes concern
The adoption of a bill in Germany last week enforcing European regulations on genetically modified food and feed has done little to calm unease among many consumers.
Parliament doubles EU food agency funding
Double the budget and a permanent location in the bag - life is looking up for Europe's first food agency.
Europe on the alert for carcinogenic colours
Europe's food industry faces increased recalls and further costs as a Commission clampdown yesterday extended rules on illegal carcinogenic red chemical dyes to include curry powder.
Japan bans Thai poultry
In a move guaranteed to fuel further speculation that Thailand is covering up cases of Avian 'flu, Japan today suspended poultry imports from the south east Asian nation. The country...
21-Jan-2004
Parnuts update for Scotland
The Scottish food watchdog has opened the doors for industry views on the imminent changes to the rules on 'parnuts' - foods for nutritional uses.
Tracking the harmful red ingredient
A cancer-causing red dye found in chilli powder or chilli products has contaminated over 120 food products on the supermarket shelves in the UK, a figure set to climb as...
New barcodes to increase traceability
MAP80 Systems, a Prisym Group company, has included RSS (reduced space symbology) barcodes in its labelling and identification software. The aim is to help manufacturers prepare for EU legislation on...
Restoring confidence: the task ahead
Two more cattle herds in Washington State, US were quarantined over the weekend as the number of animals linked to a cow infected with mad cow disease increased.
Traces of GM DNA found in digestive tract
As fierce opposition to genetically modified plants continues across the globe, findings from a breakthrough study in the UK suggest that foreign DNA can survive to the small intestine, providing...
20-Jan-2004
Pork analysis made simpler
Agilent Technologies has launched a simplified method for detecting sulphonamide antibiotics in pork. The company claims that the method reliably measures sulphonamides at lower than half the European Union and...
Europe safe from Avian 'flu, say experts
Across Europe, governments have been working flat out to calm public fears about the dangers posed by the current avian 'flu crisis in Asia. The EU does not import any...
Holes in the USDA's BSE testing system
According to USDA records, no BSE tests were carried out on commercial cattle in Washington State in the first seven months of 2003. United Press International under the Freedom of...
BSE: food safety key to winning back business
In a bid to win back slashed beef sales, the FDA's head honcho will travel to Japan today to discuss recent events linked to the first case of mad cow...
19-Jan-2004
Byrne defends law on health claims
Putting paid to media lip-service and the 'wildly false picture' it has painted, EU Commissioner David Byrne defends European proposals to clarify health and nutrition claims on food products.
Tighter traceability for GMOs
Laws on GMO traceability for food companies operating in the European Union moved up a gear on Friday with the Commission clearing a new system of coding for all GMO...
Thailand denies existence of Avian 'flu
The recent outbreak of Avian 'flu in East Asia - described by a WHO spokesperson as being "potentially more dangerous than SARS," - is devastating the poultry industries of Vietnam,...
Biotechnology in the food chain
Animal biotechnology applications in food production are about to take off, according to a recent report from market analysts Research and Markets. The report analyses how transgenic technologies are being...
16-Jan-2004
Chewing the fat
The US Agricultural Research Service is working on technology that shows the ratio of lean meat to fat in a commercial cut of pork. According to scientists, the implications for...
BSE: FAO tells trading states to tighten controls
As the United States deals with the fallout from the first case of mad cow disease to hit the country, an international organisation warns countries to stay on the alert...
Asian poultry production under threat
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has expressed serious concern about the spread of Avian flu in East Asia. And perhaps more worryingly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has...
In the genes
French-based technology group BioMérieux is developing gene chips that can be used to ensure food safety and enhance traceability. The company, which is set to launch the product next month,...
15-Jan-2004
Scottish salmon safe to eat, says EU
The European Commission is satisfied that Scottish salmon is safe to eat, despite researchers in North America warning that the farmed variety sold in many supermarkets contains up to ten...
New tests to fight foodborne disease
Food technology firm Oxoid has expanded its range of microbiological tests for the food industry to include two new diagnostic reagents kits - one for Salmonella and another for Listeria...
Swiss help Canadians battle BSE
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is using technology developed by Prionics, a Swiss-based company, as part of its ongoing BSE surveillance programme. The firm's Prionics-Check Western rapid BSE test...
Set back for GM maize decision
The European Commission has delayed the adoption of a proposal to authorise imports of a GM sweetcorn onto European lands, opting to bundle the issue with other GM points on...
14-Jan-2004
Restoring consumer confidence
US agriculture secretary Ann Veneman has announced a series of e-Government initiatives in response to public fears over beef. In a recent Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll, over...
Ambitions in food safety
US-based firm e-Foodsafety.com has entered into a distribution partnership with Tru-Pure Ozone Technologies. Under the terms of agreement, e-Foodsafety.com has exclusive rights to market and distribute Tru-Pure's patented food safety...
US consumer turns back on beef?
As the first case of mad cow disease sends US cattle prices plunging on the markets and dozens of nations ban US beef imports, new research shows that problems are...
13-Jan-2004
Tracking the progress of RFID
Radio frequency identification (RFID) will eventually be used to track every domesticated animal, claims an American beef industry specialist. The current BSE crisis in the US has generated renewed interest...
Lights out for SureBeam
US-based SureBeam, a leading provider of electron beam food safety systems and services for the food industry, will be out of business by the end of the week. The company...
UK food agency responds to salmon saga
The UK food watchdog has been quick to react to a controversial study published last week that highlighted the quantity of dioxins in farmed salmon.
Metro to roll out RFID tracking this year
When UK retailer Tesco announced in November last year that it was to expand trials of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags on a number of non-food items, its decision was...
12-Jan-2004
Supporting the supply chain
US-based technology firm One Network Enterprises has launched Supply Chain On Demand, a new IT solution aimed at distributors and manufacturers. The company claims that the concept makes it easier...
Is cloning cattle the answer?
As the US government struggles to limit the economic and health risks associated with the discovery of the nation's first case of BSE, a group of scientists at the Virginia-Maryland...
US pistachios face disease
Producing more than a quarter of the world's production of pistachios, scientists warn the relatively young industry in California that a devasting disease could put paid to future growth.
09-Jan-2004
USDA: progress is being made
The entire bull calf herd from which the suspected case of BSE belonged to has been euthanised, according to the latest USDA update on the current crisis. Over 450 animals...
Australia approves Monsanto's GM canola
Sparking criticisms, the Australian government's gene technology regulator has given the green light for the commercial use of a genetically modified canola from Monsanto - the second approval for GM...
Better fish labelling called for
UK pressure group Friends of the Earth has called for stricter controls and improved labelling for fish, following a study in the industry journal Science. The report showed higher levels...
08-Jan-2004
USDA: BSE is under control
DNA evidence suggests - to a high degree of certainty - that the BSE-positive cow found in Washington State originated from a dairy farm in Alberta, Canada, according to the...
Probiotics market face EU challenge
Uncertainty about recent EU proposals for health claims legislation presents a major challenge to players in the probiotics market, suggests a new market analysis.
Danone rapped for misleading health claims
Leading French dairy firm Danone has been ordered to drop misleading health claims from advertisements in the UK for one of its yoghurt brands.
Study links salted foods to stomach cancer
People who eat a regular diet of highly salted food double their risk of stomach cancer, according to a report published this week in the British Journal of Cancer.
Foodchain focus for Irish presidency
Ireland kicks off the year with the presidency of Europe and, as part of the scientific programme linked to the six-month responsibility, the country will organise an international food conference...
07-Jan-2004
Hope on the horizon
Hope is on the horizon over the battle against mad cow disease. Research by North Carolina State University scientists, in conjunction with scientists from the Netherlands and biotechnology company BioResource...
Eggcellent results
Agricultural biotechnology company Embrex is set to supply Perdigao, the second largest broiler chicken producer in Brazil, with cutting edge in ovo (in the egg) technology designed to cut production...
Japan piles on the pressure
The US department of agriculture (USDA) has decided to cull the bull calf operation in Washington State where the single case of BSE was discovered last month. But this is...
Get real
US-based William Frick & Company, a leading supplier of custom printed labels, has launched a complete line of security labels for packaging, manufacturing and distribution companies. The AuthentiCal Rights Protection...
06-Jan-2004
Fighting foodborne disease
Enterobacter sakazakii, a bacterium that can be dangerous to premature babies and young infants, could be more widespread than previously thought, according to recent research published in this week's issue...
Campofrio adapts to demands for traceability and safety
The recent announcement of a first confirmed case of BSE in the US shows that concern about the safety of meat and meat products is far from over, and that...
US kills calves in BSE precautionary measure
The US department of agriculture is set to slaughter about 450 calves on one of several farms in Washington state quarantined because of a lone case of mad-cow disease, the...
EU laws set to hamper growth in polyphenols market
Forthcoming European legislation on health claims could pose a roadblock to rapid market expansion of polyphenols, the plant-based antioxidants gaining increasing attention for their disease-fighting actions, warns a new report.
05-Jan-2004
US vigilant in BSE battle
The ongoing BSE crisis in the US has forced the government to take drastic measures to contain the disease. Agriculture secretary Ann Veneman announced last week that additional safeguards to...
The future of traceability
US-based Orbid Corporation, a developer of secure track and trace systems used in the identification and protection of products, has announced a partnership with CCL Label, the company responsible for...
New E.coli tests on the cards
New tests that slice off the time taken to identify dangerous strains of the harmful bacteria Escherichia coli are the focus of new research from US government scientists.
US to ban ephedra
The US Food and Drug Administration last week announced a ban on the weight loss herbal ephedra, after an extended consultation period including a court hearing.
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