Breaking News on Food Safety & Quality Control

Industry backs EFSA review of non-plastic food contact materials

Leading industry bodies have endorsed a proposal by European safety chiefs to evaluate the safety of non-plastic food contact materials such as inks, coatings and adhesives.

Third party food safety certification vital for consumers

Evidence that food product safety has been verified by a third party certification scheme is more important to consumers than brand name, proof of traceability or government inspection, said new research.

Seventh Listeria death linked to Prolactal cheese

A seventh person has died after eating cheese made by Prolactal contaminated with Listeria, Austrian authorities confirmed yesterday.

Romanian industry fears junk food black market and fraud

The Romanian food industry association Romalimenta Federation believes the proposed junk food tax will boost the black market and stimulate fiscal fraud, and in the worst case could harm food safety.

China melamine-tainted milk health threats assessed

Tens of thousands of Chinese children sickened by melamine-tainted milk showed signs of kidney damage months afterwards - with the potential for long-term harm a serious concern, said new research.

News in brief

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

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.

UK introduces voluntary COOL code for pork

A new country of origin labelling (COOL) code of practice for pork introduced in the UK yesterday will benefit meat processors, producers and consumers, said one industry body.

USDA’s hundred years of food trend data

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.

Microwave sterilisation system may revolutionise food processing

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.

EFSA to examine safety of non-plastic food contact materials

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has set up an expert panel to evaluate the safety of non-plastic food contact materials such as inks and adhesives.

Weekly comment

Banning energy drinks is a doomed shot in the dark

Energy shot drinks have come under fire from German authorities which are employing an old-school prohibition logic that history has repeatedly dunce-hatted.

'Game changing' high pressure processing system launched

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.

Study warns of future threats to food safety

Experts from Unilever, the Food Standards Authority (FSA), National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) have mapped out future threats to food safety and strategies to tackle them in a new study.

Hygiene violations at Listeria waffle plant resolved, says Kellogg

Kellogg said it has fully addressed all the “significant deviations” from food production good practice at its Listeria-hit waffle plant, as catalogued by US safety regulators in a letter published Tuesday.

Guest article

Maximising potential and minimising risks of nanotechnology

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.

California may name and shame BPA as toxin

The controversial chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) could be listed as a toxin by the Californian Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

News in brief

Most melamine contaminated product destroyed, says China

China declared this week that most melamine-tainted dairy products have been destroyed over the past three months.

Prolactal “deeply shocked” by listeria cheese deaths

Austrian and German health authorities have revealed that six people died last year after eating listeria contaminated cheese made by Prolactal.

Salami salmonella suspicion expands to red pepper

Crushed red pepper is now under suspicion for a multi-state salmonella outbreak that has been linked to salami, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has said in an investigation update.

Super fruit may boost shelf-life for probiotic yoghurt

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.

Extrusion can boost fibre in gluten-free products, study

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.

RFID standard to boost supply chain security - ISO

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.

News in brief

FAO launches Haiti food security tool

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization has launched a new tool to help aid agencies and NGOs measure the food security situation in Haiti following last month’s earthquake.

Massive recall triggers more questions over US meat safety

Huntington Meat Packing Inc has recalled a further 4.9 million pounds (2.2m kg) of meat that was not processed in line with the company’s HACCP plan over the course of almost a year, said US authorities.

Weekly comment

Do drink makers have stomach for anti-obesity fight?

Bravo! The beverage industry has responded enthusiastically to Mrs. Obama’s campaign to tackle childhood obesity - but there’d better be more than froth behind that sparkling rhetoric.

Aluminium food pack firm achieves HACCP accreditation

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

French bisphenol A opinion puts debate back on scientific ground

A European plastics industry body has hailed a decision by the French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA) to use scientific rather than political considerations to guide its ongoing evaluation of bisphenol A (BPA).

Trials prove efficacy of bread waste reducer, says supplier

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.

Purac launches fermented ingredient for safe refrigerated foods

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.

Cargill to video meat safety practices

Cargill is piloting the use of video monitoring at its US beef plants in order to reduce the risk of E.coli and salmonella contamination.

China forced to relaunch food safety crackdown

China is launching a new national food safety drive following a wave of recent damaging revelations over melamine-tainted milk products in the country.

Liquid crystal advance could boost food shelf life

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.

News in brief

French censured over bisphenol A stance

The French Food Safety Agency’s (AFSSA) opinion on bisphenol A is confused and it has been sidetracked by conflicting results from animal studies, said a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

Combi checkweigher and metal detector saves cash and space

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

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.

Companies should collaborate to fight food fraud: Report

Greater collaboration and information sharing could help the food industry tackle food fraud, according to a new report from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and consulting firm AT Kearney.

Chinese dairies shut down on melamine discovery

Chinese authorities have closed two dairies in the northern region of Ningxia following the discovery of a further 170 tonnes of melamine tainted milk powder, according to media reports.

Weekly comment

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

“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

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

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.

Manufacturers lack sufficient product recall cover

Typically less than 10 per cent of food manufacturers have product recall insurance, with the majority relying on traditional product liability cover, according to insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT).

Coca-Cola faces mercury poisoning cases in China

Coca-Cola brand Sprite has been caught up in a Chinese investigation into two cases of alleged mercury poisoning.

EFSA to convene bisphenol A summit

A group of international experts are to be invited to a top level summit on bisphenol A (BPA) by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Bacteria concerns raised in leafy green packaged salads

The Consumers Union (CU) has urged the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set performance standards for leafy greens after its latest survey revealed some packaged salads contained high levels of bacteria.

FDA requests $4bn budget to ‘transform’ food safety

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has requested $4.03bn for food safety and public health promotion as part of President Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget – a 23 percent increase on 2010’s $3.3bn budget.

Supermarket buying policy key to cutting campylobacter

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.

News in brief

China launches new melamine probe

China has launched a new investigation after the discovery of more melamine-tainted milk products.

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

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.

Campylobacteriosis and Salmonella cases fall in EU

Campylobacteriosis and Salmonella remained the most common zoonotic diseases in humans in the European Union during 2008 - but incidences of both have fallen, said the region’s food safety watchdog.

Weekly comment

No bitter battle over salt science

Excess salt can cause hypertension, heart disease, death. That’s the scientific consensus behind public health campaigns to reduce consumption of sodium chloride in the diet. But not everyone reads the science as conclusive, and when it comes to minerals that are essential to human life, the voice of caution must not be drowned out.