Scotland unable to stomach UK reforms as it creates break-away food safety agency

Scotland has created a stand-alone food safety agency as a backlash against the UK Government decision in 2010 to split the functions of the body and over concerns about toxic...

Ecolab scoops IFT innovation award

Ecolab has picked up an innovation award at the annual IFT expo for its residual antimicrobial coatings used by food and beverage processors.

14 JUNE - 20 JUNE 2012

Food Safety Weekly Recall Round-up 21-27 June

A selection of the biggest recalls from around the world in the last week.....

Lye-contaminated milk recalled in latest blow to Chinese dairy industry

Hundreds of cartons of milk have been recalled in China after a production line error left some products contaminated with alkaline water.

BPA effects can last for four generations, says study

Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during gestation led to mixed effects on the development of the brain linked to social behaviour patterns in mice spanning four generations, according to a study....

Machines help food industry meet product quality targets - Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific has unveiled a range of machines that it claims will address food industry concerns over weighing and product contamination issues.

Avure expands Taiwan HPP presence

Avure has expanded its presence in Taiwan, targeting a "big opportunity for growth" in an alliance with a new contract processor. 

Obama administration states opposition to FDA budget cut

The Obama administration has stated its opposition to a fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget proposal that could see the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suffer a budget cut worth millions...

JV for antimicrobial packaging coatings that could extend shelf life by ‘months’

Oplon has partnered with Reynolds Group to create antimicrobial coatings for their packaging which could extend shelf life of products by months and will be commercially available within the next...

Italian company bags EFSA approval for liquid absorber active packaging technology

Sirap Group has received EU approval for an active packaging system designed to absorb liquids on plastic trays for a raft of fresh foods.

Over 250,000 eggs recalled in Germany in latest dioxin scare

More than a quarter of a million chicken eggs are being recalled in Germany after in-house testing discovered “excessive levels” of the poisonous chemical, dioxin.

EFSA sets autumn deadline to deliver low-dose hypothesis verdict

A two-day summit on the potential health hazards from low levels of chemicals in food and packaging has pushed the debate forward – although major questions remain unanswered, said event...

China safety scandals represent advantage for foreign dairy firms – analyst

Western food safety standards represent a definite advantage to foreign firms attempting to enter the growing Chinese dairy market, an industry analyst has told DairyReporter.com.

14 JUNE - 20 JUNE 2012

Food Safety Weekly Recall Round-up 14-20 June

A selection of the biggest recalls from around the world in the last week.....

No EU mineral oil verdict before 2014 as Brussels hitches issue to full FCM review

No decision on whether to introduce legislation to combat the potential threat from mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) in food and packaging will be made before 2014, said the European Commission...

Antimicrobial processing aids given study backing

Two pathogen-reducing technologies from Birko have received independent backing from an independent US university study, which the developers claim “gives users an increased level of trust in our products.”  

News in brief

E.coli confirmation method approved by USDA

A SDIX system used for confirmation of E.coli has been approved by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the month the industry body started testing for newly regulated strains...

Nestlé subsidiary facing fine after worker's death

A Nestlé subsidiary is facing fines of almost three quarters of a million dollars following the death of a worker at its Massachusetts production plant.

New automatic sampling system for dry products meets EHEDG guidelines

Increased flexibility, efficiency and accuracy are benefits claimed by Dinnissen Process Technology for its new automatic sampling systems designed specifically for food processing lines.

China unveils latest five year food safety plan

China has published its latest five-year food safety plan in an effort to “clean up” old, often-overlapping national and industry standards.

No source identified in lethal US E.coli O145 outbreak - CDC

US investigators are yet to discover the source of an E.coli O145 outbreak, which to-date has sickened more than a dozen people and killed one.

Supply chain execs lack confidence in rapid recall capabilities: Survey

More than half of senior supply chain executives say their company could not conduct a product recall within hours, and would expect the process to take days or weeks instead,...

Mercury-tainted milk powder mires China in new safety scandal

A new food contamination scandal has hit China this week after elevated levels of mercury were detected in infant formula made by the country’s top producer.

Snack Food Association calls on FDA to formalise safety enforcement deadlines

The Snack Food Association and other industry bodies have urged the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to communicate in writing the deadlines for enforcement of new provisions in the...

FDA mulls bisphenol A ban for infant formula packaging

The US is to consider banning the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in infant formula packaging after accepting the plea from a prominent campaigning lawmaker on the chemical.

6 JUNE - 13 JUNE 2012

Food Safety Weekly Recall Round-up 7-13 June 2012

A selection of the biggest recalls from around the world in the last week.....

Fera and Waters Corp to open training facility in effort to improve import safety

The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) and Waters Corporation are to open a new lab-based training facility in the UK in an effort to improve the standard of imported...

R&R Ice Cream recalls ChokaBlok products over broken lolly stick contamination

R&R Ice Cream is recalling three flavours of a ChokaBlok ice cream products in the UK over fears they are contaminated with fragments of broken lolly stick.

PulseNet success is often industry’s ‘own worst enemy’, says ex-USDA food safety expert

The success of PulseNet for tracing the source of foodborne illness outbreaks has become the industry’s own worst enemy as more news coverage has eroded consumer trust, according to an...

DuPont E.coli detection system gains USDA approval

DuPont Qualicon has received a letter of no objection from the USDA for a device used to detect non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E.coli, in the same month that the regulatory authority...

News in brief

China launches campaign to rebuild food safety ‘integrity’

China has launched a week-long campaign to promote honesty in the food industry in an effort to strengthen food safety and rebuild the “integrity” of the sector.

Nanoparticle ‘exposure registry’ essential to map risks – Dutch health council

The Dutch Health Council has called for the creation of a nanoparticle “exposure registry” in an effort to map any adverse health risks as a result of working with the...

No deadly Legionnaires' link to distillery co-owned by Diageo and The Edrington Group

North British Distillery has come out fighting after being cited by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for alleged failures to adequately control the legionella risk posed by a cooling...

UK develops screening techniques for printing ink ‘set off’

The UK has announced the development of new scanner that detects and measures the transfer and migration of recently adopted printing ink components used in food packaging.

Mineral oils linked to health risk not present in UK bread formulation, says Federation of Bakers

The Federation of Bakers has said that mineral oils which EFSA has cited as a possible health hazard are not found in UK bread by any processing method.

'Untargeted' milk adulteration detection method in development – IDF

An “untargeted” infrared (IR)-based approach to preventing milk adulteration is under development, offering the dairy industry the ability to detect the presence of unknown adulterants.

Consumers advised not to change diet as EFSA mineral oil probe finds no specific safety concerns - UK

Consumers should not alter their eating habits in light of last week’s opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the potential risks of mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) in...

Pinnacle Foods cited for 27 violations totalling more than $150,000

Pinnacle Foods Group has had fines totalling US$156,700 (€124,583) proposed by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Global food network ‘vulnerable’ to fast spread of contaminants

Greater effort needs to be made in understanding and tracking international food trade, say researchers who warn that the the global food network has grown too complex to track food...

Dual X-ray system weeds out contaminants and wonky products

Productivity boosts and greater compliance rates with quality and safety parameters are benefits claimed by Mettler Toledo Safeline for its new high-speed X-ray system for processed formed foods that not...

Canadian food safety legislation proposes fines of 20 times current limit

The Canadian government announced yesterday that the maximum food safety fine will jump to C$5m (€3.8m) from C$250,000 in legislation driven by the 2008 Listeria outbreak which killed more than 20 people....

Mineral oil exposure in packaging and food possible cause for concern, says EFSA

Exposure to mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) via packaging and some foods may pose a human health hazard, said the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) - as it called for an overhaul...

31 MAY - 6 JUNE 2012

Food Safety Weekly Recall Round-up

A selection of the biggest recalls from around the world in the last week.....

FDA and FSIS funding set to be cut after bill approved

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) looks set to receive a budget cut of $16.3m for the fiscal year (FY) 2013, despite requesting an additional $253m in funding to...

EFSA approves PVC food can coating additive

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved a new additive as an ingredient in PVC coatings for food cans up to a concentration of 25%.

FDA updates Reportable Food Registry (RFR) in effort to track safety trends

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has introduced a ‘questionnaire’ to its Reportable Food Registry (RFR) in an effort to improve the programme’s information gathering capabilities.

Meat industry to save millions as quality testing robots move in-line - research

A groundbreaking project that aims to use machines to measure the eating quality of meat has reached a milestone after the successful testing of a robot in-line at an abattoir in Scotland....

Danone mineral water brand Evian fails Chinese entry inspection

Danone mineral water brand Evian has failed another entry inspection in China due to unacceptably high nitrite levels, according to local media reports.

Canada looks to standardise food safety practices in latest modernisation move

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has outlined plans to standardise its inspection practices in an effort to keep up-to-speed with the changing food safety “landscape.”

Avure say expansion is due to HPP demand

Avure Technologies will open a factory in the US by the end of the year in response to demand for High Pressure Processing (HPP) equipment.

Industry-first ethylene chip sensor set to slash waste in fruit supply chain

A miniature and cost effective single chip sensor that paves the way for the monitoring of ethylene levels in fruit consignments throughout the supply chain could drastically cut food waste and...