Obtaining a GRAS opinion for products containing added
caffeine, as well as clearly labeling the substance, could help
protect food and beverage manufacturers from future regulatory
concerns, according to lawyers specializing in the...
The changing dynamics of the organic dairy industry may have
resulted in different production practices, but these are not
necessarily wrong, and accusations must stop if there is to be any
hope of meeting increasing demand, according...
Here we go again. Yet another technology in its infancy is likely
to be introduced into the food supply, while industry remains
cautious and consumers divided.
Here we go again. Industry-sponsored studies into the nutritional
benefits of food and drink products are biased. Don't believe
anything that has an industry sponsor.
The battle of wills between the UK food watchdog and industry
heavyweights over nutrition labelling threatens to destabilise the
balance of power between industry and government.
If businesses are not aware of the rights of temporary workers,
Christmas profits could be eroded by costly employment disputes
warns law firm Eversheds.
There's no way but out for heart-damaging trans fatty acids, and
procrastinators in the food industry will achieve nothing by
delaying reformulation other than lagging behind in the game as the
rest of the world waves goodbye.
The relationship between child and crisp has long been a sacred one
but instead of exploiting this dynamic to shovel unhealthy food
into young mouths isn't it about time healthier companies exploited
it to push junk food without...
When the idea of fortifying staple foods with vital nutrients is
raised, the battlecry goes up from industry groups and advocates of
consumer choice: "Why should we bear the costs?" "Educate, and
let people make their...
Until consumers lose the attitude that they deserve and have a
right to goods from all over the world, our food systems and the
environment are at peril.
New measures adopted by the European Commission designed to
streamline the approval of additives, colors, flavorings and
enzymes, could result in longer approval procedures for US
exporters, with some presently approved ingredients...
In the food and nutrition world, science is king. So when journals
do not force scientists to fully disclose financial support and
potential conflicts of interest, they are not helping anyone.
The world needs an independent trade watchdog to properly regulate
the international food supply chain if we as a society are to truly
create a more sustainable and ethical food market.
If the Chinese government gives in to mounting international
pressure to revalue its currency, it could spell the end of cheap
exports, a move that many anticipate would have a knock-on effect
on raw materials costs for the food industry....
The demonisation of spinach following last week's E.coli outbreak
could give salad-dodgers the excuse they have been looking for to
skimp on their recommended five to nine portions of fruit and veg a
day. Without communication...
In today's competitive food industry, healthy products mean healthy
sales but the scramble to keep up with the obesity backlash can
have dangerous repercussions.
Food can polarise opinion more than most issues, but can we please
have some balance and debate, rather than mudslinging and crop
burning to get to the truth?
As food manufacturers inch closer to the holy grail of low-calorie,
trans-fat free flavor-fantastic products one has to ask how we
veered so far from the common sense of fresh home-cooked meals.
Food scientists are becoming a rare species in Britain, and things
won't change unless schools and food firms start telling young
people there is more to food than a supermarket depot.
By Kent D. Messer, Harry H. Kaiser, Collin Payne and Brian Wansink
Advertising could play an important role in reducing consumer fears
when a product is linked to food safety concerns, write a team of
economists and psychologists at Cornell University.
Laying the blame for a fatter world at the feet of the food
industry has become a convenient mistake, and until this is
recognized there is little chance of controlling the growing
obesity epidemic.
Italy's vigorous application of EC food safety regulation 178/02
could be hampered by the country's legislative framework, according
to an Italian lawyer.
The food industry must face up to the challenges of modern
communication if consumer confidence is to be regained - and costly
mistakes are to be avoided, writes Keith Taylor.
The short sighted failure of greedy WTO trading partners to achieve
any sort of meaningful agreement on global agricultural tariffs is
bad for Europe's food industry.
Functional foods are generally defined as products imbued with
additional nutrients with health-promoting properties. But the
industry needs to be wary of foods that present no actual health
benefit from piggy-backing on the popularity...
The Internet is offering a wealth of information to more and more
people, but also an avenue for irresponsible businesses to exploit
consumer health concerns.
The rise of organic food is a knee-jerk reaction to consumer health
fears, and threatens to unhelpfully steer us away from improving
the quality of food generally.
Chocolate has a nice feeling to it - tasty, fun, luxurious and
slightly sinful. This is comfort food, accessible to all and
epitomised in the recent film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
In the US, the role of court action in defining limits not set by
regulators is generating a flood of costly court cases for the food
industry: much unnecessary, and all damaging.
Beer, bakery, confectionery, sweet drinks, pizzas, snacks galore,
and even dog food. The list of products with World Cup tie-ins is
dominated by junk food, while healthy food makers seem content to
pass up the marketing opportunities...
The relationship between journalist 'hack' and scientist 'lab-rat'
must be developed if science is to get a fair deal in the press,
and for consumers to be presented balanced and accurate science
coverage.
Parents should avoid infant formulas made from intact proteins, a
Stanford researcher told doctors assembled at the annual meeting of
the Pediatric Academic Societies.
It is time to admit that society is fighting a part-time battle
against the bulge, willingly lambasting soft drinks, burgers and
chocolate, while shuffling silently away from a fairly dismal
exercise rate.
Self-regulation has become the mantra of food groups who argue that
laws are not always necessary - but can industry be trusted when it
has failed so spectacularly in the past?
When a company 'gives back' to the world through charitable
donations, should we wholeheartedly commend it for being a good egg
or sniff cynically at the profit potential that underlies every
business decision?
The gamble by US authorities 15 years ago to let the industry deal
with benzene residues in soft drinks has failed, and instead only
kept those who needed to know in the dark.
The dust is settling on the WHI trial. First came the news that
low-fat diets didn't reduce the risk of breast or colorectal cancer
or cardiovascular disease, then came news that vitamin D and
calcium supplements don't protect...
The science has spoken. Low-fat diets don't work: Forget the
carrots and broccoli sprouts, I can now have my cake and eat it,
and put extra cream on top.
Little wonder consumers are confused about which foods are good for
them, and which bad, when scientists use methods with almost no
chance of meaningful results.
I am beginning to feel like a freak among journalists. Good or bad,
my reporting is the product of hours of questions, fact-hunting and
often-times editorial debate. Yet, despite this rigour, every day
we receive emails from people...
Complex webs of assumptions are spinning a lie about the real value
of today's companies, lulling directors and shareholders alike into
a false sense of value creation.
The oft-said adage that there are two things people don't want to
see being made - sausage and legislation - falls apart at the doors
of the EU's parliament.
If the EU keeps hiding its agriculture sector behind huge pay
cheques instead of devoting more time to food research funding, the
bloc's whimpering and wailing will only get worse.
After all the increased safety procedures put in place over the
past decade, one might have been lulled into thinking that
poisonings and deaths from food contamination would be rarer than
before. While it is true that the new regulatory...
Food companies do not yet face the ethical sourcing equation of the
clothing industry, where brands from Nike to Marks & Spencer
cannot afford a single claim of sweat-shop production. But the
moment is fast approaching for food,...
