Evidence that regular testing for pesticides in foodstuffs is
valuable to both the consumer and industry comes after a
government-backed initiative finds lettuce and farmed fish products
among the most contaminated products in the...
As Europe's codex committee meets next week to discuss proposals
for worldwide risk principles, the UN's World Health Organisation
(WHO) has today urged countries to improve ways they can respond to
potential threats to...
Researchers in the UK have been awarded a £1.4 million government
grant to develop a new generation of micro Rheometers to help
characterise and develop liquid based products.
Global food giant Heinz is building an international research and
technical facility to establish better safety and quality assurance
procedures for its products.
Now tight rules are in place for the labelling of GM ingredients on
food products, Brussels has moved down the food chain to tackle the
sensitive issue of genetically modified seeds, meeting today to
hammer out a draft decision setting...
Mettler Toledo has launched the BBA platform, its latest range of
scales designed specifically for the food industry. The open design
platform, which is the world's first IP69K-certified scale, is
capable of withstanding enormous...
Japanese technology developer Mediaseek says it has established a
joint operation aimed at stamping out the widespread problem of
counterfeit food and beverages in China.
The UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) is advising people not to eat
a limited number of jars and packets of pickles, sauces and
preserved vegetables imported from Bangladesh, China, Pakistan and
India, following a survey that...
Gold Peg International (GPI) has launched an aseptic packaging
system that it claims eliminates the need for expensive
refrigeration of end food products.
The UK government's rural adviser, Lord Haskins, has described the
financial implications of this year's awful weather as being more
damaging to arable farming than the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak
was to the livestock industry.
Anglo-Dutch group Unilever is rolling out its drip irrigation
tomato production system to other countries in order to save water,
cut costs and boost yields.
Authorities in China are trying to calm fears over the spread of
the deadly avian influenza strain H5N1 to pigs by stating that
recent tests carried out on pig farms in the country have shown
that the animals are now clear of the...
As food processors race to meet demands for more natural means of
preserving foods, Turkish researchers believe they may have found
one solution in grape extract, which is said to provide an
excellent antimicrobial agent for a variety...
Scientists in the US and Spain are trying to determine the factors
behind public perceptions of meat quality, in order to better plan
future business strategies and establish consistent labelling.
Ken Conrad, a farmer who has been farming organically since 1982,
believes that misinformation about the true nature of Mad Cow
Disease continues to cost the global meat industry millions.
Anthony Fletcher reports.
The Co-op is launching the UK's first ever 100 per cent degradable
plastic bread wrappers after a survey suggested six out of 10
retailers should use only degradable or bio-degradable materials.
Between eight and 50 per cent of US retail beef carrying a label
with the name 'Angus' does not meet the USDA criteria for Angus
branding, according to a recent DNA test.
Slim Technologies has combined its supply chain modelling software
with optimisation solver Xpress-MP to offer users such as Alcoa run
times of up to 15 times faster.
A major European food science body has asserted this week that
genetic modification has the potential to offer strong benefits -
quantity, quality and acceptability - for the world's food supply.
With the booming population of...
Meat production could become a whole lot safer and more hygienic if
the findings of a current research project into a dangerous strain
of E. coli prove conclusive.
The food included in children’s menus at a large number of UK
restaurants and cafés is systematically failing to meet the
nutritional guidelines set out for school canteens – which
themselves are hardly paragons of healthy eating...
Poultry producer Pilgrim's Pride, the supplier at the centre of
animal abuse allegations, has seen its shares fall by 10.4 per cent
since a video depicting horrific cruelty was released earler this
month writes Anthony Fletcher.
A leading UK newspaper has dubbed Kentucky Fried Chicken 'Kentucky
Fried Carnage' following the release of a shocking video taken
secretly by an animal rights activist, writes Anthony Fletcher.
Food safety scares in China have opened up opportunities for food
makers looking to pierce this growing market with imported brands.
Raw materials and food ingredients products with the most potential
include tree nuts, dried fruits,...
The risks posed by pathogens on fresh produce are the subject of an
extensive new review from UK-based food research group CCFRA,
reports Anthony Fletcher.
The FAO has cited poultry producers as the primary cause for the
spread of the disease, undermining industry's assertions that it is
mainly wild birds that spread the disease.
A genetically modified corn from biotech giant Monsanto will not be
allowed on European dinner plates as ministers fail to give the
green light on the GM food.
UK-based Precision Polymer Engineering (PPE) has reported that its
custom seals and gaskets meet the latest 3-A specification for
dairy processing equipment.
After years of bad publicity, UK eggs appear to be regaining
popularity. Are producers witnessing the dawning of a golden age,
or is the current trend just a flash in the frying pan? Anthony
Fletcher reports.
A six-month research project into the monitoring techniques
available to the fish processing industry in the UK promises to
improve the quality of fish available in shops.
With food scares, health concerns and sustainability issues playing
heavily on consumers' minds - and influencing their shopping habits
- the humble food label has never played a more important role. But
how can consumers be...
Demand for ever-more sophisticated process printing, and the
flexibility to handle a multitude of short-run jobs quickly has led
to the installation of a new Bielloni 10-colour flexographic
printing press at UK packaging firm Supreme...
The list grows of food products containing the illegal carcinogenic
red dye sudan I. The UK food watchdog has given two separate food
hazard warnings this week about food contaminations.
Salt levels in pizzas, baked beans and canned pasta still vary
greatly, despite repeated claims by manufacturers that they are
taking action to lower the level of the ingredient, shows a study
by the UK Food Standards Agency. More...
Urgent improvements in livestock tracking systems are needed if
public health and the well-being of food production are to be
protected, according to a UK House of Commons Public Accounts
Committee report published this week.
Food safety firm Electric Aquagenics Unlimited has developed a
water electrolysis disinfectant system that it claims could
revolutionise the way in which the poultry industry operates.
A Unilever distribution centre in Coventry, UK, which has been
fitted with state-of-the-art insulation and energy re-use
facilities, has produced savings in refrigeration costs of some 40
per cent compared with traditional designs.
Claims by chocolate maker Mars that a brand of sweets provided
'instant hydration' have been repudiated by the Advertising
Standards Authority in the UK - a victory in particular for the
packaged water industry which continues...
Biotrace has been acquiring companies in order to extend its range
of safety products for the food manufacturing industry. The
takeover this month of Tecra Holdings, an Australia-based
manufacturer of test kits for rapid detection...
Dutch dairy specialist Nutrifeed has recently installed a number of
measures in its processing and packaging activities to ensure
complete quality and safety. One of these is a method to detect
poorly sealed bags.
A Spanish research team has devised a bioinsecticide for pest
control in the production of fruit and vegetables which is said to
provide a more effective and cheaper means of preventing crop
infestation.
Oxoid, a leading manufacturer of microbiologicalculture media and
diagnostic tests, says it will participate in CAMPYCHECK, a
shared-cost three year project within the EU Fifth Framework
'Quality of Life and Management of Living...
