Sweden's food safety and chemical agencies met last week to begin mapping out an action plan to decide if the country would impose a national ban on bisphenol A (BPA).
UK food safety watchdog, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is to review strategies designed to reduce the shedding of E. coli 0157 by ruminant livestock.
Sweden is the latest EU country to consider banning the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) with government scientists due to meet next week to consider the feasibility of introducing a ban next year.
A new video from laboratory equipment specialist Thermo Fisher Scientific is designed to improve food safety by showcasing the benefits of its TraceFinder analytical software.
Nanostructured photocatalysts disinfect contaminated surfaces in combination with ultraviolet (UV) light and could be used to enhance food safety within the plant as well as ensuring efficiency and cost gains, claims new research.
Cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) associated with packaged fresh meat pose no risk to human health, according to an interim report by the Berlin-based, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR).
Summer 2011 will see the first commercial installation of an IFT recognised and FDA approved technology which is claimed to improve flavour, nutrient retention and texture of foods as well as significantly reducing process times over conventional systems.
An eco-friendly anti-fog coating for food packaging with high oil and grease resistance is the first water-based product that is repulpable and biodegradable, said Aqua Based Technologies (ABT).
A breakthrough process that converts waste carbon dioxide into food packaging and coatings could also be used to replace bisphenol A (BPA) in the linings of food and drink cans, said Novomer, the company developing the technology.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has called for more information on brevetoxins (BTX) - as it suggested the group of marine biotoxins could emerge in the region for the first time.
There is no “magic bullet” to tackle campylobacter, according to the UK’s the three major public funders of food safety research as they unveiled a joint initiative to battle the bug.
The controversy over the bisphenol A (BPA) could be solved if those on differing sides of the scientific divide would agree harmonised test programmes that could be validated by independent experts, European Commission scientists have said.
Global demand for functional additives and barrier coatings for plastic packaging is forecast to grow by 4.3 per cent in the five years from 2009 to reach US$752m by 2014, according to Pira International.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) will retain its food safety role but has been stripped of its nutritional and labelling responsibilities in England, as the Government confirmed its expected shake up of the body today.
Denmark has criticised a second EFSA delay in delivering its verdict on bisphenol A (BPA) as “unsatisfactory” and “weird”, saying it would wait for the full opinion to be published before even considering lifting its ban on the chemical.
EFSA was right to delay its verdict on bisphenol A (BPA) in order to take more time to complete a detailed evaluation of the necessary scientific data, said a major plastics trade body.
Significantly reduced analysis time to aid fast and reliable throughput are benefits claimed by Thermo Fisher Scientific for two new analytical screening methods to detect oil contamination in fish and oysters.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) is to be broken up with its food safety and nutritional roles handed over to separate government departments, according to reports.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will not deliver its opinion on bisphenol A until September, saying its experts needed more time to review the 800 research studies on the substance.
A study looking at the views of staff and managers at food plants on HACCP has identified preparation for future regulation as the key motivating factor and staffing the number one challenge.
France has announced the creation of ANSES - the largest health agency in Europe - after the merger of its food safety and environmental and occupational health bodies.
A bill to ban bisphenol A (BPA) in food contact materials for children aged three and under has been passed by the California state Assembly with the Senate expected to follow suit.
A US federal agency is urging a ban on using natural gas to clean out industrial piping and purging gas pipes indoors in the wake of fatal explosions at a ConAgra food processing plant in 2009 and a power plant earlier this year.
High bacteria loads observed in fresh packaged sprouts and ready-to-eat salads are likely caused by a combination of factors including poor processing hygiene and humid conditions fostered inside plastic packaging, said a German safety body.
The recent introduction of tougher border controls on fruit and vegetables and the outlawing of hundreds of pesticides have boosted food safety in European Union, said Brussels.
Chicken batches slaughtered later in the schedule, pre-thinning flocks prior to slaughtering and temperatures in the evisceration room topping 15C are all factors likely to increase the risk of campylobacter in poultry processing, said new research.
Hundreds of studies providing “overwhelming scientific evidence” of the harm caused by bisphenol A (BPA) are being dismissed by regulatory agencies because they don’t conform with the outdated safety test guideline authorities insist on using.
A UK scientist has called for the banning of bisphenol A after claiming new research has shown “growing evidence” that the chemical is a human carcinogen.
The meat processing industry has welcomed a report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) ruling out the risk of humans contracting the H1N1 virus from pork, pork products, turkey or processing equipment.
Spray washing chicken carcasses with a solution of lauric acid and potassium hydroxide could help processors design practical and non-chlorine-based sanitisers, said the US Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
A call by the German environment agency for industry and consumers to find bisphenol A (BPA) alternatives on safety fears is unjustified and should be ignored, said a European plastics body.
Campylobacter in raw chicken is the biggest food safety challenge facing the UK today, said the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as it admitted the cost and burden of foodborne illnesses was too high.
Nanosilver has no place in consumer products such as foods or cosmetics until the potential hazards from the substance have been fully scrutinised, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has said.
A US seafood processor has been cited for $214,500 in fines by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for food safety violations.
Spanish scientists have called for further study into some adhesives after research revealed that some toxic substances from them could penetrate packaging and contaminate food.
