Two directors of a company involved in the Euro Freeze fraud case
are going to jail for four months after being found guilty
yesterday of breaching Ireland's food safety laws.
Quick frozen foods should be subject to more prescriptive safety
rules rather than optional ones, the EU's member states said
in comments on a draft international code of practice.
Europe continues to lag behind in the use of irradiation, with only
10 member states approving facilities to process foods, according
to the latest European Commission report released yesterday.
Europe's groundbreaking law requiring manufacturers and others to
ensure that the chemicals they use are registered with a new
regulator, comes into effect tomorrow.
Despite the UK's efforts to improve worker safety in food and drink
processing plants, the sector's injury rate remains twice that of
the construction industry.
Food processing must play a role in preventing the evolutionary
shifts that lead to bacterial antibiotic resistance, according to
new research from the US.
US retailer, Albertsons, now requires its suppliers to use
temperature monitoring devices on perishable food shipments to its
distribution centers, which could force processors to invest in the
technology.
UK and Canadian researchers yesterday said they have joined forces
to develop bacteria that can destroy Campylobacter, a pathogen
responsible for millions of cases of food poisoning worldwide.
The Swiss beef industry was yesterday rewarded for its efforts in
controlling bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), when the World
Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reduced its status to
"controlled risk" for the disease.
A new range of spray dryers use a non-clogging ultrasonic atomising
nozzle, which reduces overspray that can cause atmospheric
contamination, the manufacturer claims.
As worldwide sales of nanotechnology-related products approached
the $1bn (€739m)mark last year, the food packaging industry could
be worth as much as $30bn (€22bn), according to a new study.
Euro Freeze (Ireland) has received a £13,000 (€19,000) fine after
being prosecuted in a UK court for illegally putting false health
certificates on meat products.
Baby food processors are breathing easier today after the UK
industry regulator released a study showing that levels of arsenic
and mercury in their products are below legal limits.
A new range air-conditioners offers processors continuous
protection against air-borne
contaminants, even when cooling operations are not
in use, claims the manufacturer.
The EU has issued plans to harmonise pesticide residue
testing among member countries with a series of measures
designed to improve the safety of food supplies.
The UK turkey producer at the centre of an avian influenza outbreak
earlier this year is to be compensated nearly £600,000 (€885,000)
despite receiving criticism in an official report published
yesterday.
A new system designed to reduce oxygen levels in beverages improves fillings speeds and can extend the shelf life of products, its manufacturer claims.
Packaging gases and other additives used for prolonging the shelf
life of foods are some of the substances targeted by proposed
safety regulations passed yesterday by an EU parliamentary
committee.
Research into a nitrogen isotope-based testing system being
pioneered in Britain could provide a vital new tool in ensuring
valid organic certification for food and drink products.
A new washing system lifts large vats used in meat and poultry
processing into the cleaning chamber, then returns them to the
plant floor ready for use, its manufacturer claims.
The UK poultry processor at the centre of the avian influenza
outbreak earlier this year will not face criminal prosecution, the
national food regulator has confirmed.
The 'slow progress' of the UK government to provide funding for
research into the potential risks of nanotechnology has been
criticised by a high-level advisory group.
Using commercial household steam cleaning can provide smaller
processing plants with a low cost method of decontaminating beef
and hog carcasses, according to a recent study.
An SMS text message service set up to alert subscribers about food
allergy scares in the UK, could provide an example processors could
use in preventing contaminated products from reaching the dinner
table.
A new laser sorter system uses digital rather than analogue methods
to more accurately remove foreign materials from frozen vegetables,
according to its manufacturer.
Executives at two food processors face criminal prosecution while
many others are under investigation for using unlicensed labour,
says the regulator responsible for enforcing the UK's gangmaster
law.
Vanillin mixed with a commercial available post-cut dip solution
could help prevent fresh cut produce from becoming contaminated
with pathogens, according to new research.
A new detection system pinpoints individual leaks in packaging,
which reduces recalls by raising the alarm before unsealed products
leave the production line.
UK consumers rate the issue of food safety as one among the lowest
of their concerns, behind even house prices and traffic congestion,
according to the results of a new survey released yesterday.
A new portable water temperature control system is constructed from
stainless steel so as to withstand harsh washdowns in food plants,
its manufacturer claims.
Bernard Matthews yesterday laid off 120 workers at its turkey plant
in the UK, with the possiblity that another 500 could go if the
bird flu scare continues to damage sales.
Bernard Matthews, which is at the centre of a storm over an
outbreak of avian influenza at its turkey production site in the
UK, has been given the go ahead to release a batch of poultry
products held over the possibility they contained...
The Food Standards Agency is investigating whether poultry from a
Bernard Matthews' production
site infected with the avian influenza virus entered the UK food
chain and is being sold in stores.
Sweden's claim to have poultry stocks with the lowest Salmonella
infection rates in the EU hascome under severe attack after 100,000
birds had to be culled this week after an outbreak of thedisease.
Representatives of regulators in the EU's 27 members begin a
two-day meeting today to discuss common proposed projects on food
safety issues, data collection, folic acid supplementation, and
fees for mandatory risk assessments.