A further step towards the implementation of the new European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA) took place this week when the European
Commission announced a short list of 30 candidates, from which 14
members of the Management Board of...
The Russian government is sceptical about lifting a ban on US
poultry imports by an April 10 deadline because the United States
is unlikely to provide enough data by that time, Interfax
reported last Friday.
China is considering a law to regulate the use of biotechnology in
agricultural production to protect people's health and the
environment, state media said on Monday, Reuters reports.
Poland, the largest candidate for entry to the European Union, may
miss out on liberalisation of farm trade between the bloc and
applicant countries unless it changes its policy, an EU official
said last week, reports Reuters.
The US Food and Drug Administration this week announced recalls of
the mini jelly candies (or mini-cup gel candy) because these
products present a choking hazard. These sweets contain the
ingredient "konjac" (also known...
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) last week published the
first comprehensive report on food labelling in Ireland.For the
FSAI, the function of food labelling is to inform purchasers of the
properties, ingredients, nature...
It comes as no surprise to learn that continued reduction of
microbiological hazards in meat, and strict enforcement of BSE
controls, are among the performance targets set for the Meat
Hygiene Service for the 2002/03 financial year,...
Following a series of recalls across the world, European Union food
health officials decided in March to remove a sweet called jelly
mini-cups from European markets
A report into distance selling has made a number of recommendations
aimed at ensuring people can feel as confident in the safety,
labelling and quality of food when they purchase food 'at a
distance' as when they buy it...
US regulators have told Campbell Soup that its Prego pasta sauce
contains less vitamin C than advertised and have ordered the
company to correct the problem promptly, according to a letter made
public on Tuesday.
Environmental groups Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth (FoE),
together with the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), recently
urged EU governments and the European Commission to safeguard
European agriculture and biodiversity by...
The European Commission this week applauded a series of measures by
Thailand aimed at overcoming recent discoveries of harmful
antibiotics in Thai shrimp and chicken exported to the EU, an AFX
news story reports.
Food manufacturers are frequently failing food hygiene inspections
because they do not know where to turn to for practical solutions,
warned safety and hygiene specialist Seton this week.The UK-based
company carried out research with...
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) on Monday announced
details of a comprehensive report from its BSE Sub-committee
looking at strategies to reduce the incidence of BSE in Ireland and
whether these would add value in terms...
The Food Standards Agency is to start a precautionary testing
programme for nitrofurans in shrimps and prawns from Vietnam,
Myanmar and Thailand, and poultry meat from Thailand, the agency
reported this week.
The global debate over the labelling issues surrounding genetically
modified continued this week in Canada. Jenny Hillard,
vice-president of the Consumers Association of Canada (CAC), has
told the House of Commons agriculture committee...
US companies keen to label food as free of genetically engineered
ingredients will have to wait until the government decides how to
ensure that the claim is correct.
Consumers are most concerned about issues such as food poisoning,
BSE and pesticides, reveals a recent consumer survey conducted by
the UK Food Standards Agency. Although they are more aware about
the meaning behind food labels there...
A consumer group is accusing the marketer of a fungus-based meat
substitute of "deceptive labelling" and has filed a
complaint with the US Food and Drug Administration, Advertising Age
reports.
Controversy will always surround infant formulas. Only this week a
prominent British MP, Lord Nazir Ahmed, was criticised by baby milk
campaigners over plans to take a paid post advising food giant
Nestlé. Nestle, for some time now,...
Hong Kong has ordered more popular Japanese snacks to be pulled
from supermarket shelves after they were found to contain an
unapproved sweetener which some studies have linked to cancer and
other health problems.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to amend the
voluntary nutrition labelling regulations by updating the names and
the nutrition labelling values for the 20 most frequently consumed
raw fruits, vegetables, and...
Following a series of recalls across the world, European Union food
health officials decided on Tuesday to remove a sweet called jelly
mini-cups from European markets amid fears that an ingredient could
cause fatal choking in children.
Singapore authorities have ordered supermarkets to remove a number
of Japanese food products containing stevioside, a sugar substitute
banned in the city state, industry sources said on Monday, reports
the Japan Times.
Steps towards an improved food safety system in the European Union
are being made almost on a weekly basis. It is natural that
consumers in the 15 Member States may be concerned about the impact
EU enlargement will have on current...
The Bush administration, apparently concerned about the nation's
food supply, is looking at making a single federal agency
responsible for keeping deadly toxins out of everything from beef
to broccoli
The European Commission has presented a proposal to improve
protection for geographical indications and designations of origin
for a variety of agricultural products and foodstuffs, to include
Prosciutto di Parma, Roquefort cheese...
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) this week released
details of a study on the potential dioxin contamination of fish
and fish oil capsules. Results are encouraging.
The US Agriculture Department, which is seeking a record US$ 905
million (€1,024m) for food safety spending next year, will hold a
series of public meetings on ways to better protect the nation's
food supply, a top USDA official...
In what must be considered to be a significant step towards greater
harmonisation in Europe, the European Parliament voted on Wednesday
for new safety controls on vitamin supplements. The new law will
require manufacturers of vitamins...
In what must be seen as warning to other food manufacturers, a UK
company was fined this week for incorrectly labelling a product
containing GM ingredients.
The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) this week called
for public comment on a number of proposed changes to the Food
Standards Code, including new requirements for making nutrition
claims, an extension to the folate/neural...
Today will witness the second reading of the European Union's draft
proposals for a directive on food supplements, sparking a new round
of condemnation from supplement manufacturers and retailers across
the Community.
A new independent report published by the UK Food Standards Agency
indicates how food labels could be made clearer, more informative
and more user-friendly.
The new biotechnology, or gene-splicing, applied to agriculture and
food, has a difficult road to hoe, and the international
organisation, Codex Alimentarius Commission, is not helping the
issue, criticises Dr. Henry Miller in a recent...
Since the hearing of November 2001 on the challenges facing the
fish processing industry, a wide-ranging debate has taken place in
this sector, an area of economic activity with a longstanding
tradition in the European Union.
It seems that on an almost daily basis new evidence arises to
reveal the benefits of folic acid to our health. Discussions about
the implications of fortifying a nation's food with folic acid are
currently taking place both in...
The US government said it has reached a deal with China over
Beijing's rules for the import of genetically modified foods, but
offered few details because it was not yet finalised.The Bush
administration said the temporary agreement...
Parma has ruled out hosting the new EU food safety agency jointly
with another city, its provincial government chief said this week,
dismissing ideas it could share the prize with Finland's Helsinki.
China is to tighten use of a potent antibiotic in food after
Germany joined other nations in complaining about the safety of
Chinese products, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
The Norwegian government has reportedly given up its long-running
fight against the EU regulations permitting the addition of
minerals, vitamins and amino acids to baby food.
Consumers may check the calorie and fat content on the food labels
but despite ongoing efforts in the food industry the consumer is
still confused when reading the label.
The White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative
Medicine (WHCCAM), a body set up to advise the US administration on
how better to regulate the alternative medicine industry, has said
that consumers need easier access to...
Diagnostic tests to differentiate between animals infected with the
highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease and animals vaccinated
against the disease might be close to a reality following a meeting
of international foot-and-mouth...
New Zealand's largest fruit and vegetables importer,Turners and
Growers, has entered a joint venture with the US-based SureBeam
Corporation to set up a new irradiation plant in Australia, reports
IndustrySearch.com.
The Japanese consumer, still reeling from the Snow Brand scandal
surrounding the mislabelling of beef, suffered a further shock this
week when Japan's number-three meat wholesaler, Starzen Co.,
admitted to falsely labelling cheaper...
