Breaking News on Food & Beverage Development - North America EU edition

Obama picks Hamburg to head FDA

16-Mar-2009 - President Obama has named his pick for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner: Food safety and bioterrorism expert Dr Margaret Hamburg.

Government moves to regulate food advertising to teens

13-Mar-2009 - The US government has set up a working group to look at how food is marketed to all children under the age of 18, in a move that has angered some industry representatives.

Judge upholds almond pasteurization law

13-Mar-2009 - A federal judge has rejected challenges to a law requiring mandatory pasteurization of almonds to reduce risk of salmonella contamination.

USDA announces meetings on GE regulation revision

11-Mar-2009 - The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invited interested parties to take part in a scoping session on the agenda for meetings discussing a proposed rule for genetically engineered (GE) organisms in April.

News in brief

Tortilla manufacturer shut down by FDA injunction

10-Mar-2009 - A US tortilla manufacturer has been shut down over repeated violations, claims the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Patience urged over new FDA powers

06-Mar-2009 - Obtaining new powers for the FDA to recall food products and implement new preventative measures will take time, the Acting Commissioner has said, in a candid viewpoint that recognizes officials’ constraints.

New Canadian listeria rules said to lack bite for big companies

06-Mar-2009 - New rules on listeria testing in ready-to-eat meats launched last week by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) don’t go far enough to guard against the risk of infection in large companies, warns one of the federal government’s expert advisors on food safety.

Food industry welcomes bipartisan food safety bill

05-Mar-2009 - Food companies have come out in support of stricter government regulation proposed by a bipartisan Senate bill intended to strengthen the FDA’s powers to ensure food safety.

Acrylamide may be added to Canada’s toxic substance list

26-Feb-2009 - Health Canada has recommended that acrylamide – a possible carcinogen found in French fries and potato chips – be included on the nation’s list of toxic substances.

How the US stimulus bill impacts food: Part II

24-Feb-2009 - Indirect benefits of the economic stimulus bill signed by President Obama earlier this month are set to filter through to manufacturers of food, beverage and supplement products – especially the smaller players.

Stricter meat labelling urged in US

23-Feb-2009 - US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is requesting that US meatpackers voluntarily impose a stricter regime of country-of-origin labelling (COOL) for meat than that required under the Bush administration ruling.

Georgia’s state Senate passes food safety bill

20-Feb-2009 - Georgia’s state Senate has passed a watered down food safety bill on Wednesday which would require compulsory tests for contamination in some instances.

New regulations to open up organic trade, says OTA

19-Feb-2009 - New regulations for Canadian organic food are due to come into effect at the end of June, and the Organic Trade Association (OTA) has said that they will ease trade in organic food between Canada and major trading partners.

Maryland eyes artificial food color ban

11-Feb-2009 - Maryland could become the first US state to ban several artificial food colorings which have been linked to hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children, if proposed legislation is approved.

US hearing on packaging chemical imminent

10-Feb-2009 - The US food safety regulator is set to provide more information to the public later this month about its safety review of Bisphenol A (BPA), the chemical found in packaging.

CSPI rejects task force trans fat advice

04-Feb-2009 - The Center for Science in the Public Interest has urged Pennsylvanian officials to ignore the advice of a task force on trans fat, which concluded that a mandatory ban “could be more harmful from a health perspective”.

Obama pledges ‘complete review’ of FDA

03-Feb-2009 - President Obama has said in a televised interview that his administration will conduct a complete review of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent future lapses in food safety.

Weekly comment

Nut so good - tainted US food system needs revamping

02-Feb-2009 - E. coli in ground beef, melamine in infant formula, and salmonella in peanut butter - what is next? Isn’t it about time the slices of the US food safety pie were taken back from the multiple federal agencies involved and surveillance placed under one roof?

US bill would boost FDA powers, increase food and drug inspections

29-Jan-2009 - Legislation unveiled in the House of Representatives this week would increase Food and Drug Administration powers and the frequency of safety inspections – but would require industry to cover the cost.

Counting on roasted chicory's local appeal

27-Jan-2009 - US-grown roasted chicory is not expected to rise in price when trade tariffs are lifted in March, says its sole US supplier, because the pull of locally-produced food remains strong.

Food industry urges Congress to reform food safety rules

26-Jan-2009 - A group of ten major food industry organizations has signed letters to Congress urging it to modernize US food safety regulation amid concern that otherwise America could lose its reputation for safe, good quality food supplies.

FDA’s recall response ‘inadequate’ and ‘ineffective’, says CSPI

23-Jan-2009 - The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has criticized US officials’ response to the peanut butter salmonella outbreak, calling it ‘woefully inadequate’.

Chinese melamine defendants face death

22-Jan-2009 - The Chinese melamine scandal is expected to claim more lives after the country’s courts sentenced two people with alleged involvement in last year’s contamination to death and imprisoned an industry executive, say news reports.

Guest article

What Obama means for functional foods and supplements: Part I

20-Jan-2009 - As we enter the Obama era today, NutraIngredients-USA.com examines the likely effects of the much-awaited Congressional shift on the functional foods and dietary supplements industries. According to industry veteran Loren Israelsen, the road ahead could be less than positive – especially for supplements.