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

Sugar industry and Splenda embark on new battle

07-Nov-2006 - The US sugar industry has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against the popular sweetener product Splenda, which it claims is deceptively marketed to make consumers believe it is natural.

Weekly comment

A fair trade future

30-Oct-2006 - The world needs an independent trade watchdog to properly regulate the international food supply chain if we as a society are to truly create a more sustainable and ethical food market.

Australia launches plan to cut trans fats

26-Oct-2006 - Australia's government will work with industry to reduce trans fatty acids in Australian food, it announced this week, despite figures that suggest intake of the fats among the population is within safe limits.

FDA opens dialogue over functional foods regulations

25-Oct-2006 - The FDA has signalled that it could adapt existing regulation to take account of the growing number of conventional foods marketed as 'functional foods category', starting with a public meeting in December.

Report may require firms to reveal food marketing to kids data

24-Oct-2006 - Food and beverage manufacturers may soon be required to disclose detailed information on their marketing activities and expenditures targeted toward children and adolescents, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has said.

FDA moves towards cloned meat, milk

23-Oct-2006 - An FDA risk assessment that is expected to declare meat and milk derived from cloned animals safe for the food supply is currently being reviewed by the government, and is due to be released by the end of the year.

OTA pushes for more government focus on organics

17-Oct-2006 - The US Organic Trade Association today released an ambitious plan designed to advance the nation's organic agriculture by petitioning the government to support an increased local, regional and national supply of organic food and fiber.

Sabinsa agrees to end US Genimax sales

03-Oct-2006 - Sabinsa Corporation has agreed to discontinue making or selling Genimax in the US as part of a settlement with Archer Daniels Midland over patent infringement of the agribusiness giant's proprietary soy isoflavone technology.

WTO GM food ruling ignores safety question

03-Oct-2006 - The WTO has ruled that the EU's GM food ban was illegal, but has failed to uphold some of the charges levelled by the US, Canada and Argentina.

Task force to address advertising, kids' obesity link

29-Sep-2006 - Representatives from the food, television and advertising industries are to team up to create a task force designed to examine the link between TV commercials and the rising rate of childhood obesity.

Spinach outbreak could lead to tougher food safety laws

29-Sep-2006 - In the wake of an outbreak of E. coli sickness due to contaminated packaged spinach, consumer and health groups are calling for tougher food safety laws for processors of produce.

WHO recommends global phasing out of trans fats

29-Sep-2006 - The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that governments around the world phase out partially hydrogenated oils if trans-fat labelling alone doesn't spur significant reductions.

Trans fats battle reaches New York restaurants

28-Sep-2006 - The trans fats battle is inching its way further into the foodservice sector, with a new proposal announced this week to remove almost all of the artery clogging oils from New York City restaurants.

Special alfatoxin measures target repeat offenders

15-Sep-2006 - Updated EU rules on aflatoxin contamination crack down on repeat offenders such as Egypt, China, Iran and Turkey, and will affect imports of supplies such as peanuts, pistachios, and dried fruit.

New petition filed as popcorn flavor cases continue

13-Sep-2006 - Another petition has been filed in recent weeks requesting immediate action to protect popcorn factory workers from the lung-disease causing butter flavor diacetyl.

Bayer petitions for approval of GM rice in contamination case

11-Sep-2006 - Agro giant Bayer Crop Sciences has petitioned the US Department of Agriculture to approve a genetically modified rice variety that has been at the heart of a recent contamination scandal.

Unilever urges FDA loosen phytosterol health claim

07-Sep-2006 - Unilever has petitioned the FDA to amend its health claim for the use of phytosterols in foods and allow full daily intake in one serving rather than two - suggesting the consumer brand giant foresees more explicit and simplified health claims could bring even greater demand for its pro-activ ingredients.

Bottled water sellers face lawsuit deadline

31-Aug-2006 - Lawyers in the US have warned they will sue any US retailer that has failed to recall, by the end of this week, bottled water found to contain cancer-causing bromate above the legal limit, BeverageDaily.com has learnt.

Anti-GM movement calls for global US rice ban

28-Aug-2006 - Greenpeace has called for a global ban on imports of US rice after traces of unapproved GM rice was found in commercial batches.

Special report

Soft drinks firms settle in benzene lawsuit

25-Aug-2006 - Two soft drink firms accused of using ingredients that could mix to form a cancer-causing chemical in drinks plan to sign a settlement with lawyers today, agreeing to change formulas and offer refunds.

EC blocks 'illegal' GM rice imports from US

25-Aug-2006 - The EC adopted a decision this week requiring imports of long grain rice from the USA to be certified as free from the unauthorised GMO LL Rice 601.

GM rice contaminates US food supply

21-Aug-2006 - Trace amounts of a bioengineered variety of rice have been detected in samples of commercial rice seed and may have entered the food supply in the United States, it emerged last week.

Horizon dairy targeted for lacking organic practices

18-Aug-2006 - A legal complaint filed against the nation's largest organic dairy firm has rekindled an ongoing debate surrounding the integrity of organic production.

US: Bottled water pulled in bromate scare

14-Aug-2006 - Bottled water containing cancer-causing bromate above the level allowed by America's food safety watchdog has been pulled from shelves by one of the country's upmarket retailers.