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Food safety

The importance of food safety has been brought into sharp focus as North America has been hit by a spate of foodborne illnesses. Now the regulatory framework governing US food safety looks set for an overhaul.

Consumer groups petition FDA to assess GE salmon as food additive

10-Feb-2012 - Consumer groups have petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to alter the process by which it assesses the safety of AquaBounty’s fast-growing genetically engineered (GE) salmon.

Brazil trade body questions carbendazim double standards after US OJ breaches import limit

06-Feb-2012 - A Brazilian orange juice trade body has called for a stop to ‘double standard’ carbendazim measures after US officials declined to take action against US-manufactured orange juice containing the banned fungicide.

IFT and FAO agree to form food safety partnership

06-Feb-2012 - The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have agreed to form a food safety partnership, with the aim of cooperating toward achieving a safe, sufficient, and accessible food supply, according to IFT.

Industry groups urge federal funding for food safety

31-Jan-2012 - An industry coalition led by the American Frozen Foods Institute (AFFI) has urged the Obama administration to adequately fund food safety initiatives, without levying extra taxes or industry fees.

Social media could enhance foodborne outbreak detection - report

31-Jan-2012 - “Rich data sources” like Twitter and Facebook could be utilised as a tool in the surveillance of foodborne disease outbreaks, according to a US study.

Brazilian orange juice detained after positive carbendazim results

30-Jan-2012 - US food safety officials have denied entry to 11 shipments of orange juice products, including five from Brazil, after carbendazim was found in import samples.

Expect ‘considerable growing pains’ as FSMA kicks in, warns lawyer

26-Jan-2012 - While the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will undoubtedly “raise the floor” and increase confidence in the US food supply, experts are predicting “considerable growing pains” as the industry gets to grips with the new legislation.

Walmart expert: Food safety is a ‘shared responsibility’

24-Jan-2012 - Today’s complex and interdependent food supply chain makes food safety a shared responsibility more than ever before, according to vice president of food safety at Walmart Frank Yiannas.

USDA awards $25m grant to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for E. coli research

24-Jan-2012 - The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a $25m research grant to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to tackle Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in the beef supply chain.

‘Critical’ food safety focus in poultry inspection will save $90m - USDA

24-Jan-2012 - A proposal to modernise poultry inspection in the US will focus resources on areas critical to ensuring food safety while reducing the burden on the taxpayer, the US government has announced.

Life under the Food Safety Modernization Act: Tracing, tracking and brand protection

23-Jan-2012 - The ability to track and trace ingredients is likely to be a major focus for food manufacturers as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is rolled out – but the most important consideration for companies is brand reputation, according to a FSMA specialist at ADT Security Services.

FDA yet to find any trace of carbendazim in orange juice

23-Jan-2012 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is yet to find any trace of carbendazim in imports of orange juice since promising to block entry to shipments containing the fungicide.

Judge upholds USDA requirement for raw almond pasteurization

20-Jan-2012 - A federal judge has again upheld a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rule that US raw almonds must be pasteurized in order to mitigate risk of salmonella, after organic almond growers challenged the rule.

Tropicana’s Pure Premium returns to Florida oranges

19-Jan-2012 - PepsiCo is returning to using only Florida oranges in its Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice, saying that its decision was based on more people becoming interested in where their food comes from, rather than recent concerns over fungicide traces.

Gulf seafood ‘as safe as before the spill’, says FDA

18-Jan-2012 - “Gulf seafood is as safe to eat now as it was before the spill,” FDA deputy commissioner for foods Michael Taylor has said, as government agencies continue to try and reassure the public about seafood safety in the region.

FDA: We’ll publish FSMA foreign supplier verification rules ‘soon’

17-Jan-2012 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has missed its January 4 deadline for publishing details of how it will regulate imported food under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), but says it will update the industry “soon”.

Union attacks Canadian government plans to cut food inspection funding

17-Jan-2012 - The Canadian government is planning cuts to food safety inspection funding put in place following the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak – a move that a food safety inspectors’ union claims could increase foodborne illness risk.

Orange juice fungicide row highlights flaws in US pesticide regime, says expert

16-Jan-2012 - The orange juice/carbendazim row currently engulfing the US orange juice market “highlights the questionable way that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulate pesticides in foods”, according to one food law attorney.

Cantaloupe trade bodies to develop food safety guidance

13-Jan-2012 - US produce industry associations intend to develop cantaloupe-specific food safety guidelines to combat the fruit’s association with a listeria outbreak that killed dozens of people in 2011.

Global food preservatives market to grow at CAGR of 2.5% in next five years

12-Jan-2012 - The global food preservative market is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.5% in the next five years, according to a new report from Markets and Markets.

Jensen Farms auditor did not follow FDA processing guidance

11-Jan-2012 - Auditors who gave Jensen Farms a “superior” rating, only months before a lethal Listeria outbreak, largely ignored FDA antimicrobial guidance, a US government report has found.

FDA hails ‘significant progress’ under year-old food safety law

09-Jan-2012 - The Food and Drug Administration claims it has made significant progress with regulatory developments related to the Food Safety Modernization Act since the bill was signed into law a year ago, according to its one-year progress report.

Faster detection key to improving food safety, says GFPI boss

09-Jan-2012 - Firms that can improve sample collection and preparation and make pathogen detection faster and cheaper will secure the first cash injections from the Global Food Protection Institute’s (GFPI’s) Emerging Technology Accelerator (ETA) initiative this month.

Allergen management improving, but still work to do, says Deloitte

05-Jan-2012 - Food manufacturers are upping their game on allergen management, but many still take information from ingredients suppliers about allergens “at face value without further verification”, according to a survey by Deloitte & Touche.

Probiotics and stevia extracts among new FCC proposed standards

05-Jan-2012 - US Pharmacopeia has drafted new ingredient quality standards for inclusion in the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC), for probiotics, steviol glycosides, benzoates, infant formula and flavoring ingredients, and is seeking industry comments.