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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.

Bisphenol A exposure linked to life-long fertility defects, gene changes

09-Mar-2010 - Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during pregnancy can cause permanent abnormalities in the uterus of offspring and the reprogramming of genes, said new research from the Yale School of Medicine.

FDA should improve GRAS oversight, says GAO

08-Mar-2010 - The FDA needs to improve its oversight of GRAS (generally recognized as safe) food ingredients, claims a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

New global monitoring tool identifies food safety offenders

05-Mar-2010 - A new monitoring tool presented at a recent EFSA conference has named China, Iran, Turkey, the United Sates and Spain as the top five offenders in food contamination between 2003 and 2008.

Large-scale recall looms due to salmonella-tainted flavor enhancer

05-Mar-2010 - A large-scale product recall is likely following discovery of salmonella in hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), a flavor enhancer ubiquitous in processed foods, the FDA has said.

Potato testing could lessen acrylamide in French fries

02-Mar-2010 - Potato selection could help mitigate formation of the suspected carcinogen acrylamide in French fries, according to a study published in Food Additives and Contaminants.

More pepper recalled due to salmonella fears

02-Mar-2010 - Heartland Foods, a distributor of specialty food ingredients, has issued a recall of ground black pepper after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it could be contaminated with salmonella.

Acrylamide could get prop 65 for reproductive harm

01-Mar-2010 - California health officials have proposed that acrylamide, the suspected carcinogen produced during the cooking of certain foods, should be listed as a known reproductive toxicant.

Bulk red pepper recalled on salmonella fears

01-Mar-2010 - Wholesome Spice has issued a recall of 25-pound boxes of crushed red pepper, after salmonella was found in the ingredient at Daniele International, the salami manufacturer linked to a salmonella outbreak.

Dingell criticizes Senate for food safety standstill

23-Feb-2010 - Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich) has criticized the Senate for stalling over food safety legislation that passed from committee in November with strong bipartisan support.

Study warns of future threats to food safety

19-Feb-2010 - Experts from Unilever, the Food Standards Authority (FSA), National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) have mapped out future threats to food safety and strategies to tackle them in a new study.

Salami salmonella suspicion expands to red pepper

17-Feb-2010 - Crushed red pepper is now under suspicion for a multi-state salmonella outbreak that has been linked to salami, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has said in an investigation update.

FDA criticises Kellogg over Listeria contamination

17-Feb-2010 - Kellogg has been warned over a raft of food hygiene violations after the discovery of widespread Listeria contamination at a waffle plant, said US food regulators in a document released yesterday.

Massive recall triggers more questions over US meat safety

15-Feb-2010 - Huntington Meat Packing Inc has recalled a further 4.9 million pounds (2.2m kg) of meat that was not processed in line with the company’s HACCP plan over the course of almost a year, said US authorities.

Black pepper producers reject salmonella allegations

11-Feb-2010 - Black pepper has been named as the likely cause of a salmonella outbreak traced to salami, but Vietnamese pepper producers have rejected allegations that they are to blame.

Companies should collaborate to fight food fraud: Report

08-Feb-2010 - Greater collaboration and information sharing could help the food industry tackle food fraud, according to a new report from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and consulting firm AT Kearney.

Salmonella to have no lasting impact on peanut demand: USDA

02-Feb-2010 - Last year’s deadly salmonella outbreak linked to peanut products will have no long term impact on peanut demand and production, according to a report from the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).

Nanotech risk assessment bill introduced in US

29-Jan-2010 - A bill under scrutiny in the United States Senate would create a new nanotechnology risk assessment program within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Nestle USA heat-treated flour switch planned for months

19-Jan-2010 - Nestle USA said the switch to heat-treated flour in the production of its Toll House dough has been planned since late summer and confirmed it had yet to find the source of the E.coli detected in its samples.

Peanut processor facing fines for safety breaches, worker death

08-Jan-2010 - Birdsong Corp peanut processing company is facing fines of $137,250 after being cited for 41 health and safety violations by authorities in the United States.

Phthalate action plan draws industry fire

06-Jan-2010 - The publication of US Government action plans on how to manage risks posed by a range of controversial substances, including phthalates, has drawn stinging criticism from the chemical industry.

Meat not linked to prostate cancer recurrence risk

06-Jan-2010 - Consuming processed and unprocessed red meat, fish, total poultry, and skinless poultry does not affect prostate cancer recurrence or progression, says a new study from Harvard.

Beef recall sparks tenderization debate

04-Jan-2010 - A multi-state beef recall in the US has led to renewed focus on mechanical tenderization as a possible cause of increased E. coli risk in beef and pork products.

Food landmarks 2009: Safety scandal

23-Dec-2009 - As the old year draws to a close, we review the significant waypoints of 2009 and look ahead to what is likely to dominate next year’s news. Join us now for a whistle-stop tour of the news topics that made the headlines on our flagship food and nutrition websites in North America and Europe.

New salmonella hazard uncovered for egg processors

23-Dec-2009 - Wooden shelving on carts typically used for transporting eggs into processing plants can harbour salmonella-causing bacteria, a new study from the US Department of Agriculture has warned.

Health Canada proposes enzyme use to counter acrylamide

22-Dec-2009 - Health Canada has asked for comments on its proposal that asparaginase enzymes could be used to combat the suspected carcinogen acrylamide in food.