Regulation

17-Nov-2011 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be granted an extra $50m of funding for 2012 according to the provisions of a bipartisan compromise bill, some of which would help implement the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Food Stamp program participation slows - but continues to grow

15-Nov-2011 - Last year, 44 million Americans took part in the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – formerly the Food Stamp program – according to a new report from the Carsey Institute.

News in brief

'Whisky' war breaks out as SWA accuses Arkay of illegal promotional claim

15-Nov-2011 - The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has warned consumers "not to be taken in" by a new product claiming to be the world's first alcohol-free whisky and has signalled its intent to fight against the introduction of an illegal product.

Global food safety training fund established at APEC

14-Nov-2011 - A new global food safety fund was announced at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in Honolulu, Hawaii on Saturday, to support global food safety improvements and understanding of best practices.

You say stanol, I say sterol… Raisio clashes with Unilever over cholesterol-lowering terminology

10-Nov-2011 - Heart healthy food giants Raisio and Unilever have clashed over proposed changes to the wording of health claims about phytosterols and the risk of coronary heart disease.

POLL results: We need a clearer definition of natural... and the FDA should come up with it

07-Nov-2011 - We need a formal definition of ‘natural’ to ensure it is used more consistently in food labeling and marketing– and the FDA should provide it - according to the results of the latest FoodNavigator-USA/NutraIngredients-USA poll.

Comment

Another day, another food safety scandal – so where’s the cash?

07-Nov-2011 - Dilly-dallying over whether to dish up an extra $1.4bn over five years to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act is not only scandalous – it’s also false economy.

NPA weighs into ‘natural’ debate as Natural Seal initiative for food gathers pace

07-Nov-2011 - New standards to underpin the use of the word ‘natural’ on meat & poultry products and snacks & cereals should be released by the Natural Products Association (NPA) next year as part of its Natural Seal certification scheme.

US appeals to China for food safety assistance

04-Nov-2011 - Food safety authorities in the US have appealed to their Chinese counterparts for help to “move forward” and create a global approach to food safety.

CFBAI boss: Food advertising to kids is a ‘wholly inappropriate’ area for government intervention

03-Nov-2011 - Food advertising to children is a “perfect example of a topic that is wholly inappropriate for government regulation”, according to the vice president of the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI).

Fair Trade USA reacts to criticism with labeling policy review

02-Nov-2011 - Fair Trade USA has said it will conduct a full review of its forthcoming ingredients labeling policy in response to criticism from other stakeholders in the Fair Trade industry.

Special edition: Front-of-pack nutrition labeling

Front-of-pack poll results: No clear winner (except cynicism…)

01-Nov-2011 - There is no clear winner in the front-of-pack labeling stakes, according to the results of the latest FoodNavigator-USA poll. Unless you count cynicism…

Consumer group calls HFCS corn sugar campaign ‘food identity theft’

28-Oct-2011 - Non-profit consumer group Citizens for Health is the latest organization to oppose the Corn Refiners Association’s petition to allow ‘corn sugar’ as an alternative label declaration for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Industry decides safety of about one-third of food additives, review finds

28-Oct-2011 - The safety of about one-third of food additives in the US food supply has been decided by industry, without review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), claims a new report.

Jury finds for Novozymes in patent infringement case against Danisco

27-Oct-2011 - Danisco was told by a US court to pay Danish food ingredients producer Novozymes $18.3m in damages for patent infringement.

Vilsack calls for innovation and more diversity in US food supply

26-Oct-2011 - There is a need for greater diversification of the American food supply and US diets need to change, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in his keynote speech at the launch of the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN) in the United States.

Court dismisses ‘processed’ fiber case

26-Oct-2011 - A Chicago district court has dismissed a complaint alleging that General Mills and Kellogg Company should have specified on-pack that their Fiber One, Fiber Plus and other bars contained “processed” fiber.

IOM front-of-pack labels are step in right direction but need more work, says Guiding Stars advisor

25-Oct-2011 - The Institute of Medicine’s (IOM’s) proposed front-of-pack (FOP) labeling scheme is a positive step forward, but "needs much more work”, according to supporters of one leading FOP scheme already up and running in the marketplace.

Consumer groups file complaint over ‘stealth’ PepsiCo ads

25-Oct-2011 - Consumer groups have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against PepsiCo and its subsidiary Frito-Lay, claiming that it uses deceptive and unfair marketing techniques to attract teenage customers.

‘Corn sugar’ lawsuit attempts to shut down free speech, claims CRA

24-Oct-2011 - A lawsuit that claims it is misleading to market high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as ‘corn sugar’ and ‘natural’ has been allowed to go ahead – but the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) has called it an attack on free speech.

Industry welcomes new US free trade agreements

24-Oct-2011 - Free trade agreements signed last week with Colombia, Panama and South Korea will be critically important for increasing US food exports to these markets and create a level playing field for US manufacturers, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has said.

What changes should be made to the Nutrition Facts panel?

24-Oct-2011 - The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) is hosting a webinar early next month to discuss the anticipated scope of proposed reforms to the Nutrition Facts panel.

Front-of-pack labeling poll: Facts up Front or a points-based system? Tell us what you think

21-Oct-2011 - Front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labels are designed to help busy shoppers make rapid, but more informed, choices about which foods are healthier.

Comment

IOM front-of-pack labeling scheme: It’s bold, it’s simple and I love it. But is it fair?

21-Oct-2011 - The Institute of Medicine (IOM) certainly didn’t pull any punches in its front-of-pack labels report yesterday.

Bakers hail CFTC vote as ‘step in right direction’ to stop index funds sending commodity markets into a spin

21-Oct-2011 - Moves to impose position limits on non-commercial hedgers in commodity markets mark an important step in the right direction to tackle volatility in wheat futures, says the American Bakers Association (ABA).