Regulation

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.

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.

Blanket tax on ‘liquid candy’ soft drinks would give US health kick, Columbia study

10-Jan-2012 - A penny-per-ounce tax on sugary soft drinks would ‘substantially reduce obesity, diabetes and heart disease amongst US adults’, according to a new study by academics at Columbia University.

Tropicana sued over ‘100% pure and natural’ orange juice claim

10-Jan-2012 - Tropicana Products Inc. is the latest company to be sued over use of the term ‘natural’ – this time to describe its not-from-concentrate ‘100% pure and natural’ orange juice.

News in brief

USDA acted legally in deregulating GM alfalfa, judge rules

10-Jan-2012 - A federal judge has dismissed claims that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) acted illegally by deregulating Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) alfalfa seeds, used primarily as feedstock for dairy cattle.

USDA to shut 259 offices in cost-saving initiative

10-Jan-2012 - The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Monday it intends to close 259 offices, facilities and laboratories across the United States, as part of an effort to save about $150m a year in the agency’s $145bn budget.

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.

IFF and Mane settle patent infringement case

09-Jan-2012 - Flavor firms International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) and V. Mane Fils have settled a patent infringement case over the cooling flavor compound monomenthyl succinate (MMS), with IFF making a $40m payment to Mane.

News in brief

Canned mouse would have turned to jelly: PepsiCo

05-Jan-2012 - PepsiCo is fighting claims by a consumer that he found a dead mouse in a Mountain Dew can, with a scientist testifying that there is no way the creature could have passed the bottling process intact.

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.

City of Cleveland sues Ohio State for blocking trans fat ban

05-Jan-2012 - The city of Cleveland has sued the state of Ohio for its attempt to block a proposed ban on the sale of certain products containing artificial trans fats.

CFA calls for “Alcohol Facts” labeling

04-Jan-2012 - The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has renewed a call for nutrition facts labeling on alcoholic beverages, which it says was agreed by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in 2007.

Interactive timeline: The Food Safety Modernization Act

04-Jan-2012 - A year ago today, President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act into law. FoodNavigator-USA tracks its development and implementation - as well as all the controversy along the way - in our exclusive interactive timeline.

FDA sued over lack of nanotech petition response

03-Jan-2012 - A coalition of consumer advocacy groups has filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), demanding that it respond to a 2006 petition to require labeling of nanotech ingredients in consumer products, and extra health and environmental assessments.

Revised estimate puts foodborne illness cost at about $78bn a year

02-Jan-2012 - The cost of foodborne illness in the United States is about $77.7bn per year, according to Dr. Robert Scharff, an Ohio State University assistant professor and former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) economist – slashing in half his previous, widely cited $152bn estimate.

News in brief

Undeclared sulphites prompt Baraka Apricot Candy recall

02-Jan-2012 - US based UBC Food Distributors has recalled 400g cellophane wrapped, product of Lebanon Baraka Apricot Candies after they were found to contain undeclared sulphites as preservatives.

US egg Salmonella prevention guidance issued

02-Jan-2012 - New US guidance on the prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in eggs through improved bio-security measures has been published, with the intention of preventing cross contamination.

Mead Johnson infant formula given all clear by US feds

02-Jan-2012 - No traces of Cronobacter have been found at the Mead Johnson infant formula plant and there is no need for a product recall, said US safety bodies last week as part of an investigation into four babies infected with the bacteria - two of whom have died.