Regulation

06-Nov-2009 - Federal agencies in the United States need to increase the speed and accuracy of traceability systems to combat outbreaks of food-borne illnesses, said the FDA as it called a public meeting on the matter.

Health Canada completes allergen labeling review

30-Oct-2009 - Health Canada has completed a review of the country’s allergen labeling system and has said it will begin public consultations in November for mandatory labeling regulations.

News in brief

Coca-Cola omega-3 superjuice can nourish brain (but not memory), says NAD

28-Oct-2009 - Coca-Cola-owned Minute Maid has been told to discontinue TV advertising that suggested an omega-3 DHA-fortified pomegranate and blueberry superjuice could give an immediate memory boost.

Obesity Society urged to dismiss soda tax

28-Oct-2009 - The Center for Consumer Freedom has urged attendees of the Obesity Society’s annual meeting to consider obesity a matter of personal responsibility rather than an issue to be regulated by government.

Comment

Tackling E.coli – legislation or self-regulation?

26-Oct-2009 - Everybody wants food to be safe - but the recent slugging match over how best to protect US consumers from E.coli-tainted meat highlights whether legislation or self-regulation is the answer to mending the country's flawed safety system.

FDA chief calls for stronger food safety bill

23-Oct-2009 - A bill to overhaul the food safety system needs to be stronger and incorporate more funding, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg told a Senate committee hearing on Thursday.

Meat test rule change would prevent most E.coli, Listeria recalls

22-Oct-2009 - More than 80 per cent of this year’s meat recalls for E.coli and listeria could have been avoided if US authorities made companies keep hold of tested products until safety officials had given them the all clear.

FDA to examine front of pack labeling claims

21-Oct-2009 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will consider using its regulatory tools if front of pack nutrition labeling is not used in a common, credible way, it said in a letter to industry on Tuesday.

Senators propose country of origin labeling for dairy

20-Oct-2009 - Ohio’s Senator Sherrod Brown has introduced legislation in Congress that proposes extending country of origin labeling (COOL) to include dairy products.

Sen. Gillibrand proposes food safety overhaul

19-Oct-2009 - New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has put forward a proposal for new federal food safety legislation to address ‘gaps’ in the inspection process and concentrate on contamination and disease prevention.

CT attorney general to investigate Smart Choices

16-Oct-2009 - The Connecticut attorney general has launched an investigation into the Smart Choices food labeling program, claiming that it is potentially misleading.

News in brief

USDA finalizes five-year food choice study

16-Oct-2009 - A five-year study on food choices and expenditures by US households will be conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced.

FDA and USDA should cooperate for import safety: Report

15-Oct-2009 - The federal government needs to take action to close gaps in the US food safety network, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Lawsuits against Cheerios cholesterol claims combined

13-Oct-2009 - A federal court panel has ruled that five pending lawsuits against General Mills for claims about the purported cholesterol-lowering benefits of Cheerios will be consolidated into one multi-district case.

FDA launches a $17.5m boost to food and feed safety

13-Oct-2009 - The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a $17.5m investment in food and feed safety standards encompassing federal, state, and local partners.

Comment

Soda tax: A lot of froth over freedom

12-Oct-2009 - Is taxing soda really an evil plan to curb your individual freedom? Conspiracy theories aside, perhaps it’s simply a sensible scheme to tackle obesity when personal choice has failed.

Canada asks WTO to settle US food origin labeling dispute

08-Oct-2009 - Canada has asked for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to settle its ongoing dispute with the US over country of origin labeling (COOL) rules.

Healthy foods top CSPI’s risk list

07-Oct-2009 - The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has released a list of the ten riskiest FDA-regulated foods, claiming that it should serve as a further call to overhaul the US food safety system.

Canada must amend its natural product regulations

07-Oct-2009 - Canada’s controversial Natural Health Products (NHP) Directorate must be amended if the Canadian functional foods market is not to face severe long-term regulatory restriction, according to a leading trade group there.

USDA unites with FDA on new food safety rules

07-Oct-2009 - The US Department of Agriculture’s fresh produce chief has joined the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop new food safety rules, the departments announced in a statement on Monday.

Comment

Bad day at the EU health claims office

05-Oct-2009 - October 1 was not a good day for many in the functional foods and food supplements business in the European Union as the meaning of life under a highly restrictive health claims regime came more into focus.

President Obama endorses US soda tax plan

01-Oct-2009 - President Barack Obama has lent his support for a soda tax which could benefit children’s health and the nation’s wealth, according to a new report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Quotas ignore industry's sugar price plea

29-Sep-2009 - The USDA has set sugar import quotas at the minimum level required under World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements, despite pleas from industry to increase quotas in an effort to pull down prices.

Comment

The benefits of a probiotic witch hunt

28-Sep-2009 - Get your pitchforks ready! There are evil-doers out there! We’ve been conned: Probiotics don’t work. Dannon’s settling out of court, EFSA’s rejecting health claims, and the media is starting a witch hunt.