Fraud is a big problem for rice brands. The commodity is susceptible to various scams, from passing off low-grade rice as premium to mixing it with bleached moldy rice, paper or even plastic. New research has developed a novel approach to detect food...
‘Your guess is as good as mine on Brexit’, said Joseph Muscat, the Prime Minster of Malta, at the opening of the ECMA Congress 2019 last week (September 19-20), ‘But what is obvious, is during the next few days there needs to be a meaningful engagement’.
Food giant Nestlé has defended its recipes after Romania’s consumer watchdog raised concerns that ‘dual-quality’ food products were intentionally manufactured to contain unequal nutritional and compositional profiles for the Romanian market.
The Seafood Alliance for Legality and Traceability (SALT) has launched a new initiative that aims to increase transparency and support collaboration in the global seafood sector.
From contaminated infant formula, to fake rice, edible glitter cakes and the Horsemeat scandal, attendees at the recent FSAI Conference (Food Safety Authority Ireland) in Dublin (August 21-22) were told challenging times lie ahead.
A consumer watchdog has launched a campaign calling on Dr. Oetker to stop using the controversial ingredient titanium dioxide (E171) in its bakery ingredients and decorations in Germany.
Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is becoming an increasing risk in Europe with a 60% rise of ciguatoxin (CTX) cases in the last decade, according to AESAN (Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition).
The European Food Standards Authority has clarified its stance on ground flaxseed after UK media reports suggested that the safety watchdog was warning that too much of it could expose people to toxic levels of cyanide.
Microbial detection company Hygiena says cannabis is rapidly expanding as an ingredient in foods such as baked goods, oils, drinks and butter, but due to its popularity companies run a higher risk of producing contaminated and unsafe products.
EFSA’s decision-making process may have been biased by ‘conflicts of interest’ and the distribution and sale of aspartame in the EU should be suspended, says the author of a new research dossier calling the safety of the sweetener into question.
Confusion still exists today between organic and sustainable practices and food producers are not doing enough to keep the eco-system alive, according to Greek social cooperative Local Food Experts.
Online food delivery firm Just Eat is publishing hygiene ratings for Scottish restaurants on its platform in response to growing demand for food safety transparency.
The profit-driven focus of the food sector places pressure on employees and the food chain to deliver products at the lowest possible cost. Ultimately, this increases the risk of food fraud, according to Arun Chauhan, fraud expert and founder of Tenet...
This week’s Dairy Dialog podcast sees us discussing alternative energy, in the form of cow manure, with Arla Foods’ Swedish market head, Patrik Hansson, and Erik Bratthall, Head of Press.
Systech, primarily known for its serialization, traceability, anti-counterfeiting, pharmaceutical regulations and supply chain technology, has expanded into Food & Beverages introducing its UniSecure platform at AIPIA.
A European comparison study investigating ‘dual quality’ across the bloc has found that one-third of products tested have an identical or similar front-of-pack appearance, yet differing compositions.
Quality issues or product recalls always have short-term financial implications, but in today’s social media age the longer-term consequences of a loss of brand reputation and consumer confidence can be even more detrimental, warns food packing machinery...
A new opinion published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded that some population groups – particularly infants, children and adolescents – have too many phosphates in their diets. The opinion calls for a maximum level of phosphates...
Beef burgers that failed to meet legal standards were sold to charities tackling food poverty in France. This latest scandal is horsemeat “chapter 2”, consumer watchdog FoodWatch insists.
Today is the first United Nation’s World Food Safety Day. The event aims to raise awareness of food safety issues and increase cooperation between governments, producers and consumers. The theme: “food safety is everyone’s business”.
The Technical University of Denmark is developing blockchain solutions for small and medium-sized food manufacturers in an effort to combat food fraud in high-value products.
UFC-Que Choisir has raised concerns over the safety of soy-based products after elevated levels of phytoestrogens were found in various drinks, desserts, sauces, and prepared foods.
Chr. Hansen says its new lactose biosensor test kit can determine lactose concentration in all dairy products, including those with added flavours, vitamins, fruits and sugars.
Researchers at the University of Sydney have discovered that the food additive E171 - commonly known as titanium dioxide and found in over 900 common food products - significantly increases the risk of gut disease and cancer.
Five Scottish cheesemakers say they have succeeded in a crowdfunded campaign against the legality of Food Standards Scotland (FSS) inspection and enforcement guidance for the production of raw milk cheese in Scotland.
European food safety regulators have re-iterated the conclusion that titanium dioxide is safe to eat – but a fresh study warns its consumption could have negative consequences for your gut bacteria.
IN-Code Technologies has developed invisible makers that can be used to combat illicit trade and prove the sustainable sourcing of food ingredients, such as palm oil, says CEO Joe Tilley.
Are those carrots truly organic? Does this saffron really originate from Spain? Researchers in Portugal are helping authorities test food authenticity and safety through the use of ‘food fingerprints’.
Danish supermarkets Coop, Aldi and Lidl demand their suppliers go beyond legal requirements on maximum pesticide levels in response to mounting consumer concern over the issue.
The number of cases reported to the EU Food Fraud Network rose significantly last year. Requests from one European country to cooperate with others on food fraud cases rose to 234 in 2018, compared to 178 in 2017 and 157 in 2016, according to its annual...
The growing use and benefits of smart sensors in food and beverage applications, such as photoelectric, process, vision inspection cameras, and code readers is stepping up a notch with IO-Link technology.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has become the first regulator to adapt next generation sequencing technology to test plant-based foods and food supplements.
‘Insatiable’ demand for balsamic vinegar means fraudulent products can be a tempting prize. But authenticity and traceability could actually prove a boon for the premium end of the market. FoodNavigator investigates.
With the uncertainty of Brexit looming and the food industry constantly being scrutinised for sustainable sourcing and transparency, the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) has appointed Helen Munday as president elect, taking on the role...
Leveraging Oxford Nanopore’s sequencing technology, the Clear Safety platform allows customers to accelerate ‘time-to-insight’ and ‘time-to-decision’ in the pathogen detection process.
GS1 Digital Link has been hitting the headlines in recent months. Although not new, the standard has been updated for web-enabling barcodes to enhance the shopping experience for consumers around the globe and improve supply chain traceability, bringing...
FoodTech startup Inspecto has developed a portable scanner that detects chemical contamination in food in real-time, expected to be commercially available in 2020.
The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) must disclose details of studies on the toxicity and carcinogenic properties of glyphosate to lawmakers, concluded an EU court.
The European Commission is calling for action to tackle the rise of antimicrobial resistance in animals, saying it’s a threat against human health, animal health and the environment.
Weak legislation and insufficient surveillance in Europe have contributed to a growing food fraud market across the bloc, said experts at the GFSI Conference last week.
Marks and Spencer first implemented a DNA sampling system across its beef supply chain in 2012. Seven years on, head of agriculture and fisheries Steve McLean says he has seen beef sales rise and customer complaints drop.
