A European Union ban on meat-based livestock feed, imposed over
fears of mad cow disease, could in future be relaxed for certain
types of animals, E.U. officials said on Monday.
Food policy and agriculture in Europe are intimately tied, so Dr.
Franz Fischler, Member of the European Commission responsible for
Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries European Agriculture
stressed this week at a conference...
T-bone steak came a step closer to reappearing on European menus on
Tuesday after senior European Union officials said the removal of
cattle vertebrae from food stocks provided little extra protection
against the human form of "mad...
Finland's agriculture minister said on Wednesday he was confident
his country would beat off a challenge from Barcelona to become the
base for the European Union's new food agency.
The Australia New Zealand Food Authority, after consultation with
State and Territory health authorities, has recommended a
nation-wide recall of mini-cup jelly lollies, containing the food
additive konjac.
Europe's attempts to solve a transatlantic row over genetically
modified organisms (GMOs) by tough food labelling rules have yet to
bear fruit, leaving the 15-nation bloc vulnerable to legal
challenge, officials say.
US regulators are considering tighter guidelines for the approval
of some drugs, making some of the world's largest pharmaceutical
companies rethink their research efforts.
The European Commission has granted clearance under the European
Union's merger control law to the proposed acquisition by UK soft
drinks company Cadbury Schweppes Plc of the soft drinks brands and
related businesses of French...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week designated
the milk protein activated lactoferrin as Generally Recognised as
Safe (GRAS). This new status brings the new food safety technology
one step closer to commercialisation.
Greenpeace Canada lambasted the country's largest grocery chain and
Health Minister Allan Rock on Monday for failing to support
mandatory labelling of genetically engineered (GE) foods.
A shift in attitudes of both consumers and producers is required if
society's expectations of food and agricultural policy are to be
met, EU Commissioner David Byrne for Health and Consumer Protection
said this week.
More than 60 per cent of nutrition bars tested in a recent survey
failed to live up to their label claims, independent researcher
ConsumerLab.com reports this week
To date there is no evidence that BSE is present in sheep and goats
under field conditions but BSE cannot be excluded, scientists from
the European Commission confirm this week.
Australian and New Zealand Food Standards Ministers meeting on
Wednesday approved stricter labelling for genetically modified
foods and a new food standard setting safe levels of
chloropropanols in soy and oyster sauces.
On October 15, the Superior Court of California threw out lawsuits
brought against the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)
citing that herbal tinctures and extracts sold by its member
companies are "alcoholic beverages".
A bill that would have mandated labelling of all foods in Canada
containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) was defeated in
the Canadian House of Commons.
The European Commission recently added to the EC Health and
Consumer Protection web site opinions and guidelines from the
Scientific Committee on Food (SCF).
In response to recent concerns raised in relation to possible
contamination of soy and oyster sauce products the Australian and
New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) has set a limit for
chloropropanols 3-MCPD in soy sauce products
China has succeeded in providing enough food for most of its
populaion of 1.3 billion, but food safety has emerged as a new
national concern, an article in Outlook Weekly said, China Daily
reports.
European Union countries on Thursday agreed on new rules on
labelling animal feed, in a move to tighten existing laws after a
series of food scares in recent years, the European Parliament said
on Thursday.
The US-based Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology announced
this week that it is to host a debate on issues facing Europe and
the US over genetically modified food.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) this week announced
details of three Closure Orders served on Irish food companies and
reafirmed the aim of the FSAI to achieve 100 per cent compliance.
Speaking in a testimony before the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, C.
Manly Molpus, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers of
America(GMA) outlined a four-point plan that strengthened and
favoured the current US food safety regulatory...
Fears over genetically modified foods may prevail in the minds of
the European consumer but recent research from the European
Commission suggests that they are as safe as their non-gmo
neighbours, and even safer.
The EU Advocate General Léger proposed this week that the Court
should allow the Italian Republic to prohibit the production in
Italy of "Parmesan" cheese that does not have the characteristics
of real "Parmigiano Reggiano".
Following the terrorist attacks on the US in September biosecurity
has become a primary issue for the country. In response to fears
over food safety the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) on
Tuesday approved a plan to develop...
Japan's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that it planned to inspect
all cattle due to be processed into food, tightening up its checks
for mad cow disease which currently only cover cows aged 30 months
or more.
Health Canada advised consumers that the recently released
functional food margarine product, Becel™ Pro-activ™, is not in
compliance with the Canadian Food and Drugs Act and Regulations
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to reopen for 45 days
the comment period for the interim final rule authorising a health
claim on the association between plant sterol/stanol esters and
reduced risk of coronary heart disease...
ANZFA) on Monday initiated a recall of twelve imported soy sauce
products after tests showed that they contained unsafe levels of
the chloropropanol 3-MCPD, a chemical contaminant and possible
cancer-causing agent.
Swiss healthcare group Novartis AG confirmed on Thursday
allegations from environmental group Greenpeace that some samples
of baby food it sold in the Philippines contained genetically
modified soy.
Environmental group Greenpeace urged the Philippines on Wednesday
to impose mandatory labelling on food products containing
genetically modified organisms.
The European Commission this week gave the go-ahead for
German-based chemical company Degussa AG to acquire sole control of
the British company Laporte PLC.
The European Community has proposed two new food additives, zinc
acetate and hydrogen, to be included in the Codex International
Numbering System for Food Additives
The Japanese government is to temporarily place a total ban on the
distribution of imported and domestically produced meat and bone
meal (MBM), an animal feed suspected of causing mad cow disease,
government sources said yesterday.
The UK Food Standards Agency has acted to ensure that certain Greek
olive-pomace oil products with unacceptably high levels of
potentially cancer-causing chemicals have been removed from sale.
The EC has cleared the proposed restructuring of Coca-Cola Nestlé
Refreshment Company, an existing beverages joint venture in the
field of iced tea and coffee between The Coca-Cola Company and
Nestlé SA.
Australia confirmed the suspension of importation of Japanese beef
and beef products following the formal confirmation of a case of
BSE in a Japanese dairy cow.
According to Victor Manuel Villalobos Arambula, Under Secretary for
Agriculture at the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and
Food, Mexico's government will promote the production of GM
foodstuff.