Increasing demand for preventing the formation of harmful
acrylamide in foods has spurred researchers to conduct a review of
the various methods available to formulators.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has indicated key
functional food groups may be exempt from potentially draconian
nutrient profiling regulations being debated within the European
Union and due to be written into law by January...
A debate on flavourings has erupted over a report from a consumer
pressure group that claims fruit flavourings mislead consumers into
believing they contain actual fruit extract.
A recent seminar organised by the UK Food Standards Agency allowed
manufacturers throughout the food industry to discover the latest
methods being employed to track and prevent food fraud.
Nutrient profiling models should be underscored by sound science,
be transparent, and be validated with respect to healthy diets,
says a new paper that sets out the steps to developing and
validating such models.
There is increasing scope for healthy yet indulgent products as
consumers refuse to sacrifice taste for nutrition, according to a
new Datamonitor study.
Owen Warnock, partner and food law expert at international law firm
Eversheds, unpicks the new EU labelling proposal and assesses what
it may mean for food manufacturers.
California aims to protect its consumers from the possible unknown
risks of consuming food from cloned animals and their offspring by
proposing a bill requiring such products to display clear and
prominent labels.
The UK government unveiled the first steps it will take in its
national strategy to fight obesity, earmarking £372m for the cause.
Steps include addressing food issues, as well as increasing
education and encouraging physical activity.
The food industry can expect to see progress in novel foods
regulation, the Food Improvement Agents Package (FIAP) and the
labelling regulation during Slovenia's presidency of the European
presidency, according to an advisor.
Europe's food safety watchdog has issued updated advice on reducing
the risk of the food-borne bacteria listeria, urging food
manufacturers to watch out for contamination during packaging,
preparation and storage of food.
Danisco has entered into a license agreement for its
anhydrofructose technology with Japan's Nihon Starch Co, the first
such deal aimed at bringing the new calorie-free sugar to
market.
Freshness dates, nutrition facts panels and ingredients lists are
priorities for most consumers when reading product labels,
according to a new report.
The majority of consumers do not think that nanotechnology should
be used in food applications, according to a survey from German
risk assessor BfR, and they are more likely to trust information
from consumer groups than politicians...
A food industry initiative launched this year is promoting one
standard, easily recognisable symbol to aid identification of
healthy foods across the world and encourage manufacturers to
reformulate products along healthier lines.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision to veto a
bill that would have required the labeling of foods from cloned
animals has attracted fierce opposition from consumer groups.
Unreliable organic supplies are stunting the growth of over half of
US organic food manufacturers, according to a new report by the
nation's industry association.
Danisco is taking its natural food protection services to a new
level with the launch of a new label called Care4U, which combines
ingredients with advice and analytical support.
Cargill was this week slapped with an E coli lawsuit related to
contaminated frozen ground beef products sold by the firm's Meat
Solutions Corporation.
Food giant ConAgra has been accused of being "reckless"
and was on Friday slapped with a lawsuit following its nationwide
recall of salmonella-contaminated pot pie products.
Anheuser Busch yesterday denied claims by environmental
organisation Greenpeace that batches of its beer, including the
flagship brand Budweiser, contain genetically modified (GM)
materials.
The UK's Food Standards Agency should ensure appropriate
consideration is given to allergens by the European Commission, as
part of if its review of food labelling, say peers.
The majority of American consumers are still against the idea of
eating products derived from cloned animals, although confidence
levels shoot up if these products are deemed safe by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).
The US government yesterday concluded a hearing examining the
implementation of a nation-wide food labeling system to provide
consistent nutrition information on product labels.
Manufacturers that use 'sugar free' claims on their product labels
must ensure that they also include the appropriate calorie
information, said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this
week.
Less than three months after its launch, a Mediterranean diet
packaging symbol already appears on 50 products in the US, and a
number of new initiatives are underway to make it more accessible
to smaller food companies.
Some manufacturers are deliberately 'hoodwinking' consumers over
salt content, claims a new report from UK regulators that says more
action needs to be taken for salt reduction targets to be met by
2010.
Consumer watchdog Which? has launched a new campaign to oust
cartoon characters from unhealthy snack advertising, claiming that
superheros are being exploited to encourage kids to clamour for
foods that are high in fat, sugar and...
Masterfoods has announced plans to introduce a vegetarian labelling
scheme for some of its chocolate products as of next year, but the
Vegetarian Society says ingredients still do not meet its sourcing
requirements.
Consumers are bombarded with an overload of nutritional advice and
product marketing - be it from magazines, television shows, and
product advertising - and without a degree in nutritional science,
it's a wonder they can make...
EU member countries are concerned about the feasibility of
companies paying fees to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
for vetting ingredients, packaging and food contact materials for
use in the bloc.
The organic food and beverage market has been predicted to surpass
$86bn (€62bn) by 2009, with consumers increasingly turning
'organic' in search of health and safety in their food products.
UK food manufacturers and retailers presented thoughts on the
practical implications of the EU review of food labelling
legislation this week, stressing the need for simple food labels
and efforts to stem demands for more and more...
PepsiCo and several other soft drink manufacturers have agreed to a
settlement in a lawsuit brought against the companies alleging
their products contained cancer-causing benzene.
The European Parliament this week voted through four regulations
relating to food ingredients - on authorisation procedure,
additives, enzymes and flavourings - with notable amendments aimed
at providing a heightened level of consumer...
Food safety authorities in the UK and Ireland have issued guidance
to industry on the use of suspect food colour Red 2G (E128),
strongly urging reformulation in the light of EFSA's damning
opinion on safety.
EFSA has issued a damning opinion on the safety of food colour Red
2G (E128), the first under its reassessment programme and a strong
indication of a sea-change in the use of additives in processed
foods.
The publication of a new animal study on aspartame last month has -
as expected -sparked yet another bout of head butting from the two
opposing sides of the debate. But it also highlights a bigger
issue: one of transparency.
UK supermarket ASDA has adopted a 'best of both worlds' approach to
food nutrition labelling on its own-label foods, combining the Food
Standards Agency's traffic light scheme with the CIAA's (GDA)
guideline daily...
The European Food Standards Authority has issued opinions on the
likelihood of certain ingredients and additives causing allergic
reactions, underscoring the importance of including full scientific
data in dossiers to allow the panel...
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) yesterday
warned consumers about buying potentially poisonous apricot kernel
snacks over the internet.
FoodChain ID has developed a new white paper, “Current Food Supply Chain Threats - Is Your Company's Brand Reputation at Risk?” examining recent regulatory...