Oat products with a higher fat content could be eligible to carry a
heart health claim, according to a new proposal by the US Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).
Stung by a labor board ruling against it and a $1.1m settlement,
Smithfield Foods has been forced to announce it will allow workers
to hold a new vote on unionisation at its giant plant in Tar Heel,
North Carolina.
Improving nutrition in schools and fighting trade barriers are two
priorities of the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 2007 farm
bill proposal, unveiled yesterday by Agriculture Secretary Mike
Johanns.
Drinks giants Coca-Cola and Nestlé were today slapped with a
lawsuit for claiming that their new Enviga energy drink can help
consumers burn off calories.
Manufacturers of flavor products formulated with significant levels
of meat or poultry ingredients must have these approved by the US
Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service
(USDA/FSIS), the agency said...
Legislation has been introduced in California to require the clear
labeling of all products derived from cloned animals if these are
approved for human consumption.
The federal food safety inspection unit has approved an additional
batch of additives, antimicrobals and agents for use as processing
aids directly on meat and poultry products.
Manufacturers of certain uncooked chicken products must revise
their labeling to ensure that consumers understand how these should
be prepared, said the USDA last week in an updated guidance
document to the industry.
A number of convenience meal products will now be able to carry a
'lean' nutritional claim, after the US Food and Drug Administration
expanded the use of the term.
US food companies may soon be able to restart sending their pork
supplies to Mexico for processing, if US Department of Agriculture
(USDA) proposals are given the go-ahead.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week proposed to
expand its list of allowable imports of meat and meat products from
countries considered to present a low risk of introducing BSE into
the United States.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expects to launch a
consumer study to determine if footnotes on the nutrition labels of
food products will improve people's understanding of trans fat
declarations.
With the final passage of the new EU law regulating chemicals in
the bloc, the food industry has expressed concern about the
uncertainties relating to the scope of the legislation and the
eventual cost to processors.
Lawsuits alleging soft drinks made by Kraft Foods may contain the
cancer-causing chemical, benzene, have been dismissed after the
group said it had reformulated products.
The EU Parliament yesterday voted for a tougher regulatory regime
for chemicals, requiring producers and users to replace some of the
current chemicals in use with safer alternatives, if they exist.
A number of Democratic senators have called for the establishment
of a joint task force to examine recent outbreaks of E.coli, and
suggest legal changes designed to prevent future problems.
Broad restrictions need to be implemented on the marketing of foods
and beverages to children, as the majority of these are high in
salt, fat and sugar, according to a report by the World Health
Organization (WHO).
The New York City Board of Health yesterday voted unanimously to remove trans fats from the city's restaurants in a pioneering move designed to limit the level of the unhealthy fats consumed unknowingly.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to implement new
rules on the definition of the term 'natural', after receiving a
petition stating that the claim on meat and poultry products is
misleading to consumers.
The US Food & Drug Administration's public hearing on
functional foods saw food industry groups present testimonies on
how this evolving category of goods should be regulated.
The Codex Alimentarius committee dealing with hygiene is meeting
this week in the US, with member countries debating a number of
international food safety standards that will apply worldwide.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has served notice on
Coca-Cola and Nestlé, the companies behind functional beverage
Enviga, and said it will sue them if they continue to market the
drink using calorie-burning and weight...
Children should have access to special media education that will
allow them to become critical of advertising, according to a new
policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week approved a
genetically modified rice variety that has in recent months been at
the heart of a contamination scandal.
As the makers of Perrier water absorbed the full consumer backlash
from recalling drinks containing benzene in the US, Cadbury
Schweppes quietly pulled one of its own products for the same
reason, new documents show.
Regulation introduced by the British government to protect children
from junk food advertising is far more effective than the voluntary
US approach, an American consumer lobby group has said.
Serious questions remain over how America's food safety watchdog
handled the presence of benzene residues in soft drinks, a senior
ex-official has said, after tests showed some drinks still
contained the chemical 15 years after...
Europe's food safety authority has issued draft guidance for the
renewal of authorisations of existing genetically modified products
lawfully placed on the market.
The US sugar industry has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) against the popular sweetener product Splenda,
which it claims is deceptively marketed to make consumers believe
it is natural.
The world needs an independent trade watchdog to properly regulate
the international food supply chain if we as a society are to truly
create a more sustainable and ethical food market.
Australia's government will work with industry to reduce trans
fatty acids in Australian food, it announced this week, despite
figures that suggest intake of the fats among the population is
within safe limits.
The FDA has signalled that it could adapt existing regulation to
take account of the growing number of conventional foods marketed
as 'functional foods category', starting with a public meeting in
December.
Food and beverage manufacturers may soon be required to disclose
detailed information on their marketing activities and expenditures
targeted toward children and adolescents, the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) has said.
An FDA risk assessment that is expected to declare meat and milk
derived from cloned animals safe for the food supply is currently
being reviewed by the government, and is due to be released by the
end of the year.
The US Organic Trade Association today released an ambitious plan
designed to advance the nation's organic agriculture by petitioning
the government to support an increased local, regional and national
supply of organic food...
Sabinsa Corporation has agreed to discontinue making or selling
Genimax in the US as part of a settlement with Archer Daniels
Midland over patent infringement of the agribusiness giant's
proprietary soy isoflavone technology.
Representatives from the food, television and advertising
industries are to team up to create a task force designed to
examine the link between TV commercials and the rising rate of
childhood obesity.
In the wake of an outbreak of E. coli sickness due to contaminated
packaged spinach, consumer and health groups are calling for
tougher food safety laws for processors of produce.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that
governments around the world phase out partially hydrogenated oils
if trans-fat labelling alone doesn't spur significant reductions.
The trans fats battle is inching its way further into the
foodservice sector, with a new proposal announced this week to
remove almost all of the artery clogging oils from New York City
restaurants.
Updated EU rules on aflatoxin contamination crack down on repeat
offenders such as Egypt, China, Iran and Turkey, and will affect
imports of supplies such as peanuts, pistachios, and dried fruit.
Another petition has been filed in recent weeks requesting
immediate action to protect popcorn factory workers from the
lung-disease causing butter flavor diacetyl.
Agro giant Bayer Crop Sciences has petitioned the US Department of
Agriculture to approve a genetically modified rice variety that has
been at the heart of a recent contamination scandal.
