Regulation & Safety

25-May-2012 - The Food Safety Authority Ireland (FSAI) has expressed it disappointment in a decision by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s (BAI) not to reassess cheese’s status as ‘unsuitable’ for advertising during children’s TV.

‘Milk crisis’ fuels dairy industry EC antitrust investigations

25-May-2012 - The dairy sector looks set to remain a “high priority” for competition authorities across Europe as the industry continues to grapple with the current ‘milk crisis’.

Nature’s One step-up efforts to cut arsenic levels in baby formula

22-May-2012 - Organic infant formula manufacturer Nature’s One will step-up its efforts to minimise and eliminate the presence of environmental contaminants such as arsenic in its products.

EU article 13 health claims register

222 EU health claims become law; experts predict “tsunami of cheap innovation”

16-May-2012 - It’s official. Companies have six months – until December – to comply with the controversial European Union article 13, general function health claims register which today won final approval from the European Commission.

Comment

Vitafoods: EU nutra space wriggles into new health claims clothes

15-May-2012 - Vitafoods celebrates its 15th birthday next week. It’ll be my 11th consecutive May visit to Geneva for the jamboree and promises to be one of the most intriguing chapters with the (partial and belated) resolution of years of ambiguity regarding health claims in Europe.

Australia approves raw milk cheese sale proposal

15-May-2012 - Australia looks set to okay the sale of non-pasteurised hard cheeses after food safety authorities approved a proposal to sell raw milk products in the country.

News in brief

Regulatory approval opens up dairy market

10-May-2012 - Toray Plastics' (America) packaging materials and manufacturing processes have been approved for interstate dairy shipping by the FDA.

News in brief

FSA issues cheese contamination alert

02-May-2012 - The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has warned consumers not to eat certain types of French cheese after it was linked to the bacteria Brucella.

Four indicted in US over alleged mouldy cheese conspiracy

24-Apr-2012 - Four individuals who allegedly conspired to scrape mould off returned imported cheese before resale have been indicted in the US on charges that could see them jailed for up to 20 years.

Nestlé silent on alleged Indian law violations but defends breast-milk substitutes marketing

20-Apr-2012 - Nestlé has declined to comment to DairyReporter.com on an Indian government letter stating that it is violating the nation’s laws on sponsorship of health workers, but has fought back against allegations of inappropriate marketing for breast milk substitutes.

Odwalla reveals new consumer reports of allergic reactions to dairy-based beverage

11-Apr-2012 - Odwalla is still working with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to ascertain the cause of allergic reactions among consumers of its dairy-based chocolate beverage, while one food safety expert said he would explore potential protein 'cross reactivity' as one lead.

US cheese producer closed by FDA

11-Apr-2012 - A US-based cheese manufacturer has been forced to close by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to fears of listeria contamination in its products.

Severe allergic reactions to Odwalla dairy-based beverage spark mass US recall

06-Apr-2012 - Odwalla has issued a ‘nationwide allergy alert’ in the US and is recalling dairy-based chocolate beverages that it warned could cause‘serious or life-threatening’ reactions in nut allergic consumers.

Allergen test may not accurately detect milk proteins triggers, warn researchers

05-Apr-2012 - The standard test used to detect potentially allergenic milk proteins in processed foods may not work as well as previously believed, according to new research.

EFSA weight management guidance: “Useful for novices”, says EU consultant

27-Mar-2012 - A leading European research and health claims consultancy has panned just-published weight management health claim guidance from the European Food Safety Authority for failing to provide detail on how to progress trial design in a sector that has struggled to win claims.

Risks of slashing sodium levels in cheese could outweigh benefits, US researcher

21-Mar-2012 - A prominent US researcher says that government pressure to cut sodium in cheese could have serious food safety, taste and labeling consequences, and questions the necessity of such a move given minimal evidence of positive health effects and muted consumer demand.

Goat’s milk protein gets EFSA all clear for infant formula use

19-Mar-2012 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a scientific opinion concluding that protein from goat’s milk is a suitable protein source for infant and follow-on formulae, provided the final product complies with compositional criteria.

Nestlé India faces charge for alleged infant formula labelling law violations

19-Mar-2012 - Nestlé India has been charged by a court in Delhi for allegedly violating laws relating to the correct labeling of infant formula products and for associated failings regarding advertisements in women’s magazines, claims that the company denies.

FSANZ backs use of Dutch bacteriophage in dairy, meat and fruit

19-Mar-2012 - Food safety chiefs in Australia and New Zealand are calling for the approval of a processing aid developed by a Dutch company that combats Listeria on a host of food products.

Nature’s One CEO savages ‘flawed’ baby formula arsenic study, but author defends work

16-Mar-2012 - US organic baby formula manufacturer Nature’s One has attacked recent research suggesting that arsenic levels in its toddler formulas were a cause for concern, but the study’s lead author defended the work, even stating that new data published by the firm supported his conclusions.

March 21 article 13 health claims list: ‘Pass it’ says FDE; ‘to the bin’ says ANH

15-Mar-2012 - Europe’s premier food industry body, FoodDrinkEurope (FDE), is backing next week’s European Parliament (EP) vote on the controversial 222-strong health claim register, as opponents rally last-minute veto support.

Dextrin infant formula fears – Chinese officials respond

15-Mar-2012 - China’s National Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment yesterday moved to reassure consumers that dextrins added to infant formula and other foods are safe when used within set limits.

News in brief

Internet and vending machine sales spark FSA raw milk review

14-Mar-2012 - The board of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) will decide, during a March 20 meeting, whether to review current rules governing the sale and marketing of unpasteurised, or raw, drinking milk and cream after producers used novel sales routes such as the internet and vending machines.

EU NHCR in the dock

German professors sue EC over ‘void’ EU health claims regulation

12-Mar-2012 - The two German professors of law and nutrition that were rebutted by EFSA and the European Commission over a water-hydration health claim have made good their threat, and dragged the controversial EU regulation into court.

DEFRA admits it’s under pressure to slice cheese compositional standards

09-Mar-2012 - The Provision Trade Federation (PTF) says it has little sympathy for the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which admits that it is under pressure to remove cheese compositional standards from the pending Food Information Regulation (FIR).