Breaking News on Dairy Processing & Markets

European dairy industry rejects ‘complex’ labelling proposals

04-May-2011 - In their current form new EU food labelling proposals would make regulatory requirements for the dairy industry more complex and burdensome, claims the European Dairy Association (EDA).

Research ranks top ten foodborne bugs

29-Apr-2011 - Campylobacter, salmonella and Listeria are among a handful of foodborne bugs that cost the US billions of dollars a year and blight the quality of life for million of victims, according to new research.

Dairy associations: New labeling bill is not COOL at all

27-Apr-2011 - Legislation designed to help US dairy farmers could have the unintended consequence of encouraging firms to replace dairy ingredients from US suppliers with non-dairy ingredients just to avoid labeling headaches, trade associations have warned.

More melamine-tainted milk powder uncovered in China

27-Apr-2011 - China is facing yet another case of melamine contamination after police seized 26 tonnes of tainted milk powder from an ice cream manufacturer.

Ex-UNICEF head joining Nestle board reignites baby milk marketing controversy

22-Apr-2011 - Ex-UNICEF head Ann Veneman has been appointed to the Nestle board, sparking debate over the Swiss food giant's compliance with WHO standards on baby milk marketing.

MEP takes DHA omega-3 claim complaint back to the Commission

15-Apr-2011 - British Labour Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Glenis Willmott, is writing to the European Commission to block a DHA eye development claim being used on infant follow-on formula products, after the EP last week failed to veto the claim.

Nitrite milk scandal exposes gaps in Chinese food safety reforms

15-Apr-2011 - Three deaths from nitrite tainted milk in China show that the country still has some way to go to clean up its dairy industry. One of the authors of a new study1 on the 2008 China melamine milk scandal explains what has gone wrong and what reforms are needed.

China claims nitrite milk poisoning was deliberate

12-Apr-2011 - State media reports suggest that a vendetta against a farmer led to the tainted milk incident in China last week, which killed three children.

Three killed in new Chinese milk scare

08-Apr-2011 - Nitrate-tainted milk has killed three people and made 35 others ill in the latest food safety scandal to hit the Chinese dairy industry, according to state media.

New antibiotic residue test cuts out incubation step

06-Apr-2011 - Idexx has developed a new antibiotic residue test for the dairy market that removes the need for incubation of the milk sample.

MEPs authorise omega-3 infant eye health claim

06-Apr-2011 - Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have today narrowly rejected a motion to prohibit a European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and European Commission (EC)-approved DHA omega-3 eye health claim on breast milk substitute products.

News in brief

EFSA seeks experts for scientific panels

04-Apr-2011 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said it is seeking independent experts to serve on a raft of its scientific committees and panels.

China orders closure of up to half its dairies after safety inspections

04-Apr-2011 - Nearly half of China’s 1176 dairies have been forced into temporary closure after failing to pass safety inspections.

'Eye' or 'nay': For or against the DHA infant eye claim?

01-Apr-2011 - Just as with the 2006 nutrition and health claim regulation (NHCR) itself, next week's European Parliament (EP) vote on whether to allow products aimed at 6-12 month old infants to bear omega-3 DHA-related eye development claims promises to be highly controversial.

TB fraud prompts FSA reminder on raw milk rules

01-Apr-2011 - The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a reminder to local authorities and dairy businesses on the rules governing the sale of raw milk after some UK farmers were found to have been swapping ear tags that mark out cows infected with tuberculosis (TB).

Special Edition: Plant Audits and Quality Control

SALSA audits are dancing to the tune of the SME sector, says NFU

30-Mar-2011 - The increasing number of SALSA approved businesses over the past 24 months and greater retailer recognition are indicators of both the scheme's growth potential and its suitability for the SME sector, claims one of the trade groups behind the scheme.

News in brief

China publishes draft dairy trade rules

30-Mar-2011 - The Chinese government has published new draft regulations for the import and export of dairy products.

A fifth of Chinese dairy firms could close in latest crackdown

30-Mar-2011 - A requirement for Chinese dairy companies to renew production licenses could put a fifth of firms out of business.

Cloned animal row wrecks novel foods regulation

29-Mar-2011 - Last ditch efforts to salvage the novel foods regulation were derailed yesterday after the European Parliament and Council failed to reach agreement over the issue of cloned animals – with each side blaming the other for the impasse.

SPECIAL EDITION: PLANT AUDITS AND QUALITY CONTROL

Profile of an auditor

28-Mar-2011 - Food audits are a day-to-day reality in the modern food processing industry, as consumer and regulatory expectations become ever-more demanding. But what is it like for the people who spend their lives inspecting plants?

SPECIAL EDITION: PLANT AUDITS AND QUALITY CONTROL

FSSC 22000 poised for explosive growth, predicts chief

28-Mar-2011 - The food safety management scheme FSSC 22000 is set for explosive growth over the next three years as increasing numbers of major food processors and retailers switch to using the system, said the organisation’s chief Fons Schmid.

Breast may be best but don’t block omega-3 infant formula claims, says practitioner

28-Mar-2011 - The late move by a European Parliament committee to block the addition of DHA omega-3 claims to baby milk products across the EU bloc, would be a triumph of politics over science, a medical practitioner in the area has written.

Special edition: Plant audits and quality control

Question mark hangs over quality of BRC safety audits

25-Mar-2011 - The number of food factories certified to the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety is up more than 20 per cent on last year to 13,923 but doubts remain over the quality of the audits.

MEPs move to block baby milk health claim

16-Mar-2011 - A committee of MEPs has voted narrowly in favour of blocking an EFSA-approved health claim that the fatty acid DHA in baby milk is beneficial to children’s eyes.