Breaking News on Dairy Processing & Markets

'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.

Codex endorses guidelines on melamine testing

15-Mar-2011 - Codex has endorsed testing guidelines developed by the IDF and the ISO for determining the melamine and cyanuric acid content of dairy products.

EFSA health claims panellist edits probiotic claims book

14-Mar-2011 - European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claim panellist, professor Seppo Salminen, has co-edited a book investigating probiotic science and health claims, with a focus on regional differences.

Kefir maker latest target in FDA claims crackdown

10-Mar-2011 - Major kefir manufacturer Lifeway Foods is the latest company to feel the wrath of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for making unsubstantiated drug claims.

Kraft and Saputo lose legal challenge against Canadian cheese standards

09-Mar-2011 - An attempt by Kraft Canada and Saputo to overturn Canadian government standards on the composition of cheese has been dismissed by the Federal Court of Appeal.

GRAS status gives K2 a US dairy platform, says NattoPharma

02-Mar-2011 - NattoPharma will be able to expand further in the US, said the firm, after it was awarded GRAS status for its vitamin K2 ingredient for dairy foods.

Comment

The balancing act of allergen labelling

01-Mar-2011 - The food industry has a responsibility to label allergenic ingredients as big and bold as they can – but also not to over-egg the slimmest of slim possibilities that a trace amount of an allergen may have slipped into a product.

Probiotic academics turn up political health claim heat

01-Mar-2011 - A recently established group of global gut health academics is sending letters to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) as well as national government politicians as the group attempts to alter the application of a regulation it says is, “killing the science of probiotics”.

FSA goes Gaga over breast milk ice cream...

01-Mar-2011 - The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is investigating whether a controversial ice cream made with donated breast milk, and sold in a London restaurant, breaches food safety regulations.

China promises to target leather protein in milk tests

21-Feb-2011 - The Chinese government has warned that it is on the look out for leather protein in a fresh round of dairy testing over the coming year.

Baby milk campaign group claims EFSA oversight in DHA approval

18-Feb-2011 - An approved EFSA claims that omega-3 form DHA contributes to the visual development of infants risks misleading consumers, due to a committee oversight in approving the relevant health claim, says UK-based breast-feeding advocacy group Baby Milk Action.

Farmers withdraw amended plan for UK mega dairy

17-Feb-2011 - Nocton Dairies has withdrawn its scaled back application to build a mega dairy near Lincoln, UK, in the face of persistent environmental objections.

Negative EFSA health claim opinions can be changed: Consultant

17-Feb-2011 - Stakeholder input can alter European Food Safety Authority health claim opinions, says German consultancy and contract research organization, Analyze&Realize, even if the examples are few.

EFSA health claim opinion

EFSA rejects probiotic “heart cheese” health claim

16-Feb-2011 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has rejected an article 13.5 claim that sought to link a probiotic cheese called Harmony with heart health benefits.