Breaking News on Dairy Processing & Markets

Call for more evidence on unpasteurised cheese safety

01-Aug-2011 - Food experts have called for more evidence before they can consider revising the advice they offer on the safety of unpasteurised or raw milk cheese.

Fonterra’s commissioned report faces industry criticism

27-Jul-2011 - A report commissioned by Fonterra to investigate the fairness of the dairy giant’s milk pricing has faced criticism from its competitors, according to news reports.

News in brief

Milk board ditches controversial PMS campaign

27-Jul-2011 - The Californian Milk Processor Board has halted a controversial marketing campaign that presented milk as a cure for premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Cautious Kaneka welcomes Novel Foods win for slimming liquorice extract

26-Jul-2011 - After several years and several “dialogues” with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Japanese supplier Kaneka has won a positive Novel Foods opinion for its weight management liquorice extract.

Hungary prepares for 'discriminatory' September 1 fat tax

26-Jul-2011 - Hungary will introduce a fat tax as of September 1 this year -a move the food industry says is unnecessary and ineffective in achieving widespread dietary shifts.

Ingredia on rejected peptide claims: “Nothing to do with us”

25-Jul-2011 - French supplier Ingredia has distanced itself from recently rejected casein tryptic hydrolysate (peptide) stress reduction health claims.

Association highlights importance of dairy advertising to kids

22-Jul-2011 - The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) has highlighted the importance of marketing of dairy products to children, claiming that without it, US consummation could fall below recommended levels.

Dairy reform Bill would damage exports, warn processors

18-Jul-2011 - Draft legislation designed to create more stability in the US dairy industry would damage exports and threaten jobs, dairy processors have claimed.

News in brief

Dean Foods proposes $140m settlement with dairy farmers

13-Jul-2011 - Dean Foods has agreed to a $140m settlement for a class action lawsuit in which Southeast Dairy Farmers and Dairy Farmers of America had accused it of working to keep prices artificially low.

Dairy industry welcomes approval of amended EU food labelling regulation

08-Jul-2011 - The EU Parliament approval in second reading of a compromise proposal on food labelling has been welcomed by the European Dairy Association (EDA).

New method to detect drugs in milk

07-Jul-2011 - A new detection method could provide an effective way of detecting contaminants in milk, according to new research.

Comment

EU researchers revolted as EFSA clears health claims vault

04-Jul-2011 - The European Food Safety Authority last week delivered the fifth batch of article 13, general function health claim opinions bringing the total issued to 2723. There are just 35 to go – to be published next month in a final mini-batch that will conclude the task begun in August 2008.

EFSA HEALTH CLAIM OPINIONS - ARTICLE 13, BATCH 5 (Complete)

EFSA publishes article 13, batch 5 – winners and losers

30-Jun-2011 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) this morning published 536 health claims in 73 opinions in the fifth batch of general function claims.

Pre- and probiotic academics demand ‘clear roadmap’ for claims

30-Jun-2011 - The Board of Directors of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) has published an open letter in the British Journal of Nutrition demanding pre-submission meetings with EFSA and a complete claims assessment rethink.

Nutricia lightly spanked over infant formula marketing

29-Jun-2011 - TV and direct mail adverts for a follow-on milk made by Danone-owned infant formula maker Nutricia have been deemed misleading by the UK advertising watchdog, although parts of the 2009 campaign were upheld.

News in brief

IDFA runs food safety training to help dairy processors with new US regulations

29-Jun-2011 - The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) is running pathogen control training workshops to help dairy processors comply with the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Processors attack fixed price amendment to EU dairy package

29-Jun-2011 - An amendment to EU dairy rule proposals requiring that prices be fixed for no less than a year will weaken the EU dairy industry, claims the European Dairy Association (EDA).

Chinese dairy standards under fire

28-Jun-2011 - A top local dairy industry official has called China's dairy standards the loosest in the world, triggering a fresh controversy on the issue.

SPECIAL EDITION: DRY DECONTAMINATION TECHNOLOGY

E.coli crisis could prompt interest in irradiation for salads, IAEA

28-Jun-2011 - The recent E.coli outbreak is likely to renew interest in the irradiation of salads, although it is too early to tell if it will lead to generic approval across the EU, according to an irradiation specialist from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

SPECIAL EDITION: DRY DECONTAMINATION TECHNOLOGY

Pulsed light poised for wider industry adoption

24-Jun-2011 - Take up of pulsed light (PL) as a decontamination technique is set to take off over the next few years as food companies increasingly realise its safety, cost and environmental benefits, said a leading French research institute.

EFSA rejects Danone and Yakult probiotic appeals

20-Jun-2011 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claims panel says there are no grounds for alteration of its rejection last year of probiotic health claim dossiers submitted by Danone and Yakult.

‘Game changing’ web-based cold chain monitoring system launched

17-Jun-2011 - A new web-based cold chain service allows companies to easily and cheaply monitor the temperature of their products as they move from the food processor to supermarket shelves, said the company behind the system.

News in brief

Fonterra joins exclusive world customs advisory group

01-Jun-2011 - Fonterra has been given a seat on an exclusive world trade advisory group which, the co-operative says, will allow it to aid the “smooth the flow” of New Zealand imports and exports.

IDF publishes new milk supply guidelines after melamine crisis

27-May-2011 - New milk supply guidelines have been launched by the International Dairy Federation (IDF) in response to the Chinese melamine crisis in 2008.