Two US Senators have sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging prompt action on gluten-free labeling laws, after a proposed rule on tolerable gluten thresholds for gluten-free foods has languished for more than four years.
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.
A large number of substances used in non-plastic food contact materials have never been evaluated, said a European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) working group tasked with developing a regulatory framework on the issue.
Albert Schipper, chair of Dutch bakeries association NVB, was recently elected president of the International Association of Plant Bakers (AIBI). We caught up with him to hear about his vision for the sector.
European food makers are beginning to utilise positive article 13, general function health claim opinions issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), precipitating a flood of potentially meaningless claims, according to one industry observer.
Europe’s highly contentious new food labelling laws – set for implementation by year’s end – have received broad support from food industry groups, although major concerns over omissions and yet-to-be-resolved details remain.
European salt trade body EUSalt admits the “battle is lost” to prevent mandatory EU-wide salt labelling on food products after Guideline Dietary Allowance (GDA) measures were approved as expected in a European Parliament vote this afternoon.
UK retailer Sainsbury’s is putting the emphasis on allergens in the production of own-brand foods supplied to its stores, as part of its academy training.
The long journey to European Union acceptance for the natural, intense sweetener, steviol glycoside, shortened significantly yesterday when the EU’s 27 member states backed its safety at a European Commission (EC) committee meeting.
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...
An Australian bill requiring palm oil to be explicitly labelled has come in for harsh criticism from food industry representatives, after it was passed by the Senate last week.
November 2011 should see steviol glycosides get regulatory backing for use in food in drink products in the European market, according to a European Commission (EC) representative.
Six employees have been arrested at Honeytop Speciality Foods, the naan and flatbreads producer, after a UK Border Agency (UKBA) raid discovered that they were illegal immigrants.
There is no health risk arising from European consumers' intake levels of the mycotoxin zearalenone, said the EU risk assessor, in an evaluation of dietary exposure to the contaminant associated with grain and bakery products.
ConAgra Mills has introduced a new treatment and delivery system for flour intended to mitigate the food safety risks associated with raw flour without affecting gluten functionality.
Ecolab has won a prestigious innovation award for what it claims is an industry-first cleaning product that tackles the build-up of zero trans fat oils in food processing plants.
Kellogg Co has been censured by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after traces of Listeria monocytogenes were found littered throughout its cookie plant in Georgia.
The European Commission has defended its decision to release thousands of tonnes of sugar on to the market after accusations that the move would have a detrimental impact on the yeast industry.
A new logo allows confectionery, biscuit and other food producers show their commitment to sustainable palm oil, which in turn will boost global demand, says the RSPO.
Forest fragmentation driven by demand for palm oil is having a catastrophic effect the level of biodiversity, and may be endangering certain species, according to scientists from the Queen Mary University of London.
European Commission measures to open a further 200,000 tonne import quota for raw or refined sugar at zero import duty and the possibility for further imports at reduced import duty via a tendering system have been backed by member states.
Certificates, mass balance and fully segregated palm oil options are not mutually exclusive, but all serve to ensure flexibility in an extremely complex supply chain, claims GreenPalm.
A host of major food companies will be among those eagerly watching developments after antitrust officials from the European Commission raided a number of container liner shipping firms over suspicions that competition rules had been breached.
Traditional Irish bread manufacturer McCambridge is suing a rival for alleged copying of its bread packaging, claiming that consumer could easily confuse the two brands.
The UK Food Standards Agency is canvassing views on the use of chia seeds after a novel foods application from the Chia Company to market them in baked goods, breakfast cereals, and fruit, nut and seed mixes.
Over 85 per cent of neural tube defects cases caused by folate deficiency in Germany could be prevented by adopting mandatory fortification, according to a review which argues in favour of food fortification.
Industry has time, and must be given the chance, to find solutions to safety concerns posed by the leaching of toxic mineral oils from recycled board and paper packaging into foods, said Pira International.
An industry initiative to cut levels of acrylamide in food continues to have a limited impact, with lower quantities found in just three of the 22 food groups evaluated, according to the latest results of an ongoing European monitoring project.
The Northern European dimension of an industry led EU initiative to restrict snack advertising to children has been further strengthened by the decision of snacks maker Chips Group to sign up, said the European Snacks Association (ESA).
The European Food Safety Authority’s backing for a functional health claim for resistant starch should be good news for bread, biscuit and cereal manufacturers wanting to tap into the functional foods market.
Police have arrested five employees of a snack manufacturer in the Chinese city of Shanghai following a food safety scare involving dye and excessive amounts of sweetener in buns.
Consumers are less likely to check labels of biscuit, cake, chocolate and confectionery compared to other food categories, according to Harris Interactive, due to the perception that they are indulgence opportunities.
Intense and bulk sweetener suppliers are basking in the glow of positive sugar replacement health claim opinions issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) last week.
The food industry and cocoa traders have welcomed the EU decision to lift sanctions on the Ivory Coast ports and other Ivorian entities following an end to the crisis in the cocoa growing country.
Sugar policy reform is back on the US legislative agenda, as two new bills that aim to end the sugar price support program have attracted broad food industry support.
The European Commission today approved DuPont’s €4.5bn offer for Danish probiotics, enzymes and ingredients giant Danisco but the deal remains in doubt as to date only 6% of Danisco shareholders have accepted the offer.
All is not well down on the novel foods farm. If food innovation in Europe is to thrive anew, MEPs and the Council need to get past the recriminations over the failed talks and remove the troublesome question of cloned foods from the negotiating table.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
EU food industry representatives have termed ‘premature’ the proposal by the European Commission (EC) to allow 650,000 tonnes of out of quota sugar exports from October.
A federal judge in the US has, in the main, refused to dismiss a proposed suit alleging that Kellogg did not adhere to consumer protection laws and contravened an implied warranty by selling salmonella-tainted peanut butter crackers.
Another seven major food companies have joined the National Salt Reduction Initiative, which aims to cut salt in processed and restaurant food across the United States by 25 percent in five years.
Funding to the tune of $2.5m from a Canadian government scheme indicates the commercialisation potential of acrylamide-preventing yeast technology and will also serve to broaden its scope, claims its developer.
The UK’s Food Standards agency has reiterated its guidance to feed babies only breast milk or formula up to around six months of age, as there is evidence that there may be an increased risk of coeliac disease if gluten-containing foods are introduced...
