The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said it is increasing its efforts to ensure the safety of fish and seafood from the Gulf of Mexico, and has released new guidance for industry. (foodnavigator-usa.com) he National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the FDA have released a joint statement outlining how they plan to tackle seafood safety issues related to the ongoing oil spill in the region. Specifically, the plan includes precautionary... read more →
Chicken batches slaughtered later in the schedule, pre-thinning flocks prior to slaughtering and temperatures in the evisceration room topping 15C are all factors likely to increase the risk of campylobacter in poultry processing, said new research. (meatprocess.com) The study – Prevalence of and risk factors for Campylobacter ssp contamination of broiler chicken carcasses at the slaughterhouse, by Oliver Hue et al – highlighted evisceration as... read more →
The European Food Safety Authority has published its final guidance for data required to assess new food flavourings, and is looking to build on experience gained during evaluations to establish a positive list. (confectionerynews.com) EFSA reassessing flavouring substances that are already in use in the EU, numbering around 2800 in all. However it has asked for more tests on some 530 substances, including some that have been assessed by bodies like... read more →
The National Trust is discussing contract manufacturing deals with firms making everything from chutney to soup as part of an ambitious plan to get its branded products into every major UK supermarket. (foodmanufacture.co.uk) With almost 600,000 acres of farmland and more than 1,500 tenant farmers, the Trust is one of the nation’s largest landowners, giving it a unique opportunity to work with food manufacturers and potential retail customers to help... read more →
An assertion in new guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) that firms making progressive reductions in salt can simply carry on indefinitely without any technical or commercial consequences has baffled industry experts. (foodanddrinkeurope.com) In guidance published this morning urging the trade to eliminate ‘artificial’ trans fats, charge less for healthier foods and speed up salt and saturated fat reduction... read more →
A new texture ingredient for baked goods can reduce fat content by up to 50 per cent, preserve taste and lower production costs, claims Cargill. Its CitriTex GSG 71 stabiliser blend is said to break the mould of “cardboard” tasting reduced fat bakery goods that drive up the costs of finished products. A new texture ingredient for baked goods can reduce fat content by up to 50 per cent, preserve taste and lower production costs, claims Cargill. Its CitriTex... read more →
Food manufacturers and retailers “simply must become stronger advocates of sustainable forms of fishing and of other agriculture” if we are to avert environmental Armageddon, Prince Charles has urged. (foodmanufacture.co.uk) In an impassioned speech at the global summit of the Consumer Goods Forum this week, the prince attempted to rally the troops – senior executives from the world’s leading consumer goods companies – into embracing more sustainable... read more →
Recently approved under the EU sweeteners directive, neotame could be used to mask the strong taste of vitamins and minerals in functional foods – as well as more traditional uses in sweet foods, according to its European distributor. (nutraingredients.com) Neotame is said to be around 8000 times sweeter than sugar and 30 to 60 times sweeter than aspartame (depending on the application), but to have a sugar-like taste and no calories. The approval... read more →
