2017 numerous major food manufacturer decided to leave the Grocery Manufacturing Association (GMA) and some also ILSI North America. What followed was the formation of the Sustainable Food Policy Alliance (SFPA) by Mars, Danone, Unilever and Nestlé. It offers a fresh start. But will it solve all issues? Who will win when GMA and SFPA argue for opposite developments?
BIS, the Bureau of Indian Standards, is working to update its current standard IS 15495 “Printing Ink for Food Packaging – Code of Practise” to exclude toluene from printing inks in food contact materials (FCM).
A new handheld device using fluorescence spectroscopy to determine microbiological spoilage has been developed in by German researchers. The device is able to determine the total viable count (TVC) on fresh meat. The device comes with limitations though.
Food Fraud Reporter and the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) are the key sources at European Commission level to find which cases of food fraud have happened. We looked at both and compared. There seems to be little correlation in several cases.
The European court of law ruled that genome editing technologies like CRISPR-Cas9 and TALEN are to be considered genetic modifications and therefore regulated under the European GMO Directive 2001/18/EC. It means that food or feed produced by genome editing technologies will need to be clearly labeled and will have to undergo a food/feed and environmental safety assessment. It also means that strict regulations apply for production, transport and traceability.
The latest ISAAA report shows that the acreage of GM crops is continuously increasing. Will the demand keep increasing amidst the current GMO-free trend in the USA? How will crops of modern biotechnology contribute to food security in regions where climate is changing, the population is growing rapidly and the droughts and consequently poor harvests?
Robert Bartram interviews Ray Shillito, Chair of ISO TC 34 SC 16, and Bert Popping of FOCOS, to discuss how the development of international standards can support the detection and prevention of economically motivated food adulteration commonly known as food fraud.
FDA published its draft Guidance for Industry: Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration. The document explains to business operators in the food supply chain how to perform vulnerability assessment for the products they produce or trade.
In November 2017, a code of practise for food allergen management was proposed in the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Food Hygiene. Now, mid 2018, a first draft of the document is being circulated for commenting. The are several points which require discussion.
