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?
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.
Titanium dioxide (E171) contains a small number of nanoparticles. The French Minister of Health has now announced a ban of TiO2 in food by end of 2018, irrespective of the pending EFSA opinion.
USDA proposed rule for the labeling of foods containing bioengineered ingredients.
How safe is safe? How clean is clean? And whether to label: it contains or ‘may contain’? These are the questions that are being hotly debated at present. Why?
