طراحی وب سایت

health and consumer groups are lobbying against the deletion of nutrient profiling in from the proposed regulation on food information ahead of tomorrow’s parliament vote over fears that consumers could be misled. nutrient profiles define what products can make claims relating to nutritional content, based on their levels of fat, sugar or salt. the idea is that a product that is exceptionally high in one of these nutrients that should be consumed in moderation, it may not be labelled a ‘low in fat’, say, or ‘low in sugar’.

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. the 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.

scimed technologies has gained certification from aoac international for a new test that the creators claim can accurately measure vitamin a levels in milk within 2 hours. in countries like the us and canada that operate mandatory vitamin a and d fortification policies for fluid milk, regular testing by processors and labs is necessary to ensure that vitamin levels are as they should be.

the federal environment agency (uba) comments on the health risks of bisphenol a and informs about actions that can be taken to reduce the risk. to protect human health and environment jochen flasbarth, president of uba, recommends producers as well as users of this substance to use alternative substances already at this state of knowledge for reasons of precaution. bisphenol a can be found in many goods of daily life: cans, dvds, thermal paper, food grade packaging and baby bottles.

manufacturers, importers and users of bisphenol a (bpa) should use alternative substances that pose less risk to human health and the environment, advises germany’s federal environment agency (uba). bpa is used mainly in polycarbonate baby bottles, infant sippy cups and the epoxy lining of food and drink cans. the german agency, in the release of a report on the chemical, said that despite uncertainties and gaps in knowledge concerning risk assessment and the level of exposure in relation to bpa, there is a need for action.

the uk food standards agency (fsa) has launched a fresh assault on foodborne illness with a new five-year strategy for reducing food poisoning. as reported in food manufacture earlier this month, the focus of the new strategy will be on reducing levels of campylobacter in raw chicken and increasing understanding of the drivers of listeriosis. under the roadmap, the fsa proposes to trial new intervention measures in farms, slaughterhouses and retailers.

a new study demonstrates the efficacy of ultraviolet light (uv) exposure against survival of listeria monocytogenes on conveyor belts. findings published in the journal food pathogens and disease show that l. monocytogenes populations were significantly reduced on all belt types irrespective of uv light intensities and times of exposure. l. monocytogenes as a food-borne pathogen has significant public health and economic impacts with manufacturers of ready-to-eat foods required, under eu regulation, to examine the processing environment for microbe as part of their hazard analysis critical control point (haccp) approach and sampling schemes.

a study from north carolina state university has revealed that, even in kitchens that believe they are operating well, food safety violations are commonplace. the study, published in the journal of food protection, placed cameras in unobtrusive spots in eight volunteer commercial kitchens. where previous studies have relied on inspection results and self reporting, recordings show very different results “we found a lot more risky practices in some areas than we expected,” said lead researcher dr ben chapman.

minneapolis—laboratory testing conducted by the minnesota department of agriculture (mda) and the minnesota department of health (mdh) this week provided additional evidence that the hartmann dairy farm, of gibbon, minn., was the source of a strain of e. coli o157:h7 bacteria that sickened at least five minnesotans after they consumed raw, unpasteurized milk or other dairy products from the farm. mdh reported four cases of illness last week, and a fifth case has subsequently been confirmed in a young child who was not hospitalized.

providence, r.i.—breast cancer survivors who ate an olive oil-enriched diet lost more weight than those on a lower-fat diet in an eight-week comparison conducted by the miriam hospital and brown university (doi:10.1089/jwh.2009.1759). moreover, these women chose, overwhelmingly, the olive oil-enriched diet for six months of follow-up. researchers noted traditional diets that include moderate to high intakes of extra virgin olive oil have been related to a decrease in breast cancer risk, and they hypothesized that an olive oil-enriched diet would lead to greater weight loss and acceptance, compared with a standard diet, in women previously diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.