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...
The recent European Commission (EC) ruling that Cornish pasties must be produced in Cornwall is an insult to quality pasties, according to some artisan companies.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded that caramel colours are not carcinogenic or genotoxic, and there is no evidence that they have adverse effects on human reproduction and child development.
In the interests of spurring sector innovation, EU biscuit, chocolate and cake manufacturer representative body Caobisco said it is aiming to get authorisations ‘in the future’ for the use of natural sweetener stevia in 'fine bakery' products,...
Kellogg’s claims a lack of segregated, sustainably grown palm oil means its only option in terms of ensuring environmental friendly sourcing is to purchase GreenPalm certificates to cover its palm oil use in its products.
Chinese authorities have banned the production of two food additives commonly used to bleach flour in response to consumer demand for natural foods and reduced reliance on chemical modifiers, according to Chinese state media.
The food industry has a responsibility to label allergenic ingredients as big and bold as they can – but also not to over-egg the slimmest of slim possibilities that a trace amount of an allergen may have slipped into a product.
A European Commission initiative to release 500,000 tonnes of out of quota sugar onto the EU market has been backed by member states in the EU sugar management committee today.
Sugar supplier to the bakery and confectionery industry, Ragus, said it expects further commodity price hikes and contests whether proposed EC intervention on import duty tariff reductions would have the desired effect on the deficit in the EU market.
In a move to ease EU market pressures, the Commission has announced that it is to suspend import duties on low and medium quality wheat and barley from next week until the end of June.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has deregulated a variety of Syngenta corn genetically engineered (GE) to produce alpha-amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch into sugar, thereby aiding biofuel production.
Greenpeace has welcomed a pledge towards forest conservation from palm oil supplier Golden Agri-Resources Limited (GAR) which is aimed at “creating long-term sustainable growth for GAR and the palm oil industry”.
The European Commission, in a policy about face, said it may open the import quota or allow the sale of out-of-quota sugar into the bloc - a move that would bring relief for bakers and other food makers set to negotiate new sugar contracts.
Five fire engines and a foam unit attended a fire at ethnic snackfood maker Imperial Snack Foods at the Culwell Trading Estate in Wolverhampton yesterday.
New Zealand opposition party members are calling on the government to fortify the country’s flour supply and bread output with folic acid, following reports of the success of a similar program across the Tasman Sea in Australia.
Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), an alliance of Nestlé and General Mills, said that a large percentage of its cereal brands sold in Australia including Cheerios have been endorsed by the Heart Foundation there through its Tick programme.
The complacency being exhibited by Brussels over the ongoing dioxin contamination incident is every bit as concerning as the carcinogenic chemical that has found its way into the food and feed chains since the end of last year.
Proposals to overhaul the fee inspection regime at food and feed facilities in the UK would result in a more consistent and clearer system - but one that would cost businesses more, said the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Gellan gum has been included in the National List of non-organic ingredients allowed for use in organic foods and beverages, according to a Federal Register notice.
The Kellogg Company will pay $5m to consumers misled by children’s immunity claims for its Rice Krispies breakfast cereal, after agreeing terms in an amalgamated class action in a California court.
The first discovery of dioxin-tainted pork, a move by the Chinese to suspend German imports and proposals from the animal feed sector to boost controls on the toxic chemical were just some of the developments yesterday in the contamination scandal that...
The European Commission is exploring ways to boost dioxin monitoring procedures after it was confirmed that products containing the toxic substance had reached the food chain and been sold to UK consumers.
Eggs from farms affected by dioxin-contaminated feed have been and mixed with products to be used in processed foods and exported into the UK, food safety officials said yesterday.
Kraft Foods is suing Indian biscuit maker Britannia Industries for trademark violation related to one of its products that the US group says is a copy of its popular Oreo cookies
The Commission is failing to recognise the urgency of the sugar supply deficit in the EU in its deferral of a decision regarding the hike in the sugar export quota until January, claims the CIUS, which represents sugar using food and drink industries...
Mothers’ use of nutritional labels has some impact on the likelihood of their children being obese, indicates a study from Taiwan, but it is not enough to tackle the problem alone and more policy measures are needed.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claims panel has approved a health claim linking consumption of 3g of oat beta glucans per day with improved cholesterol levels.
Bread ingredients supplier Sonneveld, which recently joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), has announced its goal to use only sustainable palm oil in its bakery ingredients from 2013.
A rapid, easy-to-use method that allows food processors to test plant equipment and surfaces for the presence of salmonella before it contaminates food has received AOAC approval, said SDIX.
The hand on the tiller that is food safety in Europe has been left somewhat unsteady by the recent regulatory actions taken by the European Commission on BPA and food colours – moves that are pandering to consumer fear and showing contempt for the food...
The “vast majority” of cereals and cereal-based foods in the UK contain mycotoxin levels below regulatory limits, according to a survey from the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Kellogg’s has entered into a seven-year food safety testing agreement with Covance, which has completed construction of its Nutritional and Food Safety Laboratory in Battle Creek, Michigan.
A former Health Canada official has criticized the agency for failing to publish health claim-backing data, after recently approving an oat fiber-cholesterol health claim.
The Kellogg Company will pay consumers up to $2.75m over misleading kids’ attention claims for its Frosted Mini-Wheats cereals, after a federal judge reached a class action settlement.
Significant progress on defining action levels/thresholds for the unintentional presence of allergens such as peanuts, milk and eggs is expected in 2012.
Canadian-based Functional Technologies claims there is “substantial interest” amongst EU food and food ingredient companies trialling its novel yeast to reduce acrylamide levels.
