The Canadian government has issued a discussion document outlining a plan for a “stronger, more comprehensive inspection approach to further strengthen food safety.” Titled “Improved Food Inspection Model: The Case for Change,” the plan represents the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA’s) latest effort to keep up with a changing global “food landscape.” Last year, CFIA was allocated $100 million over a five-year period to modernize Canada’s food safety inspections. According to CFIA, the agency operates eight separate food inspection programs for dairy, eggs, fish and seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, imported and manufactured food, maple, meat, and processed products that include honey. “Having eight food programs has resulted in the development and use of different risk management frameworks, inspection methods, and compliance verification and enforcement approaches,” the document states. “This challenges the CFIA to manage risks consistently across different types of establishments and different foods.” CFIA’s plan includes providing more…
Category Archives Issue 442
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued a scientific opinion on dietary exposure to mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) found mainly in “food packaging materials, food additives, processing aids, and environmental contaminants such as lubricants.” According to a June 6, 2012, press release, EFSA’s Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) focused on two types of MOH: (i) aromatic hydrocarbons identified as potentially genotoxic and carcinogenic; and (ii) saturated hydrocarbons that “can accumulate in human tissue and may cause adverse effects in the liver.” The CONTAM Panel apparently found low levels of saturated MOH in all of the food groups tested, “with some high levels found in ‘Bread and rolls’ and ‘Grains for human consumption’ due to their use, respectively, as release/ non-sticking agents and spraying agents (used to make grains shiny).” It also reported the presence of both saturated and aromatic MOH in dry foods such as “‘pudding’…
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Science Advisory Board (SAB) has announced a July 18-19, 2012, public meeting of the SAB Perchlorate Advisory Panel and September 25 public teleconference to address a maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) for the rocket fuel constituent perchlorate. Perchlorate contamination has been detected in samples of milk, drinking water and lettuce, and exposure at high levels has been linked to thyroid dysfunction and neurological problems in children. See Federal Register, May 30, 2012.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected a Corn Refiners Association (CRA) petition urging the authorization of “corn sugar” as an alternate name for high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). According to FDA’s May 30, 2012, response, CRA had asked the agency (i) “to amend the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) affirmation regulation for HFCS (21 CFR 168.11) to designate ‘corn sugar’ as an optional name for HFCS”; (ii) “to eliminate ‘corn sugar’ as an alternate name for dextrose”; and (iii) “to replace all references to ‘corn sugar’ with ‘dextrose’” in the GRAS regulations for corn sugar (21 CFR 184.1857). The trade association had apparently argued, among other things, that consumers confused by the name “high-fructose corn syrup” “incorrectly believe that HFCS is significantly higher in calories, fructose and sweetness than sugar.” In rejecting the petition, FDA countered that its regulations define sugar as “a solid, dried, and crystallized food; whereas…
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