The U.K. Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) Nanotechnologies and Food Discussion Group has held its first meeting to consider advancing recommendations from a House of Lords Committee on Science and Technology 2010 report. Fifteen stakeholders from consumer organizations, academia, industry, and government departments met on January 13, 2011, to “exchange information between different sectors within the nanotechnologies and food groups,” according to FSA. Established to address concerns that the U.K.’s food and packaging sectors were too secretive about nanotechnology, the group reportedly plans to meet three or four times annually with a review after 18 months. Issues to be discussed include (i) European Union regulations and definitions, (ii) guidance for assessing nanomaterials, (iii) intelligence gathering on nanotechnology research conducted by the food industry, and (iv) a proposal to create a U.K. register of “nanofoods” on the market. See FSA Press Release, January 12, 2011; FoodProductionDaily.com, January 13, 2011.
The European Commission (EC) has reportedly threatened to regulate the animal feed industry after dioxin-tainted eggs from Germany triggered a widespread investigation involving poultry and pork farms across the region. EC spokesperson Frederic Vincent apparently told reporters that a meeting with industry leaders produced “no concrete proposals” to prevent new contamination, although participants have been given one month to suggest voluntary measures in lieu of legislation. “There will not be European compensation because it is not up to the European Union to fix the damage,” Vincent said. Meanwhile, German MEP Peter Liese has called for “the dioxin crisis . . . to be resolved on a European level,” possibly through use of a monitoring system, as well as European Union (EU) compensation for farmers caught up in food scandals. “Although EU directives regulate in principle we need better controls throughout the EU. There is a lot of trade within the…
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to implement a “phased-down withdrawal” of the pesticide sulfuryl fluoride. The fumigant apparently breaks down into fluoride and is used to control insects in stored grains, dried fruits, tree nuts, coffee and cocoa beans, and in food handling and processing facilities. After reevaluating current science on fluoride, EPA concluded that “although sulfuryl fluoride residues in food contribute only a very small portion of total exposure to fluoride, when combined with other fluoride exposure pathways, including drinking water and toothpaste,” its legal residue limits on food no longer satisfy the safety standard under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Proposing to phase out the pesticide over a three-year period, EPA will accept comments for 90 days after publication in the Federal Register. See EPA Press Release, January 10, 2011.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program (NOP) has issued draft guidance “to address the labeling, composition of and use of percentage statements in ‘made with organic (specified ingredients or food groups).’” Under NOP regulations, conventional non-organic ingredients produced without the use of genetically modified organisms, sewage sludge or ionizing radiations, as well as natural and synthetic substances exempted from the NOP’s prohibited ingredients list, may comprise up to 30 percent of a product labeled “made with organic (specified ingredients or food group(s)).” Such labeling may also display the percentage of organic ingredients in the product, but must be accompanied by the appropriate “made with organic” statement. According to NOP, acceptable variations of percentage claim statements include: (i) ‘‘X% Organic,’’ (ii) ‘‘X% Organic Ingredients,’’ (iii) ‘‘Contains X% Organic Ingredients,’’ and (iv) ‘‘Made with X% Organic Ingredients.” Other percentage claims “may be acceptable as long as they are not misleading,”…
After a Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) investigation of complaints about discoloration and off-odors, a New Jersey-based meat processor has reportedly recalled more than 225,000 pounds of ground beef products distributed to penal institutions in California and Oregon. In a recall release, FSIS reported that its review “uncovered evidence to show that the establishment repackaged and recoded returned products and sent them out for further distribution to institutional customers.” While no reports of illness were apparently associated with the recall, FSIS considers the products to be adulterated “because the establishment’s food safety plan was inadequate to produce wholesome product.” The meatpacker involved is One Great Burger. See FSIS News Release, January 10, 2011; Meatingplace.com, January 12, 2011.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a 78-page proposed rule revising school breakfast and lunch nutrition requirements as a way to combat childhood obesity. Noting that implementation would improve dietary habits and protect children’s health, the rule is part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 recently signed into law. Based on recommendations released in 2009 by the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine, the revisions reportedly represent the first major overhaul to school meals in 15 years. Among other things, the proposal calls for meals served to approximately 32 million school children to (i) include more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat milk; (ii) limit sodium and saturated and trans fats; and (iii) help meet nutritional needs of children within their established calorie minimums and maximums. “We understand that these improved meal standards may present challenges for some school districts, but the new law provides…
Northeast dairy farmers have reportedly settled their price-fixing claims against Dean Foods Co. for $30 million and injunctive relief requiring the company to buy a portion of its raw milk from multiple sources. Allen v. Dairy Farmers of America, No. __ (D. Vt., settlement reached December 24, 2010). While the agreement requires court approval, it would reportedly allow some 5,000 to 10,000 farmers to file claims for monetary damages over allegations that Dean Foods would buy milk only through Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and its affiliates in the region. According to counsel for the plaintiffs, the case will continue against DFA, to resolve claims that “the nation’s largest cooperative monopolized a level of distribution of fluid milk in the Northeast and forced dairy farmers to join DFA or its marketing affiliate [Dairy Marketing Services] to survive.” See DairyLine.com, December 24, 2010; Worcester Business Journal, December 27, 2010; and Burlington…
A recent study has reportedly suggested that women who consume more than 3.6 ounces of red meat daily had a 42-percent risk of cerebral infarction compared to those who ate less than 1 ounce. Susanna C. Larsso, et al., “Red Meat Consumption and Risk of Stroke in Swedish Women,” Stroke, December 2010. Swedish researchers evidently examined data from 34,670 women ages 39 to 73, finding that over 10 years, participants in the top quintile for red meat consumption were at a 22-percent increased risk of cerebral infarction over the bottom quintile. In addition, women who reported eating at least 1.5 ounces of processed meat per day had 24-percent greater risk than those who ate less than half an ounce. The study’s authors, however, did not draw any conclusions about other types of stroke, nor did they find increased risks related to fresh meat and poultry consumption. Red and processed meat…
A recent study has reportedly confirmed a massive die-off in four North American bumble bee species, raising concerns about the effects on agricultural crops and native plants. Sydney Cameron, et al., “Patterns of Widespread Decline in North American Bumble Bees,” PNAS, January 3, 2011. Led by University of Illinois Entomology Professor Sydney Cameron, researchers examined eight species, comparing approximately 73,000 historical records with data from “intensive nationwide surveys” involving more than 16,000 specimens. Their findings apparently indicated that “the relative abundances of four species have declined by up to 96% and that their surveyed geographic ranges have contracted by 23–87%, some within the last 20 [years].” According to a January 3, 2011, University of Illinois press release, the study authors suspect that pathogens, habitat loss and low genetic diversity could all be contributing to the decline. They also noted that bumble bees, which are adapted to colder climates, help pollinate…
According to University of Kentucky researchers, manufactured nanoparticles discharged into waste streams could wind up in agricultural biosolids and thus enter the food chain. Jonathan D. Judy, et al., “Evidence for Biomagnification of Gold Nanoparticles within a Terrestrial Food Chain,” Environmental Science & Technology, December 2010. The study’s authors reportedly used gold nanoparticles to examine the uptake mechanism of tobacco plants and tobacco hookworms, finding that while both organisms absorbed nanoparticles, the hookworm exhibited concentrations 6 to 12 times higher than the plant. “We expected [nanoparticles] to accumulate, but not biomagnify like that,” said University of Kentucky environmental toxicologist Paul Bertsch in describing the process by which substances increase in concentration higher up the food chain. Meanwhile, a second study has raised questions about how predatory microbes retain nanoparticles. R. Werlin, et al., “Biomagnification of cadmium selenide quantum dots in a simple experimental microbial food chain,” Nature Technology, December 2010.…
