A recent study based on the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) has allegedly identified a “moderate positive association” between processed meat consumption and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other causes. Sabine Rohrmann, et al., “Meat consumption and mortality – results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition,” BMC Medicine, March 2013. Relying on EPIC data from 448,568 healthy adults between ages 35 and 69, researchers reported that consuming more than 160 grams (approximately 5.6 ounces) of processed meat per day was related to moderately higher all-cause mortality. In particular, they estimated “that 3.3 % ... of all deaths could be prevented if all participants had a processed meat consumption” of less than 20 grams (0.7 ounces) per day. The study’s authors noted, however, that unlike similar studies undertaken in the United States, their analysis did not find any association between red meat intake…
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a proposed rule that would revise Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) requirements for muscle cuts of meat and amend the definition of “retailer” to include “any person subject to be licensed as a retailer under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.” Under the proposed rule, “origin destinations for muscle cut covered commodities derived from animals slaughtered in the United States would be required to specify the production steps of birth, raising, and slaughter of the animal from which the meat is derived that took place in each country listed on the origin designation.” According to USDA, the proposed rule would also “eliminate the allowance for any commingling of muscle cut covered commodities of different origins.” The proposal does not change “existing country of origin labeling of imported muscle cuts derived from animals slaughtered in another country.” The agency said that it “expects that…
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a final rule, effective May 6, 2013, that amends federal meat and poultry products inspection regulations to remove sodium benzoate, sodium propionate and benzoic acid from the list of substances prohibited for use in meat or poultry products. According to FSIS, after considering the comments and petitions it received, as well as confirming that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had no objections to the safety of the substances, the agency has determined “that sodium benzoate, sodium propionate, and benzoic acid, under the conditions proposed in the petitions, are both safe and suitable for use as antimicrobial agents in certain RTE [ready-to-eat] meat and poultry products.” FSIS said that new uses of these substances in meat or poultry products will continue to be approved by FDA for safety and by FSIS for suitability. See Federal Register, March 7, 2013.
IKEA Group has reportedly withdrawn its trademark meatballs and sausages from its European locations after testing revealed trace amounts of horsemeat in the products. According to a February 28, 2013, press release, the company identified horsemeat “in a few samples of our meatballs from a supplier in Sweden” and has thus suspended sales of “all products containing minced meat from pork and beef from that supplier.” IKEA Group has since reiterated, however, that the recall does not implicate products sold at its U.S. stores. “All meatballs sold in our IKEA US stores are sourced from a U.S. supplier,” the company stated in a February 26 press release. “Based on the results of our mapping, we can confirm that the contents of the meatballs follow the IKEA recipe and contain only beef and pork from animals raised in the U.S. and Canada.” Meanwhile, the U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) has released…
Citing public concerns about the presence of horsemeat in beef products, European Union (EU) Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner Tonio Borg recently called an emergency meeting of agricultural ministers and urged member states to conduct random DNA testing on processed beef products for three months beginning March 1, 2013. The measure builds on an ongoing investigation initiated by the U.K. Food Safety Agency (FSA) and Food Safety Authority of Ireland, which first reported finding equine and porcine DNA in beef products in January 2013 and have since ramped up testing protocols after other member states, including France and Germany, allegedly received contaminated products from suppliers across the European Union. See European Food Safety Authority, February 11, 2013. According to various media reports, retailers in 16 countries have sold mislabeled horsemeat to millions of consumers, a development that has prompted officials to demand criminal sanctions against those deemed responsible for what…
In the wake of a recent investigation conducted by the Food Standards Authority of Ireland that identified horse and pig DNA in beef products, the U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have published their own protocol for testing “food authenticity in processed meat products.” According to a February 6, 2013, FSA press release, the protocol calls for “specialized analytical techniques to provide information about the possible presence of horse or pig DNA in a range of beef products available to U.K. consumers.” As part of the extended survey, 28 local authorities (LAs) will analyze 224 samples from meat products selected as representative of those on the market. The protocol requires LAs to report screening samples by March 11, 2013, with any confirmatory tests reported by April 8. FSA also intends to identify brand names and describe any formal actions taken when it releases…
Burger King has reportedly dropped one of its suppliers after finding traces of horse DNA in beef provided for sale in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The restaurant chain apparently tested its own products in the wake of a Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) investigation that allegedly found horse DNA in beef patties and meals linked to three processing plants, one of which apparently received its product from a Polish distributor. “Our independent DNA tests results on product taken from Burger King® restaurants were negative for any equine DNA. However, four samples recently taken from the Silvercrest plant have shown the presence of very small trace levels of equine DNA,” said a company statement on PR Newswire. “This product was never sold to our restaurants. Within the last 36 hours, we have established that Silvercrest used a small percentage of beef imported from a non-approved supplier in Poland. They…
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has published the results of an investigation “examining the authenticity of a number of beef burger, beef meal and salami products available from retail outlets in Ireland.” According to a January 15, 2013, FSAI press release, the agency’s study revealed “the presence of horse DNA in some beef burger products,” raising concerns about “the traceability of meat ingredients and products entering the food chain.” After testing for horse and pig DNA in 27 beef burger products, investigators evidently reported that 10 (37 percent) of the samples contained horse DNA and 23 (85 percent) contained pig DNA. The study also found that all 19 salami samples and 21 of 31 beef meal products contained pig DNA, though none of these items contained horse DNA. In addition, notes FSAI, “[t]races of horse DNA were also detected in batches of raw ingredients, including some imported from…
Russian health regulators have announced a new regulation that will require imported meat to undergo testing for and be certified free of ractopamine, a hormone that has reportedly been linked to health concerns. The additive allegedly promotes animal growth and leaner meat and is added to some animal feed in the United States. According to news sources, because the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has no mechanism in place certifying meat as “ractopamine free,” the Russian requirement could effectively halt U.S. pork and beef exports to the country, profoundly affecting the more than $500 million market. Some industry analysts reportedly see the move as retaliation for American legislation punishing Russian officials linked to alleged human rights violations. In a recent press release, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated, “The United States is very concerned that Russia has taken these actions, which appear to be inconsistent with its obligations as a…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued final rules amending food additive regulations pertaining to the use of ionizing radiation in the production, processing and handling of meat and poultry products. Promulgated at the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rules took effect on November 30, 2012. FDA requests written objections or requests for a hearing by December 31. The meat-product irradiation amendment would “provide for the safe use of a 4.5 kilogray (kGy) maximum absorbed dose of ionizing radiation to treat unrefrigerated (as well as refrigerated) uncooked meat, meat byproducts, and certain meat food products to reduce levels of foodborne pathogens and extend shelf life.” The poultry-irradiation amendment would “increase the maximum dose of ionizing radiation permitted in the treatment of poultry products, to include specific language intended to clarify the poultry products covered by the regulations, and to remove the limitation that any packaging used…
