Breaking News on Prepared Food and Meat Processing

News in brief

EU ban remains on US chicken - report

19-Dec-2008 - European Union agriculture ministers have rejected attempts to lift a ban on US poultry which is washed in chlorine, according to media reports.

Beef analysis results show high dioxin levels

19-Dec-2008 - Four beef samples from Irish farms using contaminated feed have higher levels of dioxins than those found in the pork which led to the recent Irish pork product recall, said Ireland’s food safety agency.

Meat processor pays out in listeriosis lawsuit

19-Dec-2008 - Canada’s largest food processor, Maple Leaf Foods, has settled consumer lawsuits filed in the wake of an outbreak of listeriosis in August to the tune of CAN$27m (US$22.5m).

Guide aims to help RTE foodmakers reduce listeria risk

18-Dec-2008 - New guidelines can assist ready-to-eat (RTE) food producers in identifying the Listeria monocytogenes risk in their products as well as informing decisions on when and which shelf-life studies are needed.

Meat and poultry product checks for melamine

16-Dec-2008 - US officials are to begin sample checks on processed meat and poultry products that are already on shop shelves for traces of melamine contamination.

Abattoir efficiency report welcomed

04-Dec-2008 - The UK meat industry and taxpayers will both benefit when ways of improving efficiency in abattoirs suggested by a new report are implemented, according to the British Meat Processors Association.

Salt reduction could impact on food safety, says UK group

01-Dec-2008 - A draft report from a UK food safety committee has recommended that manufacturers consider the impact on microbiological safety when making formulation changes to the key controlling factors such as salt in specific products.

We need to talk about nanofoods, says UK group

17-Nov-2008 - UK-based Leatherhead Food International (LFI) has formed a focus group to foster industry-government communication about the use of nanotechnology in foods, beverages and “pharmafoods”.

FSA launches food fraud hotline

17-Nov-2008 - The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has set up a new hotline to allow individuals and businesses to report fraudulent activity in food sales and marketing in a much quicker and easier way than previously.

Tagging urged to maintain consumer confidence in US food supply

14-Nov-2008 - In order to maintain the confidence of US consumers in the food supply when genetically engineered (GE) animals enter the marketplace, a national animal identification system would be required, claims a meat processor.

FDA gears up for food safety rule revision

13-Nov-2008 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it will bring current federal food processing safety rules up to date in an effort to provide additional protection against foodborne illness.

Regulation overhaul urged after listeria outbreak

07-Nov-2008 - Extra food safety regulations could be introduced in Canada as pressure increases to tackle the problems associated with tainted food after 20 people died in a listeriosis outbreak.

Licence deal enables global access to new E. coli tool

05-Nov-2008 - A tool to rapidly detect and measure E. coli 0157:H7 in meat can be distributed to processors worldwide following the signing of a new licence agreement, claims a Canadian food safety test manufacturer.

Hobs may reduce Clostridium perfringens in chickens, claims US study

03-Nov-2008 - Researchers from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in collaboration with a scientist from Farleigh Dickinson University, claim that the hob plant (Humulus lupulus) contains bitters acids which are powerful antimicrobials and can be used to control pathogenic bacteria in the intestines of chickens.

Red meat may help toxins stick in the body: Study

30-Oct-2008 - A molecule present in red meat may increase a human’s susceptibility to food poisoning, suggests a new study in the journal Nature.

New vaccine could inhibit spread of E. coli 0157

28-Oct-2008 - Econiche, a new vaccine for cattle that aims to reduce the risk of food and waterborne contamination from E. coli O157:H7 bacteria, has received approval from the Canadian regulator.

Chilled food production: new guide looks at risks and controls

17-Oct-2008 - A third edition of a guide to chilled foods stresses the increased risks involved with global sourcing of ingredients for the sector, and claims the need for appropriate controls has never been greater.

BSE testing change could benefit meat sector

16-Oct-2008 - A move to raise the age limit from 30 to 48 months at which UK cattle are tested for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), would, if implemented, help reduce processors' costs and free up supplies.

News in brief

FDA kit aims to improve food safety

16-Oct-2008 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in conjunction with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed a food safety training kit, FIRST, for employees in the food industry.

Maple Leaf to tackle Listeria with newly approved preservative

15-Oct-2008 - Canadian meat processor, Maple Leaf Foods, said it plans to use a recently approved preservative that stops the growth of listeria for its meat products, following a listeria-related outbreak attributed to one of its plants and linked to 20 deaths, according to a report on news site, AHN.

Wide scepticism of industry interest in cloned food, Commission survey

10-Oct-2008 - A new Eurobarometer survey that has revealed consumers’ views on animal cloning for food production to be overwhelmingly negative will be used by the Commission in its analysis of whether action is required on the subject, and if so, what kind.

Study shows huge variety of protozoa in meat plants

02-Oct-2008 - A first time survey of free-living protozoa in meat-cutting plants showed high diversity rates of various species including those that could harbor food-borne pathogens say researchers from Ghent University, Belgium.

Farmed meat main source of campylobacteriosis: study

26-Sep-2008 - A new study has found that nearly all of the campylobacteriosis cases in the patients evaluated were caused by bacteria in animals farmed for meat, in particular chicken and cattle.

Processors could gain from meat freshness indicator

25-Sep-2008 - A sensor that changes colour to indicate meat spoilage could prevent serious illness and food waste, say the US scientists involved in the project.