horsemeat scandal
F&B can learn traceability lessons from pharma sector
Food and beverage manufacturers are being urged to learn from the UK pharmaceutical sector in order to improve traceability within the supply chain, as the cost of food fraud in the UK rises to £11.2 billion per year.
Horsing around
Earlier this month I visited Doncaster Racecourse. Whilst I wasn’t there to watch any races, horses were certainly on the agenda – it was Highfield ABC’s Fighting Food Fraud event and, of course, ‘horsegate’ was one of the buzzwords of the day.
Work needed to overcome authenticity doubts
New figures suggest that 43% of consumers are not confident that processed foods contain the meat or fish specified on the label.
Damage control
In the same week that Nestle announced plans to destroy more than $50 million (£32 million) worth of its Maggi noodles, after India’s food safety regulator found the product contains unsafe levels of lead, the presence of a strain of superbug MRSA in UK supermarket pork was also making headlines.
Safe from scandal
Regular checks along the production chain can prevent meat scandals, explains Alexander Flath, division manager sales at SGS Germany.
Simplification of supply streams
Emma Woods, technical manager at Phoenix Speciality Oils, predicts a step in the right direction following the horsemeat scandal, which left certain sectors of the industry reeling last year.
Spotlight on food traceability
Last September saw the publication of Professor Chris Elliott’s final report into the integrity and assurance of UK food supply networks. The report, which came in light of 2013’s horsemeat incident, identified weaknesses in the network and recommended to government measures that could be taken to address them. The government quickly posted its response, which […]
Food traceability gaining popularity
Organic Monitor believes that growing consumer interest in food provenance and production methods is leading to a spike in traceability schemes, with a growing number of certification schemes and analytical tools helping food companies provide transparency. Traceability schemes were initially introduced to track agricultural commodities from developing countries, such as coffee, cocoa and tea. Consumer […]
Business news, Food safety, Ingredients, Regulatory, Sustainability
Safe and sound
The September issue of Food & Drink Technology is due to hit desks this week and as we have super-sized the issue this month, I apologise if it makes a dent in your desk when it lands! The first of some major shows coming up throughout autumn are upon us, so we’ve included comprehensive previews […]
Food safety, Ingredients, Packaging, Regulatory, Sustainability
From horsegate to chickengate
Shortly after the FSA confirmed that no horsemeat has been found in latest testing it released news that more than half of shop-bought chickens are contaminated with campylobacter.
No horsemeat found in latest testing
The latest round of industry and European Union (EU) testing found no horsemeat DNA in meat products at or above the 1% reporting threshold. Since 2013, the FSA has been working with the European Commission and industry in an extensive programme of testing to detect horsemeat. These tests were carried out to check that beef products […]
Symposium on ‘Emerging Issues in Food’
The 9-11 June this year will see food industry experts convening to discuss ‘Emerging Issues in Food’. The 15th annual symposium in food science is being organised by the UK government’s Food and Environment Research Agency and the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN), a partnership between the US Food and Drug […]
Business news, Food safety, Ingredients, Regulatory, Sustainability
SGS serves up new food standard
The first global standard for auditing and certificating agents and brokers in the food supply chain is about to be awarded by SGS to a UK based company after more than 18 months of development work with the British Retail Consortium (BRC). David Brackston, technical director BRC Global Standards, says, “The new BRC Agents and […]
NFU and NPA concerned as meat labelling rules may confuse British shoppers
The NFU and NPA say that new European Commission rules on food labelling may lead to massive confusion for British shoppers keen to buy meat produced in the UK. The Commission voted to introduce mandatory reared and slaughtered labelling rules. The NFU and NPA say that mandatory rules should have extended to born, reared and slaughtered […]