Food News
Nestlé investigating Chinese fake food factories
Food Manufacturer | Posted on January 22, 2017Nestlé has joined Chinese authorities in investigating factories suspected of producing £12M worth of counterfeit food seasonings and sauces, including fake Nestlé products.
'Raw' milk trend blamed for one of UK's worst food poisoning outbreaks as 65 fall ill
Mirror.co.uk | Posted on January 19, 2017Low Sizergh Barn Farm, in Kendal, Cumbria, has previously won tourism and National Trust awards for copying a US dairy trend and selling 'ready-to-drink', untreated milk. With their slogan 'From Moo To You', their fresh-from-the-udder milk is sold from special dispensers at their trendy Lake District farm shop. But now South Lakeland District Council has confirmed that last month alone 12 customers fell ill with campylobacter bacteria, with another 53 suspected cases recorded also in December - taking the total to 65 people laid low by the contaminated batch of raw milk. Sales from the farm's raw milk vending machine have been banned pending tests and farm owner Richard Park said he was co-operating with an investigation led by the Food Standards Agency.
Mass: ‘Everything is on the table’ in sweeping review of state alcohol rules
Boston Globe | Posted on January 19, 2017Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg is throwing open the doors to the most extensive rethinking of how the state regulates alcohol since the end of Prohibition, directing a new task force to create a more cohesive set of rules that “deals with the 21st century.” With no limits from Goldberg on which issues it may consider, the group of seven legal and political figures — with input from the public and bars, brewers, distributors, and other companies — will have broad authority to set its own agenda when it meets for the first time later in January. Among the issues that officials and industry executives suggested could be reviewed: extending the hours for package stores, lifting caps on liquor licenses in each municipality, allowing beer-makers to switch distributors more easily, loosening restrictions on consumers bringing alcohol to restaurants or reusing growlers, boosting funding to the chronically understaffed Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, or clarifying rules about so-called pay-to-play incentives.
Study: Slower-growing broiler production has faults
Watt Ag Net | Posted on January 16, 2017Study reveals negative sustainability implications of ‘slower growing’ raising methods; NCC supports more research on chicken welfare. A study released January 11 by the NCC details the environmental, economic and sustainability implications of raising slower growing chickens, revealing a sharp increase in chicken prices and the use of environmental resources - including water, air, fuel and land. NCC also calls for more research on the health impact of chickens' growth rates, to ensure that the future of bird health and welfare is grounded in scientific, data-backed research.
General Mills patents process to create range of dairy-alternatives from legumes
Food Navigator | Posted on January 16, 2017A patent application from General Mills shows it is experimenting with legumes such as chickpeas, adzuki beans, fava beans and lentils to create non-dairy ‘milks;' eggless mayonnaise and dips; and cultured legume based products such as cheeses, yogurts, kefir and ice cream.
Slow groing birds increase water, feed, land and fuel use.
Meatingplace (free registration required) | Posted on January 14, 2017The idea of slower-growing broilers has caught on quickly in both food production and consumption circles as it appeals to consumers’ desire for “simpler,” old-fashioned means of food production. But the National Chicken Council is urging consumers, the foodservice and retail industries, and non-governmental organizations to invest in studying the environmental and financial impact of the growing market for “slower growing” broiler chickens" The industry group says in a news release that the trend promises to end up in a sharp increase in prices and an increase in the use of water, air, fuel and land. The association also isn’t convinced that slower-growing breeds of poultry are more healthy or treated more humanely than their fast-growing cousins.
SNAP Wars: Scott Walker, Tom Vilsack and Drug Testing of SNAP Beneficiaries
OFW Law | Posted on January 14, 2017For more than 20 years, Federal law has expressly provided that states may test welfare recipients for use of controlled substances free from interference of federal agencies. 21 U.S.C. §862(b). Relying upon this Congressional enactment, Wisconsin passed Act 55 during 2015. Act 55 authorized new drug screening and testing requirements for certain SNAP beneficiaries in the Badger State. These new requirements teed up a conflict with a long-standing U.S. Food and Nutrition Service (“FNS”) food stamp regulation that prohibits states from imposing additional eligibility requirements on SNAP beneficiaries
Giant puts item ratings on sustainability to a test
Food Dive | Posted on January 14, 2017HowGood ratings will soon be available at Giant Food stores around the country, according to an emailed company statement. Stores will support the HowGood program with in-store communication including signage, education at shelf, and a trained staff member to answer questions. HowGood researches and rates products based on sustainability, including aspects such as fair wages for employees, ethical animal treatment and environmental impact. Once HowGood has the data, ratings are included on grocery store shelves across the U.S. The ratings show consumers which products meet a strict criteria to help make more informed decisions.
Americans Are Drinking Less Milk, But They Can't Get Enough Cheese
Bloomberg | Posted on January 14, 2017Americans love their cheese, but maybe not as much as dairy farmers do. Even after people cut back on milk use for decades -- a consequence of more drink options including juices, sodas and sports drinks -- U.S. cows are producing the most ever. While the glut has eroded dairy income, the industry is getting a jolt from demand for high-fat byproducts that have given the world creations like the Grilled Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza and led McDonald’s Corp. to start using butter on its Egg McMuffins rather than margarine. The jump in total domestic cheese consumption over the past two years was the biggest since 2000, with Americans eating the most on average since the government began tracking the data in 1975. Butter demand also advanced, and more gains are expected this year. The sales surge is helping to boost slumping U.S. milk prices at a time when surpluses forced production cutbacks in most of the world’s major exporters.
First GMO apple slices to go on sale in Midwest
Capital Press | Posted on January 14, 2017A small amount of genetically modified sliced apples will go on sale in 10 Midwest stores this February and March. The first genetically modified apples to be sold in the U.S. will debut in select Midwestern stores next month. A small amount of Arctic brand sliced and packaged Golden Delicious, produced by Okanagan Specialty Fruits of Summerland, B.C., will be in 10 stores this February and March, said Neal Carter, the company’s founder and president. He would not identify the retailers, saying that’s up to them. “We’re very optimistic with respect to this product because people love it at trade shows,” Carter said. “It’s a great product and the eating quality is excellent.” Carter reduced the enzyme polyphenol oxidase to prevent browning when apples are sliced, bitten or bruised. The apples match the industry norm of not browning for three weeks after slicing but without using flavor-altering, chemical additives that the rest of the fresh-sliced apple industry uses.