Thank God it’s Friday! Quick news from the food world (Week 41)

Here’s my article’s selection for the week:

CHINA

– They’re Making a List, They’re Checking it … 200 times ? : AQSIQ’s Imported Food Blacklist, by Paul O’Brien: China will strenghten official controls on imported foods by implementing a blacklist of food business operators with an history of violations.

EU

– Bluetongue disease halts Romania’s live cattle, sheep exports to EU, by Jaroslaw Adamowski, on globalmeatnews.com: the Romanian government has decided to halt exports of live cattle and sheep to the EU following the outbreak of bluetongue disease in a number of the country’s counties.

– EU on charm offensive as Asean gears up for regulatory harmonisation, by RJ Whitehead, on foodanddrinkeurope.com: to a backdrop of the Asean regulatory harmonisation process, a number of European Union officials have descended on Kuala Lumpur to attend a forum designed to apply the older bloc’s knowledge on the subject.

– EFSA backs non-digestible carbs for sugar reduction, by Lynda Searby, on backeryandsnacks.com: EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) has delivered positive opinions for two non-digestible carbohydrate ingredients based on their ability to improve blood glucose response.

INDIA

– Top retailers pasting labels with new dates & selling expired products, by Abhitash Singh on FnBnews.com: some issues in India regarding not authorized extended expiry dates.

TAIWAN

– Ma announces new food safety office, by Catherine Wei on The China Post: A food safety office will be established in the near future as part of President Ma Ying-jeou’s most recent bid to combat the tainted food scares that have shaken the nation over the past few months.

USA

– FDA Asked to Ban Certain Chemicals Used in Pizza Boxes, Other Packaging, on foodsafetynews.com: the petitions target perchlorate, which is added to sealing gaskets for food containers and to reduce static in dry food packaging, and a family of chemicals known as long-chain perfluorocarboxylates (PFCs) that keep grease out of paper and paperboard, such as pizza boxes and sandwich wrappers.