Here’s my article’s selection of the week:
EU
– Author: EU health claims laws cannot be bent for botanicals, by Bert Schwitters, on nutraingredients.com: nutrition author, blogger and harsh critic of the EU’s health claim laws, Bert Schwitters, says any attempt to create separate rules for more than 1500 on-hold botanical claim applications is doomed to failure in this guest article;
– Should energy drinks be age-restricted like alcohol? WHO official asks in report, by Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn+, on nutraingredients.com: energy drink consumption among young people, particularly in connection with alcohol, presents a significant public health concern that warrants further research and regulation, according to a report authored by World Health Organisation (WHO) officials.
– GM regulations hold back innovation, say UK researchers, by Caroline Scott-Thomas+, on foodnavigator.com: current European restrictions on genetically modified (GM) crops could hold back crop innovation needed to ensure food security, claims a UK government-funded research body.
CHINA
– Amidst Public Controversy China Debates GMO Development, by John Balzano, on Forbes: an interesting article about China’s approach to GMOs and the doubts between treating GMOs like any other food and regulating them in a more specific way;
– China lifts 2013 ban on Fonterra infant formula ingredients, by Mark Astley+ , on dairyreporter.com: China has lifted its ban on the import of Fonterra two infant formula ingredients, more than a year after it was implemented in the midst of the 2013 botulism scare.
INDIA
– HC bans import of food additive Allura Red, on business-standard.com: the Delhi High Court banned import of food additive Allura Red AC, also a colouring agent, after the country’s food safety authority admitted it was a prohibited chemical.
TAIWAN
– In pics: Two months of food scandals rocks Taiwan, by RJ Whitehead, on foodproductiondaily.com: recent reports that international furniture retailer Ikea has been using expired milk in its ice cream is the latest scandal to rock Taiwan. We take a look at a tense two months for food authorities and consumers as some of the island’s worst abuses came to light.
– New rules in Kaohsiung will give whistleblowers handsome cash reward, on focustaiwan.tw: Kaohsiung’s city council amended municipal food safety rules to offer whistleblowers 60 percent of fines levied on convicted companies — the highest cash award offered by any jurisdiction in Taiwan.
USA
– Quick fixes could quell rising tide of undeclared allergen food recalls, by Elizabeth Crawford, on foodnavigator-usa.com: simple changes in how food manufacturers handle and trace ingredients, packages and labels at production facilities could reduce dramatically the number of recalls due to undeclared allergens, which make up the vast majority of food recalls, according to FDA.
– Appeals Court Won’t Tamper With COOL, But Keeping It Could Be Costly, on foodsafetynews.com: a decision by the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit stated that, unless the U.S. Supreme Court takes up the issue, domestic courts are fine with U.S. Department of Agriculture rules that require producers to keep track and report on the label on the birthplace, residence, and location at passing for each hunk of meat sold at retail in the U.S. regardless of the burden or cost.
– Report: Bait-and-Switch Tactics Found in One-Third of U.S. Shrimp Sales, on foodsafetynews.com: in the only known U.S. study using DNA testing on retail and restaurant shrimp, Oceana confirmed that 30 percent of the 143 products tested from 111 grocery stores and restaurants were misrepresented. It also found that consumers are often provided with little information about the shrimp they purchase, including where and how it was caught or farmed, making it difficult, if not impossible, for them to make informed choices.
WHO – NUTRITION LABELLING
– WHO calls for standardised nutrition labelling, by Caroline Scott-Thomas+, on dairyreporter.com: the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for a more unified approach to front-of-pack nutrition labelling.
FOOD LAW LATEST 