New Zealand calls for ban on ‘damaging’ soy-based infant formulas

15-May-2012 - Health and medical experts in New Zealand have called for a ban on soy-based infant formula after a recent mouse study suggested soy damages the reproductive tract and immune system.

The GM rice problem: Food fraud from China?

07-May-2012 - Genetic modification is an on-going problem in Asia’s basmati rice network and it is a problem that importers need to be vigilant in curbing, according to an industry expert.

FSANZ’s raw milk cheese approval awaits ministerial review

03-May-2012 - Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has approved a proposal recommending the sale of raw milk curd cheeses that is now awaiting review from food regulation ministers.

Hot Potato: Acrylamide concerns in New Zealand

02-May-2012 - A New Zealand report has found varied acrylamide concentrations in particular foods, with potato-based foods the worst offenders.

Sulphite safe foods in Australia?

30-Apr-2012 - ‘Nearly all’ Australian foods comply with authorised sulphite levels and this data will be used to compile dietary exposure estimates for Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).

CER infant formula report removed and company silenced after Abbott legal action

26-Apr-2012 - A court order has silenced Hong Kong research company, CER, and ensured the removal of its report damning Abbott’s infant formula product; action the US giant is ‘pleased’ with.

Shanghai wants to ban a range of seafood products

24-Apr-2012 - Food safety authorities in Shanghai are set to ban a range of aquatic food products linked to disease outbreaks in the city.

Australian ‘toxic’ traditional Chinese medicine curbed with DNA testing, say researchers

19-Apr-2012 - DNA sequencing on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) imported into Australia could prove invaluable in ensuring safe and legal product entry, suggests new research.

South Korea opens its ‘huge’ doors to Philippine poultry

17-Apr-2012 - South Korea has opened its market doors to the Philippines' poultry sector, marking a vast opportunity for Filipino manufacturers, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

Multinationals committed to nutritional literacy in Asia: Report

16-Apr-2012 - Educating Asian communities about health and nutrition decisions is a key concern of multinationals, according to the industry association Food Industry Asia.

Chinese watchdog cracks down on fake health supplements

12-Apr-2012 - China's food and drug watchdog has identified 11 fake health supplements being sold in the country that contain banned chemical ingredients.

India sugar is pesticide free, says study

12-Apr-2012 - The pesticide food safety issue that has tainted India’s sugar market for more than a decade has been cleared in the wake of a study suggesting India-produced sugar is pesticide free.

India issues antibiotic controls for food producing animals

10-Apr-2012 - Indian authorities have taken another food safety action with newly issued regulations to govern the presence of antibiotics in food-producing animals.

Arrests and crackdown in China over rotten meat-tainted cooking oil

05-Apr-2012 - A vast, gang-led network of illegal cooking oil producers has been cracked by Chinese authorities following a five month investigation, with more than 3,200 tonnes of rotten-animal waste oil seized.

Indian state charges Red Bull over caffeine content; court battle looms

02-Apr-2012 - Austrian energy drink leader Red Bull Gmbh has run into rough weather in India with a state level food regulator, which claims to have confiscated 1.6 million cans of the drink over caffeine content.

Standards for exotic meat, wild game coming soon to Australia and New Zealand

27-Mar-2012 - New regulation in Australia and New Zealand may see more exotic meats on the two countries’ dining tables, much to the joy of local food processors.

Breaking news

Retract report, restore reputation or face legal action, Abbott tells CER

26-Mar-2012 - Infant formula maker Abbott Laboratories has demanded that CER Research retract the ‘utterly misleading’ and ‘false’ report suggesting one of its products fails to meet Chinese national standards and also take steps to restore Abbott’s reputation globally.

FSANZ proposes new regulatory approach for ‘novel’ foods

26-Mar-2012 - Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) aims to clarify criteria for novel foods with a new regulatory approach.

Breaking News - update

Abbott refutes ‘misleading’ infant formula breach allegations

22-Mar-2012 - Abbott Laboratories has scoffed at allegations that its infant formula product fails to meet Chinese national health standards, damning the findings as ‘misleading’ and reaffirming its product safety.

Taiwan additive maker sentenced to 13 years for toxic plasticisers

20-Mar-2012 - Taiwan’s High Court has sentenced the owner of a food additive company to 13 years in prison and his wife to 11 years for mixing toxic plasticisers into clouding agents which they allegedly then sold onto various local food and beverage manufacturers, the High Court confirmed.

Australian beef now under surveillance in Taiwan

20-Mar-2012 - Taiwan has intensified checks on Australian beef imports after recent inspections by Taiwanese officials revealed the presence of growth drugs in samples allegedly from Australia and New Zealand.

Bird’s nest exports still not back on track

19-Mar-2012 - Malaysia’s efforts to get its lucrative business of edible bird’s nests exports to China back on track has hit a roadblock as very few of the manufacturers registering under the new norms.

Taiwan’s growth drug findings are misidentified: Australasia

15-Mar-2012 - Australia and New Zealand say Taiwan’s growth drug findings lack proof of origin and are unlikely to be Australasian beef samples.

Malaysia shines safety light on glow-in-the dark lollipops

12-Mar-2012 - Malaysia has sounded an alert for glow-in-the dark lollipops after complaints that these products contained toxic chemicals that could cause cancer, were reported in the local media.