China is launching a new national food safety drive following a wave of recent damaging revelations over melamine-tainted milk products in the country.
Chinese authorities have closed two dairies in the northern region of Ningxia following the discovery of a further 170 tonnes of melamine tainted milk powder, according to media reports.
Body fat burning products intended for weight loss were the largest portion of recent Korea Food and Drug Administration functional foods authorisations.
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has signaled its intention to blacklist 125 nutrients including forms of glucosamine, aloe vera and krill because it says they are not being used in products, according to the US Department of Agriculture...
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has signed a co-operation agreement with its Japanese counterpart as part of a strategy to boost its knowledge pool and ability to track food across the globe.
Australia has announced it is to reopen its borders to beef imports from countries that have previously reported incidents of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
The signing of a free trade deal between the EU and Korea has been hailed by the food and beverage industry, as it will unlock new market access for the sector.
India urgently needs a national food processing policy which incorporates tax breaks for the sector, the nation’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told a conference of state food processing ministers this week.
The New Zealand government has pledged to update what it describes as its “outdated” 28-year-old Food Act to make it more relevant to businesses and consumers while improving safety standards.
The importance of the Codex Alimentaria in developing regulatory harmony in a region like Asia where rules differ so greatly, has been emphasised at a recent event hosted by the Asian arm of Belgian consultancy, EAS.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has announced that as of Sunday, Australian bread makers must use folic acid-enriched flour to reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) in newborns.
Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), is considering a ban on high caffeine energy drinks in the Red Bull-led sector, after its Primary Industries minister, Ian McDonald, highlighted products loaded with up to 15 times recommended caffeine...
The New Zealand baking industry has said it will move towards a voluntary fortification of some breads with folic acid as the government is expected to delay plans for mandatory fortification.
Formulation of a separate policy for food processing and a targeted R&D programme to boost processing and packaging technologies are two of the latest proposals unveiled by the Indian government for the sector.
The mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid in New Zealand is likely to be delayed for another three years, following heated debate over the risks and benefits of adding the synthetic B vitamin to bread.
Australian bakers have until October 9 to replace all regular salt with iodised salt when making bread products, as the Australian government attempts address an iodine deficiency that has been noticed among sections of the country’s 22 million inhabitants.
The Singapore Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) has approved five nutrient and product-specific health claims that can now bear a ‘Healthier Choice’ symbol.
China's State Council will set up a food safety commission to bolster the country's food monitoring system, whose disjointed nature has long been blamed for numerous food scandals, according to the Xinhua news agency.
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has announced a $30m collaborative project which aims to boost South Asian cereal production by five million tonnes a year.
Coca-Cola South Pacific has applied to the joint regulator in Australia and New Zealand to allow phytosterols to be added to fruit juice drinks in the two countries.
A survey into the levels of colourings in food products in Australia showed usage far below the maximum permitted levels (MPL); FSANZ says this shows there is no public health risk associated with their use.
Finnish group Raisio has won a hard-to-come-by approval for its Benecol cholesterol lowering plant stanol ester ingredients in China, as it continues its push to develop new markets.
The European Commission has imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on the additive from China, stating that the impact on firms using the additive will not be great.
European producers of citric acid and monosodium glutamate have this week received long-term assurance that their prices will be supported against cheaper Chinese imports, but China is expected to remain a significant player in a more level field.
The Chinese government has lifted the ban it placed on the manufacture and export of DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) in the lead up to the Beijing Olympic Games in August.
China is taking steps to reassure countries that are banning its imports following the melamine crisis with the introduction of new safety levels for food and drink.
The Australian food authority FSANZ has approved the natural sweetener steviol glycosides (stevia), as an ingredient in foods and beverages in Australia and New Zealand.
The Australian and New Zealand food safety regulator is mulling a part reversal of a 1990s restriction on the use of coal-based dye erythrosine, after receiving a petition for its use in colourings for bakery icings.
New Zealand dairy group Fonterra is facing criticism over lethal contaminated milk powder supplied through its Chinese joint venture, but says action was delayed as it had to go through the correct procedures in China.
Calls to ban the Southampton colours are reverberating around the world, as week campaigners in Australia called on FSANZ to phase out the additives implicated in hyperactivity like its UK counterpart.
The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will pay $55 million (€32.58m) to liquidated supplements manufacturer Pan Pharmaceuticals after inappropriately recalling the company’s entire 1600-product suite in 2003.
The European Commission has imposed anti-dumping tariffs of almost
40 per cent on monosodium glutamate (MSG) imported to the EU from
China, following an investigation into the effects of lower-priced
imports on EU industry.
Bakers in New Zealand will now by law have to fortify
bread products with iodine, as regulators in the country attempt to
boost consumption of the essential nutrient.
The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) has called for
further testing on two different proteins used in milk production,
just one month after claiming there was no danger in consuming
either of the products.
The Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) will face a
court hearing in March 2008, after an anti-GM group claimed that it
has illegally approved the field testing of genetically modified
brassica.
New Zealand today launched a major initiative to boost its food and
beverage exports, including NZ$19m earmarked for new market
development and a roadmap for innovations.
China must continue to reform its food safety practices if it
is to maintain consumer confidence in its products, says a food
safety expert from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Safety bodies in Shanghai hope to hit back at growing international
concern over Chinese food safety practices with its new food
testing system, say media reports in the country.
A possible move by the Chinese government to repeal tax incentives
for foreign investors could prove a massive setback to the
country's food industry, warns an expert on Asian affairs.
