A U.S study at Drexel University, published in the January 2012 issue of Journal of Food Protection, has said that a form of cold plasma might be an effective method for killing pathogens on uncooked poultry. The Drexel study involved raw chicken samples contaminated with Salmonella enterica and Campylobacter jejuni bacteria treated with plasma for varying periods of time. The plasma treatment claims to “have eliminated or nearly eliminated bacteria in low levels from skinless chicken breast and... ...Read more »

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today announced that oranges and orange juice sold in Australia will not be permitted to contain any carbendazim, after it was announced that existing permissions would be revoked in the first quarter of 2012. The moves follows concerns raised after the US Food and Drug Administration detected trace amounts of carbendazim in orange juice imported from Brazil. Carbendazim is a fungicide used in many countries to control fungal diseases. The Australian... ...Read more »

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is proposing an examination of options for primary production and processing requirements for the raw horticultural produce sector. The examination may result in the development of a new standard. The proposal, which will be of particular relevance to those who produce dried fruit and vegetables, is expected to be preliminarily open for public comment between mid-March 2012 and mid-May 2012. Labelling requirements for food for catering purposes and retail... ...Read more »

Green Monkey Ltd has recalled throughout Australia all five varieties of its Green Monkey Organic Baby Food from Woolworths, Safeway and Thomas Dux Supermarkets due to the presence of small plastic pieces. Green Monkey Ltd, which is a New Zealand-based company, said the contamination is the result of a packaging fault. It has recalled the all flavours of its organic baby food, which is sold in a tear-top 100g pouch. The products in question all have Best Before dates up to and including 22/05/2013. A... ...Read more »

  Coles Supermarkets is doing a natural recall of its home brand Chocolate Cake with Icing (cake mix) from its stores, including Bi-Lo and Pick N Pay stores, due to undeclared sesame content. Sesame is listed as one of numerous allergens (others can include milk, wheat, soy, seafood or nuts) that are required to be declared on a food label in accordance with the requirements of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Failure to do so is considered to be sufficient ground for a food to... ...Read more »

The latest Australia-wide study of chemicals in foods comprised in the Australian diet, released today by Australia’s food regulator Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), has found only low rates of contamination in the foods that are typically consumed by Australians. The Australian Total Diet Study (ATDS), formerly known as the Australian Market Basket Survey, is Australia’s most comprehensive assessment of consumers’ dietary exposure (intake) to a range of food chemicals including... ...Read more »

Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King, announced today that Australia’s leading food manufacturers and retailers have voluntarily agreed to reduce salt levels in soup products over the next three years. The agreement between the Australian Government’s Food and Health Dialogue and leading manufacturers and retailers was reached in Canberra this morning. Leading manufacturers Unilever, Heinz, Campbell Arnotts and Nestle, along with major retailers Woolworths, Coles and... ...Read more »

The latest study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, in the USA, has raised fresh debate over the regulation of Bisphenol A (BpA), a chemical compound often used as protective lining on the inside of cans containing food or beverages. The Harvard study’s findings were published on 22 November 2011, in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers say their study is one of the first to quantify BpA levels in humans after ingestion of canned foods. Exposure... ...Read more »

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today called for submissions on an application to change the Food Standards Code to allow for food derived from a corn line genetically modified for protection against insect pests. Commenting on Application A1060, from Syngenta Seeds Pty Ltd, FSANZ Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said, “The corn line is intended for cultivation in regions of North America and Canada, not in Australia and New Zealand.” He said that regulatory approval is... ...Read more »

A new primary production and processing standard for seed sprouts has been approved by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Board. FSANZ said the objective of the standard is to reduce the incidence of food-borne illness associated with seed sprouts by introducing food regulatory measures for sprouts processors. Measures in the standard include requirements for producers to identify potential hazards and implement control measures to address those hazards. Sprout producers must also have evidence... ...Read more »