According to reports in the Japanese Industrial and Economic News, China and Japan are close to signing an agreement on food safety.
It is reported that the two governments reached an understanding on the agreement in October 2009, during a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
The report states the purpose of the agreement is to reassure Japanese consumers following the “Poisonous Dumplings Incident” in 2008 when ten Japanese suffered from food poisoning as a result of eating dumplings made in China. Under the agreement, Japanese …

February 1, 2010 (New York, New York) –This afternoon New York City based Ullman, Shapiro & Ullman, LLP submitted comments urging FDA to reconsider its apparent intent to classify products marketed as dietary supplements as conventional foods merely because of product packaging. The firm, which specializes in Food & Drug Law and represents numerous companies in the dietary supplement/natural products field, expressed concern that such action by FDA would violate the Congressional intent behind OSHEA and potentially force many otherwise legally marketed supplements off the market.
The Comments observe that FDA’s …

2 Feb 2010 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requesting $4.03 billion to promote and protect public health as part of the President’s fiscal year 2011 budget – a 23 percent increase over the agency’s current $3.28 billion budget.
The FY 2011 request, which covers the period of Oct.1, 2010, through Sept. 30, 2011, includes increases of $146 million in budget authority and $601 million in industry user fees.
“The FY 2011 resources will strengthen our ability to act as a strong and smart regulator, protecting Americans through every stage …

How to brew honey mead, short and sweet.
Honey Mead
** 15 lbs of honey in 5 gallon batch makes good sweet but 20 lbs of honey is like cotton candy. I like to use the pasteurized processed clover honey from Sam’s Wholesale club or Wal-Mart. I’ve tried different honey with varying result. The honey makes a dramatic difference in the body and flavor of your mead. Pasteurized and processed honey negates the need for campden tablets as long as you’re not putting in anything else that may be contaminated with bacteria. …

Sulphur dioxide, benzoic acid, and sorbic acid are preservatives commonly used in preserving fruits and vegetables.
Because of recent instances of excessive preservatives being detected in samples of dried fruits and pickled vegetables, the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department’s Centre for Food Safety (CFS) decided to take a closer look.
The CFS decided to include preservatives for fruits and vegetables in its “targeted food surveillance program.”  It’s objective was to assess just how the preservatives are being used.
It analyzed 371 samples of pickled vegetables, including cucumbers, radish, leaf mustard, rakkyo, …