South Korea on October 2, 2009 notification issued G/TBT/N/KOR/236, notified the name “food labeling standards proposed amendment.” The circular recommended “food labeling standards,” contents of the amendments are:
 
     – OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) products shall be marked in the outer surface of the main display, and the font size font size not less than half the product name, or marked in accordance with a certain proportion of the main display surface;
 
     – For the flow through the plant after thawing of frozen cake, or salted fermented fish, “Health Product Date”, …

I was very excited to learn about the new Nutriganics line by The Body Shop. Touted as the first certified organic (at least in the UK) line of cleanser, toner, day and night moisturizers, serum, and eye cream, the line looks quite green, and the ingredients are quite decent.
However, when I checked the Body Shop.com, the line appeared to be not available for purchase in California and there was nowhere mentioned that it’s certified organic.
A closer inspection of the ingredients lists made me wondering of a few icky “buts” that …

Intralytix, Inc. announced today that it has received a U.S. Army Phase I STTR contract supporting the development of a bacteriophage-based probiotic preparation for managing Shigella infections.
“Shigella species are major gastrointestinal (GI) tract pathogens of particular concern to the US Army, and they are a significant worldwide cause of diarrheal disease,” stated Alexander Sulakvelidze, Intralytix’s Chief Scientist and Principal Investigator for the contract. He added: “The bacterium has been estimated to cause annually about 90,000 food borne cases of shigellosis in the United States, and about 165 million cases worldwide. …

Two Seattle-area startups are looking to combine technologies to turn algae into biochemicals, with food additives on the list of potential products.
Under the partnership announced Friday, Redmond, Wash.-based Bionavitas will grow algae, and Seattle-based Blue Marble Energy will turn it into “high-margin” biochemicals.
Bionavitas has come up with acrylic rods that can carry sunlight deeper into algae ponds, theoretically increasing the depth at which the water-borne plants can grow, an important consideration for costs of open-pond algae systems (see Green Light post).
The company, founded in 2006 and funded by angel investors …

To keep wine from becoming spoiled winemakers sometimes add preservatives. In fact, if preservatives are not added to wine it will only last six months to a year. Preservatives are added to keep wine from turning to vinegar and several types of preservatives are used in the winemaking process.
Two natural preservatives result from the grapes and the fermenting process – alcohol and tannins. These preservatives are excellent for extending the life of wine and kill off most organisms as very few can live in alcohol.
The most popular added preservative is …

Hong Kong (HKSAR) – The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (October 7) released its Food Safety Report for August, which covered food surveillance results for the month. About 4,800 food samples were tested in August. Of these, about 3,200 were taken for chemical tests and about 1,600 for microbiological and other tests.
The overall satisfactory rate was 99.7%, with 13 samples being found unsatisfactory. While microbiological tests cover pathogens and viruses, chemical tests are to detect pesticides, preservatives and metallic contamination. Samples included vegetables, fruit and their products; meat, poultry …

As the health-care reform efforts gather steam, with even some Republicans, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger urging passage of the reform bill and saying that he supports President Obama in this regard, other reforms, besides the improvement of the health insurance system appear to be badly needed as well.
Even though the United States now spends $2.4 trillion a year on medical care – which is much more per capita than comparable countries – we rank near the bottom in rankings on premature deaths caused by illnesses such as diabetes, epilepsy, stroke, …

Top Global Food and BeverageCompanies:Strategies for Success report ( http://www.bharatbook.com/Market-Research-Reports/Top-Global-Food-and-Beverage-Companies-Strategies-for-Success.html ) showcases the strategies that have underpinned the success of these companies and their brands, along with the highly complex challenges they face for the future. In addition to eight in-depth brand profiles, the report discusses the commonalities and distinguishing features of global brand strategies, from product development and innovation, through to marketing communications and distribution. The eight companies are:
Anheuser-Busch (InBev)
Coca-Cola
Danone
Heinz
Kellogg
Kraft Foods
Nestlé
Wrigley (Mars)
Global branding in the food and beverage consumer packaged goods industry has never been more challenging. Manufacturers are …

PHOENIX—Virgo Publishing announced the 13th annual SupplySide West, Nov. 11 to 13 at The Venetian & Sands in Las Vegas, will include more than 1,100 booths in the exhibit hall and nearly 90 hours of educational opportunities.
“With 1,100 booths and thousands of global supplement, food and beverage, and cosmeceutical companies attending, SupplySide West is the world’s largest event for healthy and innovative ingredients,” said Peggy Jackson, director of publishing, Virgo Publishing. “The exhibit hall, education program and networking make this a must-attend event.”
 
Three-Day Education Program
 
The education program, sponsored by Cognis …

FDA warns that the new-and-improved heparin will take some getting used to. The blood thinner has been reformulated to help manufacturers detect any impurities, theoretically making it safer. But in the process, the drug became 10 percent less potent. So healthcare providers may have to rejig their dosages to compensate.
Making matters more confusing, older vials of heparin–original strength–will stay on the market even after the new formula–10 percent less strong–is shipped next week. The confusion is worth the risk, FDA says, because otherwise the heparin supply could run short.
Why reformulate …