Food Regulations made easy

New Laws for Migrant workers

Guidance and advice is offered on the New Immigration laws that came into effect on 29th February. There is a new points system for third country migrant workers (those from outside the EU and not Swiss nationals) to determine eligibility to work in the UK. Employers wishing to bring in migrant workers must register as sponsors.

Food shortages could be solved with potatoes

After launching "The year of the potato" in Peru, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation branded potatoes a 'hidden treasure'. Research at the International Potato Centre in Lima, Peru has suggested an increase in potato cultivation could alleviate food supply shortages. Potatoes will grow in many climates,can mature in 50 days and may yield two to four times more food to the hectare than rice or wheat.

Trading Standards advise on metric weights

A landowner in Northumberland was surprised to get a visit from Trading Standards regarding vegetables sold at the end of his drive. Operating an honesty box system, for a few surplus parsnips and leeks, he received a four page guidance document on selling metric quantities.

Beef on the Bone allowed up to 30 months

Lower levels of BSE in the UK have prompted a relaxation in the SRM rules.

Meat from animals up to 30 months can now be sold on the bone. Previously, animals over 24 months had to have the spinal cord removed and disposed of.

Animals over 30 months are allowed into the food chain after a negative BSE test.

Blue Tongue

Organisations across the livestock sector have joined to form JAB (Joint campaign Against Bluetongue) and issued a press release.

Protection zones have gradually extended to allow vaccination, but take up has not always been as high as hoped.

ProMed has abridged and edited the vaccination guidelines from DEFRA, they can be seen here.

Compulsory vaccination of cattle and sheep is due in Scotland.

See Warmwell for more details, including UK cases and outbreaks in Europe.

Allergy death

The recent report of a man's death from nut allergy after eating a curry highlights FBO's responsibilities. The law says the Food Business Operator is responsible for producing safe food. Under current guidelines you should be able to tell consumers if there is an allergen in your food. If you are not sure - do not guess. It could be fatal. This man was said to have been told the product did not contain nuts. No doubt there will be further developments.

UK Food Strategy report

The Cabinet Office report on food strategy for the 21st Century suggests nutrition labelling on restaurant meals should become the norm. It talks of providing information on health and environmental aspects of food. The FSA supports this saying consumers want to know what is in their food and to be able to select healthier options. It does not appear to take into account the business impact of providing this information. The authors seem to be unaware or ignorant of the impending European labelling Regulation. Many pubs that regularly change menus and use local and seasonal ingredients would find it impossible to comply with such requirements. Would consumers actually choose meals on the basis of their being healthier anyway?

Metric Martyrs vilified

The Metric Martyrs Defence Fund was set up in 2000 when prosecutions began as councils started enforcing the laws. Although the law says all transactions must be conducted in metric, in 2007 the European Commissioner said there was no intention to criminalise market traders selling goods in imperial measures. Government guidelines will ban court cases by councils for "essentially minor offences". Janet Devers was convicted for eight offences earlier this month. She was celebrating over the weekend, but wants her name cleared and is deciding whether to appeal in the light of the new guidelines. It is not over yet.

Food hygiene lacking

A food business operator in Wolverhampton was fined and banned from working with food after a dead body was found in his premises while he cooked. Poor food hygiene and hygiene practices, pests and ineffective refrigeration were all evident.

Warnings to be mandatory on foods containing certain colours

The European Parliament has voted for warning labels to be applied to foods containing 6 colourings. Companies including tartrazine (E102), quinoline yellow (E104), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), ponceau 4R (E124) and allura red (E129), will have to label their products "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children".

Firms will have 18 months to comply with the requirements or stop using the additives. Cadbury and Nestle have already said they will stop using artificial colourings in their products.

The FSA voted earlier in the year to push for a Europe-wide ban on the colours highlighted by the Southampton report. EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) reviewed colourings and concluded the Southampton report linking certain artificial colours to hyperactivity in children did not contain enough evidence to ban the colours on safety grounds.

Increasing food prices

Gordon Brown was warned at the Progressive Governance Summit that food shortages could result from rising demand and bad weather. The UN High Commissioner for refugees, Antonio Guterres, said rising food costs could trigger social unrest and rioting.

Rice has hit an all time high in Chicago and the increase in crops for biofuels has resulted in less area for food crops. Coupled with poor harvests in Australia because of drought the outlook is grim. There have been reports of queues for bread and rioting in Egypt due to the rising cost of wheat and inflation increasing to 12.5%/year in February.

Food From Britain to be wound up

Food From Britain will terminate in its present form at the end of March 2009 because of DEFRA's funding cuts. In a statement, FFB Chairman Lady Jay said, "The prospect of zero Defra funding by financial year 2010/11,... made it impossible for us to continue to offer our clients the current type and level of FFB services after March 2009."

The FFB website is now defunct and the protected names work is now administered by ADAS.

Swiss vets and trainers welcome new regulation

We might think ourselves lucky. Switzerland is bringing in new animal welfare regulations. Dog owners will have to pass an exam to prove they are fit to look after a dog. Agriculture does not escape. Keep more than 150 laying hens, 200 chicks, 10 sheep, 3 pigs or 5 horses and you too must go on a course and pass a test. Would this be a good idea in Britain?

Latest FSA Consumer Survey Results

The FSA is concerned that the latest consumer study indicates people are less worried about saturated fat, sugar and salt in their diet than they were last year. It sees the need for an increase in its consumer awareness campaign.

Concerns about food safety also seem to have decreased. The FSA does not know if this is because there is more confidence in industry regulation or that consumers are less aware of food safety issues.

Packaging material fits the bill

Octal, Oman-based producer of amorphous polythene terephthalate (APET) claims it can simplify packaging. APET enables:

consumers to see the product within the pack
stacking and display in a variety of forms
easier recycling because only a single product is used in packaging

However the UK does not have a good track record for recycling plastics.

There are forms of bio-degradeable packaging with similar qualities to plastics becoming available, made from maize. On the other hand can these be blamed for reducing food supplies? It is a fine line.

Italian Buffalo Mozzarella contamination

Italian Buffalo Mozzarella producers face closure of their businesses after traces of dioxins were found in some batches of cheese. Dioxins are said to cause cancer, birth defects and organ failure. Festering rubbish in the Naples area as a result of a shortage of incinerators is thought to have caused contamination to milk from water buffalo grazing in Campania. None of the suspect cheese was exported and the Director of the National Research Council said, "There are always traces of dioxins in the food chain." He also said people would have to eat 7 kg Mozzarella every day to have any effect on their health.

Code of Practice on Salmonella Controls in laying flocks.

Defra has published a code of practice for those with laying flocks. SI 2007 no 3574 came in on 28 January 2008 complying with the EU Zoonoses Regulation 2160/2003. There are various other codes of practice for salmonella control available to download from DEFRA.

Responsible drinking

The Scotch Whisky Association claims it is having success in promoting sensible drinking in Scotland. However, it suggests Government and industry should cooperate more throughout the rest of the UK. Levels of irresponsible drinking are falling in Scotland, but further efforts are needed to expand this to the rest of the UK.

Stand By Your Ham

A group of British pig farmers have produced a single, Tammy Wynette-style to highlight the plight of the pig industry. Winnie the pig returned to Downing Street to add her support to the campaign 'Pigs are Worth it!'. Hundreds of pig farmers aimed to draw attention to an industry losing over £20 on every pig produced. They hope to encourage supermarkets and consumers to Buy British and pay a sustainable price or risk losing British pork, bacon and products altogether.

Report on Dairy Industry Crisis

First Milk, the largest UK dairy farmer-owned cooperative has published a report into milk prices to farmers. The report calls for a fair price to be paid to farmers and uses a formula to allow for a 10% margin to allow reinvestment. It highlights the decline in dairy cow numbers and farmers over recent years.

Village pub closures

The British Beer and Pub Association claims village pub closures are approaching 30 a week. Increasing food and electricity costs, the smoking ban and sinking sales are to blame.

Guidance on Age Discrimination Law

Supernova have produced a DVD lasting 10 minutes to advise business about the age rules. It is called As Old As You Feel and is offered at £499 + VAT.

Food supply and food miles

The Government appears to be ignoring issues of food miles and safety of supply with its fund support to trade from the developing world. Although encouraging links with poor farmers, the £2 million Food and Retail Challenge Fund does not take account of distance from the market and sustainability of supply.

Animal Welfare

Proposals for new regulations for animal welfare at and prior to slaughter. If you have any comments, send them to Food Solutions and we will pass them on.

Proposal to expand Traceability Regulation

The Commission is proposing to amend the traceability regulations for products of animal origin. Not only must there be information on who owns a product, but also where is is stored. This is likely to be unworkable as ownership of products in a large commercial coldstore could change several times while it is still in storage.

American food waste

It has been reported that the average American throws away the equivalent of 1lb of food every day.

Listeria advice

EFSA the European Food Safety Authority has issued updated advice on listeria, urging care to avoid contamination during preparation, packaging and storage of ready-to-eat foods.

Salsa

SALSA (Safe and Local Supplier Approval) is sponsored by BRC and others to allow you to supply all the major buyers. It would put you on an approved suppliers list.

Mandatory Folic Acid in flour

FAA (Folic Acid Action) has criticised the FSA's recommendations to manufacturers on reducing folates in other products to guard against excessive intakes were folic acid added to flour compulsorily. FAA believes there is little evidence to support the need for this.

Natural colour deficit for drinks and confectioners

Soft drinks and confectionary manufacturers are lagging in natural colour development for their products. 90% of colours used are artificial. In the meat and dairy sector, 70 - 80% of colours used are natural.

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Food News

This overflow page contains older news items which may still be of interest.

Bees are not so busy

The UK bee population has been hit severely. Colonies have been wiped out for no apparent reason. There has been speculation that the increase in wi-fi and mobile phones has interfered with the bees. Some varroa mite has also become immune to the insecticidal strips used to control them. Defra is not prepared to fund investigations, so the future of UK bees is far from secure.

Scores on Doors

A letter from the FSA states the Scores on Doors Steering Group is passing a problem back to the FSA. The working groups have hit a stalemate over how to map the tiers to just compliance. All but the Scottish programme have good practice included in their tiers, compliance is at the mid point. The FSA is asking for comments and suggestions on overcoming this sticking point - by the end of August. We will respond!

Food Solutions Scores on the Doors Survey

The consultation on the proposed UK-wide Scores on the Doors scheme has now closed. See our Scores On The Doors page for background information to the scheme. Scores on the doors is on the agenda of the December FSA Board Meeting which Food Solutions will attend.

Thanks to those who participated in our survey. The response to the FSA based on the survey results is available here.

Tip of the iceburg?

The FSA has announced it has consulted with industry and concluded there is little reason why calorie content could not be displayed on meals in restaurants. This would mean each meal having the nutrition and calories displayed on the menu to help combat obesity. The fact that those consulted included MacDonalds, Burger King and Wimpy who produce set portions of exactly the same product, does not allow for pubs and restaurants which may vary portions and ingredients daily. Implications......local food and varied menus in independent outlets will become a thing of the past. We will be putting this point to the FSA.

Irish pork contamination

Officials in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are still trying to find out how pig feed came to be contaminated with dioxins. Pigs from a number of farms were found to contain much higher levels than those permitted and pork and pork products have been withdrawn as a result. The FSA says risks to health are low, but recommend destroying products as a precaution.

Melamine contamination in China

Following the illness and 4 child deaths in China due to contamination of milk powder, the Chinese authorities have issued details of maximum permitted levels of melamine in foods. The limits are 1 part per million (ppm) for infant formula and 2.5 ppm for milk powder and other foods containing it.

Countries including the UK have banned products thought to contain milk products from China. Risks from these foods are considered low as children would have to ingest 2kg/day of the withdrawn Lotte Koala biscuits to suffer ill effects. Certain White Rabbit products from China have been withdrawn in UK. They contained 60 times the 2.5 ppm permitted EU level of melamine.

Ladies free drinks ban

Proposals out to consultation recommend a ban on free drinks to ladies, drinking games and even free tastings. Restaurants may have to serve wine in glasses showing the units of alcohol. The Home Office and Department of Health sent the draft to pubs and restaurants because there is still a problem with alcohol abuse, despite the 24 hour drinking law. The British Beer and Pub Association was dismayed at measures it sees unnecessary as current legislation allows for problem pubs to be dealt with. Five pubs close each week so it calls for support, not more regulation.

FSA reassurance

In a personal letter to Food Solutions Editor, Bob Salmon, the Chair of the FSA, Dame Deidre Hutton, CBE said, "I would reassure you that we are very conscious of the importance of small businesses. I think the trick is not to exempt, but to make as easy as possible."

Peking Duck saga

The Westminster Council officials who stopped some Chinese Restaurants from using their ovens have relented.

Officials were concerned over the safety of some gas ovens imported from China specifically for cooking Peking Duck and Suckling Pig. The ovens did not carry the CE mark which would show they conformed to EU safety standards. The fact that they were manufactured outside the EU and that no safety issues had occurred did not prevent the officials from stopping their use.

They now say that provided ovens are checked for safety by a Corgi engineer and ventilation is satisfactory, use of the ovens will again be approved.

Cows have compasses

Scientists from Duisburg- Essen University have studied thousands of images on Google earth. They have concluded that cows automatically face north because they have an inbuilt compass that aligns them to the earth's magnetic field. They believe the ability stems from a need to migrate across the plains of Africa, Asia and Europe in days gone by.

New initiative to combat obesity

The Government has revealed plans to fund chillers for corner shops and the like so they can sell fresh food to consumers. Whether the shops have space for such chillers or whether consumers will buy the produce is not addressed.

Haccp exemption

This draft regulation appeared to exempt food businesses with less than 10 employees from HACCP. Although welcoming simplification, many think the draft too loosely worded. Further details are available in the Members only section of the website. Food Solutions with other organisations has responded with a letter to the European Parliament. The meeting with MEP Horst Schnellhardt went ahead on 2nd April and three amendments were voted on. They were all approved. There is a meeting of stakeholders with the FSA scheduled for 21st April to discuss this, Food Solutions will maintain its opposition because the proposal is not risk based. A meeting of COREPER on 7th May discussed a further amendment, for more information, see Haccp exemption page in the members section.

Labelling Issues

The Confederation of food and drink industries of the EU (CIAA) has come out firmly in favour of Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) in their labelling stance. They claim SME's as well as large companies are adopting this over other nutrition labelling formats.

The Commission labelling proposals do not come out in favour of any particular system. This could spell difficulties in the implementation of the regulation.

The FSA is backing the traffic light system.

If all this is supposed to benefit the consumer there needs to be some consistency or everyone will be confused.

Used cooking oil wars

The high price of diesel has lead to some who collect waste cooking oil from caterers to make bio-diesel resorting to under-hand tactics. There have been reports of barrels of waste oil being stolen by rival collectors. Restaurants and caterers have increased the price of the waste, which they have in the past paid to have taken away.

Vulture problems

Farmers on the Continent are reporting increases in attacks on livestock by vultures. It is thought by the authorities they only eat carrion but this has been much reduced by the on-farm burial ban brought in in 2003, now being more rigorously enforced. In UK, buzzards are known to take live animals, but other birds of prey such a Red Kites are not thought to kill. It has been an offence for some time to leave carcasses rotting in the open, but with the Animal By-Products regulation in UK carcases must be collected for 'proper' disposal.

Shattered Lives

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has started a campaign to encourage organisations to think how accidents, trips, slips and falls can be prevented. The website shows scenarios in food retail and manufacture that could cause injury and suggests how employers and workers can minimise the risks. Businesses can download Shattered Lives campaign packs which highlight good practice.

Do you know your haslet from your Cullen skink?

A survey commissioned by Country Living magazine has concluded that todays' young people are not au fait with regional delicacies. In the multiple choice exercise around 2000 youngsters were given a list of products to define. Bara brith and lavabread were not recognised as the Welsh delicacies they are and for the 18 to 24 year olds, haslet was believed to be part of a morris dancers clothing. Haggis was alone in being recognised by young and old. The Made In Britain campaign is highlighting the lack of recognition of regional dishes in the hope that they will not disappear through lack of demand.

Melton Mowbray Pork Pies

After a 10 year battle, The Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association has finally achieved Protected Geographical Status. Unless another EU country objects to this by 4th October, The Melton Mowbray Pork Pie will only be made in the vicinity of Melton Mowbray, to a traditional recipe. Products such as Cornish Clotted Cream and Stilton Cheese are already protected and producers of Lincolnshire and Cumberland sausages are applying for the protected status. It safeguards regional food heritage.

Hans free food in Germany

Baggers restaurant in Nuremburg, Germany has done away with waiters. There are touch screens at the tables for diners to select from the menu. The orders are sent electronically to the kitchen where the chefs prepare them. The meals are sent them down helter-skelters to the appropriate table. Customers can view the ingredients and send comments about the food using the screens.

Prime Minister dealing with Animal Diseases by cutting Welfare budget

Defra has been told to reduce the animal health and welfare budget by a £121 million over the next three years.

In the wake of Foot and Mouth Disease, Avian Flu and as Defra projects midges that carry the Blue Tongue Virus will become active from 15th March, fears grow for an already beleaguered livestock industry. It makes a mockery of the Prime Minister's claims to be dealing with such diseases.

Is Cameron backing British food and farming?

Could it be that Conservatives would back British farming if they were in power? David Cameron, in his speech at the NFU Centenary Conference in London suggested food security may become a big issue. Has someone at last begun to recognise the decline in the UK's ability to feed itself and the increasing cost of food imports as demand threatens to exceed supply?

National Control Plan.

The FSA, DEFRA, and the Agriculture/Rural Affairs Departments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have jointly prepared the UK's first National Control Plan. Published in February 2008, this covers the period 1 January 2007 to 31 March 2011.

It details the roles and responsibilities of the authorities and associated organisations involved in the monitoring of compliance with, and enforcement of, feed and food law, animal health and welfare rules and plant health requirements.

The Plan is designed to safeguard public, animal and plant health, to protect consumers and to promote animal welfare, and also to deal with emergencies. It meets a requirement in EU Regulation 882/2004 that all Member States must have a three to five year national control plan in place by 1 January 2007.

Animal Transport Rules

These say that vehicles used to transport animals for eight or more hours must be officially approved. They came into effect in January 2007. Drivers should be trained and certified in animal welfareas from January 2008 for journeys of more than 65km. New vehicles have to have satellite navigation systems. More details from NFU countryside, NFU or Defra.

SFBB DVD training aid

The FSA has launched a new DVD to complement the Safer Food Better Business package. It is available free.