Hearty Halal: industry to be worth $2.5 trillion by 2018

Halal food and lifestyle, products manufactured or produced as per the Islamic laws, sectors are expected to grow phenomenally as Muslim population continues to grow and the companies hoping to tap into the lucrative market.

 

As per the latest State of Global Islamic Economy Report, published by Thomson Reuters in partnership with DinarStandard, consumer expenditure in 2012 for the fast-growing global halal food and lifestyle sectors was $1.62 trillion and is expected to be valued at $2.47 trillion by 2018.

 

“Global brands such as Nestle, Carrefour, Marriot, Pfizer, as well as regional investment firms and thousands of SME’s grapple with serving this fast growing, global, and complex market,” said Rafi-uddin Shikoh, Managing Director & CEO of DinarStandard, in a statement released yesterday.

 

The report defines halal as:

“Food permitted per Islamic dietary guidelines from the Qu’ran. Muslim followers cannot consume: pork or pork by products, animals that were dead prior to slaughtering, animals not slaughtered properly or not slaughtered in the name of God, blood and blood by products, alcohol, carnivorous animals, birds of prey.”

 

GCC halal food imports are set to jump from $25.8 billion in 2010 to $53.1 billion by 2020, and the UAE’s annual halal food imports is expected to reach $8.4 billion by the end of the decade – according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The UAE is all geared to position itself as the gateway of this growing industry segment. The UAE government has recently announced setting up of ‘Halal Cluster,’ a 6.7 million square feet land in Dubai Industrial City, for firms dealing in halal food, cosmetics, and personal care items, according to the CEO of Dubai Industrial City, Abdullah Belhoul.

“This industry itself, we know it is growing. So we think there is a lot of opportunity… and we need to capitalize on this,” said the CEO.

 

The report mentions that the global Muslim consumers spent about $1,088 billion in food and beverage consumption in 2012, accounting for 16.6% of global expenditure. “This expenditure is expected to grow to $1,626 billion market by 2018. This represents the Halal food potential market world-wide within its core Muslim consumer market,” according to the report.

 

*This article was originally published on albawaba Business on 15 April 2014.

Are secret, dangerous ingredients in your food? by Kimberly Kindy

 

Food manufacturers are routinely exploiting a “legal loophole” that allows them to use new chemicals in their products, based on their own safety studies, without ever notifying the Food and Drug Administration, according to a new report by an environmental and consumer advocacy group.

Natural Resources Defense Council identified 56 companies that were marketing products using 275 chemicals that the company’s hired experts decided met federal safety standards, known as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). However, the science behind those safety findings and the use of the chemicals was disclosed to the FDA in only six instances. The New York-based NRDC called its report “Generally Recognized as Secret” and said the lack of transparency with the GRAS process is a public health threat.

 

“If you don’t know when (an additive) is being used, how can you determine if it’s safe?” said Thomas Neltner, a chemical engineer and co-author of the study that was presented Monday at a Grocery Manufacturers Association’s Science Forum at Washington.

In a prepared statement, the GMA defended the GRAS process, saying, “It is a very thorough and comprehensive process that has, under the current law provided FDA with authority to challenge the improper marketing of an ingredient as GRAS, and if necessary, act to remove products containing that ingredient from the food supply.”

 

The FDA said that although the law allows for food manufacturers to make their own safety determinations, the agency “encourages companies to consult with the agency when developing new ingredients.” Ultimately, the FDA said, manufacturers “are responsible for ensuring that their food products are safe and lawful.”

 

NRDC said that Food Additives Amendment of 1958 was enacted, the GRAS process was meant to apply to innocuous additives like vinegar. Instead, it is commonly used for chemicals that are potentially dangerous and have never before been in the American food supply. For example, until recently, artificial transfats were considered GRAS but the FDA has now deemed them dangerous, saying they cause as many as 7,000 deaths from heart disease each year.The organization said its findings are “likely the tip of the iceberg,” since the scientific work and GRAS determinations are not publicly disclosed and therefore difficult to track down.

 

 

The organization spent more than a year reviewing trade journals and talking to food additive consultants to identify the 56 companies that frequently make their own safety determinations.

 

The FDA’s food additive process allows companies to take several paths to determine the safety of new chemicals or other ingredients.

 

The most transparent and rigorous path involves companies submitting a food additive petition – along with the science behind why they think the ingredient is safe — to the FDA in an effort to gain formal approval from the agency. Companies use the FDA approvals to promote the safety of their products.

 

The other, non-public path that NRDC examined allows companies to determine GRAS status on their own without notifying the FDA.

 

A third path allows companies to voluntarily submit their own GRAS determinations for FDA review and sign off, but they may withdraw the petition if the agency is worried about the safety of the additive. The agency announces the withdrawal but does not disclose whether it had safety concerns. The company may then go ahead and use its own GRAS determination to use the additive in products anyway. The NRDC found that one in every five GRAS petitions were either rejected by the FDA or the company voluntarily withdrew their petition.

 

NRDC’s report also calls on the FDA to petition Congress for a new law that would require manufacturers to submit their safety determinations to the agency for review and approval. The council said it is encouraging consumers to “demand” that their grocery stores and their favorite brands sell only food products with ingredients that the FDA has found to be safe.

 

At the event, the Grocery Manufacturers Association also announced a new food additive research center it has helped create at Michigan State University, which will be called the Center for Research on Ingredient Safety (CRIS). GMA’s chief science officer, Leon Bruner, said the center will operate independent of the association and will review the safety of ingredients, train future food toxicologists and serve as an “independent and credible source” for the public, news organizations and the industry.

Maleic acid found in food products in Taiwan

Taiwan's health authorities have uncovered the illegal use of maleic acid as a food additive in products from two factories, seizing an estimated 25 tonnes of product and ingredients before they could reach the market.

The chemical was added to products including tapioca balls and rice noodles to give them more elasticity. A health official said maleic acid is not known to have adverse effects on human health, and has not been linked to cancer, adding that an average-sized adult could consume 30mg of maleic acid in a day without their health being affected.

Health authorities were alerted in March and April that certain food manufacturers have been adding maleic acid to their products and launched an investigation into the tip-offs.

After the seizure, concentrations of maleic acid of under 800ppm was found in the food, an amount deemed within a safe range. A doctor specializing in clinical toxicology at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in New Taipei, said maleic acid is a poisonous industrial chemical and it is therefore unethical to add it to food, even in small amounts.

The authorities will conduct a further investigation into the manufacturers involved and decide whether to issue a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 (US$1,000-$5,000).

Source:

Want China Times

China to lift ban on Malaysian bird's nest products

BEIJING: China recognises the presence of natural nitrite in bird's nest and will lift the import ban on the products from Malaysia after determining a permissible level, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said.He said the Chinese authorities understood that the presence of nitrite was a natural occurrence when swiflets were raised.

“We reached a very important consensus today after we explained to them why there is natural nitrite in our bird's nest.

“We agreed that there should be no nitrite additive in Malaysian bird's nest exports to China during the production process.

“But the Chinese authorities will allow the presence of natural nitrite in the product,” he said after meeting Chinese health officials here yesterday.

Liow said both sides had set up a working committee comprising food specialists and experts with immediate effect, to determine the permissible level of nitrite in bird's nest products.

The committee will be headed by the ministry's food safety and quality division senior director Noraini Mohd Othman and two Chinese officials from relevant agencies.

“The committee started work today and Noraini will stay in China to discuss how we will work out the details and the timetable for nitrite standards,” Liow added.

He had led a delegation of officials and bird's nest exporters to China to discuss the issue with the Chinese authorities following reports of fake Malaysian bird's nest.

Federation of Malaysia Bird's Nest Associations president Datuk Paduka Beh Heng Seong said Malaysian bird's nest exporters would adhere to the nitrite standards as long as the permissible level was reasonable.

“We have assured the Chinese authorities that we will further improve the quality of our products and restore Chinese consumers' confidence in Malaysian bird's nest,” he said.

More than 100,000 salted duck eggs suspected of being processed with potentially poisonous industrial salt were found at a workshop in Jiangmen, Guangdong province, last week.Three workers were making salted eggs with industrial salt, according to investigators, in an apartment in a residential community in Jiangmen. Investigators also found 2 metric tons of industrial salt and 52,500 unprocessed eggs stored there, Jiangmen Daily reported.

The investigators seized the goods and are testing the processed eggs.

They are also trying to track down 50,000 salted eggs the boss said he had sold to agricultural produce markets in Jiangmen.

However, that may prove difficult because most salted eggs sold at markets are unpacked and bear no brand label or production lot number, said Shi Chengtie of the quality and technology supervision bureau of Jiangmen.

Industrial salt costs about 800 yuan ($127) per ton, according to the boss, who also operated a salted egg wholesale store in the community and is under investigation. Salt meant for consumption, in contrast, sells for up to 1,400 yuan per ton. according to investigators. It remains as yet unknown how he acquired industrial salt, which is sold only to properly licensed industrial businesses, said Liu Lijie, an official with the salt bureau of Jiangmen.

The three workers said they were not aware that they were using industrial salt or that industrial salt is prohibited in food processing. They said that they occasionally ate the salted eggs they made.

Industrial salt contains poisonous nitrite and may have harmful substances such as lead and arsenic, according to the website of Guangdong Salt Industry.

Eating industrial salt can cause dizziness, headache, fatigue, difficult breathing, vomiting, diarrhea and even death.

“I always buy unpacked salted eggs in small stores. Now I guess it would be safer to buy packaged ones in supermarkets,” said a woman named Zhang in Guangzhou.

In 2006, eggs processed with industrial salt containing a large amount of barium killed two people and poisoned more than 20 others in Jiangxi province. Food cooked with industrial salt sold at a delicatessen in Shanghai killed one person and poisoned 25 others in 2009.

In Guangdong this year, industrial salt was found to be used in soy sauce in Foshan, salted eggs in Dongguan, cooked meat in Guangzhou and preserved vegetables in Huizhou.

Workshops in Beijing, Yinchuan in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region and Leshan in Sichuan province, were found this year to package industrial salt in edible salt bags for sale, according to media reports.

Traces of fungicide found in orange juice: Pepsico

PepsiCo said company tests of its Tropicana orange juice showed low levels of a potentially dangerous fungicide, but levels were below federal safety concerns and did not pose a health risk.

The company said in a statement yesterday it was conducting additional tests after the Food and Drug Administration announced on Wednesday that it would temporarily halt orange juice imports and remove any juice found to have dangerous amounts of the fungicide carbendazim.

The scare was triggered when soft-drink giant Coca-Cola, maker of Minute Maid orange juice, said it had discovered carbendazim in shipments from Brazil and alerted United States authorities about a potential industry-wide problem.

Carbendazim is used in Brazil to combat blossom blight and black spot, a type of mold that grows on orange trees.

But in the US, its use is limited to non-food items such as paints, textiles and ornamental trees, although US authorities allow trace amounts of carbendazim in 31 food types including grains, nuts and some non-citrus fruits.

The FDA said low levels of carbendazim are not dangerous and the agency had no plans for a recall.

“The results we have to date confirm that the levels of fungicide in the imported Brazilian juice we tested are below the levels the agencies said raise safety concerns,” PepsiCo said. “We will continue to test, as we take this matter seriously, and we’re working aggressively to address any concerns.”

Orange juice futures prices hit record highs on the fungicide reports, then declined.

On Friday, US health regulators cleared the way for the first shipments of imported orange juice to enter the country since Jan 4, when authorities began testing for the fungicide in juice products from Brazil.

The FDA said final tests confirmed that three samples of Canadian orange juice were negative for the fungicide carbendazim. Test results have yet to be announced for 28 import samples from Brazil, Mexico and Canada.

Bird’s nest exporters need 3 quality certifications to enter China

Starting this year, Malaysian companies exporting swiftlet nests to China are required to obtain three quality certifications before their products will be allowed to enter the republic, according to Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar.

He said the quality certifications were the Veterinary Health Mark (VHM) certificate issued by the Veterinary Department, the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) certificate issued by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the health certificate issued by the Health Ministry.

The three certifications are aimed at ensuring the quality of the Malaysian swiftlet nests would meet the standards set by the Chinese government, he told reporters after opening Malaysia’s first Authentic Bird’s Nest Depository and Trade Centre in Puchong near here on Monday.

“These quality certifications must be adhered to in order to meet the strict requirements set by the Chinese government after they agreed to accept swiftlet nests from Malaysia last year.

“However, the Chinese government has also required that only bird’s nests with zero part per million (ppm) of nitrite are allowed to be exported to the republic,” he said.

Noh said it was very difficult to obtain swiftlet nests with zero nitrite level, but the ministry was hoping that the Health Ministry could set a minimum and acceptable nitrite level for the issuance of the certification purposes.

The minister said the company which obtained the three quality certifications would be allowed to use the “1Malaysia Best” brand on their swiftlet nest products, but they also had to identify a strategic partner in China to ease the trade and monitoring process.

“Their partners in China will also be required to promote swiftlet nest products bearing the brand of ’1Malaysia Best’ as the ones having the best quality and safe for consumption,” he said.

Meanwhile, Health Ministry Food Safety and Quality Control Division senior director Dr Noraini Mohd Othman said the swiftlet nest products containing high level of nitrite could pose a threat to human health and could also cause cancer.

“We will announce the acceptable level of nitrite in swiftlet nests after the ongoing discussion between our experts and their counterparts in China is concluded,” she said.

Another milk poison scare for China

Chinese authorities have had another poison milk scare, two years after the country recalled liquid and powder milk samples that tested positive with melamine.

Authorities said they discovered excessive levels of a cancer-causing toxin in milk produced by one of the nation's leading dairy companies, Mengniu Dairy Group.

The government's quality watchdog found high levels of an aflatoxin, which is caused by mould, in the comoany's product.

But the milk company said the contaminated milk never reached the marketas its product was tested before being sold.

Milk was at the centre of China's biggest food safety scandal in 2008 when the industrial chemical melamine was found to have been illegally added to dairy products to give the appearance of higher protein content.

At least six babies died and another 300,000 people became ill after drinking milk tainted with melamine.

The company also created controversy in 2009, when China's quality supervision department questioned Mengniu products that contained an ingredient the company called Osteoblast Milk Protein (OMP).

Mengniu Dairy has stopped using OMP since the government inquiry.

Source:

ABC Radio Australia News

New Edition of ISO 19011

ISO 19011 provides guidance on auditing management systems, including the principles of auditing, managing an audit programme and conducting management system audits, as well as guidance on the evaluation of competence of individuals involved in the audit process, including the person managing the audit programme, auditors and audit teams

ISO has just announced on publication of the 2011 edition of ISO 19011. There are some changes to the new version 2011 compare with the previous version back in 2002.Hereby, i would like to that this opportunity to hightlight the main differences compared with the first edition in 2002 are as following:

(A) The scope has been broadened from the auditing of quality and environmental management systems to the auditing of any management systems;

(B) The relationship between ISO 19011 and ISO/IEC 17021 has been clarified;

(C) Remote audit methods and the concept of risk have been introduced;

(D) Confidentiality has been added as a new principle of auditing;

(E) Clauses 5, 6 and 7 have been reorganized;

(F) Additional information has been included in a new Annex B, resulting in the removal of help boxes;

(G) The competence determination and evaluation process has been strengthened;

(H) Illustrative examples of discipline-specific knowledge and skills have been included in a new Annex A;

More info:

http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=50675

Baby formula probe widens beyond Enfamil

U.S. health regulators said on Friday they are looking at several types of baby formula that could be linked to the death of an infant, expanding an investigation beyond Mead Johnson’s market-leading Enfamil.

An official from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the baby, 10-day-old Avery Cornett of Lebanon, Missouri, had consumed a variety of baby formulas before his death but declined to give more details.

Initial results of the probe could be available at the end of next week at the earliest, though the full investigation could take up to a month. A top investment bank warned that Enfamil sales could be hurt even if health regulators find no link between it and the death.

Shares of Mead Johnson Nutrition Co, the largest U.S. formula maker, closed 5 percent lower on Friday, on top of a 10 percent drop on Thursday when news first emerged that Wal-Mart Stores Inc was pulling cans of Enfamil Newborn formula off its shelves following the death of the infant.

The baby had been fed the formula and tested positive for Cronobacter, a bacterium that has sometimes been linked to rare illnesses in newborns. Cronobacter has been found in milk-based powdered baby formula, and is also a relatively common environmental contaminant.

The CDC official said the infant also consumed other types of baby formula before his death, so the link to Enfamil was still unproven

Wal-Mart pulls formula after baby dies in Missouri

Wal-Mart has pulled a batch of powdered infant formula from more than 3,000 of its stores nationwide after a newborn Missouri boy who was fed the formula died from what preliminary tests indicate was a rare bacterial infection, the retailer said.

The government has not ordered a recall of the 12.5-ounce cans of Enfamil Newborn powder with the lot number ZP1K7G. Manufacturer Mead Johnson Nutrition said its records showed the lot tested negative for the bacterium before it was shipped.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Dianna Gee said Wednesday that the company decided to pull the lot “out of an abundance of caution” while health officials investigate Sunday’s death of 10-day-old Avery Cornett. The product could go back on shelves depending on the outcome of the investigation, but customers who bought the cans have the option of returning them for a refund or exchange, Gee said.

Gena Terlizzi, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said Wednesday that samples of the formula given to Avery were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for testing.

“At this point it has not been determined whether the illness is linked to the formula or an outside source,” Terlizzi said in a statement.

The CDC and FDA did not respond to calls from The Associated Press seeking comment early Thursday.



The Lebanon Daily Record reported ( http://bit.ly/vwyAs5) that Avery was taken to St. John’s Hospital-Lebanon late last week after appearing lethargic and displaying what his family said were signs of a stomach ache. He was later moved to St. John’s Hospital-Springfield, and preliminary tests showed that he had contracted a rare bacterial infection, Cronobacter sakazakii, the newspaper reported. He died Sunday after being removed from life support.

Avery had been fed Enfamil Newborn powder bought at a Walmart store in Lebanon. The store stopped selling the product after learning of his death.

Christopher Perille, a spokesman for Glenview, Ill.-based Mead Johnson Nutrition, said Enfamil Newborn powder is sold at a variety of retailers, but he didn’t have information about whether other companies received units from the lot now being investigated.

Perille said all of the company’s infant formula products are put through a battery of tests as they are produced, packaged and sealed.

“One of the things every batch of product is tested for is Cronobacter,” Perille said. “We went back and checked on the batch in question, and it had tested negative for Cronobacter.”

Public health investigators seeking the source of Avery’s infection will also look at environmental factors, such as the water used in preparing the powdered formula, and at anything else the baby might have ingested, Perille said.

The Missouri Department of Health advises parents to follow World Health Organization guidelines for safely preparing powdered infant formula, Terlizzi said.

“This includes washing your hands with soap and water, thoroughly sterilizing all feeding equipment in hot, soapy water and preparing enough formula for only one feeding at a time,” she said.

Bacteria love your homemade chili, too

The kitchen can be the most popular room during the holidays and eating one of the most beloved traditions. It’s a good time to remember that food-poisoning bacteria also love cooked foods that are high in protein, such as meats, chili, pasta, salad and custard.

If these foods sit at lukewarm temperatures for more than two to three hours, bacteria can start to grow.

What happens when you eat spoiled food? “You probably will not feel sick immediately,” said Carolyn Raab, Oregon State University Extension foods and nutrition specialist. “It takes time for the bacteria and their toxins to work in the intestines. Some bacteria can make you sick in just two hours. Others won’t strike for several days.”

Sometimes, symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea last just 24 hours. Others last for a week or more. Side effects of botulism, the most harmful type of food poisoning, can last for years. Some people may be sicker than others because their immune systems are weak. Pregnant women, infants and young children, older adults and people with cancer, AIDS and other diseases are more at risk.

It’s important to see a doctor if symptoms are severe or last a long time.



A common concern about food-borne illness is when you don’t know what food eaten during the previous 24 hours could have been a source of bacteria. “Rare or undercooked foods from animals — meats, poultry, eggs, seafood — can be a source of harmful bacteria. So is raw, unpasteurized milk. Adequate heating kills most bacteria and their toxins,” Raab said.

Another common cause of food-borne illness is cross-contamination, which spreads bacteria from raw meat, seafood and poultry to other foods that aren’t cooked before eating. This can happen when lettuce is put on a cutting board that was not cleaned after raw chicken is cut up.

Here are basic rules to keep food safe:

Keep it clean: Wash your hands with soap and water before handling food, especially after using the toilet or changing diapers. Wash counters, cutting boards and utensils with soap and water after handling raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs. After washing, wipe or spray with diluted bleach (one teaspoon in one quart of water). Don’t sneeze on food. Put bandages on hand cuts. Keep insects, rodents and pets away.

Cook it well: Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs thoroughly. This is how they should look: Ground meat is brownish (cook to 160 degrees). Poultry meat is light or dark brown and its juice is clear (cook to 165 degrees). White fish looks milky and flakes easily with a fork. Egg whites are white and firm. Drink pasteurized milk and fruit juice that has been heat-treated to kill harmful bacteria.

Cool it soon: Keep hot foods HOT and cold foods COLD. Cool big pots of soups and stews by pouring them into shallow pans (two to three inches high). Refrigerate soon

Seafood revealed as biggest source of dangerous toxins

Seafood is the largest source of potentially harmful dioxin-based toxins in the diet of Hongkongers, according to a major food study conducted by the Centre for Food Safety.

The highest levels were found in mandarin fish, followed by oysters and pomfret.

However, the toxins are not consumed at dangerous levels based on Hongkongers’ normal eating habits, so the findings were no cause for alarm, said Dr Xiao Ying, a food safety officer at the centre.

“People should not stop eating fish, because fish contains many essential nutrients,” Xiao said yesterday. Dr Ho Yuk-yin, a consultant in community medicine at the centre, recommended consuming fish three times a week.

In the first major study of city residents’ diets, researchers tested 142 food samples over the past year, focusing on two powerful classes of toxins – dioxin and dioxin-like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). The samples were drawn from 71 types of food purchased from markets and prepared as they would be served on the table.

The results were compared to a survey that interviewed more than 5,000 people on their dietary habits.

To lessen the intake of dioxins, the centre advised Hongkongers to trim the fat from meat and opt for low-fat dairy products, since dioxins are fat-soluble and accumulate in the fatty tissues of meat and seafood. It recommended a balanced diet with a rich variety of fruit and vegetables.



The study found that the average Hongkonger’s monthly diet contained just 31 per cent of the maximum safe amount allowed for the two toxins. The top 5 per cent of residents consumed 85 per cent of the tolerable limit.

The safety standard for both toxins is 70 picograms of toxicity equivalents (pg TEQ) per kilogram of body weight per month, set in 2001 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation.

The test results showed that mandarin fish, oysters and pomfret contained 1.056, 0.926 and 0.885 pg TEQ per gram respectively.

Dioxins occurred naturally and were by-products of combustion and industrial processes, Ho said. Animals that ingest contaminated plants will accumulate dioxins in their bodies. Some dioxins are carcinogens; long-term exposure may also affect the immune, nervous and reproductive systems.

The report by the centre’s First Hong Kong Total Diet Study (TDS) is the first in a series that will examine more than 130 contaminants and nutrients in Hongkongers’ food, issuing reports in phases until 2014.

The TDS approach is widely considered the most cost-effective way to estimate dietary exposure to a range of chemicals and nutrients. Unlike food surveillance programmes, it considers the impact of cooking rather than concentrations of substances in raw food

Board records statement in cheap cooking oil issue

Officers from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) recorded a statement from Malaysian Association of Standards Users chief executive officer Ratna Devi Nadarajan in connection with tests which revealed that cheap cooking oil unfit for human consumption was being sold to the public.


MPOB officers went to the association’s office here yesterday and made copies of proof that samples had been sent for laboratory tests.

“They took down the list of companies involved and also proof of purchase of the samples,” she said, adding that MPOB also obtained the certificate of analysis of tests carried out by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

The Star reported that 19 brands of cooking oil sold nationwide in 1kg packets were found to be unfit for consumption due to repeated exposure to high temperatures.

The association, which pursued the study of the commodity with UKM, believed that the re-packaged oil was meant to be recycled into biodiesel for use in diesel engines.

Ratna Devi stood firm in the association’s decision to send samples of cooking oil for the “polar compound testing”, saying it was a matter of food safety.

She said the association had no intention to attack the palm oil industry, adding that it wanted to see improvements to the regulations pertaining to the standards of cooking oil.

“We only hope the test would bring the serious matter to the attention of the authorities,” she said.

MPOB chairman Datuk Seri Shahrir Samad confirmed that the list of the 19 brands involved had been obtained from the association.

He gave assurance that MPOB was collecting the samples for its own tests.

“It’s not wrong for them to conduct their own tests. We are taking the situation se-riously,” he said

Source: Food Safety Net

EU: New rules soon on fruit juices

Following on from the Committee of Permanent Representatives' meeting in mid-November, the European Parliament has now endorsed the new rules that will improve the quality and labelling of fruit juices and ban the addition of sugar to these beverages. Meeting in plenary, on 14 December, MEPs supported by a very large majority the compromise on the proposal for amendment of Directive 2001/112/CE of the Council on fruit juices and certain similar products intended for human consumption.

The new rules make mainly technical changes based on progress in production methods and provisions of the Codex Alimentarius. They confirm the distinction between fresh juices and concentrated juices or nectars. The rules ban the addition of sugar or sweeteners to fruit juices and permit the industry to indicate this to consumers during a limited period. The directive also improves the clarity of juice labelling so that fruits will be listed in descending order of the volume of juices in the final product (the words 'several fruits' may be used for three or more fruits). All these rules will apply to products manufactured in Europe as well as those imported from outside the Union.

Once the new directive has been published in the EU Official Journal, the member states will have 18 months to transpose and apply it. Products labelled or placed on the market during this period may still be marketed for an additional 18 months. The Commission may amend the annexes to the directive through delegated acts during a period of five years.

Source: europolitics.info

Dairy farmer sentenced over milk poisoning in China

A CHINESE dairy farmer has been sentenced to death for lacing her rival's milk supply with industrial salt, causing the deaths of three young children, state media report.

China has been plagued by a slew of food safety scandals.The government cracked down after the industrial chemical melamine was added to milk products to appear to bolster the protein content.That 2008 scandal had nationwide reach and left six children dead and sickened 300,000.

But the latest case was isolated.A local court in Pingliang city in far western China's Gansu province found Ma Xiuling guilty of deliberately adding nitrite to the milk of a dairy farming couple in revenge for some business disputes, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.Earlier reports said a month-old baby and two children younger than two died. Xinhua said 36 people were hospitalised.

The Gansu Daily newspaper said Ma's husband, Wu Guangquan, was sentenced to life in prison for purchasing the poison.Both Ma and her husband have lodged appeals, Xinhua said.

Source:

http://agrinewspk.blogspot.com/2011/12/dairy-farmer-sentenced-over-milk.html

ISO27001 compliance database keeps UK companies up to date with laws and regulations

Ely, England, 6 December 2011 – There are over 70 information-related laws and statutes currently in force in the UK. Organisations need to know what laws they have to comply with and how to ensure compliance. For those implementing ISO27001, there is a requirement that their ISMS takes ‘into account business and legal or regulatory requirements, and contractual security obligations’.

Since the new UK Government’s Cyber Security Strategy was published in November, there is an even greater incentive for all industries to familiarise themselves with the existing legislation and adhere to those laws relevant them. Important laws, such as the Data Protection Act (DPA), Freedom of Information Act, Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations and many more, exist in order to protect organisations’ information assets, as well as the well-being of their customers and stakeholders. The Information Commissioner’s Office looks after their application and has the right to fine any organisation that violates these laws. The internationally recognised ISO27001, on the other hand, ensures that companies comply with this legislation.

More importantly, some experts believe, that the new Cyber Security Strategy can only be successful if organisations are required to pursue ISO27001 with a number of mandated controls, and if businesses are encouraged to invest in improving their information security.

Speaking to risk.net in November, Alan Calder, CEO of IT Governance, stated “The big thing is that, while the Government talks about needing to take the lead and have a public–­private partnership, what it really needs to be doing is making sure companies in the UK financial sector, and outside the financial sector, take information security a massive amount more seriously".

The experts at IT Governance, the single-source provider for everything related to ISO27001 and information security, have recently launched their revised ISO27001 Compliance Database and Update Service. This is the only product on the market that holds a repository of all the 71 statutes and regulations relevant to ISO27001. Updated for 2011, the ISO27001 Compliance Database includes 10 new laws and offers regular updates (depending on the subscription period) as and when new laws are published.

ISO27001 requires organisations to develop their information security management system (ISMS), taking into account ‘business and legal or regulatory requirements, and contractual security obligations’ (Clause 4.2.1 b. 2). There are five controls in ISO/IEC 27001 Annex A which impose specific requirements in terms of identifying and staying up to date with statutory and regulatory requirements.

The ISO 27001 Compliance Database and Update Service identifies the specific clauses within each legal instrument that organisations must comply with, providing best-practice guidance on how to comply with that clause. It also enables an ISMS project manager to select appropriate controls at the individual clause level

Source:
http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/media/article.aspx?news_id=1204

How Does Salmonella Get Inside Eggs?

Article by Remy Melina, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
LiveScience.com remy Melina, Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer
livescience.com – Wed Aug 18, 3:45 pm ET

Although the average egg looks innocent enough, it can harbor dangerous foodborne bacteria called Salmonella. It's these bacteria that led to the ongoing nationwide recall of Wright Country Eggs. But how do the bacteria get in there?

The bacteria, Salmonella enteritidis (also referred to as S. enteritidis), can invade an egg in several ways. One way is by the contamination of egg shells with fecal matter. The bacteria are present in the intestines and feces of infected humans and animals, including chickens, and can be passed to the eggs when chickens sit on them.

Stringent cleaning and inspecting procedures of shells were implemented in the 1970s to decrease this form of contamination, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

However, outbreaks of salmonellosis (an infection caused by Salmonella bacteria) still happen because Salmonella also silently infects the ovaries of healthy-looking hens, contaminating the eggs inside the chicken before the shells are even formed, according to FSIS. To curb this form of contamination, the egg industry regularly tests hens for the ovarian bacteria.

Only a small number of hens in the United States seem to be infected with Salmonella at any given time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also assures that an infected hen can lay many normal eggs while only occasionally laying an egg that's contaminated.

So how can consumers tell if an egg contains salmonella? There is no way for grocery shoppers to tell if an egg has been contaminated, according to Rob Gravani, a professor of food science at the Cornell University. In fact, Salmonella affect chicken of every quality, and there is no valid scientific evidence that shows that poultry products labeled "Kosher," "free-range," "organic," or "natural" have more or less of the bacteria, according to FSIS.

"The best thing for consumers to do is to pay attention to the brand of eggs that are being recalled, and to return any eggs that they've purchased of that brand to the store," Gravani told Life's Little Mysteries.

Health officials also recommend not serving undercooked eggs, since thorough cooking kills the bacteria, according to the CDC. Because both the outside and inside of contaminated eggs appear to be normal, even if an egg seems "safe" to eat with a runny-style yoke, it is always best to err on the side of caution and eat only well-cooked eggs. The FSIS recommends that egg dishes be heated up to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius).

Typically, a person with salmonella poisoning develops a fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea approximately 12 to 72 hours after consuming the contaminated food. The illness usually lasts from four to seven days, and most people do not need antibiotics in order to recover.

However, the elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems may be the most susceptible to becoming seriously ill as a result of salmonellosis. In these patients, the infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other parts of the body. This can lead to death unless the person is promptly treated with antibiotics, according to the CDC.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100818/sc_livescience/howdoessalmonellagetinsideeggs

St Nicholas home gets ISO award

Published by The Star on Sunday August 22,2010
GEORGE TOWN: The St Nicholas home for the visually impaired is among the first to receive the ISO 9001:2008 certificate for quality service system from the European Quality Assurance.

The home, located in Jalan Bagan Jermal here, was selected following its provision of training and services for the blind and visually impaired.

Its executive director Daniel Soon said the award would enable more donors to contribute to the home.

“We are proud of the award as it would prove that every sen donated will be used wisely and documented,” he said yesterday.

Soon said it took about three years to prepare for the ISO recognition and they expect to get another ISO accreditation for its administration by end of the year.

Penang Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh handed over the certificate to home chairman Rt Rev Andrew Phang See Yin. — Bernama

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/22/nation/6900809&sec=nation

Hackers delay payout for 18,000 senior citizens

Published by The Star on Wednesday May 26, 2010
GEORGE TOWN: The RM100 payment due to 18,000 senior citizens by mid-May has been delayed by a month as the computer system of the state government’s appreciation programme for senior citizens was hacked early this month.

State Welfare, Health, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the affected senior citizens are those who had gone overseas and those whose vouchers were returned by the banks due to technical errors when the money was handed out last month.

“The system has been fixed and the officers in charge are now revising and checking the names of the recipients,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

“Many names were missing from the system but we have a back-up,” he said, adding that it would take time to check the names of the people from all five districts.

“The district officers are all working hard to rectify the matter,” added Phee.

It was reported on April 24 that some 93% of the 82,983 senior citizens who registered for the Penang government’s annual RM100 appreciation reward programme had collected their money.

Phee added that the payment for those who registered between May 1 and July 31 would be made by the end of August.

Asked if he had lodged a police report over the hacking, he said he needed to get the full report before considering the move

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/5/26/nation/6341274&sec=nation