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Which? reignites ‘traffic light’ food labelling debate

18-May-2012 - Consumer group Which? has called for ‘traffic light’ labelling to be used as an industry standard to improve nutritional information for consumers.

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Scottish government sets minimum alcohol price

14-May-2012 - The Scottish government’s plans to set a minimum price for alcohol of 50p per unit will avoid 60 deaths in its first year of operation and 300 after 10 years, according to Sheffield University’s Alcohol Research Group.

FSA chief scientist's hi-tech answers to campylobacter

09-May-2012 - Dr Andrew Wadge, the Food Standards Agency’s chief scientist, explains why new technologies, such as lactic acid antibacterial washes during chicken processing operations, should be used to reduce the 403,000 cases of campylobacter food poisoning in the UK each year – many resulting from contaminated chickens bought by people from supermarkets.

FSA rejects claims of ‘over-zealous’ prosecution

27-Apr-2012 - The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has rejected claims that it acted “over-zealously” in pressing for the prosecution of Somerset meat firm A C Hopkins (Taunton) for breaking meat hygiene regulations.

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Egg firm told to pay £19,000 after lost fingers

26-Apr-2012 - Worcestershire egg firm Bumble Hole Foods has been ordered to pay £19,000 after a worker severed two fingers while cleaning a production line drain.

Food safety allergen thresholds by 2014: Unilever

24-Apr-2012 - Allergen thresholds that food manufacturers can use to ensure safe production within factories and for improved product labelling could become a reality within two years, a Uniliever expert has claimed.

FSA study aims to cut poultry Campylobacter

24-Apr-2012 - The Food Standards Agency (FSA) aims to cut campylobacteriosis by commissioning research to trace the sources of Campylobacter infection – often linked to poultry.

Safety watchdog EFSA urges more turkey salmonella surveys

24-Apr-2012 - Food safety watchdog, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has urged EU Member States to step up monitoring of turkeys for salmonella infection.

Food labs gear up for allergen tests

24-Apr-2012 - Independent food laboratories are gearing up to meet increasing demand for their services from manufacturers and retailers as incidents related to allergens in foods increase.

New X-ray food safety systems ‘cut jams and downtime’

24-Apr-2012 - Two new X-ray food safety detection systems make the identification of contaminants quicker and more cost-efficient, claim the manufacturers Thermo Fisher Scientific and German manufacturer Heuft.

News in brief

Flaming pizza at Bakkavor factory

20-Apr-2012 - Two fire engines and 10 firefighters were called to tackle a fire at a pizza factory owned by the Bakkavor Group in Harrow, north west London yesterday (April 19).

Norovirus threat to Olympics matches Al-Qaeda

23-Mar-2012 - Foodborne diseases, such as norovirus, are as big a threat to the Olympics as terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, according to a Home Office risk assessment.

DS Smith Packaging fined £60k after accident

09-Mar-2012 - Food packaging and paper supplier DS Smith Packaging has been fined nearly £60,000 after a worker broke his arms and ribs when he was drawn into a rotating spool.

Vion Foods fined £16,000 after worker's fall

27-Feb-2012 - Multi-national food and ingredients firm Vion Foods was fined £16,000 after a worker was blown from the top of a shipping container while moving corrugated metal sheets.

Food tray-sealing maker fined £3,500 after accident

20-Feb-2012 - Macclesfield-based manufacturer of food tray-sealing machines Proseal has been fined £3,500 after an employee lost two fingers in a lathe.

News in brief

FSA targets microbiological food safety

06-Feb-2012 - The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has put microbiological food safety, including the prevention of campylobacter, E.coli, listeria and norovirus, at the top of its list of priorities for 2012.

News in brief

Salmonella outbreak caused one death

02-Feb-2012 - A Salmonella Newport outbreak has affected 30 people in the UK, causing one confirmed death, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Industry forced to raise its hygiene standards

16-Jan-2012 - Manufacturers will be expected to raise their food hygiene game considerably following the introduction of the sixth edition of the British Retail Consortium's (BRC's) global standards audit, which takes effect this month.

New metal detection range performs a multitude of tunnel visions

01-Jan-2012 - Eclipse Magnetics, a maker of food processing contaminant separation and detection systems, has extended its product line with the launch of the Artemis range of metal detectors.

Fall in line

01-Jan-2012 - Food factories can be dangerous places. John Dunn looks at ways to make them safer

'Constructively communicate to avoid escalating costs'

01-Jan-2012 - Refurbishment projects that take place while food production continues could avoid delays and escalating costs through better communication, according to Todd Hallam, health and safety manager for Chalcroft Construction.

Industry must wait for allergen action levels

01-Jan-2012 - Manufacturers will to have to wait for the findings of the International Life Science Institute's (ILSI's) Food Allergy Task Force on allergens to be published before they will know whether 'action levels' for their operations are possible, claims the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

UK oysters: threat or Xmas opportunity?

05-Dec-2011 - More than three-quarters of oysters tested from UK growing beds contained norovirus, according to recent research from the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

100,000 reasons to support IFST surveys

05-Dec-2011 - The Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) is asking for food manufacturers’ help to survey the needs of the 100,000 technicians known to be working in the food sector.

Food manufacturers top HSE injury list

11-Nov-2011 - Workers employed by food manufacturers are nearly twice as likely to suffer a major injury in the workplace compared with their colleagues in other sectors of the manufacturing industry, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has revealed.

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