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... new research, published today by the food standards agency, provides insights on how people with life-threatening nut allergies use food labels when choosing what food to buy and eat ... ‘we urge food manufacturers and businesses to follow our best practice guidance when providing allergy information’ the study, carried out by the university of surrey, involved participants being accompanied during a routine food shop and interviewed at length to find out what they were thinking when they chose each product ... the research found that when people were making choices about buying or eating a particular food: the brand was important because participants trusted certain food companies more than others ... most participants did not know that this information was voluntary and some assumed incorrectly the absence of an allergy advice box meant the product did not contain any of the main food allergens and was safe for them to eat ... these precautionary warnings are used by some food manufacturers to indicate possible cross-contamination with a food allergen ... sue hattersley, head of food allergy at the fsa, said: 'this research shows the importance of clear allergy labelling on food products ... shopping for food can prove to be very difficult and time-consuming for people with food allergies and we urge food manufacturers and businesses to follow our best practice guidance when providing allergy information ... this can make simple everyday tasks such as food shopping or eating out a safer, less stressful and more pleasurable experience for people with food allergies

... our front page story highlights the excellent contribution being made to food safety week by ‘kids with cameras’ ... their ‘kitchen confidential’ dvd, which will be used during food safety week events, dishes the dirt on how food is bought, stored, prepared and cooked ... other resources available for use during the week, which this year runs from 6 to 12 june, include a food hygiene myths quiz, posters, leaflets and recipe cards ... a feature on the agency’s annual report of incidents illustrates how the work of our incidents team contributes to the agency’s overall strategic objective of safer food for the nation ... last year the agency managed more than 1,500 food-related incidents

... the report includes case studies of some of the 1,505 incidents we handled during 2010, and which contributed to our overall strategic objective of safer food for the nation ... the report, which can be found via the link below, also outlines future challenges, such as working to ensure food at the 2012 london olympics and paralympics venues is safe to eat ... the incidents included food fraud investigations and the subsequent seizures of illicit alcohol, some of which contained high levels of potentially harmful methanol, a salmonella bareilly outbreak associated with bean sprouts, and amnesic shellfish poisoning in whole king scallops ... improving the way we work we’re always looking to improve the way we work, and during 2010 we refined our food alert system, carried out incident reviews and exercises, and provided local authority training workshops to improve incident handling and partnership working ... what is an incident? the agency uses the following definition of an incident: 'any event where, based on the information available, there are concerns about actual or suspected threats to the safety or quality of food that could require intervention to protect consumers’ interests ... ' incidents fall broadly into two categories: incidents involving contamination of food or animal feed in the processing, distribution, retail and catering chains

... new research into food allergy in australia has alarmingly revealed that 1 in every 10 children is now food allergic ... this year during food allergy awareness week (faaw), which runs may 16th – 21st, anaphylaxis australia aims to reach those who don’t have food allergies ... “we want to highlight the fact that there is no longer any excuse to not know how serious food allergy is ... gone are the days when food allergy was rare and people denied it was real ... now it is time for individuals to learn to manage their food allergy whilst everyone in the community does their part in supporting them” said president of anaphylaxis australia, maria said ... anaphylaxis australia said that australian food manufacturers have been listening to the needs of food allergic consumers and trying their best to improve food manufacturing and safer food choices ... now, anaphylaxis australia says it’s time for the general public to really understand the risks and responsibilities of living with and catering for people with food allergy ... their aim is to help educate the australian public about the realities of food allergy and anaphylactic reactions ... with only 9 foods responsible for 90% of all food triggered anaphylactic reactions, understanding of food safety remains low in some sectors of the community, with attitudes ranging from misguided and dismissive to overly reactionary and disproportionate to the risks ... food allergy is manageable, if individuals at risk of anaphylaxis are educated and they have the support of family, friends and all in the community ... awareness of food allergy is key for everyone, since most people now know someone with a potentially life threatening food allergy

... the institute of food technologists (ift) has commended us congress for passage of landmark food safety legislation, which represents the largest changes in the country’s food safety laws in more than 70 years ... “this is a critical moment when it comes to the safety of the food we eat every day, because it puts science at the forefront of public policy,” said ift president bob gravani, phd ... ” key aspects of the legislation the legislation has a variety of new changes that will improve the safety of the food system from farm to fork ... four elements of this legislation are critical to protecting the food supply for generations to come: * product tracing-the u ... food and drug administration (fda) will be required to establish a comprehensive product tracing system to track the movement of food products effectively from farm to point of sale or service ... * performance standards-in order to continually reduce the risk of contaminants in foods, the secretary of health and human services will identify and determine the most significant foodborne contaminants and develop science-based guidance to assist food producers ... as a result, action levels (performance standards) will be set in place to encourage the food industry to strive toward a safer food supply ... * third party certification-designated imported foods will now need to be certified by a third party with expertise in food safety and under the oversight of the fda ... * preventive control plans-food manufacturing facilities will be required to develop and implement written plans based upon science that evaluate hazards that could affect the safety of food; identify and implement preventive controls; monitor the performance of these controls; and maintain records of such monitoring ... “this bill covers a wide range of food safety initiatives that will ultimately benefit consumers,” said gravani

... congresswoman rosa delauro (d-ct) has reintroduced legislation intended to create a single agency focused solely on overseeing the safety of the us food supply ... delauro first introduced the legislation, the single food safety agency act, in 1999, but reintroduced the bill this week in response to new foodborne illness figures released by the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) ... the agency’s new estimates have been revised downwards, but the cdc has said this is not a reflection of a safer food supply, rather a better understanding of foodborne illness and improved methods for data collection ... ” she said that the food safety modernization act, which is currently pending before congress, “represents a good first step” toward cutting the number of illnesses and deaths caused by foodborne illness ... “however, our efforts to reform the food safety system must not end there because the jurisdictional overlaps and complicated regulatory structure will continue to hamper our efforts to make our food supply safer,” she said ... “that is why i am re-introducing legislation that would create a single independent food safety agency that would help reduce the potential for future outbreaks, implement the best food safety practices, and eliminate the jurisdictional issues we have faced ... ultimately, a single food agency solely focused on protecting american consumers is critical to ensuring the safety of our food supply and protecting the public health ... ” under current law, food safety monitoring, inspection and labeling functions are spread across 15 agencies in the federal government, including the food and drug administration (fda), which is responsible for about 80 percent of the food supply, and the us department of agriculture (usda), which oversees meat, poultry and egg products

... new research from michigan state university has shown what anecdotal evidence has long suggested: that headlines about food poisoning outbreaks and tainted foods affect consumer spending and purchasing decisions ... consumers are not only quite attuned to food safety issues, but they also have significantly changed their shopping habits because of them, according to chris peterson, director of msu’s product center for agriculture and natural resources ... similar patterns also are evident among food industry professionals — manufacturers, distributors, retailers — a majority of whom have, in the past five years, changed their business practices to adapt to concerns about the safety of food products ... food safety certification: a study of food safety in the u ... supply chain was sponsored by oslo-based det norske veritas and conducted via online surveys of more than 400 consumers and nearly 75 food companies ... nearly half of the consumers surveyed reported a change in shopping patterns due to food safety concerns ... also noteworthy is that the research subjects cited that higher price and brand name are not direct signs of safer food, peterson said ... “consumers are not only changing their buying habits, but they also want to see evidence on product labels indicating that their food has passed some kind of independent safety certification process,” he said ... “moreover, slightly more than one-third of consumers are willing to pay a premium — in upwards of 30 percent more — for food with a safety certification label ... ” food industry professionals also value third-party certification, but place a higher value on traceability ... food comes from a complex and interconnected food chain ... “it’s sort of the 9-1-1 mechanism of food safety,” he said ... in fact, they still see government inspection as the most credible signal of food safety, with certification and traceability coming in a close second and third ... ” in addition, the study found that: food suppliers and consumers believe that recycling, social justice, green practices, economic viability and animal welfare are important indicators of sustainability

... just 4 weeks to go to the 3rd australian food safety conference 7-9 september 2010 melbourne food is something that impacts on the life of everyone ... as australia’s largest manufacturing industry and major export contributor, the food and beverage sector is also vital to the economy ... there are just 4 weeks to go until the 3rd australian food safety conference to be held from 7 to 9 september 2010 in melbourne which will showcase experts from across the country and around the world discussing the latest in global food safety, including emerging food safety challenges ... dr anne astin, chair of the conference committee, said that this is the only conference by food safety regulators for food safety regulators, consumers and industry ... ‘following on from the highly successful 2004 and 2007 conferences, the 3rd australian food safety conference will establish benchmarks for food safety management in australia over the next 3 years ... ‘we are in an era where consumers want safer food and industry wants reduced compliance costs ... at the conference we will witness the conversation evolve from the distraction of red tape toward an inspiring future where food regulation is accepted as creating real value,’ dr astin said ... key speakers include: bill marler, attorney, marler clark, usa industry responsibility for the food it produces an accomplished personal injury lawyer and national expert in food borne illness litigation, william marler has been a major force in food safety policy in the united states and abroad ... he and his partners at marler clark have represented thousands of individuals in claims against food companies whose contaminated products have caused serious injury and death ... brackett serves as vice president and director of the national center for food safety and technology (ncfst), at the illinois institute of technology ... dr brackett is responsible for executive leadership of ncfst and enhancing its stature and reputation as a national and international leader in food safety, technology, and nutrition

... so why is the uk government determined to kill off the food standards agency? safer food, healthier eating for all and informed choices, the three priorities of the fsa, will inevitably be compromised by uk health secretary andrew lansley’s decision to switch to a business funded model for the drive against child obesity - change4life - coupled with his pre-election pledge to carve up the fsa now looking set to see the light of day ... the duties of the fsa in relation to safety and hygiene in the food chain will be subsumed by the department for environment, food and rural affairs (defra) and its nutrition functions will transfer to the department of health, according to a report on reuters ... the conservative-liberal democrat coalition, in power since may, is looking for dramatic budget cuts to reduce the £156bn deficit but can a price be put on food safety and the long term health impact of food lower in saturated fats and salt? in 1997 public confidence in uk food had been torn to shreds by bse ... hello fsa and a renewed sense of food safety assurance 10 years later ... and the food watchdog’s approach to raising consumer awareness about healthier diets, while engaging with the food industry on voluntary reformulation for reduced salt, sugar and saturated fat, has been pioneering and a model adopted by many other countries

... consumers are highly aware of food safety issues and they have high recognition of third-party certification as an effective signal of food safety assurance, according to a study being conducted by michigan state university (msu) on behalf of dnv ... "consumers are not only aware of food safety issues they are actually changing their shopping habits due to food safety concerns," says dr ... "we are conducting a two-phase study with msu," says kathy wybourn, director of food safety solutions for dnv ... "this first phase reflects consumer perceptions of food safety and third party food safety certification ... we are moving into phase two where we'll be interviewing various food industry professionals to get their pulse on the business processes and various auditing schemes that relate to food safety ... " in addition to indicating a high sensitivity to food safety issues, u ... consumers say they want to see evidence on product labels that the food they are buying has passed some kind of independent safety certification process ... "it is interesting and important to note that higher price alone is not a direct signal of safer food," says dr ... in fact, most consumers would advise the food industry to invest proportionately more in certification programs than in government inspection or traceability ... " phase two of the food safety and safety certification research study is expected to be completed in mid april with findings available shortly thereafter ... "all the efforts of the food industry are, ultimately, focused on the consumer and in the case of food safety we need to understand how the consumer evaluates safety signals and where they place their trust," says ms ... " a certification label has strong positive meaning to the consumer in regard to food safety, and that conclusion itself is a signal to everyone involved in the food supply chain, be it growers or manufacturers or retailers, to intensify efforts to adopt clear and meaningful independent safety certification