Best wishes for 2016 from Food New Zealand Newsbites

FSANZ survey of chemicals from packaging in food

The results of a survey in Australia on packaging-chemicals in food are reassuring for consumers, Food Standards Australia New Zealand Chief Executive Steve McCutcheon said recently.

Mr McCutcheon said the second phase of the Australian Total Diet Study looked at chemicals that might migrate from packaging into food.

“There were no detections at all for half of the 30 chemicals,” Mr McCutcheon said.

Very low residues of some chemicals were detected in a small number of samples. After undertaking a very conservative safety assessment on these very low levels, FSANZ has concluded there are no safety concerns.

The screening study identified that further work was required for two of the chemicals tested for (phthalates) and FSANZ will be sampling a wider range of foods for these chemicals so a full dietary exposure assessment can be undertaken.

The ATDS results will inform an ongoing review of current food packaging regulations.”

More here

Reproduced with permission of Food Standards Australia New Zealand

Portion size reductions in ice-creams in UK

Unilever is to cut the size of British ice-creams including Magnum, Cornetto, Ben & Jerry’s and Feast by up to a third to bring them all under 250 calories.

This means that Ben & Jerry’s single portion tubs will be reduced from 150ml to 100ml, a 33% reduction in size. The price, however, will only drop by 26%, according to a report in the trade journal, the Grocer.

Unilever said some of its ice-cream products will be dropped altogether, because of their higher calorie content.

The company is likely to be criticised for increasing the price per gramme of products under the veil of a healthy eating drive. They accept the risk of a customer backlash but expressed confidence that shoppers would “appreciate what we are trying to do ... and buy more”.

Marius Luedicke, associate professor of marketing at Cass business school, said Unilever was likely to be able to introduce the changes without a major negative reaction from its customers.

“People will never do the maths and the price is not interesting. What’s interesting is the benefit of keeping calories lower. If there’s an ethical issue it’s that the idea of less calories might lead to people eating more ice-cream than before.”

Other UK companies have made similar single-portion size reductions (including Unilever, in childrens’ ice-creams) in the last two years, and have been criticised for using the move as a way to make more money.

The Guardian, London

GMO label declarations

USA

The Campbell Soup Co. has announced plans to voluntarily label its own foods for GMOs. The labeling will apply to Campbell's soups, Pepperidge Farms baked goods and Prego pasta sauces.

In a letter to employees posted to Campbell's website Thursday, CEO Denise Morrison said: "We have always believed that consumers have the right to know what's in their food."

Campbell believes it is necessary for the federal government to provide a national standard for labeling requirements to better inform consumers about this issue. The company will advocate for federal legislation that would require all foods and beverages regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to be clearly and simply labeled for GMOs. Campbell is also supportive of a national standard for non-GMO claims made on food packaging.

Campbell continues to recognise that GMOs are safe, as the science indicates that foods derived from crops grown using genetically modified seeds are not nutritionally different from other foods. The company also believes technology will play a crucial role in feeding the world.

Campbell has been engaged in the conversation about GMO labeling for several years and has taken action to provide consumers with more information about how its products are made, including the presence of GMOs, through efforts like its website www.whatsinmyfood.com.

Campbell is optimistic a federal solution can be established in a reasonable amount of time if all the interested stakeholders cooperate. However, if that is not the case, Campbell is prepared to label all of its U.S. products for the presence of ingredients that were derived from GMOs, not just those required by pending legislation in Vermont. The company would seek guidance from the FDA and approval by USDA.