NIBBLES NEWSBITES |
Clever crate a winner
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Allergen labelling – what does it mean to consumers?The UK Food Standards Agency (UKFSA) is in the early stages of a survey aiming to get insight in the relevance of current approaches to allergen labelling. The survey is entitled: Survey of allergen advisory labelling and allergen content of UK retail pre-packed processed foods. The survey will look at the different types of advisory labelling used on foods and will consider how different statements, such as ‘may contain nuts’ or ‘not suitable for someone with a nut allergy’, are used by consumers to assess the levels of risk. UKFSA wants to gain a better understanding of whether the labelling relates to the actual level of allergen present in processed foods. It will also help the FSA gather information on the levels of allergens present as a result of cross-contamination. In addition the agency is also hoping to gauge how widely FSA suggested best practice advisory labelling is being used within the food industry. Ultimately, the results from the survey will feed into a much larger area of work, including discussions on allergen management thresholds. The ultimate objective of the research would be greater tansparency and consistency in the use of allergen advisory labelling on pre-packed foods. |
Cultured meat research progresses
The concept of invitro meat – also known as cultured meat or laboratory grown meat – is not new, yet not until the 1990’s and the emergence of the tissue engineering field, did invitro meat become a conceivable reality. Today, the challenge still remains to grow meat in bioreactors, and in large scale, in order to provide a potentially safer, more environmentally sustainable meat source to satisfy the increasing world demand for meat. In order to succeed, public acceptance and debate are necessary. Researchers working in this area are few and scattered, and need to collaborate in order to advance the field. An international group of scientists met early in September at a workshop in Gothenburg, Sweden, arranged by Chalmers University of Technology and the European Science Foundation. Many technology components are now coming into place in order to realize the concept of cultured meat. This includes a usable cell source, several alternative processes to turn these cells into muscle cells for meat, and nutrients free of animal components which can be produced from sunlight and carbon dioxide. A life cycle assessment of cultured meat compared to traditionally produced meat was recently published. It shows that the environmental benefits of cultured meat are very large and concludes that compared to the rearing of cattle, cultured meat would entail dramatic reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water use. Despite these obvious advantages, the area is still very poorly funded. The interdisciplinary group of scientists has decided to form a community to try to attract more funding and to create a faster development in the area of cultured meat. During the workshop, they also reached consensus about important issues in the research field. The workshop in Sweden engaged an interdisciplinary group of 25 scientists who all have special interest in cultured meat. Some of them have specialties in tissue engineering, stem cells and food technology. Others are environmental scientists, ethicists, social scientists and economists. All of these areas have been discussed during the workshop. The result is encouraging regarding the possibility to actually be able to supply consumers with cultivated meat in the future, and the scientists have not found any crucial arguments against cultured meat. |
Success with IRL Scientist for a Day programme
IRL’s recently launched Scientist for a Day programme is already helping companies across New Zealand transform their businesses.
More than 30 companies from industries as diverse as seafood, electronics, engineering and recycling have been accepted into the six-month programme, which provides them with a hands-on, no-cost and face-to-face interaction with IRL. Food companies participating include Dairy Automation Ltd, www.dairyautomation.co.nz, Hamilton, Kiwiherbs Ltd, www.kiwiherbs.com, Lower Hutt, Sustainable Seafood NZ Ltd, Martinborough and ViaLactia Biosciences (NZ) Limited, www.vialactia.com, Newmarket, Auckland. IRL General Manager Industry Engagement, Gavin Mitchell, says the programme is encouraging companies to think about what R&D can do for them, and whether their R&D is focussed in the right areas. "Several international studies have established a link between a company's R&D spend and a whole range of benefits including improved sales growth, productivity and market value,” he says. “By taking part in Scientist for a Day, companies are becoming much more aware of the difference that tangible scientific support can make to the value of their business." Mitchell says the visits are focussing on a variety of subjects: an existing problem, analysing and improving a product or process, developing an opportunity, evaluating the potential for innovation, or any other specific, well-defined idea. They are taking place either at company premises or at an IRL laboratory and are followed up with a business potential for innovation report from IRL. The SFAD programme is just one of a range of IRL activities aimed at boosting the level of private sector R&D in New Zealand. These include IRL's What's Your Problem New Zealand? competition, its Co-Investment Programme and its part in the government's Technology Transfer Voucher scheme. |
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Registration is now open for the the 11th Annual Functional Foods Symposium.
More details can be found at: http://www.functionalfoods2011.co.nz Sessions for the symposium include:
Posters are welcome Abstracts for posters should be sent to Dr Siew-Young Quek (sy.quek@auckland.ac.nz) no later than 11/11/11. Poster presenters will have 1 minute to give a snapshot of their work. Prizes will be awarded to the three best young investigators. Please find other information such as Sponsorship opportunities in our website.
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Grants available for student interns over the summer
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Image: Muscle stem cells growing in a nutrient gel, on velcro. (Credit: Bart van Overbeeke, Eindhoven University of Technology)
