French authorities approve soda tax legislation

French lawmakers have approved legislation for the proposed tax on sugar sweetened beverages in the country – effective from January 2012. http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/French-authorities-approve-soda-tax-legislation

FDA Food Safety Modernization Act publication translated

The Food Safety Law and the Rulemaking Process: Putting FSMA to Work now available in four languages: Español (Spanish), 中文 (Chinese), 日本 (Japanese), and ไทย (Thai).

EU passes mandatory nutrition labeling regulation

Since the vote of the European Parliament in July, we have been waiting for the EU Food Information Regulation to be issued in final form. It was published in the Official Journal (L) of the European Union on November 22. The citation is Reg. (EU) 1169/2011. OJ(L) 304/18, 22 Nov 2011.

This Regulation revises 20 years of EP and EC Directives and Regulations. Among the changes, the regulation requires nutrition label declaration of the "Big 7"—energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, and salt by Dec. 13, 2016. There are also new rules on allergen labeling and legibility. The regulation introduces a minimum font size of 1.2 mm for all mandatory label information, and 0.9 mm for products whose packaging has a largest surface of less than 80 square cm.

The full text of the Regulation (66 pages), European Union's Food Information to Consumers Regulation, is available at: www.food-label-compliance.com. Hat tip to Charles Woodhouse.

Symposium: The Role of Public and Private Regulation in Detecting and Responding to Foodborne Disease Outbreaks

A symposium will be held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on November 21, 2011, 1:30 to 4:30pm. In this final event, a multidisciplinary team will evaluate and compare the current systems for detecting and responding to foodborne outbreaks in the U.S. and the European Union. In the context of recent, produce-related foodborne outbreaks in the EU and the US, the team will examine and compare the respective approaches, assessing challenges in surveillance, detection, trace-back and identification of a contaminated food item. Finally, we will consider lessons learned from recent outbreaks by examining issues of public health, responsibilities of industry, and comparisons of regulatory frameworks.

Those speaking include;

— Dr. Jeri Barak-Cunningham, Assistant Professor, Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin – Madison. "Fresh produce – no longer surprising but now a major source of foodborne illness." 

—  Dr. Robert Tauxe, Deputy Director, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases, US CDC. "The cycle of public health:  Can we detect, investigate,and control foodborne outbreaks faster?"

— Dr. Jordi Serratosa-Vilageliu, EFSA Liaison Officer at FDA.  "Improving public health decision making with tools of risk analysis."

To register, please send an email to Lorna Zach (lzach@engr.wisc.edu) with your name, affiliation, and email contact information. A webcast may be available.

US businesses face rude shock as EU health claims laws loom

US businesses face rude shock as EU health claims laws loom:

US companies need to get up to speed with European Union health claim changes or face big hits on existing trade or missed opportunities, according to the chief of a leading UK supplements group.

US FDA, multilaterals team up for product safety

From the time you take your morning vitamin until you brush your teeth at night, U.S. consumers use many products imported from other countries. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 40% of fresh produce are imported into the United States. Sometimes products may contain only one ingredient or component part from another country, while other times the entire product may come from one or many countries.

Because the neighborhood grocery and corner drug store are now global marketplaces, the FDA ensures the safety and effectiveness of products sold domestically by working through multilateral organizations to improve cooperation and collaboration with other countries. Multilateral organizations are groups of more than two countries banded together to work on specific issues. Participation in these groups offers the FDA opportunities to expand reach and increase knowledge.

The FDA is working with three multilateral organizations on projects that aim to improve food safety, as well as the safety of medical products for people and animals. FDA's partners are:

• World Health Organization (WHO)—The FDA has given WHO nearly $400,000 to help develop a plan for a global information system to make it easier to share information on food safety problems, including contamination that leads to a product recall.

• Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)—The FDA, through a $904,000 award, is helping PAHO develop an information hub for the Americas through which countries in the region can share data, standards, and guidelines for regulators. FDA has also worked with PAHO to establish technical standards for drugs and biologics in the Americas.

• World Organization for Animal Health—With a grant of $565,000, the FDA is aiding the World Organization for Animal Health in its effort to strengthen agencies that regulate veterinary medical products.

Through its work with multilateral organizations and the FDA's own international offices, the agency is supporting efforts to strengthen regulatory agencies in developing nations and create internationally accepted standards of safety, efficacy, and quality.

More information is available here.

Health Canada's Proposed Approach to Managing Caffeinated Energy Drinks

Health Canada has proposed regulations for energy drinks intended to prevent overconsumption of caffeine and other ingredients such as vitamins. The proposed change would require most energy drinks to be labeled with nutrition information, including the amount of caffeine in the product, and to identify groups for whom high levels of caffeine are not recommended, such as children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. The proposed measures would also limit the amount of caffeine in energy drinks to 180mg per serving – about the amount in an average cup of coffee. They would require manufacturers to ensure that types and levels of vitamins are within safe limits, and to add a warning advising not to mix the product with alcohol.
 
"The growth of energy drink consumption in recent years has resulted in higher levels of caffeine consumption among younger people than has previously been the case," Health Canada said. "…Canadians tend to think of and consume energy drinks not as health products but as soft drinks. Health Canada's proposals will assess the safety of these products according to how they are consumed to provide the best protection for Canadian consumers."

Health Canada is accepting comments on the proposed regulatory changes until November 15. More information and details of how to submit comments are available here.  Hat tip to Caroline Scott-Thomas, Canada outlines proposed regulations for energy drinks.