Blog Archives
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Accelerating Developments in Certified Chocolates
By Maria Hoffman - Wednesday February 6, 2013
Last October Hershey, Pennsylvania-based Hershey Company revealed their plans to a global commitment of having 100 percent certified cocoa beans by 2020. Additionally, at the start of 2013 all of Hershey’s Bliss Chocolates are to be made with cocoa beans sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. Farms that are certified through the Rainforest Alliance are ecological farms that support safe farming conditions for farmers and their families. According to Andy McCormick, VP of cocoa sustainability for Hershey , 5 percent of the world market currently uses certified cocoa ingredients. This sustainability plan will help the expansion of certified cocoa gain momentum throughout the chocolate industry. Driving... -
New Food Labels Create a Safer Food Supply Chain
By Maria Hoffman - Wednesday January 16, 2013
By Maria Hoffman Newhouse, Lanarkshire-based Insignia Technologies will be launching their color-changing labels in the UK with the purpose of decreasing food waste and boosting food safety. Their first product that is set to launch this Spring, is called the Novas Embedded Label , which is integrated into the food packaging film. When the package is opened the color-changing label is triggered due to the exposure to carbon dioxide. With the timer activated, this shows the consumer how long the package has been opened. “Our color-changing labels will give a clear indication as to how long the packet has been opened and if it’s still fit for consumption,” said Stephen Currie, chief operating officer of Insignia... -
Concerns With GMO’s: What’s Next?
By Maria Hoffman - Monday November 12, 2012
By Maria Hoffman Last Wednesday, California voted on whether to approve Proposition 37 , which would require all food manufacturers, distributors and retailers to add labels that identify genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). Proposition 37 has been defeated by 53.7 percent of voters against the mandatory labeling of GMO’s, but the campaign is far from over. “It was really a historic victory for the non-GMO movement,” says John W. Roulac, CEO and founder of Nutiva. “The fact that we got 47 percent of the vote, [and] almost fought the GMO giants to a standstill in spite of them spending $50 million dollars in misinformation, I think is a major victory.” Opponents of the legislation stated that Prop 37 would have a... -
Food Recalls Don’t Shake Americans’ Concerns
By Lara Sowinski - Friday October 19, 2012Americans are a resilient bunch—for better or worse. It seems despite increased food recalls and outbreaks of contamination, consumers in the U.S. are not any more concerned over the safety of the food supply. Research firm NPD’s latest Food Safety Monitor report shows that for the period of January through August of this year, on average, 60 percent of U.S. consumers were somewhat or slightly concerned about the safety of the U.S. food supply, 25 percent were extremely or very concerned, and 15 percent were not concerned at all. These results are pretty much consistent with previous years, says NPD. However, there are spikes when a significant recall or outbreak does occur, but the annual averages remain relatively constant... -
ILA Talks Take a Turn for the Worse
By Lara Sowinski - Wednesday August 29, 2012by Lara L. Sowinski Negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) broke down last week, despite what appeared to be genuine progress over the past few months. ILA President Harold Daggett said the development means a strike is likely when the current contract expires on September 30. Bad timing, of course, for shippers, East and Gulf Coast ports and local and state economies, all of whom rely on maritime commerce and global trade to fuel their businesses and economies. Making matters worse is the fact that we’re in the midst of the peak shipping season. However, shippers are more ready for a strike this time around compared to the debilitating West Coast... -
Advanced Food Production Technologies To Thank for Keeping the Drought of 2012 at Bay
By Maurice Hladik - Wednesday August 29, 2012
by Maurice Hladik, author of Demystifying Food from Farm to Fork If today’s farmers were forced to rely on technologies from 1956 or 1988, when there were two previous droughts comparable to this year, the results would have been devastating. Much has been said about the amount of corn we will or will not have next year, so let’s use that crop as an example. The USDA projects a drop in corn production from the estimated yield of 146 bushels per acre earlier in the season to 128 bushels, according to their most recent estimates. That’s a reduction in available corn by close to two billion bushels, which will most certainly have an impact on food prices as the price of this grain and other farm commodities are at all time highs... -
Finally, Safer Standards for Ground Beef
By Lara Sowinski - Thursday November 3, 2011
At long last, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that it would add six deadly strains of E. coli to the list of prohibited items in ground beef. Up until now, only one form—H7:O157—which was behind the Jack in the Box outbreak in 1994, has been banned. These strains of E. coli, known as the “Big Six,” are estimated to “cause almost 40,000 illnesses, 1,100 hospitalizations, and 30 deaths annually,” according to Food Safety News . Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, the head of food safety for the USDA, deserves credit for finally getting the Big Six banned. “This is one of the biggest steps forward in the protection of the beef supply in some time,” she said. Sadly, the beef industry, in particular the American...
