Safety & Security: Page 311

Emerging Technologies

IBM Develops Blockchain Technology To Make Businesses More Efficient, Including Food Supply Chain

The company is launching what it’s calling “blockchain-as-a-service,” or a set of tools for "creating, deploying, running, and monitoring blockchain applications on the IBM Cloud.”

IBM has announced that it is working to make blockchain technology—which was refined and popularized by the digital currency bitcoin—easier for businesses to use for financial and non-financial purposes, including delivering food.

Lipari Foods Recalls Pistachios Distributed In Midwest Over Salmonella

The products were distributed to food service and retail stores throughout Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

Lipari Foods, LLC, of Warren, Mich., has issued a voluntary recall of various raw pistachio products packaged by sister company JLM due to potential Salmonella risk

FDA To Test Milk, Eggs, Corn, Soybeans And More For Glyphosate

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

The FDA’s move comes amid growing public concern about the safety of the herbicide, and comes after the U.S Government Accountability Office rebuked the agency for failing to do such assessments and for not disclosing that short-coming to the public.

FDA officials dubbed the issue “sensitive” and declined to provide details of the plans, but FDA spokeswoman Lauren Sucher said the agency was moving forward to test for glyphosate for the first time in the agency’s history.

Five Ways Brands Can Create Consumer Trust in the Food Industry

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC)

Consumer trust and confidence is one of the biggest issues facing the food industry.

Clinton Moloney is advisory leader for sustainable business solutions at PwC US.

U.S. And Cuba Restore Air Travel Between Nations

The move is expected to set off a scramble among U.S. carriers to win route rights to serve Havana, which will be capped at 20 round trips a day from anywhere in the U.S.

US Cuba 54c68a9cc5f9e

FDA Joins Investigation Of Salmonella Outbreak Connected To Organic Shake Mixes

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

Health officials in Utah and Oregon have reported finding Salmonella in open containers of Raw Meal products collected from outbreak victims’ homes.

Fd Alogo

Asia Watches As GMO Legal Challenge Threatens Philippines Food Supply

Government agencies are scrambling to set new regulations on GMOs by Feb. 23 after the Southeast Asian nation's top court late last year demanded an overhaul of existing rules, halting GM planting and issuance of new GM import permits.

With some current import permits starting to expire from March and corn farmers set to begin sowing in May, five government agencies are pushing to sign new rules by next Tuesday to avoid disrupting food supply in a year when voters will choose the country's next leader.

Nebraska Says Meatpackers Can Own Hogs; Change Draws Debate For Small Farms

The law, signed by Gov. Pete Ricketts after being passed 34-14 by state legislators February 5, reverses a measure that went into effect in 1999 that restricted corporate ownership of land and farms to protect small, family farms.

Nebraska, the sixth-largest hog producer in the United States, has had a sharp decline in recent years in the number of farms that sell hogs.

Court Rules Federal Law Pre-empts California Meat Labeling Law

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Feb. 12 upheld the Aug. 19, 2013 decision by U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill that “permanently enjoined and restrained” California officials from enforcing the slack fill requirements.

“Slack fill” is the empty space between meat and poultry products and their packaging. After state enforcement actions, Del Real challenged the California Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (CFPLA) on grounds it is preempted for meat and poultry products regulated by the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the federal Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA).

House Votes To Ease Calorie Disclosure Rules For Pizzerias, Delis And Grocers

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 266-144 Friday to gut a proposed Food and Drug Administration rule requiring chain pizzerias, delis, and convenience stores to list the calorie content of their meals on menus or menu boards.

Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., speaking in favor of the bill, said Michigan-based Domino's Pizza would have to list the calorie content of hundreds of different combinations of crusts and toppings on a menu board to comply with the FDA's rule.

Feds Shutter Maine Seafood Company Over Safety Violations

The action followed more than a decade of warnings to the company by the Food and Drug Administration, which found the company’s smoked fish products were being prepared, packed and held under unsanitary conditions.

On February 15, 2016, Sullivan Harbor Farm released this statement on Facebook: Sullivan Harbor Farm (aka Mill Stream Corporation) is currently experiencing negative publicity in the media. The FDA complaints against the company are based on legal matters that the smokehouse has been dealing with since October, 2015. Due to the sequence of timing, the legal documents filings occurred in court on February 12, 2016. The company was sold in late January, 2016 to a new party. The new owner is working through a food safety expert with the FDA to improve safety, sanitation and training practices in anticipation of reopening soon, bringing their award-winning products back into the marketplace. This has been a very unfortunate experience for everyone involved, but the new owner of the business is expecting getting beyond it, moving forward with new concepts, while continuing the 25 year tradition of producing safe, tasty artisanal smoked seafood. Thank you for your support.

Spot Market Freight Declines In Typical January Trend: DAT Freight Index

DAT Freight & Analytics

Compared to January 2015, overall spot market freight availability fell 35 percent. This continues a 13-month trend of year-over-year declines, due to a combination of tepid freight growth and abundant capacity.

Spot market rates declined 1.3 percent for vans, 1.1 percent for reefers, and 0.6 percent for flatbeds, month over month, not including fuel surcharges

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