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Clear food labelling - major survey 
Influential government guidance on food labelling may be reviewed in the light of two major surveys of packaged food labels recently undertaken by CCFRA on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Almost 400 different foods were purchased from more than 60 stores across the UK. Each label was then examined to see if the FSA´s Clear Labelling advice had been followed. More than 350 meat and meat product labels were also examined against separate FSA advice on Country of Origin Labelling. The results, published on 13 February*, showed that most of the FSA´s recommendations were being followed. CCFRA suggested that the Clear Labelling Guidance could be streamlined, simplified and better targeted towards those aspects of product labelling where label clarity could be affected, such as the use of small fonts. Some changes to the Origin Labelling Guidance were also recommended, including the need for further clarification where ‘packed in’ statements are used. The FSA met with industry, enforcement and consumer groups at the end of March and is now assessing the need for any revisions. CCFRA´s Head of Food and Environment Legislation, John Hammond, explained: "CCFRA has used its unique combination of expertise in product acquisition, IT, food labelling and statistics to conduct two of the most comprehensive and thorough examinations of UK food labels ever undertaken". *www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/
2006/feb/label Contact: John Hammond Three new 2006 events Irradiation of food products: an update
Chaired by Selvarani Elahi from the Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC), the speakers will discuss methods of preparing and detecting irradiated food, the legal situation in both the UK and Europe and the extent of irradiated food in the market place. Allergens Up-to-date information on the hazards relating to food allergy, legal and enforcement issues, third-party allergen control, allergen surveillance, risk assessment and management of allergens. Professor Sue Hefle, from the University of Nebraska Food Allergy Research and Resource Program will provide the keynote lecture, and will be joined in the programme by Dr Ian Leitch, a specialist in enforcement, and Sue Hattersley, Head of the Food Allergy Branch at the Food Standards Agency.Collaborators include the Anaphylaxis Campaign and Coeliac UK. 
Rapid and Alternative Microbiology Methods Workshops and Exhibition This will be the major focus meeting on rapid testing methods in the UK in 2006. The programme combines lectures from experts in the field with an opportunity to view exhibits and meet providers and explore available technologies. Microbiological methods forum 
The CCFRA Microbiological Methods Forum provides regular updates on new and developing methods through meetings and newsletters, and stimulates the development, acceptance and use of new methods. Recently invited speakers contributed information on ISO methods for food microbiology; a replacement for the Gram stain; an overview of immunoassays; and information on Baxcell (Bacterial Accelerator of growth). Newsletters provided updates on new and validated methods, advance notice of international meetings and courses and lists of recent scientific papers. Articles included information on a Nordic system for validation of alternative microbiological methods; a rapid test for determination of spoilage bacteria in fish; and use of a fibre-optic sensor in detection of Listeria monocytogenes. For information on membership of the Forum please contact: Charmaine Mitchell International training earns Merit Award The Institute For Thermal Processing Specialists (IFTPS) in the USA has presented Gary Tucker of CCFRA with the Institute´s Merit Award - a silver tie pin in the shape of a canning retort. 
The principal purpose of the IFTPS is to foster education and training in procedures, techniques and regulatory requirements for thermal processing of all types of food, and for communication of information between members and other organisations. The Award is presented to members that have performed outstanding service and support of the Institute. Gary, who manages the process development activities at CCFRA and is an IFTPS Board Member, admirably fulfils this remit in his work to extend the CCFRA training programme on heat processing to locations beyond the UK. He and his team are currently extending training based on the CCFRA course on Thermal Processing: a safe approach to South Africa, Thailand, Ireland and Denmark, as well as to several UK sites. Over the last two years Gary´s team has worked in Peru, Venezuela, Russia, Italy, Thailand, Germany, Turkey, Jamaica, Poland, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Hungary, Belgium, Ireland and the UK. Contact: Gary Tucker HACCP training for Europe 
CCFRA has been awarded a major EU contract to deliver a total of twenty 5-day HACCP workshops in Europe. This is part of a new initiative of the European Commission on Better Training for Safer Food, aimed at organising a training strategy in the areas of food and feed laws, animal health and welfare rules and plant health rules. Held in Budapest, Porto and the UK, the HACCP courses are mainly for public authority staff of EU Member States responsible for controls of food and feed businesses: 20% of participants will be from third countries. Ten courses will be concerned with the implementation and maintenance of control procedures based on HACCP principles in accordance with EU legislation and/or international standards. The other ten will focus on the development of the ability to conduct a detailed audit to verify implementation of HACCP systems by food and feed business operators and compliance with food and feed hygiene requirements, taking into account appropriate business quality assurance programmes. All course applications must be channelled through the Competent Authority in Member States or third countries. CCFRA has over two decades of experience in training programmes associated with HACCP procedures, and is a leading training, advisory and audit organisation in all aspects of HACCP for the food and drink industries, from farm to fork. Contact: Robert Gaze Hygiene and labelling legislation Recent updates for subscribers to CCFRA´s manual UK Food Law notes cover changes to the legislation on labelling, hygiene and soft drinks; revisions to the sections on novel foods, organic foods and dairy products are underway. This guide, purposely written for technical managers and directors, includes sections covering generic legislation such as general food law, consumer protection and contact materials, and chapters on product-specific legislation such as cereal products, dairy, beverages, meat and fish. Written by highly experienced food and environment legislation advisors and widely used by industry, it is published in loose-leaf format, with subscription updates to take account of changes in legislation. Further information, including price, the contents pages and sample pages, are available on request. Contact: Sue Hocking Aseptic Processing New sessions on this popular 2-day workshop include Quality control, Validation, and Problem solving. Together with the regular sessions outlining the engineering, microbiological and technical principles in producing aseptic products, this provides essential guidance to retailers and auditors as well as technical and production personnel. Contact: Training Department New appointment 
Dr. Sam Millar is the new Head of CCFRA´s Cereals & Milling Department. Sam obtained his PhD from the Queen´s University of Belfast in 1994 and then spent a period working at INRA (l´Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique)in France. He joined the RA in 1996, originally in the Cereals & Milling Department, and for the last four years has worked in the Baking & Cereal Processing Department. Sam succeeds Sue Salmon who is leaving the RA after 30 years valuable service at FMBRA and CCFRA. Contact: Sam Millar Novel batch vessel As part of our New Technologies programme* we are currently evaluating a heat exchanger that uses the principle of constant flux control. It was developed by Ashe Morris Ltd, who licence COFLUXTM technologies. 
This simple, innovative batch vessel has potential for several advantages over conventional processing. We are looking in particular at its potential for high-response process control; flexibility in processing varying product volumes and reduction in burn-on of splashes. The vessel is equipped with a sophisticated calorimetry system that enables real-time monitoring of power and enthalpy which could be used to track process reactions. We are looking at whether the system can be used to detect the gelatinisation of starches in order to improve the consistency of ‘cook-out’ in sauces. In addition, the colour and texture of white sauce prepared in a conventional steam pan is being compared with those prepared in the COFLUXTM Contact: Craig Leadley *Member-funded research, co-funded by the Food Processing Faraday Partnership. Welcome to New members CCFRA is delighted to welcome the following new members who joined in February 2006:
Contact: Bertrand Emond or Sally Easton Please notify the Membership Department of any name or address changes with respect to our mailing list. |