Selling products

Selling Products

by Ruth Goodwin ( BGS Government Liaison Officer )

( a summary of food and feed legislation: changes made or proposed )

Latest news can be found on www.food.gov.uk

Note below was posted on BGS website on 27/08/10

Cheese tasting.
This will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.on Friday 10th September 2010 at Easter Parade, Churchill Heath Farm, Kingham, Oxon. OX7 6UJ. Tel: 01608-658929. A huge range of British cheeses will be available. There will be three workshops led by cheese experts Maximum attendance: 36 people. The cost is £85 per person (£35 for additional people from the same company) - 20% discount for Specialist Cheesemakers Association members. Booking forms from: cheese@thecheeseweb.com

More on the IDF World Dairy Summit in Auckland, New Zealand,
This starts on 9.11.10. There will be a one-day conference on leading edge research in Dairy Science & Technology. Four speakers, individually leading researchers in their respective areas, will speak on the microstructure of foods. http://www.wds2010.com/programplus.html

Consultations:
(1) Primary Production Enforcement Guidance.
Of interest to local authority food and feed enforcement officers, farmers engaged in animal feed and food activities and farming organisations. Relevant to the EC Feed Hygiene Regulation (183/2005) and the EC
Food Hygiene Regulation 852/2004. More information from Jacqui Angus, FSA Scotland, 01224-285175
http://www.food.gov.uk/consultations/consultscot/2010/enforcementguidefoodfeedhygiene

(2) Animal By-products (Enforcement)(Scotland) Regulations 2011
This covers, among other things, meat and milk not intended for human consumption. Replies are needed by 15.10.10 further information from Ian Murdoch, Tel: 0300-244-9833.

Food Solutions Newsletter August 2010
If any food producers do not receive this Newsletter they should do so! The August issue contains, among other items, news on Food Hygiene Ratings and Nutrition Declarations.
E-mail bob@food-solutions.org or tel: 01572-812312.

Report to EC on progress in 2009 towards implementation of the UK National Control Plan.
This, the 3rd annual report, will be used by the EC's inspection services, the Food & Veterinary Office, to plan its audits of control arrangements in the UK, and contribute to EC-wide operation of official controls. It can be found at:
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/ncp2009report.pdf
The UK National Control Plan is available at;
http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/regulation/europeleg/feedandfood/ncpuk

Further information from: Rufina Acheampong, tel: 0207-276-8321 or e-mail:
Rufina.Acheampong@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

Note below was posted on BGS website on 12/08/10

International Dairy Federation (IDF)
(1) Dairy nutrition website. There is now a refreshed version of this, to further knowledge of milk and milk products and their positive benefits on nutrition and health.. You can sign up for a newsfeed and the website is now connected to Facebook, Twitter etc. Also the search function has been optimized. There is a glossary and a Dairy Nutrition Network, also a database with peer-reviewed scientific references and abstracts.
http://www.idfdairynutrition.org
(2) World Dairy summit. The programme for this event is now complete, and on the website. It is from 8 - 11 November this year,( not 10/11 as stated earlier,) and is at the SkyCity Convention Centre, Auckland. Register soon if you plan to go as numbers are building up!
http://www.wds2010.com/programplus.html
Of the several conferences to be held, the Dairy Policy and Economics Conference is said to be one of the highlights at this annual Summit.

British Cheese Festival, 24th - 26th September, Cardiff Castle.
Hannah Buck reminds all Specialist Cheesemakers Association members that there will be a SCA cheesemakers stand at the Festival, room for 15 makers or more. This is an opportunity for smaller cheesemakers to show their cheeses. Cost £300 per place. If you want to join, contact Jamie Montgomery or Catherine Mead, a.s.a.p.
jamesmontgomery389@btinternet.com or 07768-856973
cmead@lynherdairies.co.uk

Food Solutions
(1) New booklet.
Bob Salmon has a new booklet for food handlers to remind those working in food businesses of their responsibilities. A foreword by the FSA Director says "If you follow the advice in this booklet you can be sure you're doing all the right things." It costs £4 plus 50p. postage via Paypal.
www.food-solutions.org/food-regs-for-food-handlers.html

(2) July Food solutions e-Newsletter
This has many items if interest and importance for food producers. Go to www.food-solutions.org

Nutraingredients Newsletter.
The Product Newsletter of 13th July deals with Dairy-based Ingredients Information under the following headings is given:
Colostrum may boost immune function after exercise.
Unilever: Slimfast brand name is not a health claim.
Arla develops milk protein for phenylketonurea sufferers.
Carbery targets sports drinks with clean whey..
newsletter@nutraingredients.com

Nutraingredients.com report on 20th July
It has been decided by government that the Food Standards Agency shall be stripped, in England, of its responsibility for nutrition policy, which will go to the Department of Health, and of Country of Origin Labelling, which goes to DEFRA, but it will retain its Food Safety remit. It has not been decided whether the same will happen in the rest of the UK.

FSA consultation: Reducing the risk from E. coli 0157 - controlling cross-contamination.
This consultation is said to be of interest to all food businesses handling both raw and ready to eat foods. It closes on 5th October 2010.
www.food.gov.uk Contact Lauren Lindsay on 01224-285118,
lauren.lindsay@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

Note below was posted on BGS website on 11/07/10

ISO standard on testing fat content of milk extended to cover sheep and goat's milk.
Dairy Industries International (July Issue page 10) states that the ISO 1211/IDF 1 standard provides a test for the fat content of milk and includes guidelines for reporting results. Its aim is to ensure that terms related like skimmed, semi-skimmed and whole-fat all have a common meaning and that brands are all using equivalent measures.

Cheese Awards.
The International Cheese Awards in Nantwich will be held on 27th - 28th July. www.nantwichshow.co.uk
The World Cheese Awards will be held in London in September. www.finefoodworld.co.uk/worldcheeseawards

The EC Proposal for a Food Information regulation.
Working group discussions have continued under the Spanish Presidency, on general and nutritional labelling. Existing food law does cover the responsibilities but clarification is needed regarding information along the food chain,e.g. on use-by dates and during distance selling. It is hoped to exempt charities and one-off events from the requirements. Country of origin labelling needs further discussion as does the list of mandatory nutrients to be included. Should these be given per portion or per 100 grams? And which nutrients should be mandatory and which voluntary? EP members have voted to keep clauses on nutrient profiling in the regulation. Non-prepacked products are excluded. But country of origin labelling for animal products is wanted - this could be very difficult for small businesses. MEP's have apparently voted for dairy ingredients to be included, this could cause big problems, it seems.
More information from Russell Napier, FSA Scotland, tel: 01224-28155.

A new demand for whey.
It seems that on both sides of the Atlantic, whey has graduated from animal feeding to an ingredient of sports drinks The Irish firm Carbery is marketing a "clean tasting" whey drink, for instance.

Cheese Science Conference in New Zealand.
The World Dairy summit in Auckland on 10/11 November will feature a 2-day conference on cheese science, organised by the International Dairy Federation and the Dairy Association of Australia.
http://www.wds2010.com

Note below was posted on BGS website on 29/05/10

RABDF goat farm open day
This will be held on Friday November 5th at the farm of Daniel Lucas, Isle of Abbotts, near Taunton. (There is a GVS meeting the day before so some people may take the opportunity to attend both events!)

IDF Symposium on sheep, goat and other non-bovine milks.
This will be held in Athens on May 16th - 18th 2011. For details e-mail ndcg@aua.gr or write to: Greek National Committee of IDF, Iera Odos 75, 11855, Athens.

Call for healthy milk-based drinks for young people.
The new health & nutrition panel of the Dairy Council, at its first meeting on 13th May, said that the dairy industry should step up efforts to develop healthy milk-based drinks that appeal to young people. "Drinks and snacks to be seen with" are needed, following the decline in popularity of milk among young people. Panel members also discussed the need for academics to defend dairy publicly on the issue of health claims. The sustainability of the dairy industry was also discussed.

American study on differences between organic and conventional cows milk.
A paper by M.O'Donnell et al, "Survey of the fatty acid composition of retail milk differing in label claims based on production management practices", published in the Journal of Dairy Science, reports work carried out at Cornell University on the fatty acid compositions of 292 samples of cows milk including conventional, organic and bovine-somatotrophin-free milks. They were looking for differences in nutritional value. They did find statistically significant differences between conventional and organic milks but did not consider these to be "meaningful". Some differences were desirable, others were undesirable. It was found that feeding cows a fish-oil supplement improved the milk profile.

Research to identify useful bioactive ingredients in milk.
Food for Health Ireland is a collaboration between academic and government research organisations and Ireland's major dairy processing companies. It is looking for milk peptides which could be used to develop new functional food and beverage ingredients. This is done by looking for amino-acid sequences in human, bovine and other mammalian milk proteins which have remained unchanged throughout evolution - a sign that they are performing important functions and are likely to deliver health benefits. Thirty peptides have been identified as worth testing for usefulness.

Note below was posted on BGS website on 27/04/10

A new Operations Group.
This group came into being on the 1st April through the merging of the Food Standards Agency and the Meat Hygiene Service. Official controls, such as dairy hygiene etc., will be delivered through the relevant existing enforcement agencies of the UK, and local authorities. This move is expected to improve food safety and efficiency, and to save about £2 million through office savings.
Further information from Tim.Smith@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk

FSA guidance on the application of date marks for food.
A consultation is available which closes on 18th June, on the revision of the FSA guidance on compliance with the UK Food Labelling Regulations 1996 as amended, which implement Directive 2001/13/EC on labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs. The publication of a new guidance for small businesses is also proposed.
In Scotland, contact Russell.Napier@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk or tel: 01224-285155. A short guide is available

Enforcement of EC Regulation 767/2009 on the marketing and use of animal feed.
A consultation on the new regulation closes on 21st June. The regulation will apply in all MemberStates from 1st September 2010. The proposed changes are extensive and will lead to the repeal of the 2005 Feeding Stuffs Regulations and the publication of a new SI, called (in Scotland) the Animal Feed (Scotland) Regulations 2010.
The consultation (in Scotland) can be seen at:
http://www.food.gov.uk/consultations/consultscot/2010/animalfeedregs2010scot
Comments on what issues you would like to see covered in the new guidance aare asked for: contact simon craig on 01224-285151

FSA consultation on Food Hygiene (Scotland)(Amendment)(No2) Regulation 2010
A similar consultation exists for England etc., and replies are requested by 23rd.June. The hygiene of dairy products is covered, among many other matters. The Scottish consuktation can be seen at:
http://www.food.gov.uk/consultations/consultscot/2010/foodhygieneregs2010scotamend2
Lauren Lindsay on 01224-285118

Specialist Cheesemakers Association.
HRH the Prince of Wales has agreed to extend his patronage of the Association for a further five years,
Members of the Association will know of the excellent articles and legislation updates and farm visits presented in the SCA Newsletter. Anyone currently missing out can join by contacting info@specialistcheesemakers.co.uk or tel:0207-253-2114.
Website: www.specialistcheesemakers.co.uk You do not have to be a cheesemaker to join!

NutraIngredients.com
It is possible to receive free e-amil alerts concerning matters which particularly interest you, e.g.favourable health and nutritional results from concerning dairy products, or indeed other fields of interest.