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LACORs highlights salt and fat in doner kebabs
FEMA GRAS programme and the safety of flavourings
Study finds men and women differ in their ability to suppress hunger 
Vitamin D linked to cognitive performance in the elderly
Could obesity be caught as easily as the common cold?
Shape-controlled catalysis to avoid trans fats
Possible link between caffeine and childhood leukaemia to be probed
Product recalls and alerts
Food safety
Legislation headlines
Other headlines (28/01/09)

LACORs highlights salt and fat in doner kebabs

Some rather over-the-top headlines have accompanied the publication of a report by LACORS (the Local Authority Coordinators of Regulatory Services) on the composition of doner kebabs. The LACORS press release reported that 76 individual local councils collected 494 samples of doner kebabs, which were analysed and found to be inaccurately labelled and to contain high levels of salt, fat and calories.

Döner kebab (Turkish döner kebap, literally "turning roast"), is a Turkish national dish made of meat cooked on a vertical spit and sliced off to order. Although there is a perception that doner kebabs should only contain either only lamb or mutton, many people questioned said that they might also contain beef, goat, or chicken. According to LACORS, feedback from councils suggested that this understanding of what meat should be used in a kebab varied on a regional basis. For instance, in 1998 Leicestershire County Council successfully prosecuted a kebab producer for the supply of doner kebab meat which was not of the substance demanded by the unqualified term 'doner kebab', in that it contained meat of a species other than sheep, namely beef and poultry.  The most authentic method of preparation is to stack seasoned slices of lean meat onto a vertical skewer in the shape of a cylinder. The stack is cooked by radiant infrared heat from electric elements or gas fired burners. Thin slices of the cooked meat are carved from the rotating skewer and filled into a jacket of pita bread which is often accompanied with a choice of sauces and salads. (Notes from the introduction to LACORS report)

A summary of the work on the Food Standards Agency's web site, said that the study found that, without salad and sauces, the average kebab contained 98% of the guideline daily amount (GDA) for salt, nearly 1000 calories, and 148% of the GDA for saturated fat. LACORS also found mislabelling of kebab meat, with meat species not declared or declared wrongly. In some instances, pork was present in samples labelled as Halal.  Only one third of the kebab samples analysed consisted of sheep meat alone.  In 128 samples, LACORS found that the labelling of the meat content did not comply with present legal requirements.

The full text (26 pages) of the LACORS report on doner kebabs can be accessed (free) from the web site.

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FEMA GRAS programme and the safety of flavourings

John Hallagan and Richard Hall from the Flavor and Extract Manufacturer's Association (FEMA) say that the FEMA GRAS (generally recognised as safe) assessment program is the most extensive and longest running, industry-sponsored GRAS program, with an established record of scientific rigour and transparency. Since their last review of the program in 1995, the authors point out that there have been many significant developments relevant to flavour safety assessment and regulation, with more than 1000 single chemically defined flavouring substances having been evaluated and determined to be FEMA GRAS.

The FEMA GRAS program began in 1960 with an industry survey to find out which flavouring ingredients were then in use in food, after which the FEMA Expert Panel began to evaluate the safety of flavourings using techniques which had not previously been applied, including the use of metabolic studies and structural relationships. In 2004 - 2005, the FEMA Expert Panel also reviewed and revised their criteria for determining the GRAS status of flavourings. Since the 1995 review, the Joint WHO/FAO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the European Food Safety Authority have broadly followed FEMA GRAS principles for assessing flavouring chemicals which has led, in nearly all cases, to parallel results.

Although there is no difference in terms of safety or GRAS status of 2400 single chemically defined flavourings in use in the United States, the origin of a flavouring is important for labelling purposes because the FDA distinguishes between flavours of natural or synthetic origin. In addition to the flavourings substances themselves, flavour adjuvants such as antioxidants, emulsifiers, flavour modifiers and solvents may also need to be assessed for FEMA GRAS status. As well as discussing, at length, the main elements of the FEMA GRAS evaluation program, Hallagan and Hall also explain the functioning of and the restrictions which apply to the FDA's voluntary GRAS notification program, which can be used for substances intentionally added to food.

Also considered are new developments in the FEMA GRAS program, the international make-up of the panel of experts necessitated by the globalisation of the industry, and the role of intake assessments and genotoxicity data in the scientific evaluation of flavour chemicals. The significance of the phrase "under the conditions of intended use" is also examined in detail. (Hallagan & Hall, Food and Chemical Toxicology. 2009, 47 (2): 267-278 .doi:10.1016/j.fct.2008.11.011).

The latest FEMA GRAS List was published on 29 December 2008 in Perfumer & Flavorist . "FEMA GRAS 24".

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Study finds men and women differ in their ability to suppress hunger

A study by an American research team published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown that women may have a lower ability to suppress hunger compared to men, which may lead to gender differences in obesity.

Gene-Jack Wang from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and colleagues at several other organisations, state that failure to control and regulate impulses and desires to eat has been linked to a wide range of problems including obesity.  The UK's Department of Health reports that in England alone, nearly a quarter of men and women are now obese, and if this continues 90% of today's children could be overweight or obese by 2050.  Wang et al. note that the wide range of food available may be contributing to this issue.  They also indicate that there are significant gender differences in the prevalence of obesity and eating disorders. 

The study involved 23 healthy participants, 13 women and 10 men.   Before the study started the recruits completed a questionnaire which included favourite foods, food smells that stimulated or diminished appetite and gave a list of preferred foods including egg-cheese sandwich, cinnamon bun, pizza, hamburger with cheese, fried chicken, lasagne, BBQ rib, ice cream, brownie and chocolate cake.   Each of the participants had three random separate scans using positron emission tomography (PET) and the tracer 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (¹⁸FDG).  This monitored the use of glucose by various regions of the brain.  During scans on a particular scan day, participants were asked to do various things including smell food that had been warmed (to enhance aroma), place a cotton swab impregnated with food on their tongues and describe their favourite foods and how they liked to eat them. The food item was shown to them for 5 minutes and then changed to a different one.  On another scan day,  the scan was similar to the one described above, but this time participants were told to inhibit their desire for food and suppress their feelings of hunger whilst being shown the foods.  The third scan was a control scan with no food presented.  For all three stimulations the study started 17-19 hours after the subject's last meal. 

The scientists found that presenting food stimuli to the subject increased self reports of the desire to eat and increased whole brain metabolism in both men and women.  They also discovered that deliberate inhibition of the desire to eat was effective in reducing the self reports of hunger and desire, again in both men and women.  It was reported, however, that whilst in men the deliberate inhibition of desire to eat showed a decrease in activation of limbic and paralimbic regions of the brain, the same was not true for women.  In men, under these conditions, the brain showed significantly less activation in a number of regions, including the left amygdala, left hypothalamus, left OFT, right striatum, right insula, parahippocampus and cerebellum.  These were all regions which had previously been shown to be activated by food stimuli including pictures, smells, taste, recall or a combination of these.  The study noted that the female participants self reported lower feelings of hunger during the inhibition scan than the men even though brain activation in the appropriate regions was similar to when no inhibition was sought. 

The authors suggest that theirs is the first study which describes gender difference between subjective reports of emotional states and the associated pattern of appropriate brain activation. Wang et al. noted that the limitations of the study included the small sample size, the subjective way in which the effect of stimulation and inhibition were measured and the lack of control for the time of the menstrual cycle.   They concluded that lower cognitive control of brain responses to food stimulation in women compared to men may contribute to gender difference in the prevalence rates of obesity and other eating disorders. (Summary of the work in BBC Health News 20/01/09).

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 Vitamin D linked to cognitive performance in the elderly

Research published in the Journal of Geriatric Psychology and Neurology has identified a relationship between vitamin D and cognitive performance in the elderly.  Based on data from the Health Survey England 2000 (HSE) it has shown that those with higher levels of vitamin D were less likely to be cognitively impaired.

Vitamin D has a number of important roles in the body including maintaining bone health and assisting the immune system as well as aiding the absorption of calcium and phosphorous.  There are three main sources of vitamin D for humans, these being exposure to sunlight, foods like oily fish and other artificially fortified foods. The elderly have a lower capacity to absorb vitamin D from sunlight and so are more reliant on other sources (Science Daily).  Dementia affects approximately 700,000 people in the UK, two thirds of them being women according to the Alzheimer's Society.  It is estimated that dementia costs the UK over £17 billion per year. 

The study used data collected as part of the HSE in 2000. The HSE is a series of surveys about health that are carried out annually and are designed to provide a representative sample of adults in England.  HSE features core health questions and a specific focus each year.  In 2000 the focus was on older people.   In this particular year the survey assessed cognitive behaviour using the Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT).

The researchers from the University of Cambridge, the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter and the University of Michigan (US)  assessed the relationship between cognitive impairment as shown by AMT and the level of vitamin D measured in blood samples.  Vitamin D levels were obtained from just over 1750 people.  In analysing the data, the authors took into account other factors including smoking, alcohol consumption, medical history, the season in which blood was tested, mobility, age and body mass index (BMI).

Results showed that the subjects with the lowest levels of vitamin D were more than twice as likely to be cognitively impaired than those with the highest levels.  It was also discovered that those in the middle range were no more likely to be impaired than those at the highest vitamin D level.  Additionally the researchers discovered that this increased risk was only applicable to men and that women's risk of cognitive deficiency was not related to their vitamin D level although they suggested that this could have been due to differences in BMI.

In conclusion, the authors are quoted as saying that there is growing evidence for previously unsuspected roles of vitamin D in brain development and neuroprotection. While neuroprotective mechanisms are unclear, it is known that vitamin D receptors are present in many cell types including neurons and glial cells. They acknowledge that the cross sectional nature of the study does not allow conclusions to be drawn about cause and effect. They further indicate that due to the nature of the HSE data, results may not be generalized to more diverse populations and that further research is required. Dr Iain Lang, one of the researchers said that this is the first large scale study to identify a relationship between vitamin D and cognitive impairment in later life. He also said that people who have cognitive impairment are at a higher risk of developing dementia.  He added that getting enough vitamin D in northern countries with dark winters can be a large problem especially for the elderly.  It has previously been proposed that providing vitamin D supplement may be a way of improving bone health,  but current findings suggest it may have other benefits as well.

RSSL's Functional Ingredients Laboratory provides vitamin analysis in a wide range of matrices including drinks, fortified foods, pre-mixes and multi-vitamin tablets. Storage stability studies can be used to ensure that the required levels of vitamins are still available at the end of shelf life. For more information please contact Customer Services on Freefone 0800 243482 or e-mail enquiries@rssl.com

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Could obesity be caught as easily as the common cold?

The BBC TV (UK) recently screened a Horizon documentary (26/01/09) posing the question Why Are Thin People Not Fat? In answer, the programme featured a group of young, lean, healthy volunteers who were asked to eat as much as 3,500 (women) or 5,000 (men) calories a day and not exercise, which they all found hard to do. As part of the programme Horizon explored some of the causes of obesity, which included the controversial suggestion by Professor Nikhil Dhurandhar from the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Louisiana, USA that the highly infectious adenovirus-36, which can be transmitted by coughs, or through dirty hands, could be one of the causes of obesity. 

Dhurandhar's original work was carried out on chickens and mice and it was reported that the adenovirus-infected animals gained weight more quickly than the uninfected ones, even when the same amount of food was consumed. Because it would be unethical to inject human subjects with a virus, to investigate this matter further, Dhurandhar and his team, took blood samples from 1000 patients at an obesity clinic who were tested for antibodies to Adenovirus-36.  It was found that the 20 % of the patients, who had contracted the virus at some point, were significantly heavier than their antibody-negative counterparts. 

In a different study, it was found that obese adults were nearly three times more likely to carry the adenovirus than non-obese adults.  Results showed that the virus infected the lungs and then spread through the body to various organs and tissues such as the liver, kidney, brain and fat tissue.  It is thought that once the virus reached the fat tissues it replicated, producing more copies of itself which consequently increased the number of fat cells in the host's tissue.  Dhurandhar claimed that the virus continued to promote weight gain long after the infected host recovered from their cough or cold. In addition, the host could remain infectious for up to three months after recovery.  However, while he acknowledged that it was likely that adults could become obese through numerous other molecular mechanisms besides viral infections, he said that a vaccine to combat this kind of 'infectobesity' could be available for trials within 5 or 10 years.

However, British obesity experts have raised doubts as to whether there is a link between obesity and adenovirus.  Dr Ian Campbell, a GP and medical director of the charity Weight Concern, was quoted as saying that a virus will never be the reason for there being an obesity epidemic as there are too many other contributing factors.  Dr Tam Fry, chair of the Child Growth Foundation added this theory has been around for 10 years and there has not been a comparable study to support it.  He concluded by saying that sensible eating and exercise are the major components of weight control. (More information in the Telegraph, 26/01/09).

Writing in the BBC News Magazine (22/01/09) Katie Fraser gives further background information and details of the eating experiment carried out by Horizon, which was stimulated by interest in a 1967 study carried out by Ethan Sims with inmates from Vermont State Prison in the US. Sims recruited inmates to eat as much as they could to gain 25% of their bodyweight, in return for early release from prison.  Even though some inmates managed to eat as much as 10,000 calories/day Sims concluded that for some body types getting obese was just impossible. 

Amongst the Horizon volunteers there seemed to be several different reasons why none of them gained much weight. Some showed an increase in basal metabolic rate (as much as 30% in one instance). One volunteer gained muscle rather than fat. Two of the female volunteers seemed to keep their weight down by becoming increasingly fidgety as the experiment wore on. Another male volunteer found he simply could not eat more than a certain amount before he wanted to vomit. Dr Rudy Leibel of Colombia University, believes that the Horizon study supports his idea that people have a biologically determined natural weight, which the body endeavours to stick to, whether it be fat or thin.

One other aspect of the Horizon programme, which highlighted another possible key to obesity, was the experiment introduced by Professor Jane Wardle of University College London.  She observed the behaviour of a group of children who had already had their lunch and were then offered a plate of tempting biscuits. There was a clear distinction between those children who kept on eating the biscuits, even though they were full, and those who ignored them and carried on with their drawing and colouring. 

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Shape-controlled catalysis to avoid trans fats

Trans fats are found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies and snacks. They are there mainly because the partially hydrogenated vegetable oils in which they form have a beneficial effect on the shelf life of such products.  Unfortunately, trans fatty acids have been shown to have an adverse effect on human health. However, new shape-controlled catalysts might produce less of the damaging trans isomers.

In the journal Nature Materials, Professor Francisco Zaera and his colleagues from the University of California-Riverside and the University of Lyon in France, describe a catalytic process for the selective formation of cis-olefins which would help minimize the production of unhealthy trans fats during the partial hydrogenation of edible oils.  They explain that most solid catalysts consist of an active phase, usually an expensive transition metal, finely dispersed on to a high-surface-area porous support. The resulting small particles possess not only the high surface-to-volume ratios needed to function but also show a wide variety of shapes and surface structures. Model systems comprising single crystals and ultra-high vacuum conditions have indicated that different surface planes can reveal very different chemistries. It appeared possible that such differences could be usefully employed to improve catalytic selectivity by controlling surface structure.

By applying these principles to their own work, Zaera and his team found that temperature programmed data from single crystals showed that  the isomerisation of trans olefins to the cis configuration was promoted by (111) facets of platinum, which are close-packed surfaces. This selectivity was reversed on more open surfaces. Quantum mechanics calculations suggested that the extra stability of the cis-olefins seen on hydrogen-saturated Pt(111) surfaces may have been due to a lesser degree of surface reconstruction which allowed better adsorption on to the close-packed platinum surfaces. The scientists showed that the platinum catalyst performed best at favouring the cis-isomers, when its nano particles assumed tetrahedral shapes, with the atoms arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice. Amongst the various unique aspects of this work highlighted by the authors was the fact that the shape control in supported catalysts was achieved using novel self-assembly chemistry.

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Possible link between caffeine and childhood leukaemia to be probed

Research is underway to investigate whether the consumption of caffeine during pregnancy is related to the occurrence of leukaemia in childhood. Dr Marcus Cooke of the University of Leicester's Department of Cancer Studies and Genetics is leading the study, funded by World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) UK. Cooke's team is collaborating with the Department of Health Risk Analysis and Toxicology, at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

Approximately 7000 people are diagnosed annually in the UK with leukaemia, a cancer of the bone marrow and white blood cells. Whilst being the most common type of childhood cancer (35% of all reported cases), it is still regarded as rare, with only 1 in 10 (around 500 per annum) diagnoses being in children, with the rest being in other age groups.

Dr Cooke believes that this study offers a unique opportunity to identify sources of chromosomal mutations during pregnancy. It is known that caffeine is able to pass across the placenta, but so far scientists have found no evidence associating caffeine exposure to an increased cancer risk despite caffeine being demonstrated to cause DNA changes. However, caffeine has been implicated as a factor in low birth weight and associated with an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes in adulthood.

While childhood leukemia could be initiated by DNA alterations in the fetus, scientists believe that a secondary trigger would be required prior to the development of leukaemia. So far there is no single proven cause of leukemia, although exposure to radiation (caffeine is a radiosensitiser) and/or an uncharacteristic response to a common infection may be involved.

The study will monitor the caffeine intakes of 1340 pregnant women. After birth, the blood sample taken routinely from the new-born baby's heel will be tested for DNA changes. If a trend is apparent, more specific studies will be required in order to determine whether any DNA changes observed result in an increased risk of leukaemia. There is also the possibility of further expanding the project to assess the impact of other DNA-damaging agents, or collecting further lifestyle and dietary data from the pregnant women to explore other risk-increasing factors.

Previous research assessing cancer risk with caffeine consumption has suggested a link with cancers of the pancreas and kidney, however this risk was deemed unlikely by a WCRF/AICR Expert Report. Current advice from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is for pregnant women to consume no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day (2 cups of coffee).  This advice is supported by WCRF UK. (From ScienceDaily, 26/01/09).

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Product recalls and alerts

**Lärabar recalls all peanut butter snack bars
**From Ireland
**From Australia and New Zealand
**From Canada
**From the US
**European Rapid Alerts for week 4
**Links to recall web sites
**Recall web sites for halal and kosher foods

**Lärabar recalls all peanut butter snack bars
The Food Standards Agency has issued an updated Food Alert for Information concerning the recall of some Lärabar Peanut Butter Cookie flavour snack bars because of the possible presence of Salmonella Typhimurium. On a precautionary basis, the recall has been extended to all Lärabar Peanut Butter Cookie flavour snack bars.

**From Ireland

• The Food Safety Authority of Ireland hereby lifts Alert Notification 2008:09 Updates 1 & 2. Pork and pork products previously on hold following Update 2 can now be put back on sale, if within expiry date.  This update relates to the recall of Irish pork due to fears that pigs had received feedstuffs contaminated with dioxins. The levels of dioxins were found to be in breach of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 setting maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs. Consequently, on 6 December 2008, the FSAI required the food industry to recall from the market all Irish pork products produced from pigs slaughtered in Ireland from 1 st September 2008.

**From Australia and New Zealand

• Heinz Australia is undertaking a precautionary recall Heinz BBQ Sauce with Honey and Black Pepper.  A small batch of this product was incorrectly labelled and consequently does not declare the presence of wheat and soy.

**From Canada

• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Hygaard Fine Foods EST 318 are warning the public not to consume certain Hygaard brand sandwich products because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

**From the US

• As a precautionary measure, Stonewall Kitchen of York, Maine is voluntarily recalling seven dessert sauces because they have the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum

Recalls due to the Salmonella outbreak associated with peanut butter supplied by Peanut Corporation of America:

• Falcon Trading Company/SunRidge Farms of Pajaro, CA is voluntarily recalling certain Naturally Preferred Honey Nut Nuggets, SunRidge Chocolate Energy Bar, SunRidge Tropical Golden Nugget and SunRidge Energy Nuggets. 
• Trader Joe's  expands its voluntary recall to include Trader Joe's Sliced Green Apples With All Natural Peanut Butter, 7-ounce (UPC 92459) .
• In cooperation with the FDA, Kellogg Company are voluntary recalling two varieties of ShopRite brand peanut butter sandwich crackers.
• Supreme Protein, Inc. is updating its announcement that it is voluntarily certain Supreme Protein® brand Peanut Butter Crunch Bars and Caramel Nut Bars.
• Whole Foods Market announced a recall of its Whole Foods Carob Energee Nuggets in four states.
• Amway Global is initiating a voluntary recall on three NUTRILITE® energy bars
• North Little Rock-based Brent and Sam's announced a voluntary recall of one flavor of Sam's Choice Cookies.
• North Little Rock-based Brent and Sam's announced a voluntary recall of two flavors of Archer Farms cookies.         
• Aspen Hills, Inc. is announcing a voluntary recall of certain cookie dough products
• The South Bend Chocolate Company announced they have extended their voluntary recall of candy to additional products.
• Rain Creek Baking Corporation announces a voluntary withdrawal of Sinbad and Rain Creek Baking Company branded dessert products.
• Chef Jay's Food Products announced a voluntary recall of some of its branded food products that contain peanut butter
• General Nutrition Centers, Inc. (GNC) announced that it is initiating a precautionary, voluntary recall of certain lots of its GNC Triflex Peanut Butter Soft Chews product sold in 60 count containers UPC 048107036942, lot numbers ending in 8275 and 8255.
• Jimmy's Chocolate Chip Cookies, Inc. of Fair Lawn, NJ is recalling Jimmy's Cookies and One Smart Cookie Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk cookies in retail pack sizes 4 oz, 12.5 oz, and 18 oz. and cookie dough in 15 lb, 20 lb and 25 lb foodservice pack sizes with pack dates 12/4/08 - 1/14/09. 
• Arbonne International, LLC ("Arbonne") announced the voluntary recall of certain lots of its Arbonne Figure 8 Peanut Butter Chews.
• Parker Products, Inc. is announcing a voluntary recall of certain Peanut Butter products
• Trader Joe's issued a voluntary recall for three private label products: Peanut Butter Chewy Coated & Drizzled Granola Bars, 7.4-ounce (UPC 88713), Nutty Chocolate Chewy Coated & Drizzled Granola Bars 7.4-ounce (UPC 88721) and Sutter's Formula Cookies, 16-ounce (SKU 00176)
• SOPAKCO, Inc., of Mullins, South Carolina, is voluntarily recalling certain Sure-Pak 12 Meals

**European Rapid Alerts for week 4
The results of rapid alerts for week 4 (up to 23/01/2009) are now available on the Europa web site.

**Links to recall web sites
For UK product recalls visit the Food Standards Agency's  Food Alerts and Allergy Alert web sites.
For US product recalls visit the USDA's  Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) web sites.
For product recalls in Australia and New Zealand visit the FSANZ web site.
For Canada go to The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
For Ireland go to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

**Recall web sites for halal and kosher foods
Food e-News does not cover product recalls and mislabelling alerts for Kosher or Halal products. If you need information on these please go to the London Beth Din Kashrut Division where there is a facility on the home page to access the  kosher alerts system.  For US Kosher alerts please go to  Kashrut.com  and follow the link labelled 'Consumer Kashrut Alerts' for Kosher alerts. For Halal alerts go to the Muslim Consumer Group web site, which also outlines the criteria used to judge if products are halal or not.

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Food safety

**Bisphenol A may stay in body longer than thought
**USDA needs to be more aware of new transgenic plants and animals
**Grant awarded to researcher to study food safety at child care centres
**Subsidiary of Maple Leaf Foods tested positive for listeria
**Two studies find some high-fructose corn syrups contain mercury
**FSA calls for views on new sweetener and prebiotic
**Industry criticise study on pollutants in fish oil supplements
**Bread may contain rat hairs and droppings
**Report calls for regulation of nanotechnology
**UK's new Food and Environment Research Agency
**US needs to modernize  its food safety system
**Fonterra denies it allowed melamine in milk
**Animal diseases updates and food poisoning outbreaks
**The Food Safety Network

**Bisphenol A may stay in body longer than thought
FlexNews.com (28/01/09) reports that data from 1,469 American adults suggests that bisphenol A (BPA), a compound used in food packaging materials, plastic consumer goods and medical devices, may stay in the body longer than previously thought.  Generally it had been assumed that BPA was quickly metabolised and eliminated from the body in the urine.  However, when Dr Richard Stahlhut from the University of Rochester and his colleagues determined the level of BPA in the adults who had taken part in a US government health survey (NHANES), it was found that even those who had fasted for a whole day, still had significant levels of the substance in their urine. the results also suggested that BPA may get into the body via other sources as well as food, eg. tap water or house dust. The full text of Stahlhut's article is available (free) in Environmental Health Perspectives, doi:10.1289/ehp.0800376.

**USDA needs to be more aware of new transgenic plants and animals
According to an article in the New Scientist (24/01/09) an auditor from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the US Department of Agriculture has stated that the USDA must increase its monitoring of  international developments in transgenic plants and animals.  If the USDA does not do so, it will be unaware of a particular new plant or animal which might pose a risk to the food supply.  It is predicted that the number GM crops and traits, and the number of countries producing them will double by 2015, increasing the risk that GM crops, completely unknown to the USDA, will be imported. The report suggests that the USDA needs to be prepared to test or identify new GM products and to strengthen their links with countries such as China, India and Brazil where research in this area is growing. (New Scientist).

**Grant awarded to researcher to study food safety at child care centres
A researcher from the University of Clemson has been awarded a grant from the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative (USDA sponsored programme) to study child care centres across the US States of Carolina. Carolinas.  The study will include investigating safety results from 100 licensed child care centres and involve collecting samples from foods and surfaces.  The samples will be analysed for 7 pathogens, 2 viruses and 1 parasite.  According to Angela Fraser associate professor and food safety specialist at Clemson University, children who are in day care are three times more likely to get a food related illnesses than those who are not and those under five are more prone to have severe complications.  The results of the study will be used to train child care workers.  (Upstate Today)

**Subsidiary of Maple Leaf Foods tested positive for Listeria
Meat products from Cappola Food Inc a subsidiary of Maple Leaf Foods have again tested positive for Listeria.  Cappola Food Inc makes delicatessen meat for the Canadian and US market.  A spokesman for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Paul Mayers, has stated that the infected meat has been destroyed and the source of the infection is under investigation. He also goes on to say that there is no evidence of any illnesses and no warning or recalls have been published. Maple Leaf Foods is still recovering from last summer's listeriosis outbreak, which killed at least 20 people across Canada and prompted the Prime Minister Stephen Harper to call for a review of the country's food inspection practices. (The Associated Press)

**Two studies find some high-fructose corn syrups contain mercury
Two studies by researchers have found detectable levels of mercury in commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  The first study which is published in Environment Health found that nine of twenty samples tested had detectable levels of mercury, whilst the second study found that nearly one in three of 55 brand-name foods contained mercury.  HFCS is found in foods including bread, breakfast bars, cereals and yogurts, where it is used a sweetener.  The use of mercury cells to produce caustic soda is the cause of the contamination, since the contaminated caustic soda is subsequently used in the production of HFCS.  Mercury-free HFCS ingredients do exist.   The co-author of both studies is quoted as saying that mercury is toxic in all its form and considering how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered.  They go on to say that they are calling for change by the industry and UDSA to help stop this contamination. (Washington Post) 

**FSA calls for views on new sweetener and prebiotic
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is seeking views on isomalto-oligosaccharide (IMO) as a novel food ingredient.  Bioneutra Inc has applied to use IMO as a nutritive sweetener and prebiotic in powder and syrup form in beverages, cereal products and sugar confectionery as well as in meal replacement bars and meals.  When a product is introduced into the European market it has to be assessed for safety.  In the UK, the assessment of novel foods is carried out by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP), a committee appointed by the Food Standards Agency.

**Industry criticise study on pollutants in fish oil supplements
A new study  published in the Journal of Food Science which examined levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in 30 fish oil supplements available in Canada has been criticized by industry as being 'misleading' and 'sensationalist'.  The scientists investigated fish oil supplements brought in Vancouver, Canada between 2005 and 2007. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine insecticide (OC) compounds which are persistent organic pollutants were found in the tested supplement samples. The omega 3 industry has criticised the study as the levels detected did not exceed acceptable intake levels. (Nutraingredients USA)

**Bread may contain rat hairs and droppings
The UK's National Pest Technicians Association (NPTA) claims that rat hairs and droppings may be getting into bread. They indicate that after a glut of wheat and mild winters which caused the rat population to rise by more than 20%,  the recent cold weather has forced rats to seek shelter in stores.  This has caused the worst contamination problem in 30 years. The NPTA added that hair and droppings had more chance of getting into wholemeal bread as it was less processed. The NFU, however, disputed the claims and indicated that wheat for human consumption was stored carefully, typically in metal containers, and checked thoroughly before use. It added that a rigorous assurance scheme was in place for producers of wheat for human consumption. The National Association of British and Irish Millers said shoppers could be confident that their bread was not contaminated. (Guardian.co.uk)

**Report calls for regulation of food nanotechnology
In a report entitled "Nanotechnology in the Food Sector", the Centre for Technology Assessment based in Switzerland (TA-Swiss) has indicated that existing food and chemical legislation should be amended in relation to nanoparticles in packaging and food products. It also points out that nanotechnology has been a focus of consumer concerns over safety and that manufacturers and retailers should act to stem these fears. The report looked at the use of nanotechnology in the packaging industry, which is currently ahead of its food preparation counterpart, and investigated the possibility of food picking up nanoparticles from packaging and the dangers that could arise as a result. It concludes that the danger was dependent on the how the technology was applied. It has been estimated that by 2015, the nanotechnology industry will employ 10 million people across Europe and be worth up to 2000bn Euros. (FoodProductionDaily.Com)

**UK's new Food and Environment Research Agency
A new executive agency of the Department of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the  Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) will come into existence on 1 April 2009. Adrian Belton the Chief Executive of Fera has said its purpose is to support and develop a sustainable food chain, a healthy natural environment and to protect the global community from biological and chemical risks. Fera has been formed by the merger of Defra's Plant Health Division (PHD), including the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI), Defra's Plant Variety Rights and Seeds Office (PVS) and the Central Science Laboratory (CSL). 

** US needs to modernize  its food safety system
According to an article by Reuters, the US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has said that the United States needs to modernize its food safety system before it decides whether to reorganise agencies that inspect and regulate food.   He has stated that the goal of the system would be prevention, if it can't be prevented early detection and if something occurs mitigate any adverse impacts. The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for 80 percent of the U.S. food supply, including fruits, vegetables, and processed foods.  The USDA has responsibility for food like eggs, red meat and poultry. The recent salmonella outbreak from peanut butter has been linked to7 death and 491 cases of illness in 43 states.  Due to this outbreak over 125 products have been recalled. Vilsack states that the USDA is concerned that tainted peanut butter could get into school lunch and other nutrition programs which the department administers but is not involved in the recall or investigation. The article states that some critics have suggested the government should create a single food safety agency. (Reuters).

**Fonterra denies it allowed melamine in milk
Representatives of the New Zealand dairy company Fonterra have reacted angrily to suggestions by the former chairman of the Sanlu group, that Fonterra allowed the continued production of infant milk at the Sanlu plant after it knew about the melamine contamination. The Chinese state media reported that Sanlu had decided to continue to add melamine to its milk after the problem became known on 1 August 2008.  However, levels were limited to 10 mg/kg, after Sanlu received a document stating that European Union legislation permitted up to 20 mg/kg in food products. Fonterra's chief executive claimed that Sanlu board meeting minutes would show that Fonterra had clearly advised that there should be a zero tolerance of melamine in milk products. More in FlexNews.com (28/01/09).

**Animal diseases updates and food poisoning outbreaks
Regular global updates on food poisoning outbreaks and animal diseases, such as avian influenza, foot and mouth, Ebola, SARS, and Anthrax can be found on the International Society for Infectious Diseases 'ProMED-mail' web site. 

**The Food Safety Network
The International Food Safety Network (iFSN) at Kansas State University provides research, commentary, policy evaluation and public information on food safety issues.  An international repository of food safety-related information, FSN offers consumer, student and industry outreach services, information research, on-line resources, collaborative projects, evaluation and analysis, and a capacity to address current and emerging food safety concerns.

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Legislation headlines

**FSA consults on update to food irradiation regulations
**Tighter EU environment legislation will hit turkey farmers
**Seafish fact sheet on omega-3 claims
**EU food legislation summary July - December 2008
**FSA update on EU feed and food controls
**Latest EFSA flavouring evaluations
**EFSA opinions on pesticide MRLs
**Metrics for ecotoxicological effects of pesticides in soil
**RSSL's new authenticity test for basmati rice
**FSA consults on update to food irradiation regulations
**Good Importer Practice - Guidance document from the FDA

**Tighter EU environment legislation will hit turkey farmers
The cost of household staples such as chicken could rise after MEPs voted to increase costs and red tape for poultry farmers under new revised environmental controls meant for heavy industry. If proposals under the revised Integrated Pollution Prevention Control (IPPC) Directive go ahead, poultry thresholds will be lowered bringing in more poultry units, including some seasonal turkey producers and free-range egg units. The current threshold is 40,000 birds.  In addition, farmers currently operating under the IPPC Directive will be burdened further with additional monitoring, reporting requirements and inspections. Farmers Weekly online (26/01/09)

**Seafish fact sheet on omega-3 claims
The Seafish organisation has produced a fact sheet on the labelling requirements and claims which can be made with respect to omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Some of the questions and answers posed by Seafish in relation to claims are taken from the Food Standards Agency Guidance, published in April 2008.

**EU food legislation summary July - December 2008
A summary of EU food legislation, taken from the Legislation Headlines given each week in Food e-News, has been compiled. If you would like a copy, e-mail Di Amor at RSSL.

**FSA update on EU feed and food controls
The Food Standards Agency has published an update on the progress since January 2008 on the measures being taken to apply EU Regulation 882/2004 on official controls in the UK.

**Latest EFSA flavouring evaluations
Flavouring Group Evaluation 10, Revision 1 (FGE10 Rev1)[1] - Aliphatic primary and secondary saturated and unsaturated alcohols, aldehydes, acetals, carboxylic acids and esters containing an additional oxygenated functional group and lactones from chemical groups 9, 13 and 30 - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food (AFC).Published: 27 January 2009.
Flavouring Group Evaluation 77 (FGE77) [1] - Consideration of Pyridine, Pyrrole and Quinoline Derivatives evaluated by JECFA (63rd meeting) structurally related to Pyridine, Pyrrole, Indole and Quinoline Derivatives evaluated by EFSA in FGE.24Rev1 (2008) - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food (AFC).
Flavouring Group Evaluation 29 (FGE29)[1] - Substance from the priority list: Vinylbenzene from chemical group 31 - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food (AFC).
Flavouring Group Evaluation 82 (FGE.82)[1] - Consideration of Epoxides evaluated by JECFA (65th meeting) - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in Contact with Food (AFC)

**EFSA opinions on pesticide MRLs
Reasoned opinion of EFSA: Modification of the existing MRL for clomazone in rice
Reasoned Opinion of EFSA: MRLs of concern for the active substance procymidone, taking into account revised toxicological reference values
Reasoned opinion of EFSA: Modification of the existing MRL for lambda-cyhalothrin in currants
Reasoned opinion of EFSA: Modification of the existing MRLs for mandipropamid in several leafy vegetables
Reasoned opinion of EFSA: Modification of the existing MRL for Indoxacarb in Brussels sprouts

**Metrics for ecotoxicological effects of pesticides in soil
The European Food Safety Authority's Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR) has given its opinion on the usefulness of total concentrations and pore water concentrations of pesticides in soil as metrics for the assessment of ecotoxicological effects.

**RSSL's new authenticity test for basmati rice
Reading Scientific Services Ltd (RSSL) has developed a reliable DNA screening method for identifying adulteration of basmati rice. The method has been validated on all of the commercially available varieties of basmati rice and has been designed to give suppliers and consumers confidence in the accuracy of product labelling. The method can be used in two ways. A basic version of the method will identify the presence of any other non-Basmati rice present in the product, and will establish if the amount of Basmati achieves the minimum level of 93% set by Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1549/04. Then, for samples that are to be labelled as a single Basmati rice variety, the method can also be used to verify whether or not the declared Basmati rice is indeed the variety present. The EU Commission Regulation 1549/04 defines nine Basmati varieties: Basmati 370, Dehradun (Type 3), Ranbir Basmati, Basmati 386, Super Basmati, Taraori, Kernel, Pusa Basmati and Basmati 217. Other Basmati rice varieties approved by India, Pakistan, and the UK include Basmati 198, Basmati 385, Haryana Basmati, Kasturi, Mahi Suganda, and Punjab Basmati. The RSSL method is based on DNA profiling and has been proven by taking part in a ring trial organised by the FSA. The method will give organisations involved in handling rice a robust and reliable means of authenticating their supplies. (Also discussed in FoodNavigator.com).

**FSA consults on update to food irradiation regulations
The Food Irradiation (England) Regulations 2009, which will replace The Food (Control of Irradiation) Regulations 1990, as amended, in as far as they apply in relation to England. Following the Better Regulation Task Force's report "Less is More" , the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is developing a rolling programme of regulatory simplification to reduce the administrative burdens of FSA regulations. One of the Agency's objectives for the near future is to revise existing UK regulations on food irradiation and to this end it is carrying out a consultation on the new food irradiation regulation.  Comments should be sent to Christopher Thomas, Food Standards Agency (FSA), Tel: 020 7276 8728, Fax: 020 7276 8788 by 27 April 2009.

**Good Importer Practice - Guidance document from the FDA
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released its Good Importer Practices draft guidance document, which provides recommendations to importers on actions to take to ensure the products they import are in compliance with U.S. safety and security rules. The document has been issued in response to recommendations contained in the Action Plan for Import Safety: A Roadmap for Continual Improvement issued on Nov. 6, 2007. The agencies who developed this draft guidance are: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Dept. of Agriculture, the Dept. of Commerce, the Dept. of Health and Human Services (FDA), the Dept. of Homeland Security, the Dept. of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as with input from the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. This guidance document is intended for use by the importer that initiates or causes the entry or attempted entry of foreign-sourced products into the U.S. or the reimportation of U.S.-made products for commercial purposes to help ensure that such products are safe and comply with applicable U.S. requirements. This document can also be used to ensure the safety and security of products that are domestically produced.

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Other headlines (28/01/09)

**FSA and ESRC to explores food choices
**Soil Association changes view on in air freight
**Advert compares wholegrain bread with breakfast cereal
**Cutting calories may boost memory

**FSA and ESRC to explores food choices
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) are seeking applications to carry out research that will explore how people make choices about the food they eat.

**Soil Association changes view on in air freight
UK-based organic body The Soil Association (SA) has dropped plans to ban air freighted goods from inclusion in its organic certification scheme. The Soil Association is quoted as saying that following a lengthy consultation process on proposed new labelling standards, which produced 300 responses, it had decided to include foods transported by air.  A spokesperson for the SA emphasised that airfreight is "not used widely", with less than 1% of organic food being transported by air. (From Just-Food.com 27/01/09).

**Advert compares wholegrain bread with breakfast cereal
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint made about a magazine advert for Hovis Wholemeal bread which showed two slices of bread in a toaster accompanied by text which asked "have you tried delicious hovis wholemeal?", then stated that "just 2 slices provides you with 33% more wholegrain than a bowl of cereal*".  The asterisk was linked to text at the bottom of the ad that stated "*Comparison based on a 30g bowl of Bitesize Shredded Wheat and 2 slices of medium sliced Hovis Wholemeal".  Warburtons Ltd and a member of the public believed the advert was misleading because the comparison between the amount of wholegrain in two slices of bread and a bowl of cereal was based on a 30 g bowl of Bitesize Shredded Wheat, which was smaller than the recommended portion size of 45 g. The ASA noted that the manufacturer-recommended portion of Bitesize Shredded Wheat was 45 g and that, if that portion size was used, two slices of Hovis Wholemeal bread would not provide 33% more wholegrain than a bowl of Bitesize Shredded Wheat. It therefore agreed with the complainants that the advert was misleading.

**Cutting calories may boost memory
There is growing interest in caloric restriction on the basis that it may help to increase lifespan.  However, recent research carried out in Germany suggests it may also help to improve memory. According to a summary in PNAS, work in rats has shown that decreasing calories or increasing unsaturated fatty acids helps improve memory in an aging brain, but studies in humans have been lacking. In a new interventional study, Veronica Witte et al. report that restricting calorie intake by up to 30% increased memory function in a group of elderly men and women. To investigate the possible effects of calorie restriction or increased unsaturated fatty acids, Witte et al. studied these factors in a group of 50 individuals with an average age of 60 years. The researchers divided the participants into 3 groups. One group restricted calorie intake by up to 30%, the second group increased their consumption of unsaturated fatty acids by up to 20%, and the third group acted as a control. After 3 months, using memory-retention testing as a proxy for brain function, the restricted-calorie group showed an increase in verbal memory scores whereas the other 2 groups did not. Decreased levels of insulin and markers of inflammation correlated with improved memory scores in the calorie-restricted group. The authors say their results offer a route for exploring the role of insulin and inflammation on aging-related cognitive decline. (BBC Health News (28/01/08) and Witte et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) ).

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This Newsletter was posted on: 28 January 2009

RSSL endeavours to check the veracity of news stories cited in this free e-mail bulletin by referring to the primary source, but cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies in the articles so published. RSSL provides links to other World Wide Web sites as a convenience to users, but cannot be held responsible for the content or availabilty of these sites. This document may be copied and distributed provided the source is cited as RSSL's Food e-News and the information so distributed is not used for profit.