Here are FSANZ’s media issues for the week 9/3/17:
Labelling
Results from a recent study in New Zealand say that the existing voluntary approach to country of origin labelling (CoOL) for fruit and veggies isn’t giving consumers the facts they need to make informed choices, with 71% of Kiwis wanting the labelling to be mandatory. This article looks into these survey results and provides a number of facts about CoOL and what it means for NZ.
Junk food should be sold in plain packaging to help people stop overeating, argues one of Britain’s foremost brain researchers who believes that the way fatty and sugary food is packaged triggers signals in the brain that obese people can’t resist. Read more.
Food safety
Did you know ‘gas releaser’ fruits and veggies including avocados, tomatoes, peaches and plums shouldn’t be stored in the fridge as they can make other plant foods spoil faster? This article looks at which foods should have priority for fridge real estate in order to keep your groceries safe.
Tasmanian police have warned people who have been offered free or cheap beef this week not to accept it, after cattle believed to have consumed lead were stolen from a property and slaughtered. Read more.
Diet and nutrition
An Australian cardiologist is warning that the number of children diagnosed with fatty liver disease could double over the next decade, with already 15 per cent of kids afflicted with the disease. Fatty liver occurs when excess fat accumulates in the liver cells and can lead to potentially deadly cirrhosis of the liver and possibly Type 2 diabetes if left untreated. Read more.
In case you were wondering what kind of ‘majestic diet’ has kept Queen Elizabeth II sailing strongly into her 90s, look no further: this article not only covers each of her daily meals and snacks, but hears from several nutritionists who say it’s a pretty good regime (spoiler alert: it even includes champagne before bed!)
According to this article, going vegetarian or even vegan can help you lose weight, with the average plant eater’s body mass index found to be lower than that of a meat eater.
Just when you thought you’d reached sainthood by ‘going healthy’, think again: there’s often plenty of sneaky sugar hidden in those fruity bliss balls and nutrient waters, and this article hopes to expose it.
GMO
This article looks at clarity in the labelling and advertising of GMO products in the US—including a local food labelling system which uses a “non GMO” health claim on foods for which GM equivalents do not even exist.
Quirky
Breaking news: everything you’ve ever thought about pineapples has been nothing more than a sweet and tasty lie! This article shares all the cutting-edge details you never knew about everyone’s favourite golden spikey fruit, from its external “berries” to its relationship to pinecones.
APVMA Gazette
Edition No. 5, 7 March 2017 is now available on the APVMA website. As a subscriber, you will receive an email notification each time a new Gazette is published.
CONTENTS
Agricultural Chemical Products and Approved Labels – page 4
Veterinary Chemical Products and Approved Labels – page 8
Approved Active Constituents – page 10
Cancellation of Label Approval at the Request of the Holder – page 12
Cancellation of Label Approval at the Request of the Holder – page 19
Cancellation of Active Constituent at the Request of the Holder – page 20
You can also access back issues of the Gazette from August 1999.
Searching previous editions
If you would like to search previous editions of the Gazette, you can use the search function on the APVMA website by selecting ‘Gazette’ from the dropdown list in the top right-hand corner of the website and typing your keywords into the search box.
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Legislation Update
Biosecurity (Suspended Goods – Uncooked Prawns) Determination 2017
Compilation was published on 8/03/2017
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2017C00185
ATMOsphere Australia will be at Luna Park Sydney on May 2, 2017. The conference will provide a unique opportunity to interact with HVAC&R stakeholders and to exchange opinions with the market’s leading end users. Entry for all end-users is free. To learn more go to ATMOsphere Australia 2017
Imported Food Section Update 9th March 2017
Imported Food Notice 04-17 – Cheese in which the growth of Listeria monocytogenes can occur has been published to advise brokers and importers of updates to the department’s web page for cheese in which the growth of Listeria monocytogenes can occur.
The notice can be accessed via the following link:
http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/goods/food/notices
Rigby Cooke Lawyers
GST on all imported goods is on its way despite unanswered questions – GST on all imported goods is on its way despite unanswered questions
Notification Circular
The latest Notification Circular (07-17) was published on 10 March 2017.
The Circular summarises work currently being undertaken or finalised by FSANZ including:
- A1142 – Addition of Prescribed Method of Analysis for Resistant Starch
Import Industry Advice Notice 21/2017 – 10th March 2017
New AQIS concern type added to the Integrated Cargo System (ICS)
has been published on the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources website and can be accessed via the following link:
http://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/industry-advice/2017/21-2017