TheMeatSite Newsletter - 7 February 2012

TheMeatSite Weekly Newsletter

Wednesday 8th February 2012

Our Sponsors Helping keep you updated for free!

Home About Meat Processing News Online Shop Livestock Photo Library Recipes SEARCH

Welcome to this week's newsletter

EDITORIAL: Irradiation Back on the Agenda for Food Safety

A new report published by the European Commission (EC) reveals that more than 9,000 tonnes of food were irradiated in the European Union in 2010.

According to the report, entitled Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council of Food and Food Ingredients treated with ionising radiation for the year 2010, the process was used in 11 member states for a whole range of foods, which included poultry, fish and shellfish, egg products and meat.

The quantities treated are small compared to the total volume of food produced in the EU and there are strict controls on its use.

The 11 counties that are using irradiation for foods are Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Spain, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania.

Meanwhile, a new ISO standard is providing state-of-the art requirements for food irradiation.

The standard is designed to benefit manufacturers, irradiation operators, regulators, customers and, ultimately, consumers.

ISO 14470:2011, Food irradiation – Requirements for the development, validation and routine control of the process of irradiation using ionising radiation for the treatment of food, not only provides requirements, but also guidance for meeting them.

Mariana Funes and Noelia Antonuccio, the two project leaders of the committee that developed the standard, said: "ISO 14470 will contribute to confidence and transparency among the different stakeholders operating in the food sector and will help provide regulators and consumer representatives with improved information on products, enabling better choices.”

In New Zealand, a recent large decrease in campylobacter infection from fresh poultry has also resulted in a significant drop in a neurological condition, which can result in paralysis or death.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), an auto-immune condition, which affects the nervous system, is known to sometimes follow campylobacter infection. GBS causes paralysis that often requires patients to be ventilated in the intensive care units of hospitals. Although patients with GBS usually recover over weeks or months, it can leave permanent disability and is sometimes fatal (three per cent in New Zealand).

New Zealand used to have the highest reported rate of campylobacter infection in the world, until stricter regulations on the processing of fresh chicken were applied from 2006 by the Food Safety Authority (now part of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry). These stricter regulations were followed by a 50 per cent fall in campylobacteriosis notifications and hospital admissions in 2007.

A new study in the US by food safety researchers at Drexel University demonstrates that plasma can be an effective method for killing pathogens on uncooked poultry. The proof-of-concept study was published in the January issue of the Journal of Food Protection.

The value of using plasma "is that it is non-thermal, so there is no heat to cook or alter the way the food looks," said lead author Brian Dirks, a graduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Chris Harris

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 6 new features this week:

Loyalty Cards Help to Trace Salmonella Outbreak
An outbreak of salmonella poisoning in France towards the end of last year was traced to dried pork sausage from one producer thanks to the use of supermarket loyalty cards, writes TheMeatSite Editor in Chief, Chris Harris.

Scientists Find Meat Quality Biomarkers
Scientists use modern technology to develop tools that slaughterhouses and pig producers can use to predict meat quality.

Australian Outlook: Global Beef Demand
One of the major negatives to loom over the Australian beef industry in 2012, if not the largest, is the continued economic malaise which has plagued advanced economies in recent years.

Nutrient Data for the New Year
Federal rules published in 2010 require specific meat and poultry products to carry new nutrition information starting from the beginning of this year according to the USDA ARS.

Outlook for Irish Pig Sector 2012
Over the last two years the Irish pig industry has experienced the lowest profitability in more than a generation, according to Michael McKeon from Teagasc's Pig Development Department in his outlook for pigs in 2011/12.

Positive Outlook for Irish Cattle in 2012
Cattle prices in 2011 for all animal age categories have been substantially higher than in 2010, and this has led to an increase in the value of cattle production on Irish farms, write James Breen and Kevin Hanrahan in their cattle outlook for 2011/12.

Company News

Marel Shows Strong Organic Growth
ICELAND - Meat and food processing equipment company, Marel has shown a 15 per cent increase in revenue over the last eyar rising to €668 million compared to €582 millin in 2010.

Gold Medal for MULTIVAC's HPP Technology
GERMANY - The high pressure processing of packaged food is gaining in importance. In recent years MULTIVAC has further developed this groundbreaking technology in some crucial areas, and for this it is being awarded the International FoodTec Award 2012 at Anuga FoodTec in Cologne.

Meat Industry Market Reports

» USDA International Egg and Poultry Review: Japan Broiler Meat Production

» BPEX Export Bulletin - Week 5

» International Meat Review - 2nd February 2012

» USDA Dairy Products February 2012

Global Meat Industry News