TheMeatSite Newsletter - 16 January 2013

Welcome to this week's newsletter

EDITORIAL: Adulterated Burgers, Food Waste and Regulations Threaten Sustainability

An investigation by the Irish Food Safety Authority has found traces of horse meat in burgers sold in supermarkets across Ireland and the UK.

The investigation also found traces of pig meat in some samples.

The beef burger products which tested positive for horse DNA were produced by two processing plants (Liffey Meats and Silvercrest Foods) in Ireland and one plant (Dalepak Hambleton) in the UK.

They were on sale in Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Lidl, Aldi and Iceland. In nine of the 10 beef burger samples from these retailers, horse DNA was found at very low levels.

However, in one sample from Tesco, the level of horse DNA indicated that horsemeat accounted for approximately 29 per cent relative to the beef content. The FSAI is working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the processing plants and retailers involved.

Meanwhile, a report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in the UK has found that as much as 50 per cent of all food produced around the world is wasted because of inadequate infrastructure and storage facilities, or overly strict sell-by dates, buy-one-get-one free offers in supermarket promotions and consumers demanding cosmetically perfect food.

With UN predictions that there could be about an extra three billion people to feed by the end of the century and an increasing pressure on the resources needed to produce food, including land, water and energy, the Institution is calling for urgent action to tackle this waste.

The report 'Global Food Waste Not Want Not' found that between 1.2-2 billion tonnes of food produced around the world each year never reaches a human stomach and as much as 30 per cent of UK vegetable crops are not harvested because they fail to meet exacting standards based on their physical appearance, while up to half of the food that's bought in Europe and the USA is thrown away by the consumer.

About 550 billion cubic metres of water is wasted globally in growing crops that never reach the consumer and it takes 20-50 times the amount of water to produce 1 kilogram of meat than 1 kilogram of vegetables, the report says.

The demand for water in food production could reach 10–13 trillion cubic metres a year by 2050. This is 2.5 to 3.5 times greater than the total human use of fresh water today and could lead to more dangerous water shortages around the world.

The report also says that there is the potential to provide 60-100 per cent more food by eliminating losses and waste while at the same time freeing up land, energy and water resources.

As the report on global food waste is being digested, French farmers have launched a day of action today (Wednesday 16 January) and will be presenting a petition signed by tens of thousands of French farmers calling for the freedom to be able to farm without legislative restrictions.

"To all those who concoct in their offices environmental regulations that cannot be applied, we say: 'Let us do our job, we are the experts of the earth.'," said François Xavier and Beulin Thabuis from the French farmers union FNSEA.

They added: "Listen to us on the Nitrates Directive, when we ask for a moratorium on the extension of vulnerable areas in the expectation of a scientific study worthy of the name.

"Listen to us on the storage of water, when we say that to store water when it is abundant is the best weapon against drought.

"Listen to us on official programmes, when we denounce the distortions of competition within Europe."

The vociferous French farming lobby is well-known and the effects of the day of action will be keenly observed. The farmers are particularly concerned about the new European nitrates directive which they believe is an administrative monster that threatens French agriculture.

Chris Harris

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 6 new features this week:

Improving Poultry Plant Wastewater Treatment Processes
Improved primary screening of poultry wastewater offers ample opportunity for reducing overall wastewater costs, according to a research team at Georgia Tech Research Institute.

Global Pig Meat Markets Developments
The market environment for meat is changing considerably according to an analysis of recent market trends in the world's major pig meat exporting and importing countries by David Owens of Bord Bia for the Pig Farmers' Conference organised by Teagasc in the Republic of Ireland lasy year.

Effects of Reduced Age at Slaughter on Carcase Traits
Reducing the age of cattle at slaughter does not have a negative impact on beef carcases.

Estonia: Animal Production in 2004–2010
The developments in poultry, pig, beef and milk production in Estonia over the period are outlined by Liina Jurgenson, Head of the Bureau of Animal Products at the Ministry of Agriculture in a report entitled 'Animal Breeding in Estonia 2004–2011' from Estonian Animal Breeding Association.

With Hot Air Treatment, Bacteria Fly the Coop
Poultry processors could use a forced hot-air treatment to dry cages (also known as crates) between transporting flocks, lessening the number of Campylobacter on cage flooring and thereby decreasing the potential for cross-contamination during live haul, according to Rosalie Marion Bliss of the USDA Agricultural Research Service in its magazine, 'Agricultural Research'.

Study Sheds Light on How Salmonella Spreads
New research on how Salmonella spreads in the body could have major implications for improving treatment and vaccination.