Safety & Legislation

Dangerous bacteria found in US ground turkey

01-May-2013 - The majority of ground turkey products on sale in the US – including organic and antibiotic-free products – are contaminated with dangerous bacteria, a new report has claimed.

Canadian retailers commit to sow stall removal

01-May-2013 - Canada’s eight largest supermarket chains have made a commitment to phase out sow gestation stalls over the next nine years.

EU warned over Rift Valley Fever

30-Apr-2013 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has advised the European Union (EU) to launch a series of studies to help assess the risk of Rift Valley Fever being introduced to livestock and humans in north Africa and the Middle East, potentially threatening Europe.

Canadian beef body seeks irradiation approval

30-Apr-2013 - Canada’s beef industry is renewing its push for the approval of irradiation in meat processing plants, which it claims could help reduce foodborne illness from ground beef.

Chinese Premier urges caution on bird flu

29-Apr-2013 - China’s Premier has called for vigilance against the outbreak of H7N9 bird flu spreading across the country, as authorities and experts point to poultry markets as the most likely source.

Ukraine eases EU cattle ban

29-Apr-2013 - Ukraine has partly lifted restrictions on imports of cattle and small ruminants from Europe, while Russia and Belarus have tightened restrictions over Schmallenberg virus fears.

News in brief

Dutch authorities investigate meat processing industry

26-Apr-2013 - Food safety officials in the Netherlands are launching an investigation into the meat processing industry in the wake of the horsemeat scandal.

US body condemns livestock antibiotic report

26-Apr-2013 - The American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) has hit back at a recent report which blamed the use of antibiotics in livestock for the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

US poultry body hits out at foodborne illness report

25-Apr-2013 - The US poultry industry has hit back at a report suggesting that chicken and ground beef are the biggest causes of serious illness in the US.

North American pork bodies discuss common issues

24-Apr-2013 - US, Canadian and Mexican pork industry representatives have met to discuss common issues affecting the North American sector.

Russia to tighten bird flu controls

19-Apr-2013 - Russia’s consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has warned that it could impose a total ban on imports of poultry products from China over bird flu fears.

Russia close to lifting US turkey ban

19-Apr-2013 - Russia’s veterinary services have said that they could lift the ban on turkey imports from the US by the summer.

Horsemeat: EU test results published

17-Apr-2013 - Nearly 5% of products tested for horsemeat across the EU were positive, while 0.5% of those tested positive for bute, the European Commission stated yesterday.

Horsemeat: Estonia firm blames Irish supply

17-Apr-2013 - An Estonian meat company whose sausages tested positive for horsemeat has claimed that the contamination could have come from raw materials imported from Ireland.

Horsemeat: Bute poses little consumer risk, say EU agencies

16-Apr-2013 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have said that European consumers were probably not harmed through eating illegally contaminated horsemeat during the recent mislabelling scandal.

OIE warns over detecting bird flu in China

16-Apr-2013 - The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has warned that the current outbreak of avian influenza H7N9 in China will be difficult to control, because birds infected with the virus show no visible signs of illness.

Governments can name and shame food firms, rules ECJ

15-Apr-2013 - The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that government consumer protection agencies can identify meat companies selling products regulators consider unfit for human consumption, without being sued later.

US sees huge support for COOL

15-Apr-2013 - Massive support for the enforcement of country-of-origin labelling (COOL) rules has been felt in the US, after a 35,600 signature petition was sent to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

US pig workers convicted of cruelty

15-Apr-2013 - Five employees at a Wyoming-based pig farm in the US have been convicted of animal cruelty.

Horsemeat fears prompt huge Dutch recall

11-Apr-2013 - Dutch food safety authorities are recalling 50,000 tonnes of beef over fears that it could contain horsemeat.

Horsemeat scandal continues in Baltic countries

11-Apr-2013 - Horsemeat has again been discovered in beef by-products produced in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, with as much as 15% horsemeat found in some products. Previously, only traces of horse DNA had been detected in the region.

Bird flu hits China's fresh poultry sales

11-Apr-2013 - China’s meat sector has told Globalmeatnews.com that demand for fresh meat is slumping nationwide because of the new outbreak of H7N9 avian flu centred on Shanghai.

Australian man sentenced for handling illegal meat imports

10-Apr-2013 - An Australian trader has been convicted for being in possession of meat illegally imported from South Korea.

Singapore lifts post-nuclear restrictions on Japan meat

10-Apr-2013 - Singapore has lifted restrictions on meat imports imposed on seven regions in Japan following the Fukushima nuclear disaster.