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... unscrupulous food processors, corrupt officials, incomplete regulations and ignorance of the laws are some of the ongoing defects in china’s food safety system, said a report by the country’s legislators this week ... the members of the standing committee of the national people’s congress delivered a damning assessment of chinese food safety after carrying out a three-month probe into the sector ... lu yongxiang, vice chairman of the committee, said that while officials have made progress in improving the food safety regime, the investigation had found a string of persistent problems, chinese state media said ... he added that there remained a number of food manufacturers that continued to flout regulations and behave in an “underhand and dishonest fashion” ... a lack of awareness of new regulation and safety practices among some industry players was still a problem, said lu, who called on authorities to publicise new laws more effectively ... the report – compiled after an investigation carried out between march and may 2011 - raised concerns about the legal framework for food safety - with the current system of regulations and standards described as incomplete ... stricter enforcement the lawmakers tabled a raft of suggestions to improve the system, following the introduction of china ’s food safety law two years ago ... the public and media should be encouraged to report food outbreaks more quickly ... illegal cooking oil a separate report in the media claims to have uncovered a common practice in china that sees up to 100 tonnes of illegal and sub-standard cooking oil, reprocessed and put back into the food chain on a daily basis ... the so-called gutter or swill oil - waste animal fat or cooking oil that has already been used repeatedly – is being treated in large-scale plants and resold to retail outlets or food processors, said the beijing times

... growing scrutiny of food suppliers means an increasing focus on food safety issues ... shouting (food safety issues) from the rooftops is important, but remember that consumers will notice inaccurate or mixed messages tony hines, head of food security and crisis management manager, leatherhead food research, told foodmanufacture ... uk that, under eu food safety requirement, article 14, consumers can expect to purchase food fit for consumption, not injurious to health and consistent with label descriptions ... under eu general food law, article 19 ... damage limitation once a firm finds itself in a recall/withdrawal situation, hines said, details can appear on websites, in retail stores and even (in rare cases) the national press; the uk food standards agency (fsa) has an alert system, while charities like the anaphylaxis campaign can send an sms message to lists of allergenic consumers when risky products are identified ... food manufacturers must monitor social media to pick up and respond to emerging issues ... a great food scare can do this and … sell newspapers ... ” johnson said that trade associations such as the uk-based food & drink federation should communicate industry-wide issues, ensuring consistency and diverting attention from individual companies; manufacturers should also follow updates from the likes of the fsa to plan next steps ... risk assessment processes hines said one critical question during food scares is whether hazard analysis critical control points (haccps) have been compromised ... these serve a specific food safety purpose and a well-documented, trained haccp team and plan form a major part of any potential due diligence defence in case of court action, and are critical to future prevention, he explained ... but johnson said a surprising number of uk food producers thought a rigorous haccp system (which she said the majority implement) gave wholesale coverage regarding risk

... canadian regulatory authorities and food manufacturers are not doing enough to ensure a safe canadian food supply, claims an editorial in the latest canadian medical association journal (cmaj) ... writing in the organization’s journal, the public health policy group told canadians that the nation’s food safety system has “major failings” and that they “eat at your own risk” ... paul hébert and co-authors wrote: "canada's public and private sectors are not doing enough to prevent food-borne illnesses ... among the major failings are inadequate active surveillance systems, an inability to trace foods from "farm to fork" and a lack of incentives to keep food safe along the "farm to fork" pathway ... " they cited research from the university of saskatchewan, which ranked canada’s food safety system as mediocre last year when compared to 16 other countries belonging to the organization for economic cooperation and development ... the same research found that canada also ranked second to last in terms of food traceability in 2010 (only ahead of the united states) ... since then, the canadian food inspection agency has launched a transparency initiative, in which it names companies that violate food safety regulations, and publishes information on its website about the compliance and enforcement activities that it undertakes to protect the safety of the canadian food, animal and plant supply ... ” they claim that canada needs better food safety oversight, better government policies and standards, and incentives for industry to encourage improved food safety ... “private and public oversight of food safety should be reformed to ensure sufficiently uniform practices across the country so that we can make comparisons among different regions, suppliers and types of food,” they wrote ... “incentives need to be in place to encourage improvement in food safety at each step ... information on outbreaks of foodborne illnesses — including their possible causes and actions taken to stop them — should be quickly and publicly reported to provide timely feedback to food producers and inspectors, and also to educate the public

... the food and drug administration (fda) has requested a record $4 ... 3bn budget for fiscal 2012, including $324m to start implementing the food safety modernization act ... if granted, the budget would represent a 33 percent increase on 2010 spending, with the largest spending increase for a particular program requested for the department’s transforming food safety and nutrition initiative, which includes funding provisions for the new food safety legislation that was signed into law by president obama on january 4 ... “with this increase, fda will begin to implement the landmark food safety modernization act and also empower americans to make healthier food choices,” the department said in a statement ... “fda will establish a prevention-focused food safety system and leverage the valuable work of fda's state and local food safety partners ... the result will be a stronger, more reliable food safety system to protect american consumers ... fda will also empower americans to make more healthful food choices through menu and vending machine labeling ... ” funding for the food safety modernization act has been an area of particular controversy ... 4bn over five years, but the gop budget proposal for the remainder of fiscal 2011 includes significant spending cuts to food regulatory agencies, including the fda, the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc), and the agriculture department’s food safety inspection service (fsis) ... in that, we will look to congress to work with us to ensure that fda has what’s needed to achieve our shared food safety and food defense goals ... ” the additional food safety funding as proposed by the fda would include about $100m in increased user fees for plant inspections and registration of food production facilities

... the complacency being exhibited by brussels over the ongoing dioxin contamination incident is every bit as concerning as the carcinogenic chemical that has found its way into the food and feed chains since the end of last year ... but if europe’s reputation as the world leader in food safety is to be preserved, this attitude must be replaced by a firm commitment to introduce legislation to plug the security hole in the food to fork supply chain, along with an admission that there are important lessons are to be learned from this event ... however, far from acknowledging that the situation shows flaws still exist in the european union’s excellent food safety system, commissioner dalli would have us believe the episode only serves to emphasise just how well it works ... in a speech to the european parliament on monday, dalli said the speed of detection of the tainted produce highlights the effectiveness of the rapid alert system for food and feed (rasff) ... that can only be a searing indictment of a regulatory system that aims to set the global benchmark for food safety ... responsibility for this lies squarely with regulators and especially the european commission as the region’s food safety leader ... the root of the problem lies with the fact that under european law companies can manufacture fats and oils for industrial and food purposes in the same plant ... what is he waiting for? the european union should be proud of its food safety structures ... by failing to acknowledge this, commissioner dalli is in danger of making the european commission appear as the weak link in the food safety chain rather than the body leading the quest to strengthening it

... in the wake of a spate of high-profile foodborne illness outbreaks, the food safety modernization act passed the house on tuesday and is heading to the president, who has said he will pass the bill into law ... following house passage of the bill, president and ceo of the grocery manufacturers association pamela bailey said: “over the past two days the senate and the house have each come together in bipartisan fashion to do the right thing: strengthen and modernize america’s food safety system and help restore the public’s faith in the safety and security of the food supply ... “…this landmark legislation provides fda with the resources and authorities the agency needs to help strengthen our nation’s food safety system by making prevention the focus of our food safety strategies ... ” the legislation will give the fda the authority to order product recalls, will require that food manufacturers have detailed food safety plans and give the fda better access to company records ... it also contains a provision to protect employees who flag up food safety concerns ... however, some critics of the bill have said that it will give the government more power without making the food supply safer ... the association’s senior vice president of public policy robert guenther said on tuesday evening: “today is a day of mixed feelings for our members who have worked long and hard to pass food safety reforms, as this remains a job that is very much unfinished ... moving forward, as we always do, united fresh will continue to work with our allies in the new congress, voicing our strong support for uniform, risk-based food safety standards to which all can be held accountable, regardless of size ... but it was the peanut product recall of early 2009 that gave lawmakers the final impetus needed to get new food safety legislation before congress ... the food safety enhancement act that was drafted in the wake of that outbreak passed the house in july 2009, and its companion bill, the food safety modernization act , passed unanimously through committee in november last year

... congresswoman rosa delauro (d-ct) has reintroduced legislation intended to create a single agency focused solely on overseeing the safety of the us food supply ... delauro first introduced the legislation, the single food safety agency act, in 1999, but reintroduced the bill this week in response to new foodborne illness figures released by the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) ... the agency’s new estimates have been revised downwards, but the cdc has said this is not a reflection of a safer food supply, rather a better understanding of foodborne illness and improved methods for data collection ... ” she said that the food safety modernization act, which is currently pending before congress, “represents a good first step” toward cutting the number of illnesses and deaths caused by foodborne illness ... “however, our efforts to reform the food safety system must not end there because the jurisdictional overlaps and complicated regulatory structure will continue to hamper our efforts to make our food supply safer,” she said ... “that is why i am re-introducing legislation that would create a single independent food safety agency that would help reduce the potential for future outbreaks, implement the best food safety practices, and eliminate the jurisdictional issues we have faced ... ultimately, a single food agency solely focused on protecting american consumers is critical to ensuring the safety of our food supply and protecting the public health ... ” under current law, food safety monitoring, inspection and labeling functions are spread across 15 agencies in the federal government, including the food and drug administration (fda), which is responsible for about 80 percent of the food supply, and the us department of agriculture (usda), which oversees meat, poultry and egg products ... the fda is responsible for egg safety when eggs are still in the shell, but the usda takes over once they are broken

... after major foodborne illness outbreaks in spinach, eggs and peanut products, the food safety modernization act passed the us senate on tuesday, but it could still reach an impasse in the house ... the house passed a companion bill, the food safety enhancement act in july 2009, but despite the senate version’s passage with a bipartisan 73-25 vote, there is little time available in the current congressional lame-duck session for the two chambers to wrangle over the details of a final version ... they would give the food and drug administration (fda) the authority to order recalls, rather than simply request them as it does now; greater access to companies food safety records; and would require food manufacturers to keep detailed food safety plans ... president barack obama said in a statement: “we are one step closer to having critically important new tools to protect our nation’s food supply and keep consumers safe ... this legislation ensures more frequent inspections of food manufacturing facilities and will require these facilities to take preventative actions to reduce the risks of outbreaks and foodborne illness ... the house version of the legislation, which passed last year, included more money for fda inspections, fees for food manufacturers, and tougher penalties for manufacturers that violate the law, all of which were eliminated in the senate version ... cfa’s distinguished fellow in food policy carol tucker-foreman said: “food safety reform isn’t finished yet ... 510, the fda food safety modernization act – this landmark legislation provides fda with the resources and authorities the agency needs to help strengthen our nation’s food safety system by making prevention the focus of our food safety strategies ... nevertheless, cspi executive director michael jacobson said: “everyone who eats will benefit from this historic legislation… preventing contamination in the first place is paramount to reducing the health care and economic costs that are caused when unsafe food makes people sick

... the senate voted to move forward on the food safety modernization act on wednesday, voting 74-25 to limit debate and proceed with the bill ... the food safety modernization act has been awaiting debate in the senate since it passed unanimously through committee last november ... a companion bill, the food safety enhancement act, was passed by the house in july 2009, but the senate version has been held up by debate on other legislation, including health care reform ... if passed, it would give the food and drug administration (fda) the authority to order product recalls, give it greater access to company records, and require all food companies to keep detailed food safety plans ... she said in a statement: “the fda food safety modernization act will provide fda with the resources and authorities the agency needs to help strengthen our nation’s food safety system by making prevention the focus of our food safety strategies ... exemptions? although the bill has attracted strong support from much of the food industry, some small farm advocates have argued that not all businesses can afford to pay for extra regulation, claiming that local and state regulations are sufficient to monitor food safety for small food businesses ... an amendment to the bill introduced by senator jon tester (d-mt) and supported by senator kay hagan (d-nc), would exempt farms and food producers that sell most of their products directly to consumers, restaurants, or retailers within state lines or within 400 miles, with annual sales of less than half a million dollars ... an effective food safety program in the u ... is a shared responsibility of everyone… congress needs to do its part by supporting a uniform food safety bill that will enhance food safety for citizens of this country and reject arbitrary exemptions that pick winners and losers

... long-stalled food safety legislation could reach the senate’s agenda this week, while a coalition of 125 organizations continues to push for an amendment to exempt small businesses ... majority leader harry reid (d-nev) intends to bring the food safety modernization act forward for a senate vote on wednesday, the hill reports ... a companion bill, the food safety enhancement act, passed the house in july 2009, but senate debate has been delayed due to a busy agenda, including addressing health care reform and jobs ... 510 would require food companies to submit detailed food safety plans, give the food and drug administration the power to order product recalls, and allow it greater access to company records ... but some small farm advocates have argued that not all businesses can afford to pay for extra regulation, claiming that local and state regulations are sufficient to monitor food safety for small food businesses ... senior farm policy analyst for the family farm advocacy group cornucopia institute mark kastel said: "consumers are voting in rapidly increasing numbers to opt-out of the industrial food system by patronizing farmers markets, csas [community supported agriculture] , food cooperatives and other portals for local, sustainable and organic food in their communities ... ” however, a consumer and public health coalition called the make our food safe coalition has said exemptions for small businesses would undermine the goal of strengthening the food safety system