Tag: meat
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FDA Rule Targets Substances Approved for Use in Meat and Poultry Production
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a final rule, effective May 6, 2013, that amends federal meat and poultry products inspection regulations to remove sodium benzoate, sodium propionate and benzoic acid from the list of substances prohibited for use in meat or poultry products. According to FSIS, after considering the comments and…
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IKEA Pulls Meatballs, Sausages in Wake of Horsemeat Scandal
IKEA Group has reportedly withdrawn its trademark meatballs and sausages from its European locations after testing revealed trace amounts of horsemeat in the products. According to a February 28, 2013, press release, the company identified horsemeat “in a few samples of our meatballs from a supplier in Sweden” and has thus suspended sales of “all…
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Horsemeat Investigation Spreads Across EU
Citing public concerns about the presence of horsemeat in beef products, European Union (EU) Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner Tonio Borg recently called an emergency meeting of agricultural ministers and urged member states to conduct random DNA testing on processed beef products for three months beginning March 1, 2013. The measure builds on an ongoing…
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FSA Publishes Testing Protocol for Beef Samples
In the wake of a recent investigation conducted by the Food Standards Authority of Ireland that identified horse and pig DNA in beef products, the U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have published their own protocol for testing “food authenticity in processed meat products.” According to a February…
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Burger King Drops UK Supplier Implicated in Horsemeat Scandal
Burger King has reportedly dropped one of its suppliers after finding traces of horse DNA in beef provided for sale in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The restaurant chain apparently tested its own products in the wake of a Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) investigation that allegedly found horse DNA in beef patties and…
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Irish Food Safety Authority Finds Horse, Pork DNA in Beef Products
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has published the results of an investigation “examining the authenticity of a number of beef burger, beef meal and salami products available from retail outlets in Ireland.” According to a January 15, 2013, FSAI press release, the agency’s study revealed “the presence of horse DNA in some beef…
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New Russian Regulation on U.S. Pork and Beef Imports
Russian health regulators have announced a new regulation that will require imported meat to undergo testing for and be certified free of ractopamine, a hormone that has reportedly been linked to health concerns. The additive allegedly promotes animal growth and leaner meat and is added to some animal feed in the United States. According to…
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FDA Issues Final Food Irradiation Rules
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued final rules amending food additive regulations pertaining to the use of ionizing radiation in the production, processing and handling of meat and poultry products. Promulgated at the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rules took effect on November 30, 2012. FDA requests written objections or…