The following news story is from the Washington Post and naturallygrown.org posted on August 27, 2013.
"Certified Naturally Grown" is a term being used by small farms that follow organic cultivation practices for their products, but do not want to seek certification as organic by the Federal Department of Agriculture because of the paperwork and cost. About 700 farms nationwide are Certified Natually Grown and about 1300 farms are certified organic out of 2.2 million farms. "Farmers who participate in Certified Naturally Grown rely on peer inspection by other farmers to ensure they follow organic practices, such as avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and using cover crops and rotation for healthy soil."
The following news story is from the FoodNavigator.com and theaustralian.com.au on August 26, 2013.
"Tests carried out by the Britsh Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera), the scientific arm of Defra, the UK environment and food ministry, along with overseas studies suggest that much of the honey labelled as manuka in the UK has nothing to set it apart from ordinary honey - except the price."
"Research by the main honey producers' organisation in New Zealand - from where almost all the world's manuka honey comes - revealed that 1,700 tons of manuka are produced there each year, compared with the estimated 1,800 tons of "manuka" honey sold in the UK alone. As much as 10,000 tons are sold worldwide, suggesting widespread fraud." "More manuka is sold in the UK alone than the total actually produced. The same applies to China, America and so on."
Manuka honey is produced by bees whose hives are placed near flowering wild manuka bushes that grow on New Zealand's northern Island. Manuka honey has been found to have anti-microbial properties.
The following news story is from the Arutz 7 on August 22, 2013.
Several Egyptian factories had sold kosher food to Israel. Kosher agencies had continued to send mashgichim into Egypt. The current turmoil in Egypt has caused them to stop sending the mashgichim until the Egyptian situation improves.
The following news story is from the FoodNavigator.com on August 20, 2013.
Gabi Lewis and Greg Sewitz had a chef develop a high protein bar that uses crickets and are talking with a manufacturer to produce the product commercially. Whole crickets are ground and added to other ingredients including chocolate that hides the insect taste.
The following safety alert from the CPSC, on August 15, 2013.
Chefmate 2-Quart Tea Kettles have been recalled by Wilton Industries Inc., Woodridge, IL because steam can travel up the handle, or water can spill from the spout, posing a burn hazard to the consumer. In addition, the leaking steam can cause the kettle to fail to whistle. If water completely evaporates from the kettle, the aluminum bottom can melt onto the stove and pose a burn hazard.
This recall involves Chefmate 2-quart tea kettles sold with a black enamel finish and a solid black resin handle. The Chefmate logo is stamped on the bottom of the aluminum tea kettle.
This product was sold at Target stores nationwide and online at Target.com from January 2006 through May 2013 for about $9.
Consumers can contact Wilton Industries toll-free at (866) 255-9237 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT Friday or online at www.wilton.com and click on Recalls for more information
The following safety alert from the CPSC, on August 15, 2013.
Black & Decker® Spacemaker™ 12-Cup Programmable Under-the-Cabinet Coffeemakers has been recalled because The coffee pot handle can break, causing cuts and burns to the consumer.
The recalled coffee maker is designed to mount under a cabinet. It is available in white or black and has the words "BLACK & DECKER® SPACEMAKER
Consumers should immediately stop using the coffeemakers and contact Applica
Applica Consumer Products toll-free at (866) 708-7846 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at www.aprecall.com.for a full refund of the under-the-counter coffeemaker.
The coffeemakers were sold at True Value Hardware Stores nationwide from July 2008 to June 2013 for about $50 to $80.
The following information is from the PressTelegram on August 14, 2013.
The FDA has released new rules for companies that are importing food products from abroad. "Domestic importers for the first time would have to vouch for the food-safety practices of their overseas suppliers." "If adopted, they would create a “foreign supplier verification program," in which U.S. companies, for the first time, would have clear legal responsibility for making sure their overseas suppliers meet U.S. safety standards. They also would establish a system in which the FDA could authorize foreign governments and private companies to accredit third-party auditors, who then could inspect overseas manufacturers that have a troubled history or whose products are deemed “high risk."
The following information is from the YeshivaWorld on aAugust 6, 2013.
An Israeli magistrate court ruled that imported products must include the cost of kashus. "Customs officials’ believe the import tariff must include the price of kashrus, including sending Chief Rabbinate of Israel inspectors to the shechita location abroad. This of course significantly increases the value of the product and as a result, higher customs fees." "If customs officials decide to abide by the court ruling and apply it across the board to all kosher imports, the price increase in the marketplace will be extremely dramatic. "
The following information is from the FDA on aAugust 2, 2013.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today published a new regulation defining the term "gluten-free". For voluntary food labeling the food must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. The rule also requires foods with the claims “no gluten," "free of gluten," and "without gluten" to meet the definition for "gluten-free." Food manufacturers will have a year after the rule is published to bring their labels into compliance with the new requirements.
The regulation has been published in the Federal Register.
The following safety alert from the CPSC, on July 25, 2013.
Viking built-in refrigerators with bottom freezers are being recalled because the refrigerator’s doors can detach, posing an injury hazard to consumers.
Recall Details
Units
About 31,000 (Viking refrigerators were previously recalled in 2009)
Description
This recall involves Viking built-in 36-inch wide refrigerators with bottom freezers with models and serial numbers/date codes listed below. The model and serial numbers are located on the ceiling of the interior of the refrigerators. The first six numbers in the serial number range are the manufacture date of the unit in (mm)(dd)(yy).
Model numbers starting with: Serial number/Date codes starting with:
Designer Series
DDBB363, DDBB536, DTBB363, 110105 - 081012
DFBB363, DFBB536, FDBB5361
Professional Series
VCBB363, VCBB536, VCBB5361, 110105 – 080512
VIBB363, VIBB536
Incidents/Injuries
Viking has received 39 reports of falling refrigerator doors, including 12 reports of injuries involving a fracture, bruises, strains and cuts, and 25 reports of minor property damage. The 39 new reports are in addition to 57 reports in the previous recall of doors detaching, including four reports of injuries involving bruises, broken toes/fingers, and strains.
Remedy
Consumers should contact Viking immediately to schedule a free in-home repair. Consumers should stop using the recalled refrigerators if the door does not appear to be sealed properly, the door is sagging or it fails to open or close normally. If the door is working properly, consumers can continue to use the refrigerator until it has been repaired.
Sold at
Appliance and specialty stores nationwide from November 2005 through October 2012 for between $5,100 and $7,700.
Manufacturer
Viking Range LLC, of Greenwood, Miss.
Consumers can call Viking toll-free at (877) 546-0136 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or online at www.vikingrange.com and click on Safety Recall