THIS SECTION IS FOR NEWS AND INTERESTING STORIES RELATED TO FOOD, NUTRITION AND FOOD PROCESSING. THEY ARE NOT NECESSARILY RELATED TO KOSHER BUT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO THE KOSHER CONSUMER, MANUFACTURER OR MASHGIACH.
February 6, 2024 from the Time:
"Cell-cultivated meat—meat grown from animal cells rather than taken from slaughtered animals—seems to be the hottest topic in food right now. Everyone from veteran chefs to tech moguls seem eager to get involved. Lawmakers in a growing number of states, however, aren’t quite as jazzed about it.
"At the end of January, Florida’s House and the Senate Agriculture Committee approved a bill introduced by Republican Rep. Danny Alvarez that would not only ban the production and sale of cell-cultivated meat, but would make it a second-degree misdemeanor. If the bill is passed by the state Senate, effective this summer the culinary crime would be punishable with a fine of up to $1,000, plus suspension or closure of the restaurant, store, or other business in question. Similarly, Arizona Republican Rep. David Marshall proposed a bill on Jan. 16 banning the sale of cell-cultivated meat. The bill would also allow Arizona business owners to sue cell-cultivated meat companies for damages to their profits.
"It’s hard to believe that these measures are really designed for “consumer protection,” especially when so many of the people supporting the legislation have expressed their actual motivation: money, and in the pockets of a select few. One Arizona Republican explicitly stated that his desire is to “protect” the cattle ranching industry; another Arizona representative is a cattle rancher himself. It doesn’t take a detective to realize that defending the status quo is really what it’s all about.
"But interfering with the rise of cell-cultivated meat is almost certainly a bad economic decision in the long run. The idea of the government deciding to privilege one industry over another should already be abhorrent to free market Republicans on principle. Anyone who believes in capitalism should theoretically bristle at the thought of the government overriding the laws of supply and demand. If it’s a bad product for whatever reason, the people won’t want it and it will fail anyway, so the logic goes. If “real” beef is truly all-around better, what does the cattle industry have to fear?
"The states expressing hostility toward cell-cultivated meat are just limiting their own opportunities for economic growth. By all appearances, cell-cultivated meat will continue to grow in popular interest, and an innovation gap is going to develop between the states that support progress and those that reject it.
"Meanwhile, other countries like Israel, Singapore, and China are actively funding or otherwise supporting the development of cell-cultivated meat, perhaps out of recognition that factory farming—how 99% of meat is produced in the U.S.—is a nasty business. It’s responsible for 15% of greenhouse gas emissions; it produces antibiotic-resistant bacteria and zoonotic diseases; and it is unkind to animals, to say the least. Cell-cultivated meat sidesteps all these issues. If we seriously want America to continue to be a nation that leads in technology and innovation, we can’t continue draconically resisting change while other countries forge ahead. Even some of the world’s biggest meat conglomerates are developing cell-cultivated meat.
"By refusing to change with the times, politicians may be helping local cattle ranchers in the short term, but in the long run their state may become economically stymied. At the end of the day, falling behind technologically is an unstrategic, reactionary response to the threat of something new and unfamiliar entering the world. It’s a betrayal of their own values, and they’re not doing the residents of their states any favors—they’re just hindering American progress."
February 8, 2024 from the CPSC in conjunction with Government of Canada:
Steamfast, Vornado and Sharper Image-branded handheld garment steamers have been recalled because the recalled garment steamers can expel hot water from the steam nozzle while heating or during use, posing a serious burn hazard to consumers.
Consumer Contact: Vornado toll-free at 888-240-2768 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday; or online at www.vornado.com/recalls/hhgs or www.vornado.com, www.steamfast.com, or www.sihomecomfort.com and click on “Product Recalls” at the top of the page for more information.
This recall involves three different brands of handheld garment steamers: Steamfast model numbers SF-425, SF-435, SF-440, SF-445, and SF-447; Vornado model number VS-410; and Sharper Image model number SI-428. The recalled steamers were sold in the following colors: SF-435 (white, black, light pink, hot pink, sage green, orange, and teal blue); SF-425, SF-440, SF-445, SI-428, and SF-447 (white); and VS-410 (black). The recalled steamers are handheld electrical appliances which use hot steam emitted from a nozzle to remove wrinkles from clothing and other fabrics. The steamers’ brand name appears on the side of each unit and on a label located on the bottom of the steamer. The model number also appears on the label.
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled garment steamers and contact Vornado for a full refund or free replacement handheld garment steamer, depending on model.
Incidents/Injuries: Vornado has received 122 reports of hot water spraying or spitting from the steam nozzle, including 23 reports of burn injuries.
Sold At: Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, and other stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com, Vornado.com, sihomecomfort.com, Steamfast.com and other websites from July 2009 through January 2024 for between $14 and $35.
February 8, 2024 from the CPSC in conjunction with Government of Canada:
Frigidaire Branded Side by Side Refrigerators with Slim Ice Buckets:
The recalled refrigerators contain an ice bucket assembly component that can break resulting in plastic pieces entering the ice bucket, posing choking and laceration hazards to consumers if the pieces are dispensed out of the ice bucket.
Consumer Contact: Electrolux Group toll-free at 888-377-7563 from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, by email at IceBucketRecall@electrolux.com or online at www.icebucketrecall.com or at www.frigidaire.com and click on “Recall Information” at the top of the page for more information.
his recall involves certain Frigidaire branded side by side refrigerators with Slim Ice buckets manufactured between 2015 and 2019, with model numbers DGHK2355TF, DGHX2655TF, FFSC2323TS, FGSC2335TD, FGSC2335TF, FGSS2635TD, FGSS2635TE, FGSS2635TF, FGSS2635TP, FPSC2277RF, FPSC2278UF, FPSS2677RF, LFSC2324VF, LGHK2336TD, LGHK2336TF, LGHX2636TD, and LGHX2636TF. Consumers can also visit https://www.frigidaire.com/en/frigidaire-recall-information to see if their specific serial number is included in this recall. The model and serial numbers are printed on a serial plate located inside the refrigerator compartment. More information and Model numbers are here
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the ice makers and contact Electrolux Group to request a replacement ice bucket assembly component, free of charge.
Sold At: Lowe’s, Home Depot and other stores nationwide and online at Frigidaire.com from November 2015 through September 2019 for between $1,400 and $2,400.
February 5, 2024 - from the PR Newswire:
"Remilk, a global leader in the development and production of animal-free dairy, announced today it has received Health Canada's "Letter of No Objection", enabling the use and sale of its animal-free BLG protein in Canada.
"In Feb 2023, Remilk received a "No Questions Letter" from the FDA and the Singapore Food Agency's approval. The company made headlines again in April as the first to receive regulatory approval of its kind in Israel. Now, it is the first company producing animal-identical protein to receive Health Canada's No Objection Letter. The letter opens Canada's door for use of Remilk's protein in a variety of products with the same taste and texture as milk, ice cream, yogurt, cream cheese, and more, while free of lactose, cholesterol, and growth hormones, and with significant nutritional and environmental benefits.
"Remilk's animal-free BLG milk protein is equivalent to its cow-derived counterpart, but it is produced without a single cow, via precision fermentation. The company manufactures its protein at commercial scale in several locations around the world."
January 25, 2024 - from the Food Processing:
"Illinois Food Safety Act introduced in state senate would prohibit use of brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, red dye No. 3 and titanium dioxide in packaged foods sold in the state.
"Lawmakers in the state of Illinois are attempting to follow the lead of their California counterparts, introducing this week new legislation to ban five food additives in the state.
"Illinois Sec. of State Alexi Giannoulias, state Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago) and state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Downers Grove) initiated the Illinois Food Safety Act — Senate Bill 2637 — which calls for the prohibition of the use of brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, red dye No. 3 and titanium dioxide in candy, soda and other “ultra-processed,” packaged food products sold in the state.
"The legislation points out links to health problems for each of the targeted ingredients, as well as the fact that they are banned in the European Union and other countries. It also mentions California’s law banning four of the five on Illinois’ list (titanium dioxide was removed from the California law). Advocates say the law is designed to protect children more likely to consume products containing the listed ingredients, and more at risk for the negative health impacts linked to the ingredients.
"The bill also calls on an Illinois-based university or research-focused institution to study health risks associated with two other food ingredients: butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). If those additives (preservatives used in a wide variety of foods) are shown to pose a significant health risk, the bill says they would be subject to regulatory actions as well."
January 30, 2024 - from the Food Ingredients First:
"Imagindairy, an Israeli food tech start-up crafting 'authentic' dairy proteins without cows, has acquired industrial-scale precision fermentation production lines at a new facility. This advancement for bovine-free dairy comes as Japanese food researchers under DAIZ Engineering are teaming up to scale the new European Germination Food-Tech Center located in the Netherlands’ 'Food Valley' to drive innovation for hybrid dairy solutions unlocking the nutritional “power of germination” in seeds.
"At present, Imagindairy is already producing industrial-scale batches in the new facility at a competitive cost structure to traditional dairy. The new facility allows Imagindairy access to production at more than 100,000 liters of fermentation capacity, with planned capacity expansion to triple this volume in the next one to two years.
"Imagindairy considers fully owning and operating the production and manufacturing of its animal-free dairy protein a “big step forward,” allowing the company full control of the production process and the flexibility to scale up to support mass-market adoption as an industrial company.
"Imagindairy’s new facility announcement comes on the heels of another major company milestone, as the start-up received a 'no questions' response letter from the US Food & Drug Administration last month for the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) notice submitted by the company.
"This signifies that the ingredient is safe to be used in food and beverage products, providing a regulatory green light for food and beverage manufacturers to partner with Imagindairy.
"Products made using Imagindairy’s animal-free dairy protein are expected to be launched in the US in the coming year.
"The new facility is located in the “Food Valley” of the Netherlands, in Wageningen, where global agricultural and food-technologies are centered. Over 1,500 food-related and chemical companies from various countries gather at this hub and collaborative efforts across different industries and partnerships among academia, industry and government are driving food tech development here.
"Based on the acquired expertise in plant-based proteins, the new Food-Tech Center will develop new food ingredients which will be proposed to global food manufacturers. "
January 11, 2024 - from the Green Queen:
"Israel’s Aleph Farms has become the first company in the world to earn regulatory approval for cultivated beef, after the Israeli Ministry of Health (IMOH) issued a ‘no questions’ letter for its consumer brand Aleph Cuts in December – akin to an FDA ‘No Questions’ letter in the US. It allows the producer to market its products – currently priced similarly to premium conventional beef – in the country, with plans to roll out at restaurants and, eventually, retailers.
"With the greenlight, Israel joins a very short list of countries to allow the sale of cultured meat – only Singapore (Eat Just in 2020) and the US (Upside Foods and Eat Just in 2023) have done so. But these approvals were all done for cell-based chicken products, meaning Aleph Farms is the first company permitted to sell cultivated beef.
"The first product to be unveiled is Aleph Farms’ cultivated thin-cut Petit Steak, which was first introduced in April with the Aleph Cuts brand. The hybrid meat product comprises non-modified, non-immortalised cells of a premium Black Angus cow named Lucy, alongside a plant protein matrix made of soy and wheat. Apart from the starter cells derived from one of the cow’s fertilised eggs, there are no other animal-sourced components (such as fetal bovine serum, or FBS) in the cultivation process or final product.
"On the cost question, he revealed: 'At the time of our soft launch, Aleph Cuts will be priced similarly to premium conventional beef. We are taking various steps to drive economies of scale and achieve price parity with more of the conventional beef market within a few years from launch.'
"Aleph Farms’ regulatory approval in Israel is a huge win – but it isn’t stopping there. The company has filed for clearance in Singapore, Switzerland, the UK and the US, and is advancing its applications in other markets too.
"The company is simultaneously pursuing a kosher certificate for its facility from local rabbinate authorities too. This is key for a company based in Israel and catering to a large Jewish population, which eats kosher food as directed by the Torah. There are encouraging signs for Aleph Farms here, with Israel’s chief rabbi David Lau declaring last January that its non-FBS steak could be considered kosher and akin to eating a vegetable (parve). (Chief Rabbi: Cultured meat is considered a vegetable but can't be consumed with dairy)"
January 11, 2024 - from the FoodDive:
"The proposed Arizona bill would also apply to any “synthetic product derived from a plant, insect or other source,” said Nguyen.
"The lawmaker told Capital Media Services that the bill is more about transparency and disclosure within the industry and less about blocking the offering and purchasing of such products.
"Protection of Arizona’s cattle ranchers was also top of mind in regard to the drafting of the bill, as state Rep. David Marshall, a Republican from Arizona, wants to take the legislation a step further by allowing business owners “adversely affected” by the sale of lab-grown meats to sue to stop the practice and be able to collect damages of up to $100,000.
"Florida has also proposed legislation that would criminalize the sale and distribution of cultivated meat, both to protect the cattle and farming industries. State Rep. Tyler Sirois has reportedly said he hopes the Sunshine State is the first to ban lab-grown meat altogether.
"Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill in May 2023 requiring clear labeling of analogs of meat, poultry, seafood and eggs, as well as cultivated meat, which requires the products to clearly state they were made through cell cultivation.
"In November 2023, a Nebraska senator reintroduced the Real Marketing Edible Artificials Truthfully Act, which would make alternative protein companies clearly display “imitation” on their packaging.
"Since its grand entrance to the U.S. market per full approval from the USDA last year, cultivated meat has run into challenges from all angles.
"Consumer acceptance remains a steep hurdle to jump while production costs keep the space from offering competitive prices to traditional meat products.
"The Good Food Institute as well as early players in the space like Upside Foods and Eat Just have taken their stance that any prohibitions are a violation of their first amendment rights.
"'Everyone should play by the same rules,' said GFI in a statement, 'we actively oppose laws that unfairly restrict the use of standard meat and dairy terms on plant-based meat, plant-based milk, and other alternative protein labels.'"
January 16, 2024 - from the Times of Israel:
"Israeli food company Strauss Group announced price rises on a quarter of its products on Tuesday. From February 1, the price of Strauss’s olive oil will rise by 25%, chocolate bars will rise by 12-14%, chocolate snacks will rise by 4-9%, chocolate drinks, and cocoa will rise by 10%, coffee will rise by 12%, hummus will rise by 3-6%, tahini will rise by 5%. Prices of other snack products will rise by 6-9%.
"The company says that the decision to raise prices follows large rises in prices of raw materials in the past year. It says that prices of butter and cacao pulp have risen by 88%, the price of tahini has risen by 30%, and prices of sugar and olive oil have risen by 60%. It estimates the effect on its costs of these price rises at over NIS 100 million.
"Strauss emphasizes that prices of its dairy products, Turkish coffee, coffee capsules, instant coffee, Yad Mordechai honey, “Ta’am hateva” (“Taste of Nature”) products, and fresh salad vegetables, will not rise in this round.
"This is Strauss Group’s fourth round of price hikes in the past thirteen months.
"Strauss Group also announced further streamlining measures, in addition to several such measures that it has carried out in the past year, laying off 150 employees, mainly at the management level, which will not include employees who have been evacuated or those serving in the army reserves. The layoffs are expected to save the company between NIS 45 million and NIS 55m. annually."
January 13, 2024 - from the Times of Israel:
"Dairy farms along Israel’s Gaza border have been supplying milk uninterruptedly since the outbreak of the war on October 7 owing to a small cadre of staff that remained behind while most residents evacuated to the center of the country. Among those who stayed are an unlikely group — university students from Africa and Asia.
"The students were offered the opportunity to relocate, says Altmark, but unlike Zikim’s foreign workers who were quick to leave, the students insisted on remaining.
"Zikim’s five interns are among more than 3,200 university students from 30 countries in the developing world currently training at farms across Israel. About 250 were on farms near Gaza when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed the border and brutally massacred 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted roughly 240 more to the Gaza Strip, leading Israel to launch an ongoing military operation aimed at returning the hostages and removing Hamas from power in the Strip.
"The main difficulty faced by Israeli residents in the vicinity of Gaza seems to have passed, says Emily Di Capua, noting that the incessant rocket attacks of the past few months have nearly ceased. Belgian-born Di Capua is the manager of the dairy farm at Kibbutz Karmiya, located two kilometers (1.2 miles) to the east of Zikim.
"The agricultural interns working at the kibbutz dairy farms are participants in a one-year program administered by MASHAV, the Foreign Ministry’s Agency for International Development Cooperation. In addition to dairy farming, students are training in orchard and field crops, poultry and livestock raising, and fisheries. The students do paid work on a farm five days a week and spend one day studying at one of the country’s five international agricultural training centers.
"Unlike the temporary foreign workers in Israeli farms, who usually come from small villages and have a limited educational background, the agricultural interns are all university-educated and many are aspiring entrepreneurs.
"The Internship in Agriculture Program was initiated by the Arava International Center for Agricultural Training in 1994, but Israel has a long history of reaching out to the developing world, going back to the 1950s when then-prime minister David Ben Gurion mandated extensive programs that lasted for decades. A United Nations Development Program report noted in 1975 that Israel was the largest contributor of assistance per capita of any country in the world.
"Many of those programs have dwindled since then, but as the agricultural internship program in the past few months has shown, Israel continues to reap benefits in unexpected ways."
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