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.
May 20, 20120 - from Food Processing:
"Grocery prices have experienced their highest month-to-month jump since 1974 due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest Consumer Price Index from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics."
"Grocery increases averaged out to 2.6% more for April than for March. The steepest increases were for meat, poultry, fish and eggs, which collectively saw a 4.3% increase in April over March. Individually, eggs had the biggest jump, at 16.1%, although prices have gone back down again, due in large part to relaxation of federal regulations that allowed eggs to shift more easily from foodservice to retail distribution."
"Other items facing high increases were apples, 4.9%; bread, 3.7%; and cookies, 5.1%."
"On the other hand, the overall Consumer Price Index was down 0.8%, thanks to sharp drops in energy, transportation and other costs."
May 20, 20120 - from Yeshiva World:
"The agricultural damage caused by the current heavy heatwave in Israel is expected to amount to tens of millions of shekels, a spokesperson for the KANAT Insurance Fund for Natural Risks in Agriculture said."
"The agricultural damage caused by the current heavy heatwave in Israel is expected to amount to tens of millions of shekels, a spokesperson for the KANAT Insurance Fund for Natural Risks in Agriculture said."
"Most of the damage is due to heat damage affecting fruits and vegetables, which will lead to a significant decrease in the volume of future crop yield, including tomatoes, peppers, citrus fruits, avocadoes and watermelons."
"The damage will lead to an increase in prices at the supermarket, with fruit and vegetables expected to increase by 30%, specifically cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini and peppers and possibly watermelons."
"The report also said that the heat has already caused a shortage of nectarines and the price of apricots and loquats has risen. On the other hand, peaches and cherries are now cheaper because the heat caused them to ripen faster."
May 13, 2020 - from Ingredients Network:
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a “no objections” letter for the animal-free dairy company Perfect Day’s β-lactoglobulin protein. The letter certifies that the protein has attained Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status. "
"This whey protein is a flora-based replication of the bovine-based β-lactoglobulin protein. It is made from the fermentation of the genetically modified trichoderma reesei yeast strain. After the yeast ferments, the protein is extracted via the aid of a centrifuge and then combined with water and fat to create a milk-like product for use in dairy products."
"Though GRAS is a voluntary designation for companies to pursue, this status is a milestone for companies with novel ingredients or lab-based formulations that companies want to assure consumers through government backing that there is a reasonable certainty that it won’t cause harm."
"According to Perfect Day, 'β-lactoglobulin produced by fermentation is identical to commercially available bovine-produced β-lactoglobulin.' By issuing the notification with “no questions,” the FDA is signaling that it agrees with the company’s assessment."
"The company will likely look toward expanding its animal-free dairy products." "The company will only be able to expand so far. In the FDA approval letter, the governmental regulatory agency specifically prohibits some uses for the protein. The letter said lab-fermented β-lactoglobulin is 'not intended for use in infant formula or in products subject to regulation by the United States Department of Agriculture.'"
"With infant formula off the table, the company will likely focus on more mainstream dairy products like cheese, milk, yogurt and ice cream. Last summer, the company’s first commercial product - animal-free ice cream - appeared on its website. The ice cream came in three flavors: Milky Chocolate, Vanilla Salted Fudge and Vanilla Blackberry Toffee. Despite a $20 per pint price tag, the lab-grown ice cream sold out in 24 hours. "
July 15, 2019 - from Specialty Food News and Crain's Chicago Business:
"Lab-made dairy is beginning to catch the eye of investors." "he key to making it is synthetic whey, which can be incorporated into a range of foods from yogurt to ice cream. Companies like Perfect Day, founded by Ryan Pandya, are creating dairy proteins like whey and casein without having to use any animal-made products" using microbial fermentation.
"With the help of investors like Archer Daniels Midland, Perfect Day has grown into a 60-employee operation with $60 million in funding."
"Perfect Day contends its proteins require 98% less water and 65% less energy than that required to produce whey from cows. The company said it hopes to one day license its ingredients so they can be used by food manufacturers in a range of products—but those involved concede that scaling the effort won’t be easy.
"New Culture wants to make the end product: cheese from its own lab-grown casein, another protein derived from dairy. In the lab, New Culture has crafted a super stretchy, believable version of mozzarella—the most consumed cheese in the U.S. A third startup, Motif Ingredients—a spinoff of Gingko Bioworks—is using $90 million in funding to focus on lab-grown dairy proteins as flavor and texture ingredients."
May 10, 2020 - from Hamodia:
"The e-commerce giant Amazon announced that it has relaunched its shipping services to Israel after deliveries had been halted following the coronavirus outbreak."
"Israeli consumers, however, might be left disappointed since the free shipping option – normally offered by Amazon on purchases over $49 – has not been renewed and it appears the company only offers express shipping at a much higher price."
"The company stopped shipping to Israel on March 22, saying it would focus on deliveries of essential goods within the U.S. and few other selected countries."
"Amazon in the past offered a cheaper shipping option with a longer waiting period, along with express shipping via companies such as DHL and UPS – which now is the only shipping option for Israeli customers, mostly due to the limited traffic of commercial flights during the pandemic."
"Amazon was not the only online retailer to resume shipments to Israel: British retailer Next also started to take orders from Israel after their website was closed for a few weeks. The clothing giant said that to ensure the safety of warehouse staff, it will only take a limited number of orders each day, then slowly start rolling out full service."
"According to Globes, the local retail industry estimates that Next makes hundreds of millions of shekels worth of sales in Israel every year, helped in part by its policy of free delivery on orders of over NIS 100 (approximately $28)."
"The resumption of deliveries to Israel by Amazon and Next comes as Israel has begun easing restrictions to contain the coronavirus after six weeks of closures."
May 14, 2020 USPS International service disruptions: Service to Israel no longer suspended.
From a reader: Israel was taken off the list on May 7, and they are accepting packages and mail for Israel.
April 27, 2020 - from Jewish Press:
"The USPS is suspending the international mail for certain destinations (not just Israel, by the way) due to service impacts related to the pandemic — including Israel — under the category of "Suspension Due to Unavailability of Transportation."
A service alert at the USPS International site page reads:
"Israel Postal Service: Can’t Promise 'Standards' On the Israel side of the ocean, the following applies:
May 7, 2020 - from The Grocer UK:
"Two fraudulent horsemeat shipments were seized in Europe last week, marking the start of an expected surge in food fraud."
"The seizures have reinforced concerns among food safety experts that criminals will target food supply chains disrupted by the pandemic."
"The horsemeat samples were held in the Netherlands and Denmark."
May 7, 2020 - from CPSC :
Poppin’ Cobs 10 Pack Microwave Popcorn have been recalled bucause the popcorn’s paper bag can catch fire in the microwave, posing fire and burn hazards.
This recall involves Poppin’ Cobs 10 pack of microwave popcorn on the cob. The popcorn is packaged in a brown box with a black top with 10 Poppin' Cobs individually wrapped and 10 brown bags for popping. “Poppin’ Cobs” is printed on the front of the box. Only boxes with date codes 042121 on the back of the box are included in the recall.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Poppin’ Cobs 10 Pack Microwave Popcorn and contact the firm to receive free replacement bags. Consumers can order the replacement bags online at Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Poppin’ Cobs 10 Pack Microwave Popcorn and contact the firm to receive free replacement bags. Consumers can order the replacement bags online at https://www.poppincobs.com/products/replacement-bags .
Poppin’ Cobs has received five reports of the popcorn brown paper bags catching on fire in the microwave. No injuries or property damage have been reported.
Consumer Contact: Contact Fully Popped toll-free at 866-767-2627 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, email orders@poppincobs.com or online at www.poppincobs.com and click on “Recall” at the bottom of the page or at https://www.poppincobs.com/products/replacement-bagsConsumers should immediately stop using the recalled Poppin’ Cobs 10 Pack Microwave Popcorn and contact the firm to receive free replacement bags. Consumers can order the replacement bags online at www.poppincobs.com/products/replacement-bags for more information.
May 4, 2020 - from Hamodia:
"The New York State WIC program has added more kosher certified foods to its list of accepted food products, in response to requests by Senator Simcha Felder, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein and Assembly Health Committee Chairman Richard Gottfried."
"New York’s WIC Nutrition Assistance Program is a lifeline to thousands of families. But until now, the number of high standard kosher certified products included in the program was minimal, limiting the choices available to the many higher-standard kosher consumers."
"fter receiving many complaints from constituents regarding the lack of kosher options, particularly baby food, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein joined with Gottfried and Felder to urge the New York State Department of Health to include more and higher-standard kosher products available through the WIC Program."
"Last week, WIC officially updated its list of foods now accepted, including kosher products by companies such as Kemach, First Choice and Mehadrin. Inclusion of these brands, which carry superior hechsherim, expand the choices for the kashrus-observant families that rely on WIC – particularly for baby food, a previously limited option on WIC."
March 18, 2020 - Food Safety News:
"The Agriculture Department said Wednesday that it would appeal a judge’s ruling that it would be 'arbitrary and capricious' to move forward during a global health crisis with food stamp changes that could force hundreds of thousands from the program."
"Federal Judge Beryl Howell, in a ruling late last week, stopped a set of changes that would have taken effect on April 1. On Wednesday, an Agriculture Department spokesperson responded to an Associated Press query with a terse email saying only that “USDA disagrees with the court’s reasoning and will appeal its decision.”
"Under the current rules, able-bodied adults without dependents must show they’ve worked at least 80 hours per month for more than three months in a 36-month period to stay in the SNAP or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — commonly known as food stamps."
"However, individual states have had the ability to waive that work requirement and time limit for areas of the state that have high unemployment rates. The changes, championed by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, would have taken that waiver ability from the states, starting on April 1. Estimates from the Agriculture Department set the number of people who would be removed from the program at approximately 700,000."
May 7, 2020 - Food Safety News:
"Israel exports ready-to-eat fully cooked and not shelf-stable poultry products to the United States. And those exports may continue, according to a report by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service."
"That’s because Israel has passed its latest foreign equivalency audit by the United States. The audit did not turn up any deficiencies that might represent an immediate threat to public health."
"The FSIS auditor did turn up some issues that Israeli authorities promised to work on during the exit interview, according to the May 1 report."
"The report details the outcome of the onsite equivalence verification audit conducted by FSIS in Israel from Nov. 3-20, 2019."
"'The purpose of the audit was to determine whether Israel’s food safety inspection system governing poultry products remains equivalent to that of the United States, with the ability to export products that are safe, wholesome, unadulterated, and correctly labeled and packaged. Israel currently exports ready-to-eat (RTE), fully cooked not shelf-stable poultry products to the United States,' says the report."
"The findings by the FSIS auditor included the following:
"The FSIS auditor visited two poultry slaughter and processing establishments, two laboratories, and regional and national inspection authorities during the audit."
"FSIS will evaluate the adequacy of the CCA’s documentation of proposed corrective actions and base future equivalence verification activities on the information provided."
May 4, 2020 from Foodt Dive:
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