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 26, 2019 from Bloomberg:
"Crowdfunding investment platform OurCrowd is joining forces with agri-food technology investor Finistere Ventures and two food-and-beverage companies to invest as much as $100 million in Israeli startups, aiming to help local companies collaborate with global leaders in the industry."
"The other partners in the consortium are Tnuva Food Industries Ltd. -- owned by China’s Bright Food Group Co. -- and Tempo Beverages Ltd., partly owned by Heineken NV."
"Israel has 250 foodtech companies and 500 in agritech, with investors pouring $759 million in venture capital investments into the agri-food tech sector over the past five years, according to Start-Up Nation Central, an Israeli technology industry promoter."
"The partnership was created following the government’s establishment of a foodtech innovation incubator in Kiryat Shemona in northern Israel. The consortium will bid to operate the incubator."
"Earlier this month, Jerusalem Venture Partners announced that global packaged-food giant Mars Inc. had signed a research and development agreement to support Israeli startups and academic institutions to promote foodtech innovations."
May 23, 2019 - from CPSC :
Fabulous Home Pineapple Corer & Slicers have been recalled because the metal blade of the slicer can detach, posing a laceration hazard to the consumer.
This recall involves Pineapple Corer & Slicers sold under Fabulous Home brand. The corer & slicer is white with a black top and made mostly from plastic with a metal blade. It works much like a cork screw to core and slice pineapples.
Sold At: Coborn’s and Bashas grocery stores in Minnesota, South Dakota, Arizona and New Mexico from February 2019 through April 2019 for about $4.
Consumer Contact: Far East Brokers & Consultants at 800-619-0487 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET or email at customerservice@fareastbrokers.com or online at https://fareastbrokers.com and click on “Product Recalls” and then “Pineapple Corer & Slicer” for more information.
May 23, 2019 - from FDA:
Between the food industry and consumers, Americans are throwing out about a third of our food — approximately 133 billion pounds or $161 billion in food each year — according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Part of the problem is that date labeling on packaged foods isn’t user-friendly. It has been estimated that confusion over the multitude of different date labeling terms on food products accounts for about 20 percent of food waste in the home. “Use before,” “sell by” and “expires on” are just some of the terms used.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believes that food waste is due, in part, to fears that consumers have about food safety. These concerns may often be caused by a misunderstanding of the meaning of the terms on product date labels.
To help reduce this confusion, the FDA issued a letter today to the food industry supporting the industry’s efforts to standardize voluntary date labeling if the date is simply used for quality — not safety. Standardizing date labeling can provide consumers with consistent information that is easy to understand and is recognizable.
The FDA strongly supports manufacturers’ use of the introductory phrase “Best If Used By” when they choose to apply a quality date label. Consumer research has shown that this phrasing helps consumers understand that the date label is about quality, not safety, and that products do not have to be discarded after the date if they are stored properly.
May 22, 2019 from the Times of Israel:
"Using yeast that lay dormant for thousands of years, a team of Israeli biologists, archaeologists and beer makers has successfully brewed the beer that Goliath of Gath may have quaffed as he set out to meet a young shepherd named David. And assuming seed funding is secured, soon the brew will hit supermarket shelves, too. "
"In a multi-layered, interdisciplinary long-term experiment, scientists isolated six yeast strains from 21 sherds of beer or wine vessels excavated from four ancient Holy Land sites. Once populated by Philistines, Canaanites, Egyptians, or Judeans, the sites include biblical Tell es-Safi/Gath (ca. 850 BCE), Bronze Age En-Besor in the Negev and an Egyptian brewery found in Tel Aviv’s Ha-Masger Street (both ca. 3100 BCE), and Jerusalem’s Ramat Rachel (ca. 8th to 4th century BCE). "
"Using yeast that lay dormant for thousands of years, a team of Israeli biologists, archaeologists and beer makers has successfully brewed the beer that Goliath of Gath may have quaffed as he set out to meet a young shepherd named David. And assuming seed funding is secured, soon the brew will hit supermarket shelves, too."
"In a multi-layered, interdisciplinary long-term experiment, scientists isolated six yeast strains from 21 sherds of beer or wine vessels excavated from four ancient Holy Land sites. Once populated by Philistines, Canaanites, Egyptians, or Judeans, the sites include biblical Tell es-Safi/Gath (ca. 850 BCE), Bronze Age En-Besor in the Negev and an Egyptian brewery found in Tel Aviv’s Ha-Masger Street (both ca. 3100 BCE), and Jerusalem’s Ramat Rachel (ca. 8th to 4th century BCE)."
"After DNA sequencing and other high-tech medical imaging and identification methods, the six isolated strains of viable yeast were successfully revitalized and used to brew potable “ancient beers.” Each brew had a different aromas depending upon the yeast strain, according to the recent peer-reviewed mBio journal paper .”
May 22, 2019 - from Reuters:
"A surge of algae has killed an estimated 8 million salmon at Norwegian fish farms over the past week, wiping out more than half of this year’s expected sales growth."
"The algae, which has spread rapidly around the coast of northern Norway, sticks to the gills of the fish, suffocating them. Wild fish can swim away from the algae belt while farmed fish is trapped. "
Harmful algal blooms happen in warm weather.
"The Directorate of Fisheries said on Tuesday more than 10,000 tonnes of farmed salmon, with a sales price of some 620 million Norwegian crowns ($70 million), had perished, but Seafood Council said the loss would be much greater. "
"None of the large listed salmon farmer such as Mowi or Leroy had were affected, Johnsen said, and were likely to benefit from coming increasing salmon prices in the second half of the year. "
May 22, 2019 - from cRc Twitter Feed:
For the first time KosherstandZ will be vending at the Indianapolis 500. They will be serving their famous kosher hot dogs, polish sausages, drinks and more. Head over to stand 23 in turn 4, and stand 5 in turn 1, while also looking for vendors selling hot dogs in the seats
May 16, 2019 - from JTA:
"Despite opposition by the Dutch constitutional court, the local animal rights party has filed its second bill seeking to ban a kosher slaughter method it considers cruel."
"The bill would ban the slaughter of animals without stunning them first. Jewish religious laws require that animals be conscious when they are slaughtered for their meat to be kosher. Islam has similar rules for the production of halal meat."
"The Party for the Animals filed the bill Monday in the Tweede Kamer, the Dutch lower house, the RTL broadcaster reported. It was after Netherlands’ highest general administrative court issued an unusual warning about the bill, saying it would unreasonably compromise religious freedoms."
"In 2012, the Dutch Senate scrapped a ban, which the party had initiated, on the practice. Submitted by the Party for Freedom, the bill received support from various political parties, including the anti-Islam Party for Freedom. But the Senate voted down the bill, citing reasons similar to those cited by the Council of State."
"Defenders of kosher slaughter say the swift cutting of an animal’s neck is no more cruel or painful than stunning the animal with an electric charge or a bolt driven into its brain. The agreement includes a 40-second limit on the amount of time an animal is allowed to go without stunning after its neck is cut."
May 16, 2019 - from TheJC and United Synagogue Twitter Feed
"Skittles, one of the UK’s most popular sweets, has been approved as kosher by the London Beth Din."
The KLBD - the Kashrut division of the London Beth Din - now lists the "fruits", "tropical", "wild berry" and "crazy sours" flavours of the confectionary as kosher-parev."
"A spokesperson for KLBD confirmed that “all current stock is approved” meaning that the product is kosher wherever it is being sold around the UK."
Skittles, a popular sweet in Britain since the 1970s, were not kosher for many years due to the use of cochineal red — a colouring made from crushed beetles – in red skittles.
"Skittles were Kosher approved in the UK for a time in the late 2000s, they have not been approved for a number of years now – even as special kosher runs of the confectionary were made in the UK for sale in Israel."
"A Skittles packet may not have a KLBD label on it but - as with many kosher items in the UK - while KLBD has not certified it, it has been kosher approved. "
Ed. note: The above information is for product made in the UK. American consumers can call Mars at 1-800-WRIGLEY.
May 16, 2019 - from CPSC :
Grand Gourmet french fry cutters have been recalled because the french fry cutter’s blade can detach, posing a laceration hazard.
This recall involves Grand Gourmet french fry cutters. The stainless steel cutters are silver and have black rubber pads at the base. They come with two interchangeable blades, one with 36 holes for thicker fries and another one with 64 holes for thinner fries. Model number 54078 and
UPC 7-13733-70625-4 are printed on the product packaging.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled french fry cutters and return them to any Meijer store for a full refund.
Meijer stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin from February 2018 through February 2019 for about $20.
Consumer Contact: Meijer at 800-927-8699 anytime or online at www.meijer.com and click on “Product Recalls” for more information.
May 16, 2019 from the Bloomberg:
"If your supermarket bill seems to be inching higher, it’s not just your imagination."
"The U.S. is in an 'inflationary environment' right now, according to Greg Longstreet, chief executive officer of Del Monte Foods Inc., with tariffs driving up prices on his company’s canned fruits and vegetables. "
Del Monte said that tarriffs impacted them immediately wiht a 25% tarriff on steel imports and a 10% tariff on aluminum imports leading US producers to raise their prices as well. "Canned costs went up 25% overnight."
"Transportation costs, which he described as “out of control,” and a tight labor market are also causing prices to rise."
"Mandarin oranges’ cost has also climbed because of the tariffs."
"Consumers are going to pay a little bit more for household goods."
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