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.
"According to Reuters, Impossible Foods, maker of the plant-based Impossible Burger, has raised $300 million in the latest round of funding ahead of a possible initial public offering (IPO). The fifth equity funding round since its launch in 2011 brings the Impossible Foods’ total raised to more than $750 million and values the startup at $2 billion. By comparison, Beyond Meat had a market capitalization of just under $1.5 billion in its IPO May 2 but now tops $4 billion."
Impossible Foods launched its first plant-based meat burger, using its key ingredient heme, over two years ago. The Impossible Burger is now sold at more than 7,000 restaurants worldwide including White Castle, Qdoba, Red Robin, and at Disney theme parks. Burger King is currently testing the Impossible Whopper at select U.S. locations and then plans to release it nationally. In addition, Impossible Foods."
"Cargill has announced it will invest in Aleph Farms, a cultured meat company focused on growing complex meat varieties like steak. Cargill is participating in a Series A investment round led by VisVires New Protein and joined by several other investors looking to move Aleph Farms’ product from prototype to the commercial marketplace. Aleph Farms grows meat directly from beef cells using a 3D tissue engineering platform. In December 2018, it achieved a world-first by demonstrating it could grow a steak directly from bovine cells."
"Aleph Farms plans to begin building bio-farms and move toward a limited consumer product launch with steak grown under controlled conditions in three to five years."
The investment in Aleph Farms builds on Cargill’s other partnerships in alternative protein. In 2017, Cargill was an early investor in Memphis Meats, a company leading the way in development of cultured meat. Cargill also is an investor in plant-based protein through Puris, a firm that has launched a new pea-based protein that is non-GMO, organic, and allergen-friendly."
May 15, 2019 - from CPSC in conjunction with Healthy Canada:
Babycook Neo steam cooker/blenders have been recalled because the glass bowl can break, posing a laceration hazard.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Babycook Neo and contact Beaba for a free replacement bowl.
Beaba has received about 300 reports of the glass bowl shattering, including three incidents of minor injuries.
Sold At: BeabaUsa.com, Buy Buy Baby, Williams Sonoma, Indigo, Albee Baby, Bed Bath & Beyond, West Coast Kids, Nini and Loli, Liapela, Albee Baby, Baby’s Planet, Baby Square, Bed Bath & Beyond, Crocodile Baby Store, Lil Baby Sprouts, Macrobaby, Mini Jake, Mon Beau Bebe, Mum and Mini, Pizzazzz Kidz, Snuggle Bugz, Sprout San Francisco, Traveling Tikes, and USA Baby & Child, and other children’s stores nationwide, and online at the listed stores from July 2018 through February 2019 for between $200 and $250.
Consumer Contact: Beaba toll-free at 855-602-3222 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, by email at contact@beabausa.com or online at www.BeabaUSA.com/recall and submit a request.
May 14, 2019 - from Securing Industry:
"An enforcement operation has taken down a large-scale criminal network that was selling fraudulent olive oil in Europe."
"The Europol-coordinated operation has resulted in the seizure of 150,000 litres of low-quality oils that had been adulterated with colourants to make them appear like extra virgin olive oils, and led to 20 arrests. It is estimated that the gang netted around €8m (around $9m) in profit from the scam.
"Starting with low quality sunflower oil, the Italy-based criminals added adulterants including chlorophyll, beta-carotene and soya oil to change its appearance. The mixing occurred in unsanitary conditions in an unregulated oil mill, and the counterfeit product was then sold on the German market, with the ring targeting restaurant owners, says Europol."
"They acquired one million litres of sunflower oil every year for approximately €1m, and sold the counterfeit product between €5 and €10 per litre.
"All told, 20 house searches were carried out during the operation, which also discovered five lorries transporting 23 000 litres of counterfeit oil each.
"Italian farming organisation Coldiretti has previously reported that the 'Agro-Mafia' has been stepping up its activities of late, with a 30 per cent growth to a staggering €21.8bn in value in 2016 across all food categories."
"Previous enforcement operations involving olive oil have uncovered links to the notorious 'Ndràngheta criminal network."
May 13, 2019 - from Paddle your own Kanoo:
"A legal case has been filed in a German court accusing Kuwait of antisemitic discrimination – the second such case brought against the government-owned Kuwaiti flag-carrier in Germany. On this occasion, an Israeli businessman who booked flights from Munich to Sri Lanka via Kuwait City was denied the right to fly with the airline after he made an enquiry about the availability of Kosher meals – a special meal request that is widely available on the vast majority of airlines."
"A separate case which was originally filed in a German court in 2017 caused a public outcry in Germany but that case is still under review by Germany’s Constitutional High Court. If Kuwait Airways loses the case, German authorities may ban the airline from flying to or from Germany."
"In other cases, legal pressure in both the United States and Switzerland led to Kuwait Airways abandoning its London Heathrow (LHR) to New York City (JFK) service and other fifth-freedom flights rather than comply with anti-discrimination laws."
"Kuwait Airways says it cannot carry anyone with Israeli citizenship because of a law in its home country that bans any Kuwaiti citizen or company from doing business with Israel or its citizens. Legal experts said the airline could not rely on this law to discriminate against Israelis when it operated fifth-freedom flights – the legal implications of direct flights between Kuwait and a second country are more unclear."
"After suspending its London Heathrow (LHR) to New York City (JFK) service, the carrier instead operated flights via Shannon, Ireland for a fuel stop without picking up passengers. Kuwait Airlines then started direct services between Kuwait City and JFK in January 2019."
May 13, 2019 - from Vos Is Neias:
The Three Brothers Bakery, Houston, TX that dates back to Poland in the early 19th century has lost its kosher certification from the ouston Kashruth Association after deciding to stay open on Passover. The bakery formerly closed for all eight days of Passover. The bakery formerly closed for all eight days of Passover. They bakery's website said they did this to repay loans from Hurricane Harvey. The bakery further states on
May 13, 2019 - from Arutz 7:
"The security inspectors of the crossings authority at the Defense Ministry thwarted the smuggling of a particularly large shipment of more than 700 kilograms of meat unfit for eating."
"The meat was hidden in the double wall of a truck that arrived Sunday at the Eliahu crossing, near Qalqiliya."
"The driver, an Israeli citizen, aroused the suspicion of the examiners at the crossing. The truck was turned over for inspection, during which a double wall was discovered containing hundreds of kilograms of meat hidden in bags without refrigeration and / or other basic conditions for maintaining its freshness."
May 8, 2019 - from FDA:
Since 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required that claims on food labels that a food contains no gluten meet a clear standard that assures consumers that “gluten-free” claims on food products will be truthful and consistent.
Regulation: The rule specifies, among other criteria, that any foods that carry the label “gluten-free,” “no gluten,” “free of gluten,” or “without gluten” must contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. This level is the lowest that can be reliably detected in foods using scientifically validated analytical methods. Other countries and international bodies use these same criteria, as most people with celiac disease can tolerate foods with very small amounts of gluten.
Besides the limit of gluten to 20 ppm, the rule permits labeling a food “gluten-free, if the food does not contain:
Grains: A Closer Look: Certain grains are especially likely to contain naturally occurring gluten. However, these grains can be processed to remove gluten, including:
May 8, 2019 - from CPSC:
Igloo Marine Elite Coolers have been recalled because the cooler’s stainless-steel latch can automatically lock when the lid is closed, allowing a person to become locked inside the air tight container, posing entrapment and suffocation hazards.
This recall includes only Igloo Marine Elite line of coolers that are white with stainless-steel latches. The coolers were made for use on boats and marine environments. The Igloo logo is embossed on the metal latch and on the outside of the coolers. The coolers were sold in 54, 72, 94, 110, and 150 quart sizes. “Igloo Marine Elite Cooler” and the quart size are printed on a label on the coolers. The 110 quart model of the cooler has two wheels and a metal handle that can be used to pull the cooler.
Igloo cooler models |
Igloo Marine Elite 54 quart |
Igloo Marine Elite 72 quart |
Igloo Marine Elite Legend 94 quart |
Igloo Marine Elite Glide 110 quart |
Igloo Marine Elite Contour 150 quart |
Consumers should immediately put the coolers out of the reach of children. Contact Igloo for instructions on removing and disposing of the old latch and for a free replacement latch.
Igloo has received one report of a child who became entrapped in the cooler before being freed by an adult.
West Marine, Sportman’s Warehouse, other home and recreational stores nationwide, and online at Amazon.com and www.igloocoolers.com from January 2015 through March 2019 for between $10 and $180.
Consumer Contact: Igloo toll-free at 866-509-3503 between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or online at www.igloocoolers.com and click on "Contact Us" at the bottom left of the webpage.
May 5, 2019: from the Packaging Insights and Journal of Public Policy & Marketing
"Focus group had a more positive attitude toward claims that are based on the presence of something “good”, compared to claims touting the absence of something 'bad'."
The "paper’s co-authors developed and tested a classification of front-of-pack claims. They also established the disconnect between the nutritional profile and the front-of-pack claims on breakfast cereals and milk products, and how the types of claim predict consumers’ choices between different foods with or without food claims. In the 633 breakfast cereals included in one of their studies, 460 had a health or nutrition claim on the package."
"Researchers found that consumers had a more positive attitude toward claims that are based on the presence of something good, compared to claims that are about the absence of something bad. For example, people expected breakfast cereals with both “adding positives claims” (“high protein,” “high fiber”) and “not removing positives claims” (“all natural,” “made with whole grains,” “wholesome”) to be healthier than brands with claims about “removing negatives claims” or “not adding negatives claims,” even if the messages claimed the absence of something considered to be harmful."
"Although there was no link between the type of claim and overall nutrition quality for breakfast cereals, consumers expected the type of claim to be a strong predictor of the healthiness, taste and dieting properties of the products. None of the claims the researchers surveyed explicitly said that the product would make people healthier (or help them lose weight or stay thin), yet consumers interpreted these claims as such. And their perceptions influenced their choices."
"The correlation between the type of ‘healthy’ claim made and the actual nutritional quality of the breakfast cereal was almost zero."
"The importance of how the nutritional content of foods is communicated via labels to consumers has come under the spotlight in recent years, especially when seemingly healthy products are uncovered as containing high levels of sugar or salt."
May 7, 2019 - from FoodDive:
"Tyson Foods, which sold its share in Beyond Meat and plans to launch meatless protein products this summer. Nestlé will roll out its plant-based Garden Gourmet Incredible Burger in Europe this spring and in the U.S. by summer, and said it will introduce a cook-from-raw plant-based Awesome Burger this fall in the U.S. under its Sweet Earth Brand. Laurent Freixe, CEO of Nestle Americas, anticipates the company's plant-based business could hit $1 billion in sales within 10 years, according to Bloomberg. Add in Beyond Meat's recent IPO, which shattered expectations, and these developments signal a thriving future for plant-based meat alternatives.
"A handful of companies are racing to be first to market with affordable beef, chicken, fish or crustacean products consumers will buy and enjoy in place of conventional ones. However, they may have to position their products as "innovative, humane luxuries worth the steep price tags."
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