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.
September 12, 2022 - from FoodProcessing.com
"Corn, wheat and beef markets are all suffering from droughts that will impact productivity, according to the latest report from Rabobank.
"The quarterly Rabobank Agribusiness Review notes that in late July, some 54% of the U.S. cattle herd was under from drought conditions. As a result, cow slaughter is on pace to reach 13.5% this year – the highest culling rate on record. Even with the extra slaughtered beef coming on the market, prices for fed cattle are up 20% so far, in recognition of the fact that fall slaughter is likely to be smaller.
"Corn crop conditions are the worst they’ve been since a widespread drought in 2012. The corn yield is projected to be below 170 bushels per acre, which would bring the total yield below 1 billion bushels, the second-lowest on record.
"The wheat market is being affected by drought and the war in Ukraine. A recent agreement to allow grain shipments through Ukraine’s ports will ease some of the pressure, but high temperatures and low rainfall will continue to depress the U.S wheat crop.
"'Without significant rainfall in the next 30 days, the 2023 U.S. hard red winter wheat crop will be planted in dust,' the report says. 'A recipe for another tough crop production year and a strong support for prices.'"
September 8, 2022 - from FoodDive
September 6, 2022 - from Jewish Press:
"The Ministry of Agriculture, in a step that it says is intended to protect Israeli agriculture, has prohibited forbidden the bringing into Israel sets of the “Arba Minim” (the four species on which Jews make a blessing on the days of the upcoming holiday of Sukkot) from foreign countries.
"However, visitors may bring with them one Etrog per person – the citron which looks like a lemon and has both a scent and a taste. The remaining 3 species have 1 with no taste or smell, 1 with just taste, and 1 with a scent but no taste. These species cannot be brought into Israel for fear that they are infected with pests that could harm local agriculture and will therefore be confiscated upon entering the country.
"If visitors to Israel do bring their own Arba Minim, the Ministry of Agriculture will provide them with a set of the 3 not allowed for import that were grown in Israel, free of charge.
"srael, as do most countries, prohibits individuals from bringing fresh produce into the country to prevent the possible spread of foreign pests. These pests may damage the local crops and thus cause irreversible damage to agriculture and even lead to the extinction of entire branches of agriculture."
August 26, 2022 - from the Food Industry Executive:
"Food-at-home prices are predicted to increase a total of 10 to 11% this year, and then slow to a 2 to 3% increase next year, according to the USDA’s latest Food Price Outlook. Food-away-from-home prices will show a slightly different pattern, increasing 6.5 to 7.5% this year and 3 to 4% in 2023.
"Food prices have increased steadily and significantly since the start of the pandemic. In both 2020 and 2021, food-at-home prices increased 3.5%, driven largely by the meat categories. In July of 2022, the food-at-home index increased 1.3% month-over-month, bringing the 12-month increase to 13.1%. This marked the largest yearly increase since March 1979.
"The USDA has revised its predictions upward for all food categories, with some categories expecting very high increases. For example, egg prices are predicted to increase between 24.5 and 25.5% for the year.
"However, the agency also notes some factors that may reduce food prices, such as decreased costs for agricultural commodities (corn, soy, and wheat prices fell by 8.5%, 11.4%, and 22.7%, respectively, between June and July 2022) and increasing interest rates.
August 20, 2022 - from the eJewishPhilantropy:
"In February, a baby formula production facility in Sturgis, Mich., run by Abbott Laboratories, was shut down over reports of bacterial contamination. Combined with record inflation and supply chain issues, by May roughly 40% of baby formula products were out of stock across the U.S.
"Among the Americans hit hardest by the formula shortage are members of the Orthodox Jewish community, which has more than double the average U.S. birth rate and only uses kosher-certified formulas (deemed to be in accordance with Jewish dietary law) – meaning, more mouths to feed with fewer choices of formula.
"But soon came a way for the OU to ease the pressure on Orthodox Jewish families: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which traditionally blocks most baby formula imports, relaxed its rules to allow companies to bring in formulas from overseas to address the shortage.
"Kosher certification takes about 2-3 weeks, with rabbis checking both the ingredients of the formula, and what other ingredients are handled by factory equipment to avoid contamination with non-kosher material.
"After the ingredient check, rabbis do a physical inspection of the production facility to make sure their information is accurate, and to check any other issues that may come up. Once the OU’s requirements are met, the plant receives the certification. Companies pay a fee for the certification.
"For all the effort going into certifying overseas baby formula plants, it isn’t clear how long that certification will be relevant to the U.S. market. The FDA may restrict imports of baby formula once it feels the shortage is over."
September 1, 2022 - from the USD:
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending a key funding flexibility in the WIC program that has allowed state agencies and their infant formula manufacturers to work together to provide more options for WIC families in need of formula. Under this flexibility – which is now extended through the end of October– USDA is covering the added cost of non-contract formula to make it financially feasible for states to allow WIC participants to purchase alternate sizes, forms, or brands of infant formula."
August 29, 2022 - from the Phys.org:
"The global dairy industry is changing. Among the disruptions is competition from food alternatives not produced using animals—including potential challenges posed by synthetic milk.
"Synthetic milk does not require cows or other animals. It can have the same biochemical make up as animal milk, but is grown using an emerging biotechnology technique know as "precision fermentation" that produces biomass cultured from cells.
"Unlike synthetic meat—which can struggle to match the complexity and texture of animal meat—synthetic milk is touted as having the same taste, look and feel as normal dairy milk.
"Synthetic milk is not a sci-fi fantasy; it already exists. In the U.S., for example, the Perfect Day company supplies animal-free protein made from microflora, which is then used to make ice cream, protein powder and milk."
August 29, 2022 - from the FoodProcessing.com:
"Americans’ appetite for honey is increasing even as supplies are decreasing, according to the latest USDA figures.
Domestic honey consumption reached a record high last year of 618 million pounds, up 8% from 2020. Meanwhile, last year’s domestic production was 126 million pounds, the lowest since 1991. Prices paid to honey producers averaged $2.54 a pound, a record high.
Factors in the domestic shortage include higher-than-normal temperatures that reduced the floral cover needed to produce honey, and diversion by commercial beekeepers of their colonies away from honey production to meet demand by almond growers and others for pollination services.
"Not surprisingly, imports have surged to meet demand. Imports have made up a majority of U.S. honey consumption since 2005 and made up 74% of all U.S. consumption last year. Supplies may be further constricted by the situation in Ukraine, which before Russia’s invasion was the world’s fifth-ranking exporter of honey."
August 31, 2022 - from the Jewish Pressy News:
"In a peak year for honey production in Israel, Agriculture Minister Oded Forer and Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman want to allow honey imports for Rosh Hashanah – a move that local bee growers say is purely political, taking advantage of the fact that Rosh Hashanah, when Jews dip their apples and challahs in honey, happens to fall during national election season.
"The beekeepers’ organization reports that the Agriculture Ministry has been informed that honey production in Israel’s beehives is at a record high of about 4,200 tons – enough to supply all the honey consumption needs of Israelis throughout the Tishrei holidays.
"There are 120 thousand beehives operated by Israeli beekeepers throughout the country. According to their group, this year’s abundant harvest, the result of the long winter, and high precipitation figures that extended into March and April produced copious spring and summer blossoms with plenty of nectar. Then came summer which started late this year, with temperatures that benefit the beehives and the honey production process.
"According to the Central Bureau of Statistics data, despite the increase in prices throughout the economy and the increase in the price of honey around the world, Israeli honey is marketed to various marketing chains at the same prices as in recent years, and therefore no increase in consumer honey prices is expected for the Tishrei holidays. In fact, consumer honey prices are on a downward trend."
August 25, 2022 from the CPSC in conjunction with Healthy Canadians
IKEA METALLISK Espresso Makers have been recalled because the recalled espresso makers with the stainless-steel safety valve can burst and expel hot contents, posing burn or other injury hazards to consumers.
This recall involves IKEA METALLISK Espresso Makers with a stainless-steel safety valve for cooktop 0.4 1. The label engraved on the bottom of the product includes the IKEA logo, other product information, and a date stamp in (YYWW) format, where the first two digits represent the year and the last two digits represent the week of manufacture. The recalled espresso makers bear a date stamp between 2040 and 2204.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled IKEA METALLISK espresso makers with the stainless-steel safety valve. Units bearing date stamps 2040 through 2204 can be returned for a full refund to any Ikea store location or by mail using a pre-paid label. Proof of purchase (receipt) is not required.
Sold At: IKEA stores nationwide and online at IKEA.com from September 2020 through January 2022 for about $20.
Consumer Contact: IKEA toll-free at 888-966-4532 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or online at Ikea Consumers can also visit the www.IKEA.com/us/en home page and click on the “Learn More” button under the picture of the METALLISK Espresso Maker for more information.
August 21, 2022 - from Matzav.com:
"Israel’s Dairy Board today approved a price hike of 4.9 percent for dairy products country-wide. This comes as inflation rocks the Jewish state, causing the price of goods to rise dramatically.
"Reports note that the board initially discussed a 14 percent hike, but negotiations with the Finance and Agriculture Ministries resulted in the lower hike. The talks took several months, held up by the dispersal of the Knesset."A reason for the hike is due to the price of grain used to feed livestock rising significantly – a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began nearly six months ago.
"The milk price will remain at the inflated rate until May 2023 before reverting to the original price, with a possibility of being raised again.
"Although still far below the United States’s inflation rate – which stood at 8.5 percent – Israel’s rate of inflation in July was the highest it’s been for several decades, standing at 5.2 percent."
August 5, 2022 - from the Food Safety News:
"Meat may dominate the grill, but the market for plant-based meat alternatives is growing. That growth is due, in part, to a belief that plant-based products are less susceptible to pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella.
"'Many consumers believe that plant-based foods are minimally processed, more healthful, and nutritionally superior to otherwise similar animal-based counterparts,” said John Luchansky, lead scientist at the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Food Safety and Intervention Technologies Research unit in Wyndmoor, PA.
"Luchansky said that while there have been improvements in the quality of plant-based meat, there are little to no data on the safety of such foods as it relates to microbial pathogens.
"Consumers generally, and correctly, consider meat burgers to be raw and to require cooking prior to consumption. On the other hand, many consumers view plant-based burgers as not raw because they contain plant material and some plants can be eaten raw.
"'In reality, plants can sometimes harbor high levels of foodborne pathogens and, as such, plant-based burgers should be considered and handled just like, for example, raw ground beef,” said Luchansky’s research partner, Anna Porto-Fett, a microbiologist.
"'If you follow the ‘Four C’s of Food Safety,’ which are Cook (160º F), Clean, don’t Cross contaminate, and Chill, you can appreciably lower—but not eliminate—your risk of foodborne illness,” Porto-Fett said."
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