Latest food safety news and analysis articles 
We lift the lid on safety in our sector
UK/GERMANY: Watermelon link to fatal salmonella outbreak
3 February 2012
A fatal salmonella outbreak that has hit the UK and Germany has been linked to the consumption of watermelon, health officials have said.
UK: Jam maker Duerr's eyes Premier's Hartley's unit
27 January 2012
UK jam maker Duerr's has signalled its interest in buying Premier Foods plc's Hartley's business, which is rumoured to be among the latest of the food giant's assets up for sale.
RUSSIA: Fasska linked to salmonella infant formula recall
25 January 2012
Russian authorities are recalling infant formula from Belgian manufacturer Fasska after a salmonella outbreak.
US: USDA to overhaul poultry inspection process
24 January 2012
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing reforms to poultry inspection that it claims will save taxpayer money and lower costs for producers.
BRICs and beyond: Fresh concerns over food safety in China
19 January 2012
The Chinese New Year is marked on Monday (23 January) but the same old questions over the safety of food made in the country have reared their head once again. Contaminated milk at Mengniu Dairy has renewed consumer concern and infant-formula maker Synutra International found itself linked to the death of a baby boy. Chinese food makers are working on improving supply chains but there is still much more to do, as Dean Best reports.
US: USDA to close 259 sites
13 January 2012
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will close 259 offices and labs and cut some programmes to save US$150m per year.
US: Jensen Farms "ignored FDA guidelines" - Congress
13 January 2012
A US federal investigation into the cantaloupe-borne listeria outbreak that killed 30 people has found the farm that produced them had ignored government safety guidelines.
UK: FSA plans more self-regulation on inspections
9 January 2012
The UK's Food Standards Agency is considering plans to reduce the type and frequency of inspections in a bid to target the worst offenders.
GERMANY: Retailers in spotlight over banana workers rights
6 January 2012
Charity Oxfam has accused German retailers of sourcing bananas from plantations in Ecuador that have "intolerable and exploitative working conditions".
Editor's choice: the highlights on just-food this week
6 January 2012
just-food's first week back after the Christmas and New Year break included PepsiCo brushing off a US report of plans to cut 4,000 jobs, UK seafood firm Young's Seafood shedding over 500 posts and Arla Foods pledging to expand in Scotland - but saying the move could still affect employees. In the week between Christmas and New Year, we saw China's food sector rocked by its latest safety scandal, with news that dairy group Mengniu Dairy produced milk containing a carcinogen. Click on the headlines for more.
CHINA: Mengniu embroiled in new tainted milk scandal
3 January 2012
Chinese dairy processor Mengniu Dairy has admitted producing milk containing excessive levels of a cancer-causing chemical.
US: Mead Johnson welcomes all-clear on infant formula
3 January 2012
US infant nutrition maker Mead Johnson has welcomed test results that show its infant formulas are not related to four cases of infection.
Editor's choice: the highlights on just-food this week
23 December 2011
Wal-Mart stunned the US food sector this week with a decision to pull a Mead Johnson infant formula brand after the death of a baby in Missouri. In the UK, two retailers, Thorntons and Ocado, faced the scrutiny of investors after profit warnings. And, just-food launched its international food basket to highlight the difference in price between national brands and own label in seven markets.
The most-read news articles on just-food in 2011
23 December 2011
As well as our raft of insight articles, just-food continued to provide all the breaking news throughout the food industry in 2011. Below are the ten articles that had you clicking the most throughout the year.
US: Wal-Mart recalls infant formula after death
22 December 2011
US retailer Wal-Mart has taken a batch of powdered infant formula off the shelf at more than 3,000 of its stores following to death of a newborn in Missouri.
US: Cargill restarts turkey output after salmonella scare
20 December 2011
Cargill has restarted turkey production at its Springdale plant after the facility was linked to salmonella earlier this year.
Quote, unquote: just-food's week in words
19 December 2011
This week, Swedish confectionery companies Cloetta and Leaf International revealed plans to merge. Elsewhere, Carrefour announced plans to buy its French retail franchise partner Guyenne et Gascogne and on this side of the Channel, Premier Foods sold off another division, this time in Ireland to The Boyne Valley Group.
GLOBAL: FAO urges greater livestock efficiency
14 December 2011
Major gains in efficiency the livestock industry are needed to meet the world's increased demand for animal protein, the UN has warned.
US: Cantaloupe listeria outbreak declared over
12 December 2011
A listeria outbreak that killed 30 people in the US has come to an end, according to a statement from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).
Quote, unquote: just-food's week in words
12 December 2011
India hit the industry headlines again this week after the country's government decided to suspend its plans to allow more foreign investment into the local retail sector. Meanwhile, here in the UK, Premier Foods plc, the country's largest food maker, continued its restructuring with the sale of its Brookes Avana division, while Kraft Foods announced plans to revamp its UK manufacturing network leading to a loss of 200 jobs at its Cadbury arm.
US: Food safety body urges artificial colourings review
9 December 2011
A US non-profit health watchdog claims guidelines surrounding the labelling of food with artificial colourings are deceiving consumers.
US/UK: Quorn brushes off US health body allergy claims
9 December 2011
UK meat-free food manufacturer Quorn Foods has defended its products from accusations that it is unsafe made by a US consumer watchdog.
EU: UK food makers, retailers pledge not to use caged eggs
7 December 2011
UK food manufacturers have pledged not to use caged eggs from Europe, amid concerns that egg producers on the continent will fail to comply with a ban that starts next month.
EU: Romania cleared to sell pig meat to EU
7 December 2011
Romanian pigmeat exporters have been given approval to at last sell into the rest of the EU.
Editor's choice: the highlights on just-food last week
5 December 2011
India's planned retail reform continued to dominate the headlines, while we analysed two other contentious issues - industry efforts to tackle child labour in cocoa production and the true potential of intense sweetener stevia. Elsewhere, Unilever and McCain Foods faced union strife and Diamond Foods warned a probe into payments to growers could hit the company.
Quote, unquote: just-food's week in words
28 November 2011
India's cabinet was met with opposition from large sections of the parliament, because of the decision that foreign companies can now own 51% of multi-brand retail stores. After Campbell Soup Co. posted a drop in first-quarter profits and Metro Group appointed a new CEO, both companies have work ahead of them. Meanwhile, General Mills blasted research that the lining of some soup cans increases levels of bisphenol A (BPA).
CHINA: Fonterra plans to double Chinese sales by 2020
25 November 2011
Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings has said the dairy giant wants to double its sales in China by 2020.
US: General Mills blasts canned soup health warning
24 November 2011
General Mills has criticised research that claims that people who consume canned soup daily are more likely to ingest higher levels of bisphenol A (BPA), which is used in the lining of some cans.
UK: Loyd Grossman botulism scare sees third fall ill
18 November 2011
A third person has fallen ill from the botulism poisoning that has been linked to a jar of Loyd Grossman's korma sauce.
US: Salmonella scare leads Smucker to recall peanut butter
18 November 2011
US food maker JM Smucker has recalled batches of peanut butter amid concerns the products could be contaminated with salmonella.
