Genetically-Modified Organisms in United States Agriculture: Mandate for Food Labeling

The production of foods with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has risen rapidly over the past three decades to comprise nearly 90% of crops grown in the United States today. Currently, there are no mandates for labeling foods containing GMOs. GMO agricultural crops contain the insertion of genes encoding for pesticides, pesticide resistance, growth factors, or other substances not normally present. In addition to the foreign genes that are inserted, hundreds to thousands of mutations disrupt normal genes in GMO plants. Recently, animal studies have demonstrated toxicity of GMO foods causing organ failure, infertility, carcinomas and death. The FDA requirement of ingredients added to foods be labeled on the product is not applied to GMO foods, precluding the consumer’s right to know. GMOs provide an economic incentive to companies because the seeds can be patented, driving up costs and creating the potential for monopolies. Herbicide-resistance conferred by GMOs has resulted in higher pesticide applications, which correlate with higher human cancer rates, and the emergence of pesticide-resistant weeds and insects. GMO toxins are spreading into to non-target insects, waterways and aquatic organisms, with toxicity to non-target organisms and resultant contamination of disparate ecosystems in the food chain. The appropriateness of mandatory GMO labeling of foods in the United States is discussed.

A Guide to Food Labeling

Based on the national standards for the labeling of food and standards for various types of food products,this book explains the general require-ments for the

Promoting the Establishment of a Food Label Evaluation System

With continued improvement in their livingstandards,people attach more and more importanceto the safety of food.Food labeling has becomeone important element of food safety supervision.Inthe interests of China's continual economic progress,afood label evaluation system should be set up.

Does Green Food Certification promote agri-food export quality?Evidence from China

The construction of a food certification system plays a vital role in upgrading export quality, which previous studies have largely overlooked. We match China's industry-level data of Green Food Certification with its HS6-digit export data of agri-food products to quantify the impact of Green Food Certification on export quality. We identify the significant and positive effect of Green Food Certification on export quality. The 2SLS estimation based on instrumental variables and a range of robustness checks confirm the validity and robustness of the benchmark conclusions. Further analysis discloses that Green Food Certification improves export quality by raising agricultural production efficiency and brand premiums. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the effect of Green Food Certification varies across regions, notably improving the quality of agri-food products exported to developed regions and regions with high levels of import supervision. Furthermore, among various product types, Green Food Certification significantly improves the export quality of primary products and products vulnerable to non-tariff measures. The above findings could guide the future development of agri-food quality certification systems, potentially leading to a transformation and promotion of the agri-food trade.

Informing Food Consumption Choices: Innovations in Measuring and Labelling

The need to inform consumers about the health impact of their food choices is ever more pressing in a world where obesity is a growing problem. Concerns over food safety, its origins and its environmental impacts are also growing, as frequently reported in the popular press in many parts of the world. Nutritional and health information on food labels is quite well developed, but the complex nature of the information presented may hinder widespread use of the existing labels. In comparison, there has been little widespread success of carbon labels on food, and their usefulness in reducing carbon emissions from consumption is uncertain. In an attempt to address the need for clearer information on health and environmental impacts of food purchases, we present a novel dual-purpose food labelling system which provides information on both health and environmental impacts of food items. This paper presents results from a pilot study introducing a novel approach to food labelling: a simplified, combined carbon and health label to inform consumers simultaneously about the environmental and health impacts of their choices. Environmental impacts of various food categories were calculated on the basis of their relative energy use along the supply chain by using a newly designed Food Energy Index. Health impacts were based on the NuVal system developed in the USA in 2010. As part of the Norfolk Island Carbon and Health Evaluation study (NICHE), labels were designed, tested and displayed on 25 food categories for a 3-month period in the main supermarket on Norfolk Island (Australia). The in-store labelling trial was followed by a consumer survey on their attitudes to the labels. The results from this pilot trial indicate that consumers were supportive of food labelling including both environmental and health impacts, but the information provided in the dual labels was not sufficient to induce changes in consumption between food categories. We conclude that simple label design is clearly essential, and our findings warrant further investigation, including a broader study using a larger population and a wider range of food categories.

Quality and origin of mountain food products: the new European label as a strategy for sustainable development

Mountain farming provides high-quality food products due to the peculiar characteristics of the raw materials combined with traditional processing conditions. However, these products and their intrinsic characteristics are not clearly recognized by consumers on the market. Nowadays, Protected Designation of Origin(PDO), Protected Geographical Indication(PGI) and Traditional Specialities Guaranteed(TSG) certifications include products originating in mountain areas, even if a large part of mountain foodstuff is not protected by these certifications and foods not made in mountain areas are often labeled as ―mountain food products‖. For this reason, the European Union has set a specific Regulation in 2012 to recognize and protect mountain food and to make the consumers safer about the origin information. The objective of this paper is twofold: firstly, it presents the recent aspects related to European legislation of mountain food product; secondly, it aims at reviewing the main features of nutritional quality and technology of dairy and meat products, as the most widespread mountain food products, and the main protocols used to evaluate the authenticity of these food products. The promotion of mountain food product through a specific label and the use of tracing methods, which are able to verify the authenticity of the origin of these products, may play a pivotal role in increasing the consumer‘s loyalty towards these products and could be a way to boost a sustainable development of these economically marginal rural areas. However, the analytical protocols developed so far(stable isotopes, macro and microelements, radionuclides, spectroscopic, molecular techniques, volatile substances profile, terpenes) are in many cases still at the experimental level due to the extreme variability of the mountain origin of the products to be tested.

Profile of the Functional Categories of Food Additives in Industrial Foods Marketed in Senegal

Food additives, whether natural or artificial substances, are widely used around the world to improve the sensory quality of products, extend their shelf life and make them more competitive. However, the abusive and uncontrolled consumption of food additives is the cause of numerous illnesses and diseases such as poisoning, allergies, diabetes and numerous cancers. So, in addition to setting up control and regulatory bodies, it is becoming essential to keep a constant watch on the presence of food additives on the market. The aim of this study is to highlight the main categories of food additives in food products frequently sold on the Senegalese market. The methodology of the study is based on the identification of food additives from the information given on the labels of food packaging. Information was collected in markets in two (2) major regions of Senegal: Dakar and Saint-Louis. The results of our study show the presence of 153 food additives on the labels of 514 samples collected. Moreover, the frequency and diversity of additives depended on the food category. On the other hand, beyond their important technological and functional roles, some additives such as aspartame and monosodium glutamate have been implicated in pathologies, and others, such as titanium dioxide, are the subject of much controversy and even withdrawal in certain legislations for their impacts deemed potentially negative on consumer health.

我国标识“乳酸菌”“益生菌”普通食品调查研究

目的:分析我国添加菌种的普通食品标签标识现状,探究其存在问题,为我国含可食用菌种食品的标签标识管理提供参考。方法:通过线上及线下渠道,收集并整理标识有“活菌”“乳酸菌”“益生菌”(不包括保健食品和传统发酵食品)预包装食品的标签标识信息。结果:本次调查共采集526份符合要求的样品,调查结果显示,65.24%的产品在标签或宣传用语中使用了“益生菌”术语;91.06%的样品在包装上标示了菌种名称,49.81%的样品标示了菌株名称;72.43%的样品在标签上标示了菌种量,其中95%的产品包装上标示菌种量≥106 CFU/g(CFU/mL)。此外,29.28%的样品在标签或宣传用语中使用了功能声称及类似功能声称的相关描述,46.9%的样品在标签上标明了产品的适用或不适用人群。结论:我国普通食品中添加可食用菌种产品种类丰富,菌种名称及菌种量的标示位置及标示方式多样。部分产品灭活菌种也使用“益生菌”术语,部分产品明确功能声称,我国含“乳酸菌”“益生菌”类食品标签标识的管理有待规范。

花生与坚果过敏的机制、管理措施及食品工业应对策略研究进展

花生和坚果是全球各种美食中不可或缺的一部分,但它们却是最常见的食物致敏原之一,过敏反应从轻微的症状(如荨麻疹和腹痛)到严重的过敏反应(如呼吸困难、血压突然下降和意识丧失)。花生和坚果过敏的患病率在全世界范围内以惊人的速度增长,成为一个重大的公共卫生问题。花生和坚果的过敏问题需要采取多学科方法来解决,需要持续研究免疫机制、制定预防策略以及改进食品加工工艺。本文概述了花生和坚果中的主要致敏原,以及其引发的复杂免疫反应,探讨了检测和治疗花生和坚果过敏方面取得的进展,以及旨在降低过敏风险的食品加工和标签实践的不断发展。本文旨在为花生和坚果过敏患者以及食品加工行业提供借鉴,为花生和坚果过敏的预防和诊断提供参考。

Regulation of Genetically Modified Food Use in the Russian Federation

Practical application of new methods of а plant genome transformation resulted in the need for strict regulation of the safety assessment process of genetically modified organisms of plant origin, intended for use in food. The devise of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) of plant origin safety assessment system, which is currently valid in the Russian Federation, was initiated in 1995-1996. Not only does the system accumulate all domestic and foreign experience, it also includes the latest scientific approaches, based on achievements of fundamental science. In the present article authors focused on issues of the basic legislative regulations of plant biotechnology in the Russian Federation, and approaches to the safety assessment of GM food and control over such food. GMO safety assessment is carried out at the stage of State registration. The subject of registration is novel food products derived from GMO, manufactured in the Russian Federation, as well as food products, entering the Russian Federation for the first time. In the system of medical and biological assessment of the GMO safety, along with general toxicological research, the study of specific types of toxicity in in vivo experiments takes a prominent place. In accordance with established research practice, which uses an integrated approach, and provides with the most complete and reliable information on potential reprotoxic, genotoxic, immunotoxic and allergenic effects of GMO, as well as enables to reveal possible unintended effects of genetic modification. From 1999 to 2016 22 GM lines passed the entire cycle of medical-biological investigations. By 2016 there had been amassed scientific foundation on GMO safety, which includes the analysis of result of research, carried out within the framework of GMO state registration in the Russian Federation, as well as domestic and international data, presented by scientific literature on the problem of biotechnological food safety, at both registration stage and post-registration monitoring stage. To sum up, in the Russian Federation the most essential issues, allowing to use GMO for food purpose have been resolved: 1) legislation, normative and methodical foundations, regulating safety assessment and control over GMO turnover, as well as ensuring customer awareness about presence of GMO in food products, have been created;2) scientifically proven evidence on the lack of negative effects for human health, i.e. GMO safety has been amassed;3) the possibility of control over GMO turnover throughout the food market of the country has been sustained.

散装食品标签检验的要素及问题分析

本文系统梳理散装食品标签检验的各个环节,针对散装食品标签检验中的常见问题,如标签缺失或不全、信息虚假或误导消费者、特殊标识滥用或误用以及新兴业态下的特殊问题,提出了完善散装食品标签检验的对策与建议,以期提升我国散装食品市场的规范化水平,确保食品安全质量,切实保障消费者的合法权益。

预包装食品标签的审核要素及对策分析

预包装食品标签作为向公众传递食品安全信息的有效途径,可以全面展示食品相关特征和性能。本文介绍了现阶段关于预包装食品标签有关法律法规要求,着重分析了预包装食品标签审核的常见要素,针对政府、企业和消费者等提出改善预包装食品标签的措施,旨在更好地保障消费者的权益和健康。

电子追溯系统在食用油生产企业的应用实践

为了进一步发挥电子追溯系统在食用油生产企业中的作用,对基于自动标识与数据采集(AIDC)技术、二维码形式的电子追溯系统监控食用油生产加工行业的生产、加工、包装、储运、流通和销售环节进行综述,并对电子追溯系统在企业实际运行中存在的问题进行讨论。通过电子追溯系统企业能及时了解物料消耗、生产、订单完成情况等重要信息,提高企业生产效率及降低人工成本,消费者也可以通过电子追溯系统快速准确地获得产品的完整信息,保证自身合法权益的同时对食用油生产企业进行监督。电子追溯系统在企业实际运行中还存在部分问题(信息兼容性、信息安全等),食用油生产企业食品安全追溯体系仍需不断完善,如借助大数据分析建立统一的信息存储数据库,以更好地服务企业与消费者。

2022年全国糕点监督抽检不合格结果分析

目的:分析2022年全国糕点监督抽检的不合格情况。方法:汇总2022年国家市场监督管理总局和各省、自治区、直辖市市场监督管理局公示的糕点不合格信息,从不合格细类、不合格项目类型、不合格项目等方面分析。结果:2022年糕点监督抽检不合格共计879批次、933项次,其中以糕点细类不合格批次最多。不合格主要为微生物污染(菌落总数、霉菌等)、质量指标不达标(过氧化值、酸价等)和超范围超限量使用食品添加剂(脱氢乙酸及其钠盐、防腐剂混合使用时各自用量占其最大使用量的比例之和、铝的残留量等)等问题。结论:糕点的微生物、质量指标、食品添加剂等问题依旧突出,建议企业引入危害分析与关键控制点体系、食品安全管理体系等体系管理方法,综合提升糕点食品安全管理能力。

量子点标记免疫分析技术在食品安全检测中的应用价值

量子点标记免疫分析技术稳定性好,且具有独特的荧光性质,在食品安全检测中具有较好的应用价值。本文分析了量子点标记免疫分析技术在食品有害物质检测中的应用,并提出了相应的优化策略,以期为食品安全检测提供新的思路和方向。

食品安全网络舆情信息传播风险影响因素研究

[研究目的]近年来社会高度关注食品安全问题,由食品安全事件引发的网络舆情风险递增,对社会稳定产生负面影响。因此,通过构建食品安全网络舆情信息传播风险评估模型,分析影响风险类型的关键因素,以帮助相关部门及时发现和评估舆情风险,提高风险预警能力。[研究方法]基于言语行为理论,将舆情信息内容作为研究对象,由说话者言语信息构建舆情信息传播风险影响因素特征集,由受话者言语信息构建风险类型的多标签标注体系,并借助稀疏性多标签学习模型对关键特征进行选择,实现对网络舆情信息传播风险影响因素的研究。[研究结论]实验结果表明,该模型可有效提取影响信息传播风险类型的关键特征,为食品安全网络舆情的风险监测与预警提供决策依据。

《食品安全法》中的惩罚性赔偿研究

为规范市场秩序,惩罚不法商家,有关食品安全领域惩罚性赔偿的讨论日益火热。作为激励消费者维权、惩罚违反《食品安全法》的行为、威慑潜在行为者的重要制度,我国关于惩罚性赔偿的法律规定不断修改、完善。然而,即使法律规定不断完善,实践中仍存在诸多争议问题尚待解决,包括知假买假者的诉讼资格、实际损失的前提性地位、经营者主观要件的证明责任及“标签瑕疵”的认定标准缺失四类问题。针对这四类争议问题,应当在司法解释中给出明确结论以供实践参考。对此,应当肯定知假买假者请求惩罚性赔偿的资格,不以实际损失为惩罚性赔偿成立的前提要件,推定经营者明知并分类型确立“标签瑕疵”的认定标准。这样,才能充分保障惩罚性赔偿功能的发挥,保障市场机制的正常运行。

Physico-Chemical and Labeling Control of Imported Honeys in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is situated in the centre of Western Africa with a high illiteracy rate, despite efforts of the governments to improve education. This is not without consequences on the choice of foodstuffs bought and consumed by the people and the consequent effect on their health. Honey is one of the foodstuffs consumed by people. However local production falls short of demand, and so most supermarkets in Burkina Faso sell imported honey. Do these imported honeys conform to the international standards regarding labeling of foodstuffs, and specifically do they possess physicochemical characteristics that conform to international norms of Codex Alimentarus and European honey Commission? The study investigated certain characteristics established by standards of the European Commission and Codex Alimentarius. The labels on packaged honey were analyzed according to the standard of Journal Officiel. Results show that the physic-chemical plan, the hydroxyl-methyl-furfural (HMF) content were high whereas the diastase index was low indicating lack of freshness of imported honeys. For the stability, honey samples conformed to the standard of the European Commission and Codex Alimentarius. Only two honey samples fulfill the Codex Alimentarius and the European commission norms. Storage temperatures degrade honey considerably and it suggested that under tropical conditions the deadline for optimal use (DLUO) of honeys is reduced to one year.

Evidence of the Presence of Genetically Modified Foods in the Sudano-Sahelian Zones of Cameroon

Concerns of Africans with transgenic foods and genetically modified organisms seem to have minor repercussions in general on the use and the commercialisation of these products on African markets and particularly in the northern sudano-sahelian zone of Cameroun. In this line, different crops (cotton, and maize) and some commercialized branded food products were sampled on local farms, markets and chops. Evaluation of the presence or absence of GMO was performed using labelling system, completed by the laboratory analysis using PCR methods combined with the electrophoresis. Amongst all collected items, sampled cotton of varieties IRMA L484, IRMA L457 and maize varieties ATP SRY (CHC 202), ECKEBIL (CLH 103), PAN 4P-767BR, PAN 5Q-433B and PAN 6Q-445B, were found to contain the foreign genetic material. Amongst processed commercialised brand products, 39 were found to contain genetically modified ingredients. Most were maize (glucose and syrup) and soya (lecithin).