Food Logistics serves the entire food supply chain industry with targeted content for manufacturers, retailers, and distributors.
Issue link: https://foodlogistics.epubxp.com/i/467905
www.foodlogistics.com FOOD LOGISTICS • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 11 FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg Resigns Dr. Margaret Hamburg, who as commis- sioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for almost six years has overseen public health initiatives ranging from tobacco control and food safety to personal- ized medicine and drug approvals, is stepping down. Hamburg, one of the longest-serving FDA commissioners in the modern era, told Reuters in an interview that her decision was prompted by the heavy demands of the job and the sheer length of time she has held the position. "This is a very challenging job full of oppor- tunities to make a huge and enduring differ- ence," she said, "but it is 24/7 and there are really, really difficult decisions to make." China Bans U.S. Poultry And Egg Imports Over Avian Flu The Chinese government said that it will ban all imports of U.S. poultry and egg products because of recent detections in the U.S. of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in backyard poultry and wild birds in the Pacific Northwest, the U.S. Poul- try & Egg Import Council reported. In a joint announcement posted on official websites in China, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quaran- tine (AQSIQ) imposed nationwide restrictions on imports of processed and unprocessed U.S. poultry and eggs, effective Jan. 8. The ban also applies to breeding stock, which includes live chicks and hatching eggs. The ban is in response to a December detec- tion of a highly-pathogenic strain of H5N8 influenza in wild birds and in a backyard flock of guinea hens and chickens in Oregon, along with separate H5N2 HPAI detections in wild birds in California and Washington. MOA and AQSIQ imposed the restrictions despite assur- ances by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that the influenza virus has not been found in any commercial poultry flock in the U.S. China is a key export market for U.S. chicken, turkey and duck products. From Janu- ary through November last year, U.S. exports to China reached more than $272 million. New Regulation Prompts Changes To Food Labels In European Union As of Dec. 14, 2014, all food labels in the European Union must be designed in accor- dance with the new labelling rules in Regulation no. 1169/2011 on the provision of food infor- mation to consumers, according to attorneys at Bech-Bruun in Copenhagen, Denmark. Food must not be produced in "old" packages after Dec. 13, 2014. Food in pack- ages with "old" labels may, however, be on the market until the end of its durability date. The new rules were changed before taking effect, the lawyers noted. The Ministry of Food has requested a corri- gendum of Regulation 1169/2011, which means that the following rules of law in the regulation are changed: • "Quickly frozen" will be changed to "deep frozen." • "Sequestrants" will be changed to "Stabi- liser" such that it now says both "Sequestrants" and "Stabiliser." • "Mindst holdbar til" will be changed to "bedst før." • "Mindst holdbar til og med" will be changed to "bedst før udgangen af." • "Nutritional reference values" has been changed to "nutrient reference values" (NRV). RYAN COMPANIES US, INC. Bob West at bob.west@ryancompanies.com or 904.237.3629 www.RYANCOMPANIES.com Leaders in COLD STORAGE Design & Construction As a national leader in designing and building cold storage facilities, Ryan understands the end-to-end supply chain process and the key role that distribution plays in effcient and timely movement of product. Whether it's designing energy effcient thermal envelopes, refrigeration or lighting systems, our focus is on building solutions for your business. w Margaret Hamburg