Food Traceability Report articles from December 2001

Food Traceability Report archives from December 2001

European Commission may act alone to lift biotech moratorium.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... European Commission officials are considering unilateral action to lift the de facto moratorium on approvals of new bioengineered crops imposed by a minority of European Union member states three years ago (see FTR, November, Page 1). ...

Australia seeks to marry beef traceback with EU system.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Australia's beef industry is working to marry its nationwide traceback system with a similar European scheme to provide the world's first global electronic traceability system. Scientists at Meat and Livestock Australia hope within six...

Global traceability and labeling standards sought by grain industry.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The United States government should work toward international harmonization of biotech labeling and traceability standards as well as uniform thresholds for the adventitious presence of transgenic material in non-biotech products, grain...

Canadian ministers urge adoption of traceability systems.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Past and present Canadian agriculture ministers have urged grain and oilseed farmers to get serious about adopting traceability systems. Charlie Mayer, who was agriculture minister in the early 1990s in the previous Conservative...

UPCOMING EVENTS.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... December 6 BioResearch Product Fair 2001 Trade Show, Philadelphia, Penn. Information: http://biotradeshow.com/shows2001.html; 530-272-6675 December 6-7 Biotech Communicator's Workshop, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada....

Bt corn planting decisions depend on geography, economics.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2001... Farmers at the eastern end of the nation's Corn Belt are less likely to recover the cost of planting bioengineered seed containing the Bacillus thuringiensis gene than producers farther west, according to Purdue University researchers who...

IdentityPreserved.com offers flexible approach to traceability.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... "We offer a traceability solution that's easily tailored to the client," says Tim Aughenbaugh, president of IdentityPreserved.com, a strategic business unit of South Dakota-based Agricultural Information Technologies, Inc. "Our technology is...

Canadian Grain Commission seeks deal for wheat test.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The Canadian Grain Commission is negotiating with Monsanto for an agreement that would allow the commission to use the company's forthcoming test for detecting bioengineered Roundup Ready wheat. The commission oversees the Canadian grain...

Australian manufacturers demand traceability for 'biotech-free' foods.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Australian food makers are warning that new biotech labeling laws coming into effect this month will require anyone selling food as biotech-free to prove it through traceback systems. Farmers, trucking companies and seed manufacturers...

Voluntary biotech labeling plan delayed in Canada.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... It is taking longer than expected to complete the final version of a voluntary labeling plan for bioengineered food in Canada, which means food industry approval will likely be delayed as well. Fran Gershberg, a spokeswoman for the...

Traceable honey draws premium prices in Argentina.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2001... Small to medium size apiaries in Argentina have combined forces to export honey produced under rigorous traceability and labeling requirements. Detailed product labels show point of origin and type of surrounding vegetation. The labeling...

Japan to launch traceability system in response to BSE concerns.(for beef products, bovine spongiform encephalopathy)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The Japanese agriculture ministry has begun developing a traceability system for beef products in an effort to restore consumer confidence following discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the nation's cattle herd this fall. The...

IP critical for drug-producing transgenic livestock.(conference information)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Identity preservation of cows, sheep, hogs and chickens genetically engineered to produce drugs will be critical to keep the animals from inadvertently making their way into the food chain, Thomas Howard of Gala Design Inc. and ioGenetics LLC...

Deficient systems cited as justifying partial British beef ban.(French imports)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The European Union's advocate general has ruled that France can continue banning indirect imports of British beef in the absence of effective EU-wide rules concerning meat traceability. However, Advocate General Jean Mischo cautioned in...

Ontario Veal Association launches branded veal program.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The Ontario Veal Association has launched the first branded veal program to hit Canada's supermarkets. Under the Certified Ontario VealT retail program, only veal producers who have been validated under the OVQAP on-farm component of the...

FAO promotes organic food production in developing countries.(UN Food and Agriculture Organization)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2001... The organic fruit and vegetable market offers significant potential for developing countries to increase their export earnings and diversify their agricultural base, according to a new UN Food and Agriculture Organization report. ...

Latin American countries seek ways to boost organic production.(agriculture)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Latin American agricultural officials are working together to overcome hurdles in gaining organic certification for small to medium sized producers. The agriculture ministers recently participated in an organic conference sponsored by...

Australian organic foods to receive strict scrutiny.(due to new labeling laws)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Australia's consumer protection agency has promised to scrutinize foods marketed as organic more closely than others under biotech food labeling laws that took effect Dec. 7 (see story, Page 8). In a draft paper on its role in monitoring...

Argentine organic producers oppose biotech corn.(agriculture)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Argentina's Organic Production Movement is petitioning the federal government to ban cultivation of bioengineered corn because of concerns over compromising organic integrity. OPM leaders reported last month that they were taking legal...

EU traceability proposals blasted at Brussels conference.(European Union)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The European Commission's traceability and labeling proposals for bioengineered foods were strongly criticized by industry speakers at a Nov. 27 traceability conference in Brussels. Neville Craddock, representing Nestle UK, blasted the...

Colombia establishes rules for biotech imports.(food regulations)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Colombia has adopted regulations requiring mandatory identification of imported bioengineered food and an indication of its country-of-origin. The ministries of agriculture, environment, foreign trade, and health are cooperating with the...

StarLink: Lessons Learned.(genetic engineering report)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... A new special report from the editors of Food Traceability Report examines the events that led up to the StarLink incident, how government, agribusiness and consumers responded to the crisis, and potential long-term effects. StarLink:...

Traceability urged to counter bioterrorism threat.(to agriculture industry)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Traceability urged to counter bioterrorism threat. David Kohl, an agricultural economist at Virginia Tech University, told Canadian audiences last month that the possibility of a terrorist poisoning a stockpile of grain or a large feedlot is...

Device monitors shipping containers by satellite.(from Smart Containers Pty Ltd)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Device monitors shipping containers by satellite. An Australian exporter has invented a device for remote monitoring of the safety and quality of fresh food in refrigerated shipping containers. Developed by Smart Containers Pty. Ltd., the...

Saudi Arabia sets biotech labeling rules.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Saudi Arabia sets biotech labeling rules. Saudi Arabia plans to establish a 1% threshold for transgenic material in non-biotech food effective this month, according an attache report released by USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. The Saudi...

Thailand recruits organic farmers.(for promotion of organic farming)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Thailand recruits organic farmers. The Thai government has recruited 7,600 farmers as part of its drive to promote organic farming, according to the Bangkok Post (see FTR, September, Page 16). A total of 300 million baht ($6.75 million) will...

Mad cow test kit business booms.(for Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Mad cow test kit business booms. Discovery of mad cow disease cases in Japan this fall has led to a lucrative contract for a U.S. company (see story, Page 10). Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., based in Hercules, Calif., makes kits that identify...

Croatian biotech ban aims to attract tourists.(biotech industry legislation)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Croatian biotech ban aims to attract tourists. Croatia this fall drafted a law banning the importation, marketing, use, and production of the products of agricultural biotechnology. The ban would be in place until biotechnology is regulated...

Protecting the integrity of animal feed.(report data)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... An important element of traceability in the meat and poultry industry is maintaining the integrity of the feed supply. The following checklist, taken from the American Feed Industry Association's "Guide to Biosecurity Awareness" for feed...

'First in, first off' rule advised to segregate non-biotech crops.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Non-biotech grains should be planted first and harvested ahead of biotech varieties because of important export market considerations, a Purdue University extension agricultural engineer advises. "We have to adhere to segregation issues...

Iowa corn farmers seek ISO certification for non-biotech crops.(International Standards Organization )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... A growing number of Iowa corn farmers are seeking certification from the Swiss-based International Standards Organization to verify that their crops are biotech-free. Central Counties Cooperative in Reinbeck, Iowa, and Mid Iowa...

U.S. potato industry urged to test for biotech seed.(marketing campaign information)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The National Potato Promotion Board is investing $600,000 in a testing program for bioengineered seed aimed at restoring losses in the industry's export markets. "We've got to make sure the spuds we grow are certified to be GMO free,"...

Traceability partnership.(Qualtrace Solutions and Intentia)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Traceability partnership. Qualtrace Solutions, an Irish firm specializing in quality and risk management, has signed a partnership agreement with Intentia, one of Europe's leading eSolutions and resource planning companies. The partnership...

Roundup Ready test kit.(Neogen Corporation product introduction)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Roundup Ready test kit. Neogen Corporation, based in Lansing, Mich., has announced release of an inexpensive, simple and accurate test to detect the Roundup Ready transgenic trait in soybeans and one variety of Roundup Ready corn. The...

CropVerifeye expands to Canada.(product usage in canadian agriculture)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... CropVerifeye expands to Canada. A U.S.-developed system for tracking the production of grains and oilseeds to assure buyers get the product they want has been brought to Canada and adapted to meet the needs of Canadian farmers, says Ted...

Livestock data collection.(AgInfoLink Global Inc patent information)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Livestock data collection. AgInfoLink Global Inc. has received notice from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that its patent application for a "Method and Apparatus for a Livestock Data Collection and Management System" has been allowed....

The U.S. should challenge the EU's traceability proposals.(biotech foods labeling regulations)
December 1, 2001... The European Commission's proposed regulations to trace and label biotech foods portend a dangerous precedent for U.S. consumer packaged goods companies in general, and food companies in particular. The Grocery Manufacturers of America are...