The recently launched Fresh Produce Safety - Australia & New Zealand website was established as part of a major project to identify priorities for fresh produce safety research and to raise awareness of the challenges and importance of enhancing current safety practices. [ + ]

In Ireland, food authorities have discovered that beef burgers are anything but, with a large proportion containing horse and pig meat. [ + ]

Endocrinologists from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have applauded a study that shows a direct correlation between consumption of sugary soft drinks, obesity and genetic predisposition to weight gain. [ + ]

Standard 1.2.7 - Nutrition, Health and Related Claims has become law, effective from 18 January 2013. The Standard regulates nutrition content claims and health claims on food labels and in advertisements. [ + ]

A further seven cases of Listeria linked to batches of Jindi soft cheese have been identified, bringing the total to 18 cases nationally. [ + ]

The Rethink Sugary Drinks campaign is “misguided”, the Australian Beverages Council has said. Launched on 17 January, the campaign aims to tackle soft drink overconsumption in Australia. [ + ]

Standards for stevia sweeteners, caffeine and krill oil are among the latest proposed revisions for the Food Chemicals Codex. The USP is inviting comments on the proposals. [ + ]

Gloucester Royal Hospital employees have found a correlation between milk consumption and Nobel prizes per capita that they think could explain the strong association between chocolate and Nobel prizes that was published in the NEJM. [ + ]

Following the release of a report that shows half of the world’s food is wasted, LINPAC Packaging’s Alan Davey said that retailers, food manufacturers and the packaging industry should work together to tackle the problem. [ + ]

Henkel and DaniMer Scientific have formed an alliance to develop bio-based hotmelt adhesives for the consumer packaging market. [ + ]

Scientists from UQ and DAFF have developed new technology that enables DNA amplification on ‘microspheres’ to rapidly detect and identify large numbers of different bacteria at the same time. [ + ]

European food and beverage hygiene company Calvatis is launching its Calgonit brand in Australia, and has ambitious plans to “shake up” the industry with breakthroughs in food hygiene technology and competitive pricing. [ + ]

The Monell Center has received $1 million from food chemistry consultant Louise Slade to support the institute’s research program on the mechanism of human salt detection and perception. [ + ]

The US Food and Drug Administration has proposed two new food safety rules aimed at preventing foodborne illness that could impact food producers exporting to the US. [ + ]

Even if we stopped putting plastic into our oceans today, giant garbage patches would continue to grow for hundreds of years. Recent ARC research examined how giant ocean garbage patches form as a result of ocean currents. [ + ]