Issue No. 41
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April 2009

www.nutfruit.org/monaco-2009

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Monaco Congress

Highlights

In addition to the traditional Working Groups for each nut and dried fruit, the Congress program offers an exciting variety of opportunities to share knowledge and learn about our industry.

Friday, 29 May 2009

INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee Meeting
The INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee meeting will take place on Friday, 29 May 2009, from 9:00am to 2:30pm at the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel. Contaminants in nuts and dried fruits, pesticides, food safety issues, the VASP Program, the RASFF notifications, and Agricultural Quality Standards among other issues, are some of the key matters included in the agenda. The results of this meeting will be given in the Scientific Seminar that is taking place on Saturday, 30 May.

Dried Fruit Meeting
Once again, the INC will provide a meeting platform for the dried fruit industry to discuss the latest issues on nutrition and scientific matters. Under the umbrella of the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress, the INC will host this session for interested dried fruit companies to discuss issues of common interest and opportunities: contaminants, pesticides and other issues, the RASFF notifications, and worldwide statistics on production, trade and per capita consumption. The meeting will take place on Friday, 29 May 2008, from 3.00pm to 5.00pm at the Fairmont Monte-Carlo Hotel.

Saturday, 30 May 2009

Guest Speaker: Prof. Dr. Joachim Schwass
Joachim Schwass is Professor of Family Business at IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland. He teaches Family Business and Entrepreneurship and is Director of the Program “Leading the Family Business”.

Scientific Seminar “Global Health, Safety in Food and Latest Regulatory Issues”
Chaired by Pino Calcagni, Chairman of the INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, a roundtable will address the current challenges and issues facing the nut and dried fruit industry from 12:45pm to 1:45pm: the discussion on maximum levels for total aflatoxins in Brazil nuts at the Codex Alimentarius, safety issues in the production plants, the RASFF notifications, Marketing Standardization, the Goji berry case, the INC Code of Practice, and per capita consumption of nuts and dried fruits.

Keynote Speakers:

  • Dr. Ezzeddine Boutrif, Director of the Nutrition and Protection Division of FAO;
  • Dr. Daniel Scharlau, from the Friederich-Schiller-University of Jena;
  • and members of the INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee:
    • Mr. Pino Calcagni, Chairman
    • Ms. Julie Adams, Vice Chairman
    • Prof. Dr. Uygun Aksoy
    • Dr. Lothar Boers
    • Dr. Cameon Ivarsson
    • Mr. Merle Jacobs
    • Dr. Nico Janssen
    • Prof. Güner Özay

The Scientific Seminar will also present the key outcomes of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee meeting which will take place on Friday, 29 May 2008, from 9:00am to 2:30pm.

INC Ambassadors Meeting
The INC Ambassadors meeting will take place on Saturday, 30 May 2009, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm, at the Fairmont Monte-Carlo Hotel, where INC representatives will report on the activities developed in 2008 towards the promotion of nuts and dried fruits. This year, Ambassadors will present a DVD with a collection of pictures, videos and activities developed in each country in order to promote nuts and dried fruits. This presentation will take place in the INC General Assembly on Sunday 31 May.

Sunday, 31 May 2009

INC Ordinary General Assembly
Sunday, May 31st, 2009, 9:00am – 10:00am
Fairmont Monte-Carlo Hotel, Monaco

AGENDA

  1. Call to order and acceptance of the agenda by the Chairman
  2. Report of the Advisory Committee by past Presidents/Chairmen
  3. Report of the activities of the INC Foundation by the Executive Director
  4. Financial status report of the Council by the Treasurer
  5. Approval of the 2008 accounts of the Council
  6. Approval of the 2009 Budget of the Council
  7. Dismissal, appointment or re-election of members of the Board of Directors
  8. Endorsement of Ambassadors proposed by the Board of Directors
  9. Report of the INC Ambassadors
  10. Announcement of the 2011 Congress site
  11. Other Business

Guest Speaker: David Coulthard
In terms of points scored (535), David Coulthard is the most successful British Formula 1 driver of all time. With 15 seasons in Formula 1 he has amassed 13 Grand Prix wins, 12 pole positions and 62 podium finishes, his last, a third place, coming at the 2008 Canadian GP.

New Spanish-Language Web Section

Since Spanish is the second most spoken language within the INC membership, we just launched the new Spanish-language website section which you can access through the home page or directly going to www.nutfruit.org/es.

This new section has been designed to provide information about nuts and health, INC projects, the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress and much more.

We invite you to learn about different nut stories, creative recipes, consumer questionnaires and a fully documented site with more than 125 scientific studies summarized in Spanish.
Check out our new recipes!

We take pride in presenting a new recipe section within our website with a collection of quick, healthy and delicious recipes.

If you look for new ideas and fresh ways of doing things, check out our website. All recipes have been specially created by Ms. Mariona Quadrada, a cookbook author with more than 40 publications, founder of a culinary teaching center that bears her name in 1984, and former TV cooking show host.

We've organized our recipes into four major groups: starters, meat dishes, fish dishes and desserts.

Get a taste of healthy living with nuts and dried fruits.
"Nutrition in Every Handful" Updated Brochure

The INC has recently published a new version of its brochure “Nutrition in Every Handful”, which contains nutritional information on nuts and dried fruits, information and cooking tips for consumers.

All nutrient values have been updated based on the latest release of the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

Printed copies may be provided to INC members upon request subject to availability.
The Cracker: now online!

Starting January 2009, a digital edition of The Cracker magazine is available to INC members and subscribers. This new system provides an exact replica of the print version but is fully searchable with many other useful capabilities: you can download or print articles, link to our advertisers, and much more.

Enjoy our feature articles in our new digital version.
INC participates in the 3rd International Congress on Food and Nutrition · April 22-25, 2009 · Antalya (Turkey)

The INC participated in the 3rd International Congress on Food and Nutrition, held in Antalya, Turkey, from 22 to 25 April 2009. This is the second time in the past three years that the INC participates in this congress aimed at highlighting the most important and emerging areas of food and nutrition sciences.

The Congress, hosted by TUBİTAK Marmara Research Center Food Institute, gathered about 370 participants, among food scientists, technologists, nutritionists, and medical professionals. There were 27 sessions, 122 oral presentations and 175 poster presentations on organic farming, food quality and safety, nutrition, health, functional foods, and nutraceuticals, phytochemicals and natural anioxidants, and new techniques in food analysis, among others.

Pino Calcagni, Chairman of the Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, introduced the Session “Nuts and health: Beyond Hard Shell”, held on Wednesday, 22 April, along with Dr. Fereidoon Shahidi from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, and gave a presentation on production and market trends for nuts and dried fruits, and a review on policies and regulations.
IFT FoodExpo Readies to Open its Doors in Anaheim

Attendees from more than 80 countries around the world will converge in Anaheim, California, USA, from 7 to 9 June, 2009, to hear about the most up-to-date developments for ingredients, learn about the newest products and trends and form new professional relationships.

The INC will be exhibiting in the Healthy Food Pavilion, booth 552.

To whom it may interest we have FREE PASSES at INC members’ disposal. Please contact us at +34 977 331 416 or e-mail inc@nutfruit.org.

We look forward to meet you in our stand!

New Scientific & Regulatory Issues on the INC website

Scientific Studies

Regulatory Issues

EFSA Reduces the Tolerable Daily Intake of Cadmium

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recently released its opinion on the risks to human health related to the presence of cadmium in foodstuffs. EFSA’s Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) has concluded that the current exposure to Cadmium at the population level should be reduced. Based on an analysis of new data and recent studies, the panel has set a reduced tolerable weekly intake (TWI) for cadmium from 7 µg/kg of body weight to 2.5 µg/kg of body weight.

The Panel analysed data on levels of cadmium in food sent by 20 Member States, data from national food consumption dietary surveys, and EU consumption data as reported in EFSA’s Concise European Food Consumption Database.

The report indicates an average dietary exposure across European countries of 2.3 μg/kg bw per week. The high exposure is estimated at 3.0 μg/kg bw per week. Due to their high consumption of cereals, nuts, oilseeds and pulses, vegetarians have a higher dietary exposure of up to 5.4 μg/kg bw per week.

The food groups that contributed to the major part of the dietary cadmium exposure, primarily because of the high consumption, were cereals and cereal products, vegetables, nuts and pulses, starchy roots or potatoes, and meat and meat products. EFSA’s report does not identify the exact contribution of nuts and pulses, since nuts were not considered in a separate category, but included in “Vegetables, nuts and pulses” category. Within this group, nuts and pulses would not be considered as a major concern, as vegetables would be the major contributor to cadmium exposure.

The report of the Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) will be used by the European Commission as a basis to support a possible reduction of EU cadmium MLs for some foodstuffs.

Concise European Food Consumption Database: http://www.efsa.europa.eu

EFSA Scientific Opinion on Cadmium in Food. Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain, Question No EFSA-Q-2007-138. Adopted on 30 January 2009


FVO Report on Egyptian Peanuts Intended for Export to the EU

The EC Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) has recently released the report of a mission carried out in Egypt from 25 November to 4 December 2008 in order to evaluate the controls systems in place to prevent aflatoxin contamination in peanuts intended to be exported to the EU, and to follow up the recommendations made after the FVO mission of 2001.

FVO concludes that the sampling, the laboratory performance and the export certification for aflatoxin are adequate. However, the report provides recommendations to the competent authorities to address some shortcomings related to legislation, the design of facilities, storage conditions and implementation of food safety procedures based on HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point).

Imports of Peanuts into the EU:

EGYPT

Imports into the EU (MT)

Number of RASFF Notifications

2006

2007

2006

2007

2008
(up to 20 Nov.)

In-Shell Peanuts
(CN code 12021090)

10,038
(IT, DE, HU)

10,762
( IT, DE, NL)

17

13

22

Shelled Peanuts
(CN code 12022000)

742
(LU, NL, IT)

195
(NL, EL, IT)

The main importing Member States are indicated in brackets. Source: Eurostat and EC RASFF

FVO Final report of a mission carried out in Egypt from 25 November to 4 December 2008 in order to assess the control systems in place to prevent aflatoxin contamination in peanuts and to follow up recommendations made in report SANCO 3329/2001.


Chile-Turkey Free Trade Agreement

According to ChileNut, Chile and Turkey finished the last round of negotiations on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement

The FTA will eliminate 98 percent of export tariffs, with the remaining 2 percent to be phased out over the next 6 years, according to ChileNut. The FTA will benefit trade in the mining, agriculture, fishery and forestry sectors.

Chilean exports to Turkey reached US$ 269.4 million in 2008, while imports totaled US$ 166.9 million.


Australian Macadamia: 100% Compliance with Government Standards/MRLs

According to the report “Macadamia Nut Program, 2007-2008 Chemical Residue Monitoring Results”, released by the Australian National Residue Survey (NRS), the Australian industry has achieved 100% compliance with Government Standards. According to NRS, all 115 samples collected and tested for pesticides and herbicides in 2007-2008 were 100% compliant with Australian Standards for all the chemicals tested (pesticides and herbicides).

NRS is an Australian Government Program that monitors, assesses and reports on the levels of chemical residues in macadamia nuts, among other commodities. According to the Australian Macadamia Society, since its initial participation in 1996, 1,456 macadamia nut samples have been tested for residues in the NRS random residue testing program, and all samples complied with the Australian Standards.

Residue Testing Results 1996 - 2008:

Chemicals

No. of samples

Compliance (%)

Pesticides

1,161

100.00

Herbicides

174

100.00

Environmental contaminants (metals)

121

100.00

Total

1,456

100.00

Macadamia Nut Program, Chemical Residue Monitoring Results 2007-2008. Australia National Residue Survey (NRS)

RASFF Notifications
EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed
Weeks 13-16, 2009

ALERT NOTIFICATIONS

Country of Origin

Reason for Notifying

Total Notifications

Argentina

Aflatoxins (B1 = 36.0; Tot. = 44.65 µg/kg – ppb) in roasted peanuts from Argentina, via the Czech Republic.

1

China

Melamine (3.1 <--> 9.3 mg/kg – ppm) in peanut crackers.

1

Melamine in roasted peanuts from China, via the Netherlands.

2

Germany

Undeclared milk ingredient in dark chocolate almond crispies.

2

Undeclared milk ingredient in prunes in dark chocolate bar.

1

Iran

Salmonella (presence /25g) in pistachio kernels from Iran dispatched from Germany.

1

Turkey

Salmonella group C (presence /25g) in vanilla flavoured halva from Turkey.

1

Alert Notifications are released when a food or feed presenting a serious risk is on the market and when immediate action is required.

INFORMATION NOTIFICATIONS

Country of Origin

Reason for Notifying

Total Notifications

Algeria

Dead insects in dates.

1

Germany

Undeclared milk ingredient in chocolate almond crispies.

1

Spain

Aflatoxins in almonds.

1

Turkey

Aflatoxins in dried figs.

1

Information Notifications concern a food or feed for which a risk has been identified, but for which the other member states do not have to take immediate action, because the product has not yet reached their market.

BORDER REJECTIONS

Country of Origin

Reason for Notifying

Total Notifications

Argentina

Aflatoxins in peanuts.

2

Brazil

Aflatoxins in cashew nuts.

1

Aflatoxins in peanuts for bird feed.

6

China

Aflatoxins in peanuts.

8

Peanut kernels infested with moulds.

4

Egypt

Aflatoxins in peanuts.

2

India

Aflatoxins in peanuts for bird feed.

3

Iran

Aflatoxins in pistachios.

3

Too high content of sulphite in dried apricots.

2

Mozambique

Aflatoxins in peanuts.

2

Paraguay

Aflatoxins in peanuts.

1

Turkey

Aflatoxins in fig paste.

2

Aflatoxins in dried figs paste.

1

Aflatoxins in hazelnuts.

5

Aflatoxins in pistachio and hazelnut mix.

1

Aflatoxins in pistachios.

3

Improper health certificate(s) for hazelnut paste.

1

Salmonella in pine kernels without shell.

1

Too high content of sulphite in dried apricots.

2

USA

Aflatoxins in almonds.

5

Aflatoxins in peanuts.

2

Aflatoxins in pistachios.

5

Border Rejections concern food and feed consignments that have been tested and rejected at the external borders of the EU and the European Economic Area when a health risk was found. The notifications are transmitted to all EEA border posts in order to reinforce controls and to ensure that the rejected product does not re-enter the Community through another border post.

http://ec.europa.eu

Walnuts May Prevent Breast Cancer

Walnut consumption provides essential omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols that are proven to reduce the risk of breast cancer, according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting 2009, Denver, USA, April 18 - 22, 2009.

Dr. Elaine Hardman and colleagues from the Marshall University School of Medicine studied a group of 22 mice with human breast cancer tumors. They were divided into two groups: one group was fed a diet of walnuts per day (equivalent to two servings a day in humans). A separate group of mice were fed a control diet.

The study, published in the medical journal Nutrition and Cancer, found evidence that the daily dose of walnuts reduced the growth of breast cancer tumors in mice. Standard testing showed that walnut consumption significantly decreased breast tumor incidence, the number of glands with a tumor and tumor size.

Hardman WE, Ion G. Suppression of implanted MDA-MB 231 human breast cancer growth in nude mice by dietary walnut. Nutr Cancer. 2008;60(5):666-74.


New Study Says Walnuts Lower Cholesterol More Than Fish

According to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, walnuts and fatty fish have different effects on serum lipid markers (total lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and LDL- cholesterol).

In this study, researchers at Loma Linda University (LLU) aimed at determine whether walnuts (plant n-3 fatty acid) and fatty fish (marine n-3 fatty acid) have similar effects on serum lipid markers. They investigated, in a randomized crossover feeding trial, the effect of 3 isoenergetic diets in 25 adults with normal to mildly hyperlipidaemia. Participants were assigned a control diet (no nuts or fish), a walnut diet (42.5 g of walnuts per 10.1 mJ of energy), or a fish diet (113 g of salmon twice a week). The feeding trials lasted 4 weeks each.

The study found that total cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol concentrations in adults who followed the walnut diet were lower than in those who followed the control and fish diets, while the fish diet resulted in decreased serum triglyceride concentrations.

This new finding adds further confirmation that incorporating a handful of walnuts in a healthy diet reduces the risk of coronary heart disease.

LLU has released a 6.30-minute video presentation of the study, available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vk_gaBb348.

Nuts Could Improve Diabetes Treatment

Tree nuts and peanuts may play an important role in the management of Type 2 diabetes, according to new findings presented at the Experimental Biology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, USA, April 18-22, 2009.

University of Toronto researchers presented a new study aimed at determining if nuts improve glycemic control in non-insulin dependent diabetes. The study enrolled 117 non-insulin dependent adults with diabetes, men and women with an average age of 62 years old, being treated with oral hypoglycemic medications. Participants were randomized to three diets for 3 months: a diet supplemented with 75 g of nuts, a diet supplemented with 38 g of nuts and half portion of muffins, and a third diet containing a full portion of muffins.

The results from this survey revealed a significant reduction in HbA1c (a marker of circulating lipids in male and female type 2 diabetic patients), LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol in the full dose nuts diet, compared to the other two diets.

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