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Blue Diamond Growers will mark its 100th Anniversary by sponsoring the XXIX World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress
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To celebrate the centennial milestone, Blue Diamond Growers has become the main sponsor of the XXIX World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress, which will be held in Beijing, China, 21-23 May 2010.
Founded in 1910, the cooperative claims to be world's largest almond processing and marketing company. Headquartered in Sacramento, California, approximately 3,000 growers deliver California almonds annually to their cooperative. The crop is marketed to all 50 states and more than 90 foreign countries, making almonds California's largest food export, and the sixth largest US food export.
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UNECE Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards, Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce
Geneva (Switzerland), 22-26 June 2009
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The INC participated in the 56th Session of the Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce, held in Geneva, 22-26 June 2009. Representatives of the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States of America attended the meeting. The INC participated in the meetings as a on-governmental organization, represented by Dr. Lothar Börs, member of the INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, and Ms. Irene Gironès, Statistics and Database Coordinator.
The delegations were informed about the proposals on restructuring the Working Party in order to accelerate the development and adoption of standards, taking into consideration implications of the proposed transfer of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Fruit and Vegetables Scheme work to UNECE and implementation of the new Commission Regulation on marketing standards for fruits and vegetables on the work of UNECE.
The delegations welcomed the adoption of the explanatory brochure on in shell hazelnuts by the OECD Fruit and Vegetables Scheme.
The delegations reviewed the Standard Layout, the Recommendations for Hazelnut Kernels, Blanched Almond Kernels, Pistachio Kernels and Peeled Pistachio Kernels, and reviewed the Standards for Inshell Walnuts and Whole Dates, and the New Standards for Inshell Macadamia Nuts and Macadamia Kernels
The Specialized Section decided to submit the amended texts on the Standard Layout, Pistachio Kernels and Peeled Pistachio Kernels, Hazelnut Kernels and Blanched Almond Kernels to the Working Party for approval as revised/new standards.
Ms. Irene Gironès, INC representative, informed the Specialized Section about the Macadamia Working Group meeting held in Monte Carlo on 31 May 2009. As agreed in the meeting, the INC reported about the draft guideline prepared by the Working Group with the aim to define a more detailed standard for macadamia kernels, referencing UNECE Standard and including references to pesticide residues limits and other food safety issues not covered by the UN standards.
If you’re interested in reading the whole report, please contact Irene Gironès: irene.girones@nutfruit.org.
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Australian Nut Industry Council Conference 2009
Melbourne, 20 August 2009
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Mr. Jack Mariani, INC Chairman, will be presenting at the upcoming Australian Nut Industry Council Conference.
The Australian nut industry is convening its 2009 conference at The Langham Hotel, Melbourne, on August 20th, to provide up-to-date information about the current state of the Australian nut industry and highlight its commercial and marketing strengths. The INC is the Silver Sponsor of this conference aimed at highlighting key areas affecting Australia's Nut Industry, including trade, statistics and health and nutrition.
Conference Topics:
- Profiling the Australian nut industry
- Nuts are a major horticulture industry in Australia
- Nuts are a major export industry with future strong export growth predicted
- Understanding the health aspects of nuts
- Marketing nuts in Australia to the Australian Consumer
- Australians are eating more nuts, driving domestic demand for
- Food industry has recognized nuts are increasing in sales
Mr. Mariani will join Mr. Brenton Woolston, ANIC Chairman, in presenting an overview from a global and an Australian perspective of the tree nut industry.
Mr. Chris Joyce, ANIC and Horticultural Market Access Committee, and Mr. Michael Waring, MWT Foods, will present production trends, market access and its implications and impact on horticulture in Australia.
Lisa Yates, Nuts for Life, and Professor Linda Tapsell, University of Wollongong, National Centre of Excellence in Functional Foods, will provide an insight into the nutritional aspect of tree nuts including key research findings and health messages.
The final Conference session will be a buyers' panel discussion - hear from leading retailers and manufacturers on what is influencing their use and promotion of nuts in today's competitive and challenging commercial environment.
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International Society for Mycotoxicology Conference
Global discussion forum: Worldwide Mycotoxin Reduction in Food and Feed Chains
Tulln, Vienna (Austria), 9-11 September 2009
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The aim of the International Society for Mycotoxicology Conference is to facilitate discussion and collaboration between scientists, opinion leaders, decision-makers and industry in the specific research area of mycotoxin reduction in the food and feed chains. Participants will extend the already existing linkages on reduction of mycotoxin contamination within continental and national networks to a global level.
In addition to oral and poster presentations, round table discussions will be organized to enable a fruitful dialogue between scientists and the food and feed industry as well as between researchers from all over the globe. This conference will touch on themes of the MycoRed EU FP7 project and will include a satellite meeting dedicated to MycoRed participants.
The INC is participating in the satellite meeting of the MycoRed project, on September 7-8, 2009 at Tulln, Austria. The main objective of this meeting is to know the progress of the project and to schedule next activities to achieve MycoRed goals. This will be an occasion for all participants to exchange experiences and discuss the outcomes of this 4-year project aimed at developing novel solution driven methodologies and handling procedures to reduce both pre- and post-harvest contamination in wheat, maize, grape, nuts and dried fruits.
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Nuts and Health Session, 19th International Congress of Nutrition
Bangkok (Thailand), 4 October 2009
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The INC is sponsoring the 2009 Nuts and Health Session at the International Congress of Nutrition, to be held at the BITEC Center in Bangkok, Thailand, October 4-9, 2009, and organized by the INC Nutrition Research & Education Foundation (INC-NREF).
Organized under the auspices of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS), the 19th International Congress of Nutrition will be held from 4 to 9 October, 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand. Themed “Nutrition Security for All”, ICN aims to provide innovative solutions to current and future challenges of securing the need for safe and adequate food supply, delivery of basic nutrition and health services, nutrition education and communication.
The Nuts and Health Session will be held on October 4th and will highlight major outcomes from the 2007 Nuts & Health Symposium and up-to-date research findings.
Preliminary Program:
- The Effects of Nuts on Diabetes (epidemiological data)
Frank Hu, Harvard School of Public Health, USA
- Effect of Nuts on Glycemic Control and Coronary Risk Factors in Type 2 Diabetes
Cyril Kendall, University of Toronto, Canada
- Phytonutrient Composition of Tree Nuts
Jeff Blumberg, Tufts University, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center, USA
- The Effects of Tree Nuts on Inflammation and Insulin Resistance
Jordi Salas-Salvado, Human Nutrition Unit, University Rovira i Virgili, Spain
- Nuts and Maintenance of a Healthy Body Weight: the Mechanisms Involved
Rick Mattes, Purdue University, USA
- Nuts and Cardiovascular Disease: Results from a Meta-analysis
Joan Sabate, Loma Linda University, USA
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4th International Macadamia Symposium
Kruger National Park (South Africa), 6-9 September 2009
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The 4th International Macadamia Symposium will take place from 6 to 9 September 2009 at Berg-en-dal in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, and will be hosted by the Southern African Macadamia Growers’ Association (SAMAC).
The Symposium aims at bringing macadamia people together from around the world to exchange information.
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| New Scientific & Regulatory Issues on the INC website
Scientific Studies
- Hansen KS, Ballmer-Weber BK, Sastre J, Lidholm J, Andersson K, Oberhofer H, Lluch-Bernal M, Ostling J, Mattsson L, Schocker F, Vieths S, Poulsen LK. Component-resolved in vitro diagnosis of hazelnut allergy in Europe. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 May;123(5):1134-41, 1141.e1-3.
Regulatory Issues
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New Hazelnut Strategy in Turkey towards Free Market Regulations
A new hazelnut strategy was announced by the Turkish government at a press conference on July 14th. According to the released information, the government will definitely not make any further hazelnut purchases and will let the market decide the prices. Ministers told reporters that the government had stopped its hazelnut procurement, effective immediately.
Turkey’s government expects to encourage hazelnut farming only on officially authorized land, following law No. 2844 which came into effect in 1992.
Currently there are 322,000 hazelnut producers and 642,000 hectares of hazelnut plants in Turkey and only 209,000 producers farm at licensed hazelnut plants (about 406,000 hectares). The target of the government now is to reduce the hazelnut plants from 642,000 hectares to 406,000 hectares (down 37%) and the number of hazelnut producers from 322,000 to 209,000.
Farmers will only be able to grow hazelnuts in 13 provinces (Artvin, Düzce, Giresun, Kastamonu, Kocaeli, Ordu, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sinop, Trabzon, Zonguldak and Bartın) and just in plants 750 m above sea level and a slope greater than 6%.
In a bid to encourage legal harvest, the government will pay unauthorized hazelnut farmers some TL 600 in incentives per 1,000 square meters to stop growing hazelnuts, expecting to completely obliterate illegal hazelnut production within the next three years. The total cost of the incentives and the disposal of illegal hazelnut plants will be an anticipated TL 2.6 billion.
In addition, the Turkish government will encourage unregistered farmers to switch to alternative crops. Alternative products for unlicensed plants will be determined within the Agriculture Field Support Project.
The Turkish government will also allocate some TL 1.8 billion for hazelnut producers whose farms are situated below 750 m altitude and have a slope below 6%, during the next three years. According to the new scheme, which covers the years 2009-2012, authorized hazelnut farmers will receive TL 150 (USD 98.5) per 1,000 sq m per year.
Update: EU Aflatoxin Alignment
At its meeting on 15 July 2009, the EC Expert Working Group agreed to put forward for adoption the alignment of the EU aflatoxin total maximum levels for almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios with the Codex maximum levels (10 ppb for ready-to-eat; 15 ppb for further processing) at the next meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCFCAH), scheduled on 29-30 September 2009.
The EU existing B1 maximum levels are expected to be adjusted in order to reflect the current B1/Aflatoxin Total ratios for those tree nuts. The EU aflatoxin maximum levels for the remaining tree nuts will continue to be discussed at the September meeting.
The date of entry into force of the amended aflatoxin MLs should be set during the September meeting. Due to the decision-making procedure and the mandatory scrutiny period of the European Parliament, entry into force should not be expected before the beginning of 2010.
EFSA Scientific Opinion
Following the request from the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published on 30 June 2009 a scientific opinion on the effects on public health of an increase of the levels for aflatoxin total from 4 ppb to 10 ppb for tree nuts other than almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios.
This request was triggered by discussions with Member States on the alignment of European limits for aflatoxin to the Codex decision (10 ppb total aflatoxins for almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios ready-to-eat).
EFSA’s Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain confirmed, in line with its 2007 risk assessment of the situation for almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts, that “public health would not be adversely affected by increasing the levels for total aflatoxins from 4 ppb to 10pp for all tree nuts”, and reiterate its previous conclusion that priority should be given to reducing the number of highly contaminated foods reaching the market.
The Statement of the Contaminants Panel is available at: www.efsa.europa.eu.
Update: EU High Risk Products Legislation
Commission Regulation 669/2009 of 24 July 2009 implementing Regulation 882/2004 as regards the increased level of official controls on imports of certain feed and food of non-animal origin was published on 25 July 2009 in OJ L 194.
Annex I of the Regulation provides the list of food and feed of non-animal origin which will be submitted to increased levels of official controls for certain hazards at the points of entry into the EU. The documentary checks will be performed on all consignments of the listed products, and the identity and physical checks (e.g. pesticides, aflatoxins or ochratoxins) will be performed on the consignments at the frequencies set in the Annex. However, Member States may decide to test the concerned products at higher frequencies.
The intention of the legislation is to list products on the basis of a known or emerging risk. This list should be very flexible and be regularly amended. Guidance is being developed regarding how the legislation is to be implemented, including further information on how products are added (and removed) from the list.
The Regulation will enter into force on 25 January 2010.
The nuts and dried fruits concerned by these rules are the following:
FOODSTUFF |
CN CODE |
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN |
HAZARD |
FREQUENCY OF PHYSICAL & IDENTITY CHECKS (%) |
DRIED FRUIT |
Dried vine fruit (food) |
0806 20 |
Uzbekistan |
Ochratoxin A |
50 |
EDIBLE NUT |
Groundnuts (peanuts) and derived products (feed and food) |
1202 10 90;
1202 20 00;
2008 11 |
Argentina |
Aflatoxins |
10 |
Brazil |
Aflatoxins |
50 |
India |
Aflatoxins |
10 |
Vietnam |
Aflatoxins |
10 |
Groundnuts (peanuts) and derived products (feed and food), in particular peanut butter (food) |
1202 10 90;
1202 20 00;
2008 11 |
Ghana |
Aflatoxins |
50 |
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Commission Regulation (EC) No 669/2009 of 24 July 2009 implementing Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the increased level of official controls on imports of certain feed and food of non-animal origin and amending Decision 2006/504/EC.
OECD Interpretive Brochure for Inshell Hazelnuts
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has recently released the brochure “Interpretive Brochure for Inshell Hazelnuts”, which provides explanatory notes and illustrations to facilitate the consistent interpretation of UNECE Standards, targeted to both the inspection authorities and professional bodies responsible for the application of standards or interested in trade in Inshell Hazelnuts.
This Interpretive Brochure provides explanatory notes about UNECE standard on ‘inshell hazelnuts free from involucre or husk of varieties (cultivars) grown from Corylus avellana L. and Corylus maxima Mill. and their hybrids, intended for direct consumption or for food when they are intended to be mixed with other products for direct consumption without further processing (it does not apply to inshell hazelnuts for industrial processing)’.
The OECD is a forum where 30 governments work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalization. The OECD assesses government responses to new developments and concerns, providing a platform where governments can compare policy experiences, identify good practices and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD publishes and disseminates the results of research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members.
www.oecd.org
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RASFF: New On-line Database
On occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed system, DG SANCO launched on 16 July 2009 a new online searchable database compiling RASFF notifications as from 1979.
Notifications are now published on a daily bases on this online database, replacing the former DG SANCO's weekly summary of notifications.
A new tool called "RASFF Window" gives non-RASFF countries direct access to notifications in which they are mentioned, either as country of origin or as recipient country.
The RASFF system has become a highly valued instrument for operators to exchange information, in real-time, about actions they have taken to ensure food and feed safety. It provides for the swift exchange of information between member countries and the co-ordination of response actions to food safety threats right across the EU.
RASFF Database: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu
For further information: http://ec.europa.eu
RASFF: Annual Report 2008
DG SANCO has recently released the 2008 RASFF Annual Report. In brief, the report concludes that the total number of notifications transmitted in 2008 (original notifications + follow-up notifications) has slightly decreased. In 2008 the RASFF system received 3,099 original notifications, of which 1,710 were market notifications and 1,389 were border rejections. Alerts and their follow-up actions have decreased significantly because of a better and stricter classification of alert notifications. From 2008, an alert status is given only when a serious risk is identified in a product on the market.
As in previous years, mycotoxins were the hazard category with the highest number of notifications, a total of 931 (177 more compared to 2007), of which 902 concerned aflatoxins (28% increase). The increased findings of contamination of nuts, nut products and seeds are especially worrying, and could be considered for inclusion on the list of feed and food of non-animal origin subject to an increased level of official controls at the point of entry in the EU (Commission Regulation implementing article 15.5 of Regulation No. 882/2004). For more information, see the “High Risk Legislation” article above.
2007-2008 RASFF Notifications:
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2008 |
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2007 |
TOTAL |
Alert |
Information |
Border Rejection |
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TOTAL |
Alert |
Information |
Border Rejection |
Nuts, nut products and seeds |
770 |
36 |
65 |
673 |
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653 |
59 |
59 |
535 |
http://ec.europa.eu
RASFF Annual Report 2008
RASFF Notifications
EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed
Weeks 25-28, 2009
ALERT NOTIFICATIONS
Country of Origin |
Reason for Notifying |
Total Notifications |
Bulgaria |
Undeclared peanut in hazelnut biscuits |
1 |
Greece |
Aflatoxins in pistachio bar |
1 |
Iran |
Aflatoxins in pistachios |
3 |
Italy |
Aflatoxins in pistachio paste intended to be used in the production of ice cream |
1 |
Sudan |
Aflatoxins in peanuts |
1 |
Turkey |
Aflatoxins in halva with pistachios |
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 |
Chile |
Too high content of E 200 - sorbic acid in dried prunes |
1 |
Germany |
Undeclared milk ingredient in Brazil nuts coated with dark chocolate |
1 |
Pakistan |
Aflatoxins in chilghoza nuts |
1 |
Aflatoxins in peanut snacks |
1 |
Thailand |
Too high content of sulphite in dried pineapple |
1 |
Turkey |
Aflatoxins in honey with nuts from Turkey |
1 |
Unknown |
Unclear origin (the products bear two identification marks: Belgian and French) of pistachio roll and ham roll |
1 |
Ukraine |
Aflatoxins in soft caramel with peanuts |
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 |
7 |
Brazil |
Aflatoxins in peanut kernels for bird feed |
1 |
Aflatoxins in peanuts |
2 |
China |
Aflatoxins in peanuts |
2 |
Egypt |
Aflatoxins in peanuts |
2 |
Ghana |
Aflatoxins in peanut paste |
3 |
Turkey |
Aflatoxins in dried figs |
2 |
Aflatoxins in hazelnuts |
2 |
Aflatoxins in pistachios |
2 |
USA |
Aflatoxins in almonds |
4 |
Aflatoxins in hazelnuts |
1 |
Aflatoxins in peanuts in shell |
1 |
Aflatoxins in pistachios |
3 |
Vietnam |
Aflatoxins in peanuts |
1 |
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
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E-mail: inc@nutfruit.org