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Monte Carlo was the site of the INC's XXVIII World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress, May 29-31,
where international professionals gathered to exchange views, meet world-wide colleagues,
strengthen commercial relations and explore new initiatives.
Congress attendees had 17 working group presentations to choose from, which ranged in topic
from market dynamics and trends in nuts and dried fruits, to research on nutrition and regulatory
affairs. Over 50 specialists in the fields of production, trade, nutrition and food law from all over
the world presented their views on key industry topics.
The Fairmont Hotel provided the congress meeting venue, which offered the perfect
atmosphere that guaranteed the most memorable setting.
TOTAL PARTICIPANTS BY COUNTRY |
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Country |
Total Part. |
Delegates |
Acc. P. |
Argentina |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Australia |
17 |
12 |
5 |
Austria |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Belgium |
16 |
13 |
3 |
Brazil |
11 |
9 |
2 |
Canada |
12 |
9 |
3 |
Chile |
6 |
5 |
1 |
China |
21 |
20 |
1 |
Cyprus |
4 |
2 |
2 |
France |
13 |
9 |
4 |
Germany |
32 |
26 |
6 |
Ghana |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Greece |
18 |
13 |
5 |
Hungary |
1 |
1 |
0 |
India |
8 |
4 |
4 |
Iran |
2 |
2 |
0 |
Israel |
5 |
4 |
1 |
Italy |
31 |
28 |
3 |
Japan |
8 |
4 |
4 |
Kenya |
2 |
2 |
0 |
Lebanon |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Luxembourg |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Mexico |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Moldova |
2 |
2 |
0 |
Monaco |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Morocco |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Netherlands |
29 |
25 |
4 |
Norway |
4 |
3 |
1 |
Portugal |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Russia |
13 |
11 |
2 |
Singapore |
2 |
2 |
0 |
South Africa |
7 |
7 |
0 |
Spain |
43 |
36 |
7 |
Sweden |
6 |
4 |
2 |
Switzerland |
12 |
10 |
2 |
Tunisia |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Turkey |
62 |
56 |
6 |
U.A.E |
2 |
2 |
0 |
U.S.A. |
226 |
148 |
78 |
United Kingdom |
34 |
22 |
12 |
Total |
663 |
501 |
162 |
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663 Participants from 40 countries
attended the Monaco Congress
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TOTAL PARTICIPANTS BY REGION |
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Europe (East and West) |
America (North, Central and South) |
Rest of the World (Africa, Asia and Australia) |
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TOTAL PARTICIPANTS BY PRODUCT |
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Thursday, 28 May 2009
INC Executive Committee Meeting
Within the frame of the XXVIII World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress, the INC Executive Committee met on its second meeting this year to review this year’s budget and the strategic plan for actions. The meeting took place in the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel, on Thursday, 28 May 2008. The Committee also reviewed the performance of the sub-committees: Ambassadors’ Committee; Editorial and Statistics Committee; Congress Committee; Scientific and Government Affairs Committee; and Audit Committee.
The Committee discussed funding proposals and approved the following sponsorships:
- 2009 Australian Nut Industry Council Conference, Langham Hotel, Melbourne, Victoria, 20th August 2009.
- 2009 “Nuts and Health” Session at the upcoming International Congress of Nutrition, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, October 4-9, 2009.
- 2010 “Nuts and Cardiovascular Health” Satellite Symposium at the II International Congress of Nutrition FESNAD, to be held in Barcelona, Spain, March 3-5, 2010.
In addition, the INC will also contribute to the INC Nutrition Research and Education Foundation (INC NREF) activities.
As approved by the Committee, the INC will also release a book containing a review of world production, trade and consumption statistics of nuts and dried fruits, trends and latest estimates for each nut and dried fruit.
Next meeting of the INC Executive Committee will be organized on October 17th, 2010, in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
INC Board of Directors Meeting
The INC Board of Directors meeting took place on Thursday, 28 May 2008, at the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel. Members of the Board discussed budgetary and strategic development issues, and agreed to celebrate the 2011 World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress in Budapest, Hungary.
Mark Mariani (Mariani Packing Co., USA), Chris Nubern (Kraft Foods, USA) and Michael Waring (M&W Trading, Australia) were elected new Board members. And Michael Rund (Bösch Boden Spies, GERMANY) and Constantin Pisani (Pisani France SAS, FRANCE) were elected new Observers.
Michael Waring was elected new Chairman of the Ambassadors’ Committee. Mr. Waring will succeed Frank Vaerewijck, who has served as Chairman of the Ambassadors since 1998. All new positions were subsequently ratified by the INC General Assembly, on Sunday, May 31st, 2009.
Friday, 29 May 2009
INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee Meeting
The INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee meeting took place on Friday, 29 May 2009, at the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel, chaired by Pino Calcagni, and with the valuable participation of Frans Verstraete, Legislative officer of the European Commission Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General (DG SANCO). Food hazards, contaminants in nuts and dried fruits, pesticides, RASFF notifications, high risk products, agricultural quality standards, and other food safety and regulatory issues were discussed in this session. The outcomes of the meeting were presented at the Scientific Seminar held on Saturday, 30 May.
Dried Fruit Meeting
Once again, the INC provided 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 hosted this session on Friday, 29 May 2009 at the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel, where a large group dried fruit companies discussed challenges and issues of common interest.
Saturday, 30 May 2009
INC Ambassadors Meeting
The INC Ambassadors meeting took place on Saturday, 30 May 2009, at the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel, where INC representatives reported on the activities developed in 2008 towards the promotion of nuts and dried fruits. The Ambassadors enjoyed the video “2008 Nuts and Dried Fruits Promotional Activities around the World”, produced thanks to the inputs, provided by each country’s representative.
Watch this video in: http://www.nutfruit.org/monaco09
Sunday, 31 May 2009
INC General Assembly
Goretti Guasch, Executive Director of the INC, presented a report on activities, research projects and promotional campaigns funded by the INC. She also informed of the forthcoming projects such as the 2009 Nuts and Health Symposium at the upcoming International Congress of Nutrition, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, October 4-9, 2009. The INC Nutrition Research and Education Foundation (INC NREF) will organize this session that will review the effects of nuts on diabetes, glycemic control and coronary heart disease, the phytonutrient composition of tree nuts, the effects of tree nuts on inflammation and insulin resistance and the impact of nuts consumption in body weight.
In addition, the INC is sponsoring the “Nuts and Cardiovascular Health” symposium at the II International Congress of Nutrition, to be held in Barcelona, Spain, March 4th, 2010, organized by the Federation of Nutrition, Food and Dietetics Associations (FESNAD). This satellite symposium will be introduced and moderated by Prof. Jordi Salas-Salvadó, Director of the Human Nutrition Unit at the Rovira i Virgili University and member of the INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, and Dr. Emili Ros, Director of the Lipids Unit at the Barcelona Hospital Clinic. The conference will address the latest developments in the study of the effect of nut intake in cardiovascular health, lipids, insulin sensitivity, diabetes, weight gain and obesity.
Jordi Martí delivered the Treasurer’s Report to the General Assembly. The Treasurer reported the INC’s financial position as at December 31st, 2008, and presented the budget for 2009.
EU MycoRed Project
Ms. Guasch presented the project “Novel Integrated Strategies for Worldwide Mycotoxin Reduction in Food and Feed Chains (MycoRed)”, based on integration of specific technologies in the whole food/feed chain with respect to wheat, maize, grape, nuts and dried fruits, and aimed at addressing global strategies for mycotoxin reduction, and develop new practical technological solutions that will impact the mycotoxin area (i.e. micro-systems for ambient intelligence, new biomarkers, and multi-mycotoxin analysis).
This 4-years project, coordinated by the National Research Council, Institute of Science of Food Production CNR, was submitted to the European Commission on 21st February 2008, and later approved. The project started on April 1st, 2009.
The project involves the direct participation of 25 participants from 16 countries including Russia, Egypt, Argentina and Hungary, among other European countries, and international organizations like FAO, CIMMYT and IITA, together with strong alliances with major public prestigious research institutions in Europe and the United States, Australia and Malaysia, which will strengthen the value of the project through sharing experiences and resources coming from a number of past and ongoing mycotoxin projects at a global level.
The INC is participating in the following tasks:
- Food and feed processing for mycotoxin reduction. Assessing the efficacy and safety of food and feed processing procedures for reducing mycotoxin content in nuts and cereal based products.
- Training video for mycotoxin sampling. A video on mycotoxin sampling for food and feed regional training course will be disseminated in developing countries, mainly Africa, South America.
- Global Network, awareness and dissemination. A Delphi study on advances on reduction of mycotoxins in nuts, dried fruits, wheat and maize will be conducted in order to generate ideas and facilitate consensus among experts. Analysis and results will be presented on the website www.mycored.com.
- Dissemination of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Management Practices (GMP) and Good Storage Practice (GSP). Training programs and scientific information produced during the project will be transferred to food safety authorities and farmer organizations for effective management of mycotoxins.
- Economic evaluation of the impact of mycotoxin contamination. Expenses related to the eventual destruction and/or confiscation of goods, customs duties for incoming and outgoing material, demurrage at ports awaiting health inspections, and the cost of controls.
Macadamias Meeting
Within the frame of the World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress, the INC hosted a session on Sunday, 31 May 2009 at the Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel, where the main macadamia producing countries were represented to discuss the needs and issues of common interest to the Macadamia Industry, such as agricultural standards for macadamias and the INC becoming the umbrella organization to host the International Macadamia Processors Data Collection Group.
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CODEX Alimentarius Commission
Rome (Italy), 29 June - 4 July 2009
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The INC is participating in the 32nd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, to be held in Rome, Italy, 29 June - 4 July 2009. Represented by Pino Calcagni, Chairman of the INC Scientific and Government Affairs Committee, the INC will participate in the meeting as an International Observer Organization.
The 32nd meeting of the Commission will discuss 39 standards and related texts, including amendments to paragraph 10 Sample Preparation in the Sampling Plans for Aflatoxin Contamination in Almonds, Hazelnuts and Pistachios Ready-to-eat and Destined for Further Processing, the draft Code of Practice for the Reduction of Acrylamide in Food, the draft food additive provisions of the General Standard for Food Additives, the draft Generic Model Official Certificate, the draft amendment to the Guidelines for the Production, Processing, Labelling and Marketing of Organically Produced Foods, the Table of Conditions for Nutrient Contents to the Guidelines for Use of Nutrition and Health Claims, the proposed draft recommendations on the scientific basis on health claims, and the draft maximum residue limits for pesticides.
Drafts of the discussed standards can be found online, and the final report will be posted at the following site www.codexalimentarius.net.
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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 is attending the Fifty-sixth Session of the Specialized Section on Standardization of Dry and Dried Produce, to be held in Geneva, 22-26 June 2009. Among others, the agenda comprises the following issues:
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a) Pistachio kernels and peeled pistachio kernels
b) Hazelnut kernels
c) Blanched almond kernels |
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a) Inshell walnuts
b) Dates, whole
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a) Inshell macadamia nuts and macadamia kernels |
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b) Whole dried chilli peppers |
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INC participation at IFT Food Expo
Anaheim (California), 7-9 June 2009
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The INC exhibited at the IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo in the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, USA, from 7 to 9 June 2009. This is the sixth year the INC exhibits at the IFT Food Expo, after its participation in 2003 in Chicago, 2005 in New Orleans, 2006 in Orlando, 2007 in Chicago and 2008 in New Orleans.
Attendees from more than 80 countries came to California to hear about the latest food science and technology developments, learn about the newest products and trends and form new professional relationships. With more than 800 exhibitors, the event brought together buyers and sellers from all corners of the food science and technology world.
INC’s booth received over 60 visitors including INC members and new contacts. During 3 intensive days we had the chance to promote the INC activities and the “XXVIII World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress” in Beijing.
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| New Scientific & Regulatory Issues on the INC website
Scientific Studies
- Bes-Rastrollo M, Wedick NM, Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Li TY, Sampson L, Hu FB. Prospective study of nut consumption, long-term weight change, and obesity risk in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jun;89(6):1913-9. Epub 2009 Apr 29.
- Phung OJ, Makanji SS, White CM, Coleman CI. Almonds have a neutral effect on serum lipid profiles: a meta-analysis of randomized trials. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 May;109(5):865-73.
- Alasalvar C, Karamać M, Kosińska A, Rybarczyk A, Shahidi F, Amarowicz R. Antioxidant Activity of Hazelnut Skin Phenolics. J Agric Food Chem. 2009 May 7.
- Little CL, Jemmott W, Surman-Lee S, Hucklesby L, de Pinnal E. Assessment of the microbiological safety of edible roasted nut kernels on retail sale in England, with a focus on Salmonella. J Food Prot. 2009 Apr;72(4):853-5.
- 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.
- Mrabet A, Ferchichi A, Chaira N, Mohamed BS, Baaziz Z, Penny TM. Physico-chemical characteristics and total quality of date palm varieties grown in the southern of Tunisia. Pak J Biol Sci. 2008 Apr 1;11(7):1003-8.
- Waheed S, Siddique N. Evaluation of dietary status with respect to trace element intake from dry fruits consumed in Pakistan: a study using instrumental neutron activation analysis. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2009 Mar 21:1-11.
Regulatory Issues
- Report of the 37th Session of the Codex Committee on Food Labelling, Calgary, Canada, 4-8 May 2009.
- Pesticide Residues in Food, 2008 Report. Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues.
Report of the Joint Meeting of the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and the WHO Core Assessment Group on Pesticide Residues. Rome, Italy, 9–18 September 2008.
- EFSA Draft Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) related to the EFSA assessment of health claims applications.
The European Food Safety Authority published this draft Frequently Asked Questions to help industry better understand the nutrition and health claims process. Health claims applicants and industry experts are invited to comment on the document ahead of the meeting with the EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic products, nutrition, and allergies (NDA) on June 15th, 2009.
- EFSA Community Summary Report on Food-Borne Outbreaks in the European Union in 2007. 30 April 2009.
Salmonella was, as in previous years, the most commonly reported cause of food-borne outbreaks in the EU in 2007. 22 Member States reported 2,201 Salmonella outbreaks of which 590 (26.8%) were verified. Food-borne viruses, mainly calicivirus (including norovirus), were reported as the second most common known cause of food-borne outbreaks.
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 446/2009 of 14 May 2009 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature.
- FVO Final Report of a Mission carried out in the United States from 11 January to 16 January 2009 in order to assess the control system in place to control Aflatoxin contamination in Almonds intended for export to the European Union and to follow up on the recommendations of Mission 8300/2006.
- FDA Guidance on Prior Notice Rule for Food Imports. April 2009.
This guide has been created to inform food transporters, food importers and exporters, foreign manufacturers and growers, and food filers and brokers about the new Prior Notice regulation. It contains key information for companies involved with the import and export of foods in the US.
- USDA Pistachios Grown in California; Recommended Decision and Opportunity to File Written Exceptions to Proposed Amendment of Marketing Order No. 983. Federal Register Vol. 74, No. 85, Tuesday, May 5, 2009.
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EU New Nomenclature Classification for Blanched Peanuts
According to Commission Regulation 446/2009 of 14 May 2009 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature, as from June 18th 2009 blanched peanuts shall be classified under CN code 1202 20 00 in all Member States.
Binding Tariff Informations (BTIs) previously issued that are not in accordance with this Regulation can continue to be invoked for a period of 3 months.
This new Regulation defines blanched peanuts (white shelled and skinned groundnuts) as follows: “The shelled groundnuts are blanched by passing through a gas oven with four heating zones, where the kernels are steamed by being sprayed with 88-93 °C hot water vapour, before being passed through two cooling zones. The gradual increase in temperature of the kernels causes them to expand and thereby loosen the red skin from the kernel. The skin is subsequently removed by mechanical means. The groundnuts, which have not been treated beyond the removal of the skin, are presented in bulk or in ‘big bags’ of approximately 1,000 kg.”
This new Regulation was published in the EU Official Journal on May 29th, 2009. Commission Regulation (EC) No 446/2009 of 14 May 2009 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature.
FVO Report on US Almonds Intended for Export to the EU
The EC Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) has recently released the outcomes of a mission carried out in the United States from 11 to 16 January 2009 in order to evaluate the control system in place to control Aflatoxin contamination in Almonds intended for export to the European Union and to follow up on the five recommendations made in report 8300/2006.
Overall, the mission concluded that there have been significant improvements since 2006 and the VASP program operates effectively. However, FVO provides some recommendations to the competent authorities to address some deficiencies found in laboratory performance and in the USDA approval system.
Imports of Almonds into the EU:
TC |
Imports into the EU (MT) |
Number of Alerts |
2007 |
2008 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
Fresh or dried almonds, shelled or peeled
(CN code 0802 21 2) |
627,000 |
680,000 |
36 |
66 |
33 |
| Source: Eurostat, Comext database |
FVO Final Report of a Mission carried out in the United States from 11 January to 16 January 2009 in order to assess the control system in place to control Aflatoxin contamination in Almonds intended for export to the European Union and to follow up on the recommendations of Mission 8300/2006.
FDA Guidance on Prior Notice Rule for Foods Imports
The US Food and Drug Administration has recently published a guidance document on the prior notice rule for companies importing and exporting foods in the USA. The document provides an update on the prior notice interim final rule issued under the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and response Act of 2002.
This guidance is aimed at helping companies to comply with the regulations that require the submission to FDA of prior notice of food and feed intended to be imported into the US.
To assist importers, the final rule now permits prior notice submissions to be submitted no more than 15 calendar days before the anticipated date of arrival for submissions made through FDA’s Prior Notice System Interface (PNSI) and no more than 30 calendar days before the anticipated date of arrival for submission made through CBP’s Automated Broker Interface of the Automated Commercial System (ABI/ACS), instead of the 5 calendar days required in the interim final rule.
The final rule went into effect on May 6, 2009.
FDA Guidance on Prior Notice Rule for Food Imports. April 2009.
www.fda.gov
USDA Proposed Rule for California Pistachios
The US Department of Agriculture has recently released the proposed rule and opportunity to file exceptions to the Proposed Amendment of Marketing Order No. 983, which regulates the handling of pistachios grown in California (Federal Register, Vol. 74, No. 85, Tuesday, May 5, 2009).
The amendments were proposed by the Administrative Committee for Pistachios. The proposed amendments would:
- Expand the production area covered under the order to include Arizona and New Mexico in addition to California;
- Authorize the Committee to reimburse handlers for a portion of their inspection and certification costs in certain situations;
- Authorize the Committee to recommend research projects;
- Modify existing order authorities concerning aflatoxin and quality regulations;
- Modify the authority for interhandler transfers of order obligations;
- Redesignate several sections of the order;
- Remove previously suspended order provisions, and make other related changes.
USDA Pistachios Grown in California; Recommended Decision and Opportunity to File Written Exceptions to Proposed Amendment of Marketing Order No. 983. Federal Register Vol. 74, No. 85, Tuesday, May 5, 2009. |
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RASFF Notifications
EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed
Weeks 17-24, 2009
ALERT NOTIFICATIONS
Country of Origin |
Reason for Notifying |
Total Notifications |
Bolivia |
Aflatoxins (B1 = 28.6; Tot. = 39.3 µg - ppb) in Brazil nuts |
1 |
Iran |
Aflatoxins (B1 = 32.6; Tot. = 33.3 µg - ppb) in pistachios |
1 |
Italy |
Aflatoxins in pistachio paste |
3 |
Turkey |
Aflatoxins (B1 = 18.0; Tot. = 18.0 µg - ppb) in dried figs |
1 |
Aflatoxins (B1 = 3.3 µg - ppb) in roasted and salted pistachios |
1 |
Undeclared egg in cocoa and hazelnuts cream filled biscuits |
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 |
Argentina |
Aflatoxins (B1 = 4.2; Tot. = 4.9 µg - ppb) in peanuts |
1 |
Chile |
Too high content of sulphite (760 mg/kg – ppm) in raisins |
1 |
Poland |
Metal fragments (copper-coloured metal splinter) in hazelnut toffee |
1 |
Turkey |
Aflatoxins (B1 = 6.2; Tot. = 6.9 µg - ppb) in hazelnut kernels |
1 |
Aflatoxins (Tot. = 17.8 µg - ppb) in pistachios |
1 |
Salmonella hofit in raisins |
1 |
Undeclared peanut in milk chocolate egg with toy |
1 |
Ukraine |
Aflatoxins (B1 = 4.9; Tot. = 6.1 µg - ppb) in soft caramel with peanuts |
1 |
USA |
Aflatoxins (B1 = 185.0; Tot. = 200.5 µg - ppb) in pistachios |
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 |
14 |
Brazil |
Aflatoxins in peanuts |
1 |
Bad hygienic state of peanuts |
1 |
China |
Aflatoxins in peanuts |
5 |
Egypt |
Aflatoxins in peanuts |
3 |
Iran |
Aflatoxins in pistachios |
10 |
Paraguay |
Aflatoxins in peanuts |
1 |
South Africa |
Aflatoxins in pistachio-almond-spice mix |
1 |
Thailand |
Aflatoxins in wasabi coated peanuts |
2 |
Turkey |
Aflatoxins in dried figs |
8 |
Aflatoxins in hazelnuts |
11 |
Aflatoxins in pistachios |
5 |
Expired health certificate(s) for pistachio kernels from Turkey |
1 |
Raisins infested with moulds |
2 |
USA |
Aflatoxins in almonds |
6 |
Aflatoxins in peanuts |
1 |
Aflatoxins in pistachios |
5 |
Unauthorised food additive propylene oxide in shelled almonds |
3 |
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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Nuts May Help Manage Weight
According to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June issue, nut consumption is not associated with greater weight gainand can even help weight control. The study, led by Maira Bes Rastrollo, PHARMD, PHD, aimed at determining the relation between nut consumption and long-term weight change.
Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA, and University of Navarra, Spain, monitored 51,188 women in the Nurses' Health Study II (aged 20-45) over eight years, from 1991 to 1999. The results of the study showed that those who consumed nuts two or more times a week gained less weight than those who rarely ate nuts. Higher nut consumption did not lead to body weight gain. In fact, it was associated with a slightly lower risk of weight gain. The results were similar in normal-weight, overweight, and obese participants. When considering lifestyle and other dietary factors, researchers found that greater nut consumption was linked to a slightly lower risk of obesity.
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E-mail: inc@nutfruit.org