China a top violator of US food standards: reports

Sun May 20, 4:58 PM 

摘要：上个月，美国拒收了中国257批食品，这远远超出了世界上其他的任何国家。这些货物主要是catfish, shrimp, mahi-mahi, tilapia, eel and yellow fin tuna。中国每年出口20亿的食品，不仅仅是由于价格低廉，有的甚至是唯一的出口国，比如说Vc。

WASHINGTON (AFP) - China is a top violator of US food safety standards, with US authorities last month rejecting 257 Chinese food shipments -- far more than from any other country, US media reported Sunday.

The Chicago Tribune reported that at least 137 food shipments were rejected as "filthy" after testing positive for salmonella, or for containing banned ingredients.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that the US Food and Drug Administration last month seized more than 1,000 shipments of tainted dietary supplements, toxic cosmetics and counterfeit medicines from China.

The Tribune meanwhile, wrote that a good portion of the rejected Chinese shipments each month includes fish and seafood like catfish, shrimp, mahi-mahi, tilapia, eel and yellow fin tuna.

Other Chinese imports that failed inspection include herbal teas, bean curd, candy, dried apples, dried peaches and peanut milk, while non-food rejects included catheters and lip gloss.

The burgeoning food import scandal has been spotlighted because of the recent highly publicized contamination of dog and cat food from China suspected of leaving thousands of pets dead.

The pet food was found to have been tainted with the chemical melamine, a substance used in fertilizers and plastics, which found its way into wheat gluten exported from China for the US pet food and animal feed markets.

China, which exports about two billion dollars each year in food products, not only is a cheap supplier of a growing number of important food products, but for some key foodstuffs it is virtually the sole purveyor.

For instance, the Post reported that China now controls 80 percent of the world's production of ascorbic acid, for example, a valuable preservative that is ubiquitous in processed foods.

Meanwhile, the daily wrote, US companies have become so dependent on the Chinese exports that they may be reluctant to reduce the flow of goods.

"The commercial interest of the United States these days has become to allow imports to come in as quickly and smoothly as possible," Robert Cassidy, a former assistant US trade representative for China told the Post.

The daily also reported that US agriculture officials also have seized hundreds of thousands of pounds of prohibited poultry products from China and other Asian countries over the past year, including some shipped in crates labeled "dried lily flower," and "prune slices."

Tomatoes not effective in preventing prostate cancer

摘要：最新研究颠覆你的认识：番茄不能保护前列腺。先前的研究表明平时多吃番茄，则是保护前列腺简便有效的方法。 国外的一项健康调查结果表明，每周吃10份番茄食物的人发病率下降了50％。但是最新的研究却让人大跌眼镜，番茄不能保护前列腺。另外，胡萝卜素反而会增加患病的风险。研究建议，不要把自己的健康建立在某一种水果上，要多吃水果蔬菜，但是最好不要大剂量的补充维生素，尤其是胡萝卜素。

LOS ANGELES, May 19 (Xinhua)---Contrary to popular opinion, lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes, does not help prevent prostate cancer, a new study has found.

    The new findings by researchers at the U.S. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) contradict a long-held theory that touts lycopene as a magic bullet for prostate cancer, according to the May issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

    In fact, a higher intake of beta-carotene, another antioxidant found in many vegetables and commonly used as a dietary supplement, appears to increase the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

    Researchers enrolled 28,000 men in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial and collected data accordingly. All of the men had no prior history of prostate cancer.

    They were screened for the disease at the start of the trial in 1993, and then followed with regular screening until the first occurrence of prostate cancer or death by the end of the trial in 2001.

    During the course of the trial, 1,320 prostate cancer cases were diagnosed. The team found no significant difference in blood levels of lycopene between men who had prostate cancer and those who didn't.

    In fact, they found an association between increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer and a higher intake of beta-carotene.

    Beta-carotene has also been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer and heart disease among smokers, according to the findings.

    The new study "hampers our enthusiasm for the beneficial effect of lycopene," said lead author Ulrike Peters, a research assistant professor at the FHCRC.

    "Tomatoes, and tomato found in ketchup and pizza, don't reduce the risk of prostate cancer," she added.

    "People should be very cautious about taking high doses of supplemental beta-carotene," she said.

    To live an active, healthy lifestyle is the best strategy for preventing cancer, the study suggests.

    To place one's faith in a particular food is not effective in preventing cancer, the study adds.

    "Our guidelines suggest that people eat a mostly plant-based diet with a variety of vegetables and fruits," said Marji McCullough, a senior epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society.

    "We don't recommend taking multivitamins or other supplements, especially beta-carotene supplements," she said.

Starbucks Corporation Wins in a Trademark Infringement

Shanghai coffee shop finally changes name after long Starbucks dispute

2007-05-17 10:11:02 Xinhua English

Unilever upgrades Asian distribution
By Neil Merrett

摘要：联合利华在越南建立分销中心，旨在提高公司在亚洲的业务。第一期工程已竣工（?12m），33,000 平方米的仓库，每天可以运送2,000 吨产品。该分销中心将会服务于亚洲市场的18个国家，包括Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and New Zealand.
 

18/05/2007 - Unilever continues to step up its operations within Asia with the inauguration of its new distribution centre in Vietnam.

Having completed the year long initial ?12m construction, the company claims the site will boast some of the most modern equipment in Vietnam to maintain supply of its food, beverage and personal care ranges in the country.

Unilever told local press sources that its current fragmented warehousing within the country was not sufficient for its growth ambitions in the wider region, which have become increasingly significant following the country's accession to the WTO earlier this year.

As such, the site -the largets of its kind in the country - is expected to complement the group's growing interests within Vietnam and the wider Asia Pacific region.

With the first construction phase now finished, the centre will boast a 33,000 square metre warehouse space capable of shipping 2,000 tonnes of goods a day.

Outside of Vietnam, Unilever expects to supply over 18 markets within the region through the centre.  These will include countries like Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and New Zealand.

Greg Sullivan, Unilever's vice president of supply chains in the country, told AP-FoodTechnology.com that the construction was an important step in fully realising the potential for its products in the area.

"Vietnam is regarded as a bright star because of its high economic growth rate, young population with most people being under 25, and stable micro-economic environment," he said.

"We started in Vietnam in 1995, and are very pleased with the growth of Unilever Vietnam over the past 12 years."

Moet Hennesy hopes to lift Chinese spirits
By Neil Merrett
18/05/2007

摘要：四川名酒剑南春旗下的文君酒被洋酒大鳄———法国轩尼诗控股收购。

Moët Hennesy has acquired a majority stake in Chinese group Wen Jun Distillery as it moves to expand its global premium spirits and wine brands range.

The company expects the purchase of a 55 per cent share in one of China's premium spirit makers from minority partner Jiannanchunto to grant it instant access to the country's spirits market.

In recent years, China's spirit market has been booming but the sector stills lags behind the surging demand for wine and beers.

As such, Moët plans to work with Jiannanchun to push its spirits brands in the country, according to the company. The group said that in addition to the marketing drive, it would also invest in updating Wen Jun's production facilities.

Company president Christophe Navarre stressed that the buy was a crucial move for the group in increasing its revenues in China's dynamic beverage sector.

"This investment in China's spirits industry signals an important move for Moët Hennesy as it seeks to contribute to the development of the Chinese premium spirits market," he stated.

Between 2000 and 2010, the total market within the country for spirits is expected to grow by about 44.6 per cent to $28.6m (?19m), according to figures supplied by consumer analyst Datamonitor.

However, there still remains a great discrepancy between spirits sales compared to those of wine and beer. Over the same period, sales of wine are estimated to grow by 68.2 per cent to $5.1bn (?3.7bn).

Even these figures pale into insignificance when compared to the market for beer in the country though, which leads the alcohol sector both in growth and sales.

By 2010, annual beer sales over the decade are estimated to have grown by 75 per cent to $43bn (?31bn).

Typhoo set to debut in India

SUTANUKA GHOSAL

摘要：Typhoo品牌曾经属于英国John Summer，后来被Apeejay公司购得，现在Apeejay公司准备在印度推广Typhoo茶品牌。12月底新工厂即可完工。卫报称，2005年第一食品公司以8000万英镑的价钱将旗下的Typhoo品牌卖给了位于加尔各答的Apeejay国际茶叶公司。第一食品公司是在1903年由伯明翰杂货商John Summer创建的，当时Typhoo品牌是英国市场上继PG Tips和Tetley之后的第三大茶叶品牌。第一食品的经营哲学是，让自己的品牌拥有数一数二的市场份额。

Typhoo, UK’s iconic tea brand which was launched in 1903 by Birmingham grocer John Summer, is poised to debut in India. The Apeejay Tea Group (ATG), which acquired Typhoo 2005 along with other speciality tea brands such as London Fruit & Herb, Natureland and Heath & Heather fruit from Premier Foods plc, will introduce it in the country in the current fiscal.

Talking to ET, Deepak Atal, managing director of Apeejay Tea said: “We are setting up a tea bag and packing factory in Kolkata on Hyde Road for Typhoo and other speciality tea brands. Construction work has already begun. We are importing tea machinery from UK.” “The factory will be ready by end-December and we hope to launch the brands in India this fiscal. This will be Typhoo’s first major foray outside UK. It is present in a small way in Australia and New Zealand,” he added.

Incidentally, ATG is also putting in place a strong marketing team for marketing Typhoo and other associated brands. “Apeejay Tea is essentially a bulk tea player and we don’t have a marketing team than can facilitate movement of value-added tea. We also need to work out a brand promotion strategy to position the Typhoo brand in the market,” said Mr Atal.

Incidentally, after it bought over Typhoo from Premier Foods, ATG was investing and reviving it in the UK market. “We are now ready to expand the reach of the brand,” he said.

Typhoo has a wide range of products within its fold. Apart from decaffeinated tea, it also has Typhoo Fruit & Herb, Typhoo Green Tea and Typhoo QT, the instant white tea. It also has a number of speciality teas like Freshbrew, Glengettie, Melroses and Ridgeways within its fold. At present, the entire blending and packing for Typhoo is done at Moreton, Wirrel in the UK.

“Once Typhoo gets to India, it will become easier to market it in the neighbouring countries. It will be cost competitive. However, a final decision on the expansion strategy will have to be decided by the Typhoo team in the UK,” Mr Atal said.

ATG, which has 17 gardens in Assam, will use its own teas for the Typhoo tea bags. It will also buy tea from the Nilgiris and Darjeeling gardens. “We may also buy teas from Sri Lanka for Typhoo tea bags,” he elaborated.
The company is also sprucing up its Mantra and Mahamantra brands. While the Mantra brand is available in polypacks, Mahamantra is available in 5 kg packs. ATG will use a significant portion of its total production of 22 million kg for these two brands in the current fiscal year.

Pea protein seen as promising microencapsulator

By Stephen Daniells

摘要：巴西研究人员研究发现，豌豆蛋白可以包埋高浓度的Ve，因此有望成为新型微胶囊包埋壁材。研究人员利用豌豆蛋白，CMC，以及两者与麦芽糊精的混合物（及豌豆蛋白+麦芽糊精，CMC+麦芽糊精）作为微胶囊包埋壁材来包埋Ve，然后利用喷雾干燥制得微胶囊。结果发现Ve的保留率高于70%，粒子呈球形，小于7微米。单纯使用豌豆蛋白或者CMC+麦芽糊精，粒子甚至可以更小。

Researchers in Brazil have identified pea protein as a possible novel encapsulator after results showed the protein capable of encapsulating vitamin E at high concentrations.

"The results obtained in this work show that the pea protein use for alpha-tocopherol microencapsulation is a promising system for further application in food," wrote lead author Anna Pierucci from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.

Microcapsules are tiny particles that contain an active agent or core material surrounded by a shell or coating, and are now increasingly being used in food ingredients preparation. The technology can be used to deliver a host of ingredients - flavours, oils, peptides, amino acids, enzymes, acidulants, colours and sweeteners - in a range of food formulations, from functional foods to ice cream.

The technology is attracted growing interest because it can also decrease costs for food makers, particularly those using sensitive ingredients like probiotics, and by reducing the need for preservatives.

The new research, published in the Journal of Microencapsulation, taps into this growing trend by investigating the potential of pea protein (PP), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), or mixtures of these materials with maltodextrin (PP-M and CMC-M) to microencapsulate alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) using the spray drying technique.

Pierucci and co-workers report that the retention of alpha-tocopherol within all the microparticles produced was over 77 per cent in all cases. The particles were also characterised as having spherical shapes with average particle sizes below seven micrometres.

The smallest particles were found to be produced using exclusively pea protein, or the CMC-M mixture.

The authors concluded that the work showed the potential of pea protein as a microencapsulation material in food systems.

Pea protein is classed as an alternative protein, a market that is growing at a rapid pace, for a variety of reasons. Alternative sources of protein are having a profound influence on the formulation of weight conscious food and diets based on low glycaemic index (GI) and high protein intake, and traditional manufacturers are beginning to take a look at new protein sources as a means of enriching their products.

There are also economic advantages. Caseinates, which are typically used in dietetic foods like infant formula, sports products and slimming foods, currently cost around ?6.50 per kg while soy protein isolates cost ?3.50 to ?5kg for the same amount of protein. Pea protein can cost around half the price of caseinates.

Mars maker angers vegetarians with product reformulation
By Catherine Boal
摘要：英国玛氏Mars由于更改产品配方激怒素食主义者，这些产品包括Twix, Snickers, Mars Bars and Maltesers ，因为玛氏更改了配方换用乳清，而乳清含有凝乳块（由反刍动物的胃膜制成的干的提取物，用来制干酪和凝乳等），对于英国300万素食主义者而言令其大动肝火。而先前使用的凝乳块则是霉菌发酵制成，相对成本较高。

14/05/2007 - Confectionery company Masterfoods has come under fire in the UK for altering the formulation of some of its best-known chocolate brands.

Vegetarians in Britain are set to boycott products such as Twix, Snickers, Mars Bars and Maltesers following the manufacturer's decision to begin using animal-derived whey.

The company began using whey, which contains rennet - an ingredient obtained from animal's stomachs - at the beginning of May.

According to the UK's Vegetarian Society, there are around three million vegetarians in the country - making them a group with considerable consumer clout.

The Society is now urging consumers to contact Masterfoods directly with their concerns.

In a statement, the organisation said, "at a time when more and more consumers are concerned about the provenance of their food, Masterfoods' decision to use non-vegetarian whey is a backward step."

"Mars products are very popular with young people and many will be shocked to discover that their manufacture now relies on the extraction of rennet from the stomach lining of young calves," he added.

Masterfoods has adopted the use of whey in most of its core brands due to changes in the sourcing of its ingredients.

The company says products with an expiry date before October 1^st are still vegetarian-friendly, and they are offering refunds to consumers who bought the new products in ignorance of the change.

Rennet is a complex of enzymes produced by mammals that allows them to digest milk. Vegetarian rennet is generally produced from moulds but is more complex and expensive to produce on a large scale.

Syngenta eyes Chinese corn potential with Sanbei investment
By Jess Halliday

背景知识：

瑞士先正达公司将购买中国种业公司sanbei的49%，共同开发玉米种子，以满足国内需求。

瑞士先正达公司致力于通过创新的科研技术为可持续农业发展做出贡献。公司在全球植保领域名列前茅，并在高价值商业种子领域排名第三。公司 2006 年的全球销售额约 81 亿美元。目前，先正达的业务遍及全球 90 多个国家和地区，拥有员工 19,500 人左右。先正达在瑞士（ SYNN ）和纽约（ SYT ）股票交易所上市。
先正达在中国的总投资已达 1.8 亿美元，拥450 多名员工，建有 4 家合资企业、 1 家独 资公司和 数家代表处。

公司资料详见 先正达全球网页。

14/05/2007 - Syngenta is to acquire a 49 per cent take in Chinese seed company Sanbei with a view to jointly developing corn seed products to meet growing demand driven by changing food patterns and agronomic trends.

Swiss Syngenta has operated in China for the last decade, offering both seed and crop protection products. But the company has spied new opportunities as the economy in China is growing and more food is needed to feed the swelling population.

Sanbei is a leading player in the development and distribution of corn seeds in China.

A spokesperson told FoodNavigator.com that dietary patterns in the country are shifting "from green to protein", spurring demand for meat, which in turn calls for more feed - of which corn is a major component.

Another factor is the huge demand for energy in China, which goes hand-in-hand with growing awareness of biofuels.

And agricultural trends, such as the decline in arable lands, are also conspiring to create demand for high-yield, disease-resistant crops. By combining the two companies' technology and knowledge of corn, they expect to bring more varieties of corn seeds, different products that can combat disease and environmental factors, and speed development of new products to suit the Chinese market.

Michael Mack, chief operating officer of seeds at Syngenta, said: "[Sanbei] has strong commercial operations and an attractive product portfolio. Together with Syngenta's expertise in corn breeding this will result in improved and broader product availability for Chinese growers."

The deal is not regarded as one that will have a bearing on Syngenta's global operations. Syngenta will not exploit Sanbei's technology outside of China, since Chinese law provides that home-spun intellectual property should stay in the country.

The Sanbei deal is expected to significantly grow Syngenta's corn business in China. In 2006 Sanbei reported sales of approximately US$30m, but due to the fragmented market Syngenta prefers not discuss market share.

The terms also not being disclosed, since the transaction is subject to approvals by the Chinese authorities. Syngenta expects no problems, but such procedures can take quite some time, and it is difficult to predict when it will be concluded.

In full year 2006 Syngenta's earnings per share were up 14 per cent to $8.73, crop protection sales were up 1 per cent at $6.4 billion and new product sales up 25 per cent to $985 million.

Although sales were one per cent lower than the previous year at $8.05 bn, the company was bullish about its performance.  

    "Being thin doesn't automatically mean you're not fat," an AP report Thursday quoted Dr. Jimmy Bell, a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, London, as saying.

    Bell's team has scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines since 1994 to find out where fat is stored in their bodies.

    Data show people who keep slim through diet rather than physical exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat.

    Doctors worry that thin people, without a clear warning signal, may falsely assume that they're healthy just because they're not overweight.

    "Just because someone is lean doesn't make them immune to diabetes or other risk factors for heart disease," said Dr. Louis Teichholz, chief of cardiology at Hackensack Hospital in New Jersey.

    Even normal Body Mass Index (BMI) scores cannot assure healthy levels of fat deposits inside.

    Of the women scanned by Bell and his colleagues, as many as 45 percent of those with normal BMI scores (20 to 25) actually had excessive levels of internal fat. Among men, the percentage was nearly 60 percent.

    Experts say there is no short-cut when it comes to being fit. "If you just want to look thin, then maybe dieting is enough," Bell said. "But if you want to actually be healthy, then exercise has to be an important component of your lifestyle."

Indonesian agreement targets poultry safety

By Neil Merrett

背景知识：新加坡衛生部長許文遠和印尼人民福利統籌部長巴克里今天在雅加達簽署諒解備忘錄，聯手推動控制禽流感疫情實驗計畫，參與這項計畫的還有美國和世界衛生組織等其他國際組織。

根據新加坡電子媒體發自雅加達的報導，根據這項備忘錄，新加坡將協助印尼落實這項計畫，以明確和集中的方式控制禽流感疫情。

在這項計畫之下，印尼將測試各種控制疫情方法的效果，並將獲得的知識運用在其他有疫情傳出的地區。

許文遠指出，這項計畫包括動物和人類的疫情監控策略、禽流感病人管理和動物的疾病控制，動物的疾病控制還包括家禽養殖場系統的改革與改組。

這項控制禽流感實驗計畫預計分三年推動，耗資四百五十萬美元，其中新加坡貢獻一百五十萬美元，提供專業技術和人力。

許文遠表示，實驗計畫的準備工作已經展開，在參與計畫中，新加坡人員將與印尼的醫生和科學家交流，同時提供培訓，這將加強雙方的研究實力。

許文遠並希望，新加坡也能從實驗計畫中受惠。

印尼是全球禽流感病例最嚴重的國家，截至目前為止共有九十五人染上禽流感，並有七十五人因而死亡，同時也影響全球禽流感的防疫工作

Singapore yesterday entered into an agreement with Indonesia to aid the country in stepping up measures to protect its poultry industry, which has been hit by an ongoing epidemic of avian influenza..

Under the memorandum of understanding, the countries will open a bird flu centre in Indonesia's Baten province. The cenre will focus on preventing further H5N1 outbreaks by acting on a more localised level.

Success for the project is vital for Indonesia's poultry processors as growing concern over the presence of avian influenza entering the human food supply chain continues to affect sales.

The issue is also prevalent for the wider Asia Pacific region, with concerns that any future Indonesian outbreak could spread to their own flocks.

As such, the centre, which is part of a trilaterally funded $4.5m pilot project with the US, will aim to focus Indonesia's national bird flu strategy specifically at the local level.

Depending on its performance, further centres may later be rolled out throughout the country to ensure all regions are protected.

The announcement will also be welcomed by the World Health Organisation, which has previously criticised officials in the country for falling behind its Asian neighbours in preventing the spread of the disease.

According to estimates by Indonesian officials, 75 people have so far been killed in the country by avian influenza, leading to a dearth of confidence in the safety of the country's poultry production.

Besides the human cost, this decreased confidence has also been felt strongly within the poultry industry.

In a report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) earlier this year, Indonesia's ongoing problems with avian influenza were found to be adversely affecting poultry meat sales.

"In spite of a safe chicken consumption campaign, media coverage of the avian influenza victims has caused severe declines in poultry consumption," stated the report.  "People are afraid to consume poultry and are reportedly switching to beef, fish, tempe, and tofu as protein sources."

The USDA added that in January this year, broiler sales in Jakarta alone dropped by about 40 per cent to 50 per cent.

Malaysia plays host to Global Halal Forum

By Neil Merrett

背景知识：本次为第二届世界清真论坛。

最近几年,世界各地对清真食品的要求不断增加,清真食品的产量每年都超过1500亿美元。
根据市场上对清真食品的大量需求,在沙特阿拉伯首都利雅德成立了世界清真食品组织,以协调清真肉食企业的生产和销售。
由于清真肉食在宰杀清理方面的高卫生与高质量,不仅穆斯林对清真肉食品有需求,欧美的非穆斯林同样欢迎清真食品,
仅仅美国首都华盛顿一个城市便开设了140家清食品商店,这些商店专门出售清真肉食,尽管价格比通过流水线宰杀的普通肉价要高出许多,但顾客还是络绎不绝。
随着欧洲和美国作为少数族裔的穆斯林人口的不断增加,各国政府职能部门开始考虑向这些皈依的穆斯林供应清真食品。
“清真食品” 这一术语也随着世界对清真食品不断增加的需求,而被收录进欧洲各种不同的字典中,成为了人们日常生活中的一个惯用词。

The second ever World Halal Forum kicked off in Malaysia this week, as the country moves to become a global leader in production and distribution of the strictly defined certification.

Speaking during the event's opening yesterday, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stressed the country's desire to further develop halal techniques not just domestically, but globally as well.

"The WHF together with its partner event the Malaysian International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) have been included in Malaysia's 15 Year Industrial Master Plan as annual events to boost the development of the halal sector," he said as during his key note speech.

The forum comes as a further sign of the opportunities, particularly in the food industry, for the country's halal processors and producers.  An increasing number of companies are producing halal goods to tap into the billion dollar global demand.

Halal is an Islamic term for permissible, which in food terms constitutes an approved slaughter and preparation for products such as meat, in a similar vein to kosher products.

During the two day event, 900 representatives from over 30 countries, ranging from key industry players to raw material suppliers will meet to discuss the biggest issues facing the industry, like the implementation of international standards.

Badawi also used the forum to announce the formation of the International Halal Integrity (IHI) Alliance, a non-profit, non-government organization designed to represent views of everyone involved in the industry.

The event is also expected to set the agenda for the halal industry over the coming year with a number of memorandums of understandings to be signed to further develop production techniques and certification.

These include developing an information and communication technology with Microsoft, as well as financial services, and human resource development with Thailand's Chulalongkorn University.

With more than 1.8bn Muslims globally, the total size of global halal food and non-food (such as financial services, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics) industries is estimated at RM7.98 trillion (?1.5 trillion) with an expected growth rate of 10-20 per cent each year.


Though the global market for halal food has never been measured, industry estimates of its value range from $150bn (?110bn) to $500bn (?368bn).

Tata Tea to tap Chinese market

摘要：印度Tata公司将与浙江茶叶进出口公司合资，在浙江Anji经济开发区建厂，其中Tata占有70%的注册资金（总数Rs 70 crore，约$16 million），该厂主要生产和销售绿茶多酚，绿茶提取物，速溶茶，茶浓缩液以及其他茶饮料产品。

PTI[ TUESDAY, MAY 08, 2007 11:10:15 AM]

MUMBAI: With an eye over Chinese and Far-East markets, Tata Tea on Tuesday announced its joint venture with Zhejiang Tea Import and Export Company, which accounts for nearly 25 per cent of export volume of China.

The two companies would set up a joint venture entity at the Economic Development Zone of Anji County in Zhejiang at an estimated outlay of Rs 70 crore.

Tata Tea would own 70 per cent of the registered capital of the joint venture company and is planning to fund the project through a mix of equity capital and borrowings, Tata Tea said in a communique to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The joint venture company would manufacture and market green tea polyphenols, green tea extracts, cold and hot water soluble instant tea, liquid tea concentrates and other value added tea beverage products.

Recently, Tata Tea acquired two Polish brands Vitax and Flosana from Premium Foods for an undisclosed amount, a move after which its brand Tetley caught hold of the number two position in the Polish tea market.

Zhejiang Tea is engaged in trading of green, black and speciality teas and has clients in over 60 countries in Asia, Africa, North America, Europe, and Oceania.

Tata Tea's shares were trading at Rs 764, up 0.23 per cent on the BSE.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier said the Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd. and Binzhou Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd. had exported the melamine-tainted products.

The FDA discovered melamine, a chemical used in plastics, fertilizers and flame retardants, in pet food recalled by Ontario-based pet food maker Menu Foods and traced the contaminated foodstuff to the two Chinese companies.

"The two companies illegally added melamine to the wheat gluten and rice protein in a bid to meet the contractual demand for the amount of protein in the products," said the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

非法添加化工原料三聚氰胺，以达到合同中所规定的蛋白质含量。

The watchdog said the two companies managed to evade quality check-ups by labeling them as exports that are not subject to quality inspection.

It said it had ordered local branches to strengthen quality inspection on all vegetable proteins and pledged to include all vegetable proteins on the exports list subject for quality check-ups.

It added the local public security authorities had launched an investigation into the cases and had detained related company officials.

The administration said it had found no further melamine-contaminated products after checking 399 samples from 173exporters nationwide.

The watchdog said it had notified the FDA of the investigation results and proposed to set up a cooperation mechanism on food safety with the United States.

Mystery disease kills pigs in Southern China

Mon May 7, 2007 12:57am ET © Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A mysterious disease has killed thousands of pigs in China's southern Guangdong province and authorities have disinfected affected farms, markets and abattoirs, several Hong Kong newspapers reported on Monday.

The outbreak began around early April in Silao town, where the animals stopped eating, developed high fevers and started hemorrhaging under their skin.

The disease has since spread to nearby towns, they reported. Its cause is unknown.

Beijing-backed Ta Kung Pao quoted officials in nearby Yunfu city confirming that more than 300 pigs had died in Silao town.

Some of the carcasses were hurled into rivers and that may have been responsible for the spread of the disease to surrounding areas, other newspapers reported, with some estimating total losses at more than 3,000 animals.

Faced with heavy financial losses, some farmers have hastily sold sick pigs at reduced prices, the Apple Daily reported.

Although the cause of the disease is unknown, experts ruled out the possibility of people contracting the disease.

EU strict on antibiotic residue in shrimp

The EU has taken a strict stand on antibiotic residue in shrimp consignments and made it clear that it will not allow re-exporting of contaminated shipments. The EU legislation prohibits re-exports of unsafe food and the only option left is to destroy the consignment. All costs associated with the destruction would have to be borne by the importer or his representative. Indian exporters are of the view that earlier consignments containing antibiotic residues were allowed to be shipped back to India, although with much difficulty. Almost 30% of India's seafood exports are now destined to the EU.

According to EU, for many antibiotics it was possible to define a limit, and food containing such residues below that limit could be considered safe. However, chloramphenicol and nitrofurans, which were not dose-related, were considered potentially harmful at any level. Accordingly, a limit of 0.3 ppb for chloramphenicol and 1 ppb for nitrofuran had been fixed and for chloramphenicol the risk could be fatal.

An official from The Marine Pro-ducts Export Development Authority (MPEDA), the countrys nodal agency for the development of trade and industry, said that the use of antibiotics in aquaculture farms had been reduced considerably. A series of awareness campaigns had been conducted and farmers were grouped into clusters for implementing good management practices. There are 11 approved laboratories across the country for under-taking analysis of antibiotics and farmers had started to use these services. Most of the diseases found in the farms were not caused by bacteria but by virus for which antibiotic treatment was not an answer, he added.

Bird flu resurfaces in central Vietnam

The Associated Press  Published: May 5, 2007

Bird flu has struck poultry in central Vietnam, just one month after the last outbreak in the Southeast Asian country, an official said Sunday.

Nearly 200 ducks died at a private farm in the central province of Nghe An on Tuesday. Test results released by a government laboratory in the area show they were infected with the deadly H5N1 virus, said Nguyen Xuan Yem, director of Nghe An's animal health department.

The ducks had not been vaccinated, Yem said.

Authorities have slaughtered the remaining 400 ducks at the farm and disinfected the area. Control over movement and trading of poultry has been tightened, he said.

The last bird flu outbreak was reported last month in northern Vietnam. Before that, the country went without reporting a bird flu outbreak for a year until the disease killed and forced the slaughter of about 40,000 birds in eight southern Mekong Delta provinces since January.

The bird flu virus has killed at least 172 people worldwide, including 42 in Vietnam, since it began ravaging poultry stocks across Asia in late 2003, according to the World Health Organization.

Supermarket secrets: 20 things their ads won’t tell you

06 May 2007  By Jennifer O’Connell              Sunday Business Post

1 - Babies weaned on jarred food sold in supermarkets are being trained to have a sweeter palate.

Few baby-food manufacturers supplying Europe add sucrose to their products these days - they know that parents are much too smart and nutritionally aware for that. But the use of concentrated fruits and the manufacturing process turns those harmless looking baby jars into very sweet offerings indeed.

Though the label reassures parents that the contents include only pure fruit and fruit concentrates, a 213ml jar of junior baby food apple and blueberry contains 33g of sugars - which is about the same as 11 sugar cubes.


The process that keeps fruits like pear and banana ripe on the shelf for months and months just serves to reinforce this sweetness. The fruit is cooked once, jarred, and then cooked again in the jar under pressure at a temperature of at least 121 degrees for 40 minutes - sterilising the fruit so that it stays fresh for months, and effectively caramelising it in the process.

All of which means that by the time they’re old enough to express a view on it, children have become passionate advocates of the sugar-laden, supermarket sold alternatives to mum’s home cooking.

And the food industry has been predictably slow to surrender this sugar-coated stranglehold on the next generation of little consumers.

The permitted level of sugar in baby food products is 30 per cent; recent proposals to cut this to 10 per cent as part of the global fight against obesity were blocked by the EU and the US.

2 - ‘Use-by’ labels are regularly - and legally - switched several times before the produce hits the shelf of your local supermarket.

The practice of switching labels to extend the life of food is perfectly legal, so long as it is done within the ‘‘recognised shelf life of the product’’, says the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

In 2004, the British FSA investigated claims by Which? magazine that labels on chicken were being switched up to 20 times before they hit supermarket shelves.

It found evidence of relabelling, but concluded that it was only done during the recognised shelf-life period.

3 – Six bottles for the price of five, 40 per cent off this, 25 per cent off that.

Around two thirds of the wine we buy is now sold on promotion, with supermarket wine shops often boasting more discount stickers than a Moore Street stall. But just how ‘special’ are these offers?

The Guardian’s wine writer Victoria Moore recently launched an investigation into wine promotions and found that they aren’t always what they seem. She claims that the ‘original’, higher, price is often artificially concocted with a view to supermarkets selling the wine at that price for the shortest time legally allowable, before slashing the price and offering an impressive discount which is - you guessed it - all the wine was worth to begin with.

In Ireland, the legislation is a little tighter, so while supermarkets here can’t afford to inflate prices in the same way, it’s safe to conclude that they must be enjoying a healthy margin on any wine they can afford to offer at a 50 per cent discount.

‘‘Any bottle that you can buy at two for the price of one is a wine that you probably won’t want to buy if they were selling four for that price,” says The Sunday Business Post’s wine critic, Tomas Clancy. ‘‘Oddly enough, you never see bottles of Margaux, Lafite or Latour on a three bottles for the price of two offer.”

Some supermarkets are better than others, and there are bargains to be had in all supermarkets (for example, in bin end sales), but the message is to trust your palate - and don’t be blinded by the discount sticker.

4 - Do you want a divorce with that litre of milk?

In Britain, Tesco is now selling DIY divorce and wills packages from its Tesco Legal store. For just £14.99 or ?22, you can buy a Separation and Divorce kit, which is legally binding in England and Wales (and get 14 Clubcard points in the process), while the store’s best-seller is a £9.99 or ?14.66 Power of Attorney kit.

In Ireland, its offerings are so far confined to food, petrol, clothes, books, CDs, appliances, jewellery, diets and insurance policies.

Tesco mobile phones are on their way.

5 - Three thousand miles is the average distance travelled by your food before it hits the supermarket shelf.

6 - Some of the ‘Irish’ labelled chicken fillets sold in supermarkets are about as Irish as coconut milk.

According to the Department of Health, supermarkets regularly buy in meat products (other than beef) from outside the EU, make some ‘substantial transformation’ to them in the form of a sprinkling of spice or breadcrumbs, and relabel them as ‘Irish’ with local brand names and even health marks. This is all perfectly legal, but is it ethical?

In the meat section of one Irish supermarket, for example, one half of a fridge is filled with chicken fillets clearly labelled ‘100 per cent Irish chicken’.

The ingredients read ‘100 per cent Irish chicken breast’ and the name and location of the producer - a farmer in County Monaghan - is given on the front of the pack.

Sitting right next to them, in the other half of the same fridge, are more chicken breasts, this time covered in a sauce and labelled ‘Whole Irish deboned chicken with ginger and chilli and lime marinade.’ There’s no sticker touting the product’s 100 per cent Irishness, and no name given for the farmer who produced it.

So are they both ‘Irish’, or is one - or both - of them ‘100 per cent Irish’? And what’s the difference anyway?

It’s the kind of question which could tie a whole army of constitutional lawyers up in knots for weeks, and for busy shoppers, it’s probably a semantic too far.

7 - Smell anything funny in the fruit and veg aisle?

No? Didn’t think so. That’s because the fruit and veg on display has likely undergone what author of the supermarket expose, Shopped, Joanna Blythman, describes as a bizarre kind of ‘beauty pageant’ designed to make the produce look more attractive to consumers, give it the longest shelf life possible and, in the process, inadvertently strips it of any flavour or scent.

Ribbed, angular or misshapen tomatoes, for example, will be rejected, as will tomatoes with slightly chewy skin, ones with a colour of 0,1, 2 or 7 on the supermarkets’ colour chart, and tomatoes at different colour stages in the same box.

8 - Ever wondered why spinach only comes in bags?

Leaf spinach is one of the few vegetables that defies attempts by supermarkets to extend its shelf life.

Left to its own devices, it’ll look tired after a couple of days.

Supermarkets have simply stopped stocking it loose and sell it in bags, in a modified atmosphere (known as Modified Atmosphere Packaging, or MAP) that extends its shelf life by up to 50 per cent and strips it of every last vestige of taste.

9 - If you need a vitamin fix, steer clear of prewashed vegetables and ‘freshly’ prepared fruit salad.

Those alluring cubes of melon and pineapple that come ready-washed and chopped in neat little containers might not be the healthy lunch option they seem.

Most fruit and veg sold this way, from broccoli florets to mango slices, come in MAPs, or ‘pillow packs’.

Typically in MAP, the oxygen is reduced from 21 per cent to 3 per cent and the CO2 levels correspondingly raised. This slows any visible deterioration or discolouring. Great technology, it’s just a shame about the side effects.

The British Journal of Nutrition carried out a study which showed that MAPping strips vegetables of vitamin C, vitamin E, polyphenols and other micro-nutrients.

Research published by Which? magazine found that sliced chilled runner beans, for example, contain 89 per cent less vitamin C than their just-harvested brethren.

10 - When is a chicken fillet not really a chicken fillet?

When it’s a) 70 per cent chicken; b) 54 per cent chicken, or c) 43 per cent chicken?

The answer is: none of the above - at least if the chiller or freezer cabinet in your local supermarket is an indication.

According to the Irish Food Safety Promotions Board ‘‘it is not illegal to process chicken fillets by adding water and other ingredients, provided that these ingredients are approved and clearly stated on the label of pre-packed products, in addition to the added water content.

The percentage of meat content must also be accurately labelled.”

11 - Why did the chicken cross the continents?

This extract from a 2005 report by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland describes in stomach-churning detail the journey in 2001 of 400 million chicken breasts from Thailand and Brazil into European wholesale catering establishments, and from there into some of the prepared chicken dishes sold in restaurants and supermarkets.

‘‘On import, European processors tumble or inject defrosted imported chicken fillets with water and binding agents such as animal proteins (derived from a variety of different sources, including gelatine, blood, whey protein, spray-dried beef and pork protein, some of which may be mechanically recovered).

‘‘The chicken breasts are packed into boxes and frozen prior to distribution throughout the EU, including ROI and NI. These fillets are then sold into wholesale catering suppliers at a lower price than normal unprocessed chicken fillets.

‘‘The cyclical freezing and defrosting of such fillets does not contravene food safety, provided that it is done in a controlled manner. The issue of ‘freshness’ also arises as fillets with added ingredients that have been frozen and refrozen at different stages in the food chain may be sold in establishments as ‘fresh chicken’.”

Higher taxes slowed down the trade in chicken from Brazil and Thailand after 2001, but in 2005, the World Trade Organisation outlawed these tariffs.

12 - One in four euro spent on food or household goods in Ireland is spent at Tesco, but the retailer won’t disclose its Irish profits.

13 - The chilly truth about refrigerated ready meals.

Thousands of time-poor consumers are opting to buy chilled ready meals over their frozen alternatives in the expectation that they’re doing something better for their family.

Not so, say experts from the British Food Standards Agency to author Joanna Blythman.

Compared with frozen foods, many chilled, prepared foods come loaded with additives.

And you don’t necessarily get what you pay for - ironically, the more upmarket-looking, aspirational versions are often the worst offenders.

14 - Fancy a quick ham sandwich? Read this first

Now you’re avoiding chilled ready meals and prepared salads, slinging the ingredients for a ham sandwich into your shopping trolley might seem like a quick and healthy lunch option.

Not necessarily. Sliced white pans have fallen out of fashion with the health-conscious, but industrial wholemeal loaves - 70 per cent of which are bought in supermarkets - aren’t much better.

An analysis of the label shows they’re pumped full of water, yeast and chemicals to stop the bread going mouldy and help it hold more water, hard fat to stick it all together and salt to compensate for the lack of taste. And according to research published in July 2005 by Britain’s Pesticides Residues Committee, wholemeal bread contains more pesticide residues than any other type.

If you’re planning to use a butter substitute, you might be wise to avoid ‘cholesterol-lowering’ spreads. The label on one such spread carries a warning that the product shouldn’t be consumed by pregnant or breastfeeding women.

That’s because of the much-vaunted plant sterols, which are potential hormonal disrupters and can reduce the consumption of some vitamins. Yet these spreads were found separated from the butter on one supermarket shelf by the heading ‘‘healthier options’’.

Finally, Felicity Lawrence, consumer journalist and author of Not On the Label, has shed light on the manufacture of ‘‘formed’’ ham and, worse, ‘‘reformed’’ ham, which is guaranteed to put you off hang sangers for life. Much supermarket ham sold today is, she claims, formed or reformed ham.

‘‘Formed ham is muscle meat from the leg bones. It is chopped and passed under needles which inject it with a solution of water, sugars, preservatives, flavourings and other additives, or put into a giant machine resembling a cement mixer and mixed with a similar solution. The process dissolves an amino acid called myosin, so the meat becomes sticky and, when put into moulds, comes out looking like a whole piece of meat. If the ham is to be presented as a traditional cut, a layer of fat is stuck round the edge of the mould to make it look as though it has been cut off a whole leg.”

‘Reformed’ ham is made through basically the same process, but includes scraps left over from using formed ham - in other words, the gunge that collects at the bottom of the machine.

15 - A homemade shepherd’s pie contains about six ingredients. A supermarket alternative may have up to 60.

An own-brand sweet and sour chicken dish on sale in the chilled cabinet of one Irish supermarket chain has over 70 ingredients.

‘Cooked chicken’ accounts for just 20 per cent of it.

And even the chicken itself has more than 20 ingredients - five of them E numbers.

16 - If Tesco were a country, it would be the 54th richest in the world.

It’s one of a handful of supermarkets that controls much of what the world eats.

In Australia, two companies, Woolworths and Coles, sell a third of all food consumed.

In the US, Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world, controls 20 per cent of a $450 billion market.

In Britain, the so-called ‘big four’ sell 75 per cent of the country’s groceries, with Tesco alone controlling 30 per cent of the market.

17 - Bangladeshi workers making Tesco t-shirts earn 7 cent an hour.

A recent report by the charity Action Aid also found that women supplying British supermarkets with cashew nuts are earning just 44 cent a day for work that exposes their hands to corrosive acids.

Tesco said it acknowledged that conditions in developing countries were ‘‘difficult’’, but added that trade was the best route out of poverty.

18 - In 1980, the average meal took one hour to prepare; now it takes 20 minutes.

It is predicted that this figure will shrink to eight minutes by 2010.

19 - Supermarket chaplains, nail-bars and even in-store weddings could all soon be part of the shopping experience.

Wal-Mart, which owns the Asda chain of stores, attributes its success to a policy of low prices, selling non-food items, and what it calls ‘retailtainment’.

In Britain, this has translated to offering customers the services of an in-store chaplain or their local MP.

There are actors working as greeters, nail bars, singles nights and Asda has even hosted a wedding in one of its British stories.

Asda is opening three stores in the North and is believed to be looking for the site for its first store south of the border.

20 - Fancy yourself as an ethical shopper? Well don’t clap yourself on the back just yet. Many organic brands marketed as if they are small, independent, benevolent firms are actually owned by trans-nationals.

They include Seeds of Change, bought by Mars in 1997 ; Green & Black’s , snapped up by Cadbury Schweppes in 2005; and Back to Nature, held since 2003 by Kraft, which is a subsidiary of Altria, the company that owns tobacco giant Philip Morris.

Bangladesh says bird flu spreads to more farms

DHAKA, May 3 (Reuters) - Bird flu has spread to six more farms in western Bangladesh, forcing authorities to cull thousands of fowl and destroy eggs, government officials said on Thursday.

The latest cases were uncovered on farms in Jessore district, 300 km (190 miles) west of the capital Dhaka, said a senior official at the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry.

Some 9,000 birds were culled at the farms, where thousands of eggs were also buried, officials said.

The H5N1 virus was first detected at six farms at Savar near Dhaka on March 22 and the virus has since spread across the country, they said.

There have been no cases of human infection.

Jessore district is adjacent to the West Bengal state of India, where bird flu was detected. Bangladesh also shares a border with Myanmar, which is fighting the disease.

So far, nearly 107,000 chickens have been culled in nine districts. Authorities have pledged to pay 70 taka (nearly US$1) for each culled bird.