With the recent E.coli crisis in Europe, issues surrounding food safety have never been more prevalent. At the request of its Adhering Body in China, IUFoST established an Expert Panel on Food Safety to help address the issue facing China and its trading partners.

In April, the second in a series of high level workshops and symposia organized by IUFoST in conjunction with the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology, the Ministry of Health as well as other ministries was held in Beijing.

As part of these meetings, Joseph Jen, Co-Chair of the IUFoST Expert Panel, former Deputy Minister, US Department of Agriculture and Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology talks with IUFoST President Geoffrey Campbell-Platt about what sets IUFoST's efforts apart from the many other programmes and projects currently underway in China and how the Union's work has gained the attention of the highest levels of government.

 IUFoST Conversation - Joseph Jen  

It was a food safety crisis in Europe that led to the creation of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). EFSA is effectively demonstrating the importance of a science based regulatory body that can respond quickly and effectively to issues affecting the food supply.

Geoffrey Campbell-Platt, IUFoST President, talks with Dr. Diana Banati, Chair of EFSA, Fellow of the International Academy and speaker at the Beijing Food Safety Forum about risk communication and risk assessment, and the challenges of regulating food safety in 27 members states in the European Union.

 IUFoST Conversation - Diana Banati   

Through these and other IUFoST Conversations, we present the experts from IUFoST from across the globe. It is our intention that these videos provide the audience with the latest information and opinions on cutting edge topics in food science and technology.   

status of the technology, safety, commercial application and future of four of the nonthermal technologies (high pressure, pulsed electric fields, ozone and pulsed light) developed or being developed for the processing and preservation of modern foods and beverages.

Volume 12: Nonthermal Technologies 

"The trends in ingredients for the food industry are strongly marked by what   consumers want. Recent market research reports refer to well-being as a priority. The term "natural" comes into play, and claims like "no additives" or
"no preservatives" take greater strength. Likewise, foods with functional ingredients that are already participating in the market for several years, but targeted, for example, to elderly people with special expectations and needs on quality of life."

Ana Lucia Cortés. Delegate of the Colombian Association of Food Science and Technology (ACTA) to the Food and Alcoholic Beverages Committee, National Institute of Medicaments and Foods Surveillance (INVIMA). Colombia talks about what Latin America has to offer in natural ingredients in this IUFoST Dispatch in the IFI Journal.

Radioactive Fallout from the 2011 Japan Nuclear Plant Accident and Food Composition Databases are the subjects of two new IUFoST SIBs

"Radioactive isotopes are naturally present in the environment including those found in our bodies, food and water. However, potentially large amounts of radioisotopes may be discharged into the environment as a result of nuclear power plant failures/accidents.""The recent event in Japan in March 2011 exposed the fragility of the food supply to radiation contamination."

An examination of the potential, accidental contamination of people, air, water, crops or animals by uncontrolled amounts and types of radioactive materials arising from nuclear reactor accidents and recommended countermeasures is the subject of this IUFoST SIB on Radioactive Fallout from the 2011 Japan Nuclear Plant Accident and Some Recommended Precautions and Countermeasures.

The second new IUFoST SIB examines Food Composition Databases (FCDBs) -  what they are, how the data is compiled, quality assurances, sustainability and where the databases can be found.

They are available online at:  

http://iufost.org/iufost-scientific-information-bulletins-sib.

The IUFoST Scientific Council acknowledges, with thanks, the work of authors James Moy, Professor Emeritus of Food Engineering, University of Hawaii and Monique Lacroix, Professor at INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier,  for the SIB on Radioactive Fallout; and Simone Bell, EuroFIR AISBL, Paolo C Colombani, SwissFIR Consumer Behavior,and Paul M Finglas,Institute of Food Research for the SIB on Food Composition Databases.

Subjects and Authors  of other recent IUFoST SIBS include:

Chemical Hazards in Food (January 2011) - Tim Hutton, Julian South and Mike Edwards of Campden BRI

Dietary Sodium and Health (November 2010) - J. Ralph Blanchfield, IAFoST Past President

Regulation of Natural Health Products, (September 2010) Rickey Yada, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Food Protein Structure, Univ. of Guelph and Michael Smith, Michael J. Smith Associates 

Nanotechnology and Food, (August 2010) Victor Morris, Institute of Food Research

Acrylamide in Foods, David Lineback,  JiFSAN (July 2010)