Top cheeses from Australia
Out of the 2500 entries in the 2011 Guild of Fine Food World Cheese Awards, two of the gold medals went to the Australian specialty cheese manufacturer, Jindi. This backs up the four medals from the 2009 Awards.
Jindi is Australia’s largest privately owned Cheese manufacturer and is situated in Gippsland in Victoria.
The company submitted four cheeses in this year’s award and two of them took home the gold medal for their category.
The ‘Fire Engine Red” (a washed rind cheese) was the gold medal winner in the ‘Pont L’Eveque, Livarot’ category – which it also took out in 2009.
The ‘Heritage Blue’ was also the gold medal winner in that category.
In the 2011, there were 200 judges from 34 countries, making the awarding of these gold medals to the Jindi Cheeses truly world class recognition.
Franck Beaurain , the Jindi CEO and Head Cheesemaker, said, “This shows that Australian cheeses can be competitive on the world stage, especially given the range of cheeses we were competing against.”
With this being the festive season; the following are some hints from the Jindi website (http://www.jindi.com.au) for the eating and purchasing of cheese;
- Buy what you require for a single use and eat it in its entirety
- Where possible, store white and blue mould cheese in its original packaging. Otherwise use foil or cling wrap
- Take cheese out of fridge an hour before serving – in summer this can be reduced to 20 minutes
- Eating cheese closer to the best before date will increase the sharpness of its flavour
- As in France, cheese is best eaten as a finale to a meal rather than an appetiser
- Soft cheeses are best served on crusty breads
- Wine and cheese should be matched by similarities – the stronger the cheese, the heavier the wine
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New Food Regulation Forum meets
The Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council has been the body determining food regulation for many years. Recently the first meeting of it’s replacement, the Legislative and Governance Forum on Food Regulation, was held to discuss the Food Labelling Review Report (sometimes known as the Blewett report).
The major decision made on the day was the agreement, by all Ministers, to the development of a National Nutrition Policy. This will make nutrition and preventative health the centre of any reforms to food labelling.
Government guidelines from the Policy will then set the role that our food standards will have in supporting the objectives of public health and therefore, the direction that Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) will take in the future in the development and maintenance of the Food Standards Code.
It was a busy meeting, with other major decisions made including;
Front-of-pack labelling -An agreement that some form of easy to understand front of pack labelling is required for packaged foods, however, it will not be in the form of the traffic lights recommended in the Blewett Report. The Forum has set a deadline of a year for the discussions with all stakeholders and the development of a suitable system.
Pregnancy warning labels on alcohol –voluntary pregnancy labelling will be allowed for two years before this becomes a requirement.
Health claims on packaged foods and drinks –FSANZ has been given the task of doing consultation with all stakeholders on the draft standard for Nutrition, Health and Related Claims.
Food Safety Management Policy Guideline – for retail and food service sectors. It was agreed that this needs to be developed as a framework for standardising the food safety approach in these industry sectors across the country.
The Forum is chaired by the Catherine King, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, who said, “In considering its response to the recommendations, the Forum proposed actions over the next five years that endeavour to improve information on food labels to meet consumers’ needs, and minimize regulatory burden on industry and barriers to trade.”
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Food Poisoning outbreak in Canberra
So far 13 people have been confirmed as having gastroenteritis due to Salmonella in Canberra, since the 25 November and more are expected. Of these, five have been hospitalised to date to assist with dehydration.
Testing has identified that a mayonnaise made from raw eggs used at a bakery is the likely source of the outbreak. Other testing is also being undertaken.
According to the ACT Chief Minister, there are usually up to 100 cases of Salmonella food poisoning in the ACT between November and April, so with this outbreak, the territory is well on it’s way to meeting this.
Salmonella species are easily killed by heat so gastroenteritis from them is often spread via undercooked foods or through cross contamination of foods / surfaces and from person to person.
Salmonella is one of the leading cause of food borne illness in Australia.
The following are the basic ways to prevent Salmonella issues in food businesses;
- Keeping all surfaces cleaned and sanitised
- Good staff hygiene
- Good and regular hand washing
- Keeping hot foods above 60C
- Keeping cold foods below 5C
- Check temperatures and keep records
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Hemp Submissions requested
Hemp is a plant that has long been used by humans for a variety of purposes. In many countries around the world, processed hemp seeds are permitted to be used in certain food types.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has requested submissions on an application for processed hemp seeds to be allowed to be used in certain food types. Whole or viable seeds are not part of the application.
This will require an amendment to the Food Standards Code if it is approved by the Board and then presented to the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council. The change will be subject to a maximum level of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Steve McCutcheon, the FSANZ Chief Executive Officer, said, “The assessment confirms low THC hemp foods are safe to eat and may provide a useful alternative dietary source of many nutrients and polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly omega-3 fatty acids.”
This is the final round of public comment to the application before it goes to the FSANZ Board in early 2012. FSANZ are leaving the round open until 01 February 2012.
Comments can be made through the submission section at www.foodstandards.gov.au
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Australian food is safe.
The following is a media release for the 28 November 2011 from The Hon Catherine King MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, which has been forwarded by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), and is included here with permission.
You can subscribe to receive such free updates at subscriptions@foodstandards.gov.au. For more information please call the FSANZ media phone on 0401 714 265
Study confirms safety of Australia’s food supply
The latest Australia-wide study of our food has confirmed the overall safety of Australia’s food supply, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King said today.
“The 23rd Australian Total Diet Study released today by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), has reaffirmed the Australian food supply is safe for consumers,” Ms King said.
“The ATDS investigated agricultural and veterinary chemicals, contaminants and nutrients in 92 foods commonly consumed in the Australian diet. In total more than 1500 samples of food were taken as part of the study. The foods were tested as they would be eaten, for example apples were tested without cores and chicken was cooked.
“Estimated dietary exposures to all 214 agricultural and veterinary chemical residues tested, were well below the relevant reference health standards, which is consistent with previous studies.”
The study also detected no Mycotoxins (toxins produced by fungi) in any of the foods analysed.
“For all contaminants, estimated dietary exposures were also below the relevant reference health standards for all population groups, including people who eat a lot of specific foods,” Ms King said.
“The ATDS also provided a general indication of nutrient intake amongst Australians which will inform further studies, such as national nutrition surveys, that will investigate and further define nutrient adequacy.”
Ms King said the study gave FSANZ important information that helps to guide the next ATDS, which is already underway. “For example, the 24th ATDS will look at acrylamide in food and issues like chemical migration from food packaging, building on work FSANZ has already done in this area.
“The ATDS is a very important tool for keeping an eye on our food and ensuring its safety for all Australians.”
For more information, contact the Parliamentary Secretary’s Office on 02 6277 4230
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Wine should only be glass right?
So good wine is always packaged in glass bottles right? There are some people who believe that corks are superior to caps in all ways. With the exception of sparkling wines and champagnes, most wine is now sealed with caps not cork. Change is not bad, it can be good, very good.
An Australian winemaker has made a dramatic change by placing some of it’s top shelf wine into cans not glass bottles. A Gold Medal at the 2011 International Wine Challenge in London shows that change can be very good.
It is innovative and like the introduction of caps instead of corks, is creating waves throughout the wine industry.
The many advantages of the new “Vinsafe” product include; increased outdoor use, lighter weight, recyclable material, rapid cooling, portable, hardy, sunlight resistant, not able to be used as a weapon, safer for use, completely sealed and easily transportable.
Due to the nature of the wine and it’s constant changes, there had to be a lot of design work done, including the development of a special lining and a specific process to allow aeration. The company also required that the packaging supported a shelf-life of two years.
The wine also had to be adjusted to work with the new process and packaging. Th
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New Sprout Standard
The following is from a media release from Food Standards Australia new Zealand and is include here with permission.
A new primary production and processing standard for seed sprouts has been approved by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Board.
FSANZ Chief Executive Officer, Steve McCutcheon, said the states and territories would enforce the standard, which has an 18-month implementation period.
“FSANZ has worked with the seed sprouts industry, governments and consumers to develop this standard,” Mr McCutcheon said.
“In recent years, outbreaks of food-borne illness both in Australia and overseas have been associated with eating seed sprouts and the cost to the Australian community from outbreaks in 2005 and 2006 has been estimated at $2.1 million .
“The objective of this standard is to reduce the incidence of food-borne illness associated with seed sprouts by introducing food regulatory measures for sprouts processors.”
Measures in the standard include requirements for producers to identify potential hazards and implement control measures to address those hazards. Sprout producers must also have evidence to show that control measures have been implemented.
Mr McCutcheon said the approval had been notified to the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council . Once FSANZ has notified the council, the council has 60 days to either ask FSANZ to review the application or inform FSANZ that it does not intend to request a review.
The FSANZ notification circular also contains details on a number of other approvals and a call for submissions on an application to include a new processing aid in the Food Standards Code.
The application is seeking permission to approve the use of 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DBDMH) as an antimicrobial processing aid to be added to water for treating all foods, though it is primarily proposed to treat poultry and meat carcasses and other animal parts. Further information can be found at the links below.
The period for submissions closes 6pm (Canberra time) 22 December 2011:
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New Dietary Guidelines
The Australian Dietary Guidelines set the recommended consumption levels of the five food groups for healthy adults to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is based on the fact that people will also exercise regularly and not smoke.
These Guidelines are an important tool for food manufacturers, governments, dieticians, nutritionists, medical professionals
It has been eight years since the last review and Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has just released it’s newly revised draft dietary guidelines.
The draft is based on a review of more than 55000 scientific journal articles and other research by the NHMRC team.
The new draft includes a few significant changes to the current Dietary Guidelines;
Increased intake of some food groups – Australians need to increase their consumption of vegetables and fruit, as well as whole grain foods and reduced fat milk products.
Changes in types of food groups consumed by different people – women generally need to consume more red meat to increase iron intake, whilst males generally need to reduce the amount of meat eaten.
Reduction in consumption of energy rich /nutrient poor foods – this is particularly for those foods that are either high in saturated fat, salt or sugar or combination. A particular focus is on limiting the consumption of sugar sweetened drinks.
With the rapid increase of obesity in our community, the NHMRC has focussed on foods that are recognised to be contributors to this and the increase in health related issues like, diabetes. It is believed that obesity is in some way implicated in more than 56percent of all deaths in this country and costs at least A$8 billion a year.
Feedback and comment about the draft guidelines has been very positive to date.
The public and all stakeholders are invited to make comment until 29 February 2012 about the draft by going to www.eatforhealth.gov.au
The NHMRC expects that the new Dietary Guidelines will be released later in 2012 and it will be a requirement that all food manufacturers must then follow them.
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