Salt reduction is a good thing, right?
Excessive salt in a diet is well recognized as a contributor to heart issues and disease. It is not the salt itself, but the sodium in it that is the problem.
There have been calls for there to be a maximum allowable level of sodium in foods. The Heart Foundation is one of the groups making this call. It is worth noting that for a food to receive and keep the Heart Foundation Tick, a maximum sodium level must be maintained.
Over the last 12 months, many food manufacturers have reworked their formulations to reduce the salt level in their foods. However, a recent examination of 28 000 products by the George Institute for Global Health has found that there has been an increase of about nine percent in salt levels.
Manufacturers, retailers and the Federal Government have just agreed to a reduction of salt levels to a set target in savoury crackers. This move has been supported by the Australian Food and Grocery Council, amongst others, as an example of how everyone working together can make significant change and improvements.
Reducing salt in crackers and other foods will reduce sodium content in diets and hopefully reduce coronary heart disease and other heart issues. However, as a salty flavor is still needed in these products, the question is how are the manufacturers achieving the required flavor to maintain sales whilst still reducing the salt level?
Also how do we maintain the same shelf life without having the same salt level serving as a preservative?
The answer is product development by Food Technologists. Many people do not realise what a big impact this profession as on their daily lives.
- Published in News
There is more to taste than meets the eye (or is it the tongue)!!!!!
We all know that taste is sweet, salty, bitter and sour. It is also umami. However taste is not just about these five “flavours” but about the feel in the mouth. Taste is also very closely impacted by smell.
Combined with this are our memory. We see potato crisps and expect them to be salty as a base, and will have a strange reaction if we find them to be sweet. The crunchy sound of chips being eaten is something we associate with a savoury taste, so even the sound of food being eaten and serve has an impact on what a food tastes like.
Adding to the complexity of taste is perception, which is often affected by our culture and upbringing. We all have different perceptions of what we like and trying to meet this is an impossible task for food manufacturers.
One of the issues that food businesses have in product development is when reformulating a well known product to reduce it’s fat content. Fat has a major impact on taste, so changing it’s level will impact on both what the product feels like in the mouth as well as on the taste of it.
Tastebuds are incredible and have a life of 10 – 16 days, so regeneration is happening constantly.
Considering that taste is perhaps the most important reason why people eat certain foods, it has been extremely difficult to develop a single piece of equipment that can successfully and consistently measure taste in a lab situation.
A new technology has been developed to record and analyse the sound of the tongue rubbing against food to determine the creaminess of the food. This new technology is called “acoustic tribology’. This will be very helpful but will never be able to fully replicate the amazing thing that is taste.
An artificial nose has been created which is having some success in identifying smells in a lab situation, but to date there has not been a similar piece of equipment to artificially replicate the tongue, and it is probably unlikely to ever happen.
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New Australian Dietary Guidelines
The last set of Australian Dietary Guidelines was released in 2003 and since then, there has been a stronger focus on foods being healthy rather than the idea of specific nutrients at that time. The supply chain has changed and so have consumer expectations.
Therefore the newly released Australian Dietary Guidelines (2013) are different to those of 10 years ago. To develop this new set of Guidelines, a review of about 55,000 scientific publications was done by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
The Guidelines are intended to give Australians and nutrition specialists across the country directions for maintaining the best possible health of us all.
There are many recommendations, including;
- We need to be physically active and to choose foods and drinks that match what our body’s energy requirements.
- There are five food groups and we should eat a variety from them all each day.
- We should keep an eye on the amount of saturated fat, salt, sugar and alcohol we consume.
- Breastfeeding should be encouraged
- We should store and handle food carefully
The CEO of the NHMRC, Professor Warwick Anderson, said about the difference between the 2003 and 2013 Guidelines; “The evidence that links a healthy diet and reducing the risk of chronic health problems such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and some cancers is stronger. There is also stronger evidence about the kind of foods that can increase the risk of weight gain and health problems.”
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Listeria. Why is it a problem for the food industry and consumers?
To date there have been at least 3 deaths related to the latest Listeriosis outbreak in Australia. Apparently around 23 people are sick and one women has miscarried as a result of having the illness.
Listeriosis is an illness resulting from a food poisoning caused by a member of the Listeria group of bacteria. The particular species that is of main concern is Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause spontaneous miscarriages.
This bacteria is what is known as a facultative anaerobe, which means that even though it can grow in a normal oxygen environment, it really prefers an environment that has higher carbon dioxide levels. This means that foods that have been vacuum packed have a perfect environment for this bacteria.
It is also very comfortable growing at colder temperatures than most other food poisoning bacteria, so the vacuum packed deli items and cheeses are prime products for the growth of Listeria monocytogenes.
It is due to this bacteria specifically, that cheesemakers in this country are prevented from producing cheese with unpasteurized milk. It has also stopped the import of most unpasteurized milk cheeses from overseas. These people and others around the world believe that cheese tastes better when made form unpasteurized milks but to protect the population, food law prevents it.
This bacteria is responsible for potentially half of all the microbiological product recalls in Australia. It is a dangerous bacteria and we have laws to protect us from it, as long as these requirements are followed.
Listeria monocytogenes can also be extremely difficult to clean out of a food business once it takes hold, so it is considered to be a major pathogen in this and most other countries.
For more information about Listeria go to http://www.about-listeria.com/
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So what is this whole horse meat thing all about anyway?
Horse meat is just one of many meats that are regularly eaten throughout the world and causes no harm to those consuming it. It is however, not a meat that is used in food production within Australia and other developed countries, as there are chemicals used on horses that may cause harm to humans and it is also unacceptable to the community to eat this meat..
Businesses can only add meats that are approved for use in this country and that approval is shown in the Food Standards Code. The fundamental principle is that if the law does not allow for something to be used as food, then it cannot be used. This principle also applies in the UK, where this horse meat scandal has blown up.
The food law in all developed countries also has a clear labelling requirement that all ingredients in a food must be shown on the packaging.
The situation is that somehow a stock of horse meat from somewhere has found it’s way into food products which have no labelling showing that it is there.
There are three questions that have to be answered to bring back consumer confidence in the food industry;
- How did it get there?
- Is it a cover up because there is nothing on labels to declare it?
- Are there any health implications if the products are eaten?
The issue of horse meat being identified as being in some foods in the UK is significantly bigger than it seems at first. This issue has not only specific business implications but national and internationals impacts as well.
For horse meat to get into the human food chain, means that there are systems which have just simply failed not only within specific businesses but within the food industry as a whole.
There will be a strong investigation into this situation and it is already obvious that heads will roll when the mystery of how and why this happened eventually becomes clear. However we should not expect this mystery to be solved rapidly and the results will echo around the UK’s food industry and those around the world. There have already been calls for more regulation and monitoring by governments.
This article was written by Rachelle Williams – The Green Food Safety Coach, for Food Safety Australia.
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New Product Recall
The following is included with permission from Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
Product – Calendar Cheese (Microbial – Listeria monocytogenes)
Calendar Cheese has recalled MAURI BONTA’ZOLA GORGONZOLA DOP (Blue Cheese) from Thomas Dux Grocer, David Jones and Coles Supermarkets in NSW, VIC, WA, QLD, SA and TAS due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Listeria monocytogenes may cause illness in pregnant women and their unborn babies, the elderly and people with low immune systems. Consumers should not eat this product. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice.
Date notified to FSANZ – 1 February 2013
Food type – Cheese
Product name – MAURI BONTA’ZOLA GORGONZOLA DOP
Package description & size – Random weight between 1.3kg and 1.5kg; triangular section of a wheel in gold foil encased in a clear plastic tub
Date marking – Best Before 17/01/13 and 21/02/13
Country of origin – Italy
Reason for recall – Microbial (Listeria monocytogenes) contamination
Distribution – Thomas Dux Grocer, David Jones and Coles Supermarkets in NSW, VIC, WA, QLD, SA and TAS
Consumer advice
Listeria may cause illness in pregnant women and their unborn babies, the elderly and people with low immune systems. Consumers should not eat this product. Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice. Customers should return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Contact – Calendar Cheese Company 03 8645 4666
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New Health Claims Standard
The following is a media release from Food Standards Australia New Zealand about the new Standard for Health and Nutrition Claims. It is included with permission.
A new standard to give consumers confidence that nutrition content claims and health claims on food labels and in advertising are backed by scientific evidence became law from 18 January.
Announcing the new standard, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Catherine King said it aims to support industry innovation and help consumers make informed food choices.
“For example, with a ‘good source of calcium’ nutrition content claim, the food will need to contain at least the minimum amount of calcium specified in the Standard,” Ms King said.
“Health claims, such as ‘calcium is good for bones and teeth’, are only permitted on foods that meet specific eligibility criteria, including nutrition criteria.
“There are more than 200 pre-approved food-health relationships to support a health claim or food businesses can self-substantiate according to the Standard.”
Ms King said food businesses have three years to meet the requirements of the new Standard 1.2.7 – Nutrition, Health and Related Claims.
“Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and state and territory government agencies will continue to work with the food industry during the implementation period to ensure the system is operating effectively and food labels are compliant,” Ms King said.
In addition to the gazettal of the health claims standard, country of origin labelling has been extended in Australia only to include unpackaged beef, sheep and chicken meat. Businesses have six months to meet the requirements.
“Mandating additional country of origin labelling requirements ensures consumers are provided with access to this information consistently across the retail sector,” Ms King said.
Ministers responsible for food regulation agreed to these changes in December 2012.
More information: contact Ms Kings office on 02 6277 4230
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