South Africa: A case study for voluntary GM labelling

South Africa is the only country in Africa growing genetically modified (GM) crops, yet, consumer knowledge of biotechnology is limited and labelling regulations regarding consumer preference is lacking. In the absence of mandatory GM labelling, voluntary GM labelling is being used as a marketing strategy to attract discerning consumers. The aim was to detect and quantify the GM content in food products in South Africa, specifically labelled to indicate an absence of genetic modification. Of the products labelled ‘GMO-free’, ‘non-GM’ and ‘organic’, it was found that 31% had a GM content above 1.0% and 20% a GM content above 5.0%. Product batches differed by up to 40% in terms of GM content. In the absence of specific regulations, voluntary GM labelling is not providing discerning consumers with the choice intended. Thus, unregulated GM labelling is not a viable alternative to a regulated approach in terms of consumer protection.     

Personality traits,knowledge, and consumer acceptance of genetically modified plant and animal products

Several studies have investigated the associations between personality traits and consumer behavior, but little attention has been paid to the role of personality traits in the acceptance of genetically modified (GM) food products or knowledge concerning the application of GM technologies. We used a large Norwegian survey to investigate the associations between personality traits, knowledge about GM use in agriculture, attitudes, and willingness to pay (WTP) to avoid GM foods. Using a random effect interval regression model, we found premiums between 19% and 23% to avoid GM soybean oil, GM-fed salmon, and GM salmon. Neuroticism was associated with increased acceptance of GM soybean oil. Conscientiousness was associated with increased acceptance of GM-fed and GM salmon, and agreeableness was associated with increased aversion against these products. Conscientiousness and agreeableness were also associated with knowledge. Agreeable respondents were less likely to think that genetic modification was applied in Norwegian agriculture, and conscientious respondents were more likely to wrongly think so. Attitudes towards naturalness of foods were strongly correlated with increased WTP to avoid GM foods. Current policy restrictions concerning the use of GM technologies are likely to affect the perceived safety of GM foods. Information and more liberal regulations may change attitudes towards GM foods and reduce the resistance against GM technologies over time.     

European GM foods labelling legislation: yet another straw on the camel's back?

In contrast to the USA, Europe's approach to regulating genetically modified (GM) crops and derived foods started from the premise that any and all products of the GM process required additional and unique regulatory controls. Consideration of the characteristics of GM products as the technology evolves, together with attempts to meet consumer lobby demands, have led to a continuing flow of legislative amendments. While a stringent assessment system, coupled with mandatory labelling, was seen as the way to promote consumer confidence, many consumers now view a GM label as a safety warning—caveat emptor.Legislative amendments published in January 2000 attempted to provide a more comprehensive and enforceable basis for labelling, but the apparent mismatch between consumer desires and regulatory requirements persists. Can meaningful labelling that facilitates the free movement of products across Europe and satisfies consumer demand be developed or, by enshrining GM labelling in law, have we done both industry and the consumer a disservice? Regulatory approval of GM-derived foods seems to be losing credibility with the public, as retailers across Europe, and increasingly across the US, respond to consumer demand by removing GM ingredients from own-brand products.The scientific developments, commercial potential and legislative hurdles posed by GM-derived foods were considered at length at a conference prior to introduction of the legislation—yet many of the issues raised are still to be resolved.     

The consumer’s attitude toward genetically modified foods in Taiwan

The present study examines the factors that have influences upon benefit and risk perceptions of applying gene technology to food production, perceptions that may in turn determine the consumer’s attitude toward genetically modified (GM) foods in Taiwan. Results of structural equation modeling analysis give evidence that general attitude toward and trust in institutes and scientists performing gene manipulation have positive impacts on the perceived benefits, but knowledge has negative impacts on the perceived risks of applying gene technology to produce food products. The consumer’s attitude toward GM foods is mainly determined by the consumer’s benefit perception. Recommendations for regulating agencies and related industries in the GM food area and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

GM食品内外源基因在加工过程中的降解变化

转基因(genetically modified,GM)食品安全问题受到广泛关注,其内外源基因及其表达产物在深加工过程中变化规律的研究是其热点之一。文中阐述了转基因食品的安全性问题,评述了转基因食品DNA在加工过程中变化规律的研究进展,并提出了转基因食品内外源基因在加工过程中降解变化研究思路。     

Attitudes toward genetically modified organisms in Poland: to GMO or not to GMO?

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a subject of on-going scientific, political and social discussions in Member States of the European Union (EU) concerning their use, benefits, risks, safety and limitations. EU societies have every right to substantive information and education in biotechnology, yet they appear to be misinformed by contradictory views and sensationalism. The present study investigated the level of knowledge and the attitude of citizens of Poland (n = 1021) towards the various uses of GMOs. As found, the use of GMOs in medicine and pharmacy received slight approval from the surveyed group, and was generally perceived as the greatest benefit of GMOs. In contrast, most respondents were against the production and distribution of GM food products on the Polish market or at least favoured the labelling of any product that contains a GM component. The majority of individuals who were willing to accept GM foods also demanded their labelling. The studied group revealed various concerns related to the safety of GM foods, particularly their potential effect on health and the environment. Generally, the greatest scepticism towards GMOs and GM foods was expressed by farmers, medical workers and school teachers while the greatest enthusiasm was shown by students of medical and life sciences, and researchers/academicians. Importantly, most of those taking part in the survey admitted that their knowledge of GMOs was insufficient, expressed a willingness to improve it, and expected school teachers, academicians and researchers to be actively involved in this process. In conclusion, the present study underlines the urgent need to implement evidence-based educational programmes so as to raise the public understanding of the current possibilities and limitations of GMO-based technology in Poland.     

2018年欧盟食品中农药残留情况分析及启示

欧盟向来十分重视食品安全, 在农药残留监管方面, 建立了健全的农药残留监管体系。 本文从欧盟农药残留法规标准、监管部门及分工和欧盟农药残留控制计划3方面介绍了欧盟农药残留监管体系, 从欧盟协调控制计划和国家控制计划两部分分析了2018年欧盟食品中农药残留情况, 涉及样品来源、产品、农药、食品中草甘膦、进口食品、婴幼儿食品、有机食品和动物源性食品等。本文也指出了农药残留产生的原因和风险评估结果, 提出风险管理建议, 并借鉴其监管思路, 提出对我国农药残留监管的几点建议, 为食品安全监管决策提供参考。     

转基因食品安全性评价研究进展

自1996年以来,转基因作物的大规模商业化生产为人们带来了巨大的社会经济效益,但是转基因技术存在一定的风险性,因此加强转基因食品的安全性评价和标准化管理显得尤为迫切和重要。本文从营养学、毒理学、过敏性等方面综述了转基因食品的食用安全性评价,并多角度探讨了转基因食品安全性评价的关键问题,包括用不同动物实验评价转基因食品的食用安全性,新型转基因植物的安全性评价,以及转基因食品的食用安全标准化等,以期使读者对转基因食品的食用安全性有更加系统、全面的了解。     

浅析婴幼儿食品中食品添加剂的使用管理问题

婴幼儿食品安全是食品安全工作的重点领域。目前,婴幼儿食品中违规使用非食用物质和滥用食品添加剂的现象依然存在。为建立合理的添加原则,保障产品的质量,减少因滥用食品添加剂所致的健康危害,国际组织和我国均制定了相应的法规和标准。本文全面系统地介绍了国际和国内涉及婴幼儿食品中食品添加剂使用的相关法规和标准概况,并对我国婴幼儿食品中食品添加剂的使用安全问题进行了分析,旨在对我国婴幼儿食品中食品添加剂的使用管理提供参考和借鉴。     

Regulations applicable to plant food supplements and related products in the European Union

This paper deals with the current regulatory and legal settings of traditional plant food supplements and herbal medicinal products in the European Union (EU). Marketing of botanicals in foods and food supplements in the EU is subject to several provisions of food law, which cover aspects of safety, production, labelling and product composition, including the use of additives and maximum levels of contaminants and residues. However, due to limited harmonization at the EU level, specific national regulations adopted at a Member State level also apply and mutual recognition is the mechanism through which such products can be marketed in EU countries other than those of origin. Unlike food supplements, marketing of traditional herbal medicinal products is regulated by an ad hoc Directive (i.e. Directive 2004/24/EC) covering in detail all the relevant aspects of these products, including a facilitated registration procedure at national level. However, by distinguishing traditional herbal medicinal products from plant food supplements and establishing selective marketing modalities for these two product categories, the EU has been confronted with implementation difficulties for traditional herbal medicinal products and a lack of homogeneity in the regulatory approaches adopted in different EU Member States. In fact, currently the nature of the commercial botanical products made available to consumers as traditional medicinal products or food supplements, depends largely on the EU Member State under consideration as a consequence of how competent National Authorities and manufacturing companies interpret and apply current regulations rather than on the intrinsic properties of the botanical products and their constituents. When the EU approach is compared with approaches adopted in some non-European countries to regulate these product categories, major differences become evident.     

Consumers' beliefs, attitudes and intentions towards genetically modified foods, based on the 'perceived safety vs. benefits' perspective

It has been repeatedly claimed that the application of genetic engineering in the field of agricultural and food production is both beneficial and advantageous. However, biotechnology is developing in an environment where public concerns about food safety and environmental protection are steadily increasing. The present study aims at gaining an insight into Greek consumers’ beliefs, attitudes and intentions towards genetically modified (GM) food products. The objectives of this study are summarized as follows (i) to provide evidence that consumer beliefs are built around the ‘safety‐benefits’ axis, and (ii) to segment the Greek market in terms of consumer beliefs about GM food products and identify a number of clusters with clear‐cut behavioural profiles. Although the overall attitude of Greek consumers towards GM food is negative, the research very interestingly concludes that there exists a market segment of substantial size, whose beliefs about GM food appears to be positive. This finding suggests that there is not a ‘consensus’ regarding the rejection of GM foods in the Greek market as one might have expected thus ‘encouraging’ the implementation of adequate marketing strategies to target this segment of ‘early adopters’ in the first place.     

国外食品安全生产的政策法规

肉品加工技术与肉类质量安全控制技术是我国肉类产业高效可持续发展的技术保障。本文主要论述了国外一些国家的安全管理机构和食品安全的政策法规,以用于指导我国安全肉制品的生产。     

A vision for allergen management best practice in the food industry

Allergenic foods have become recognised as a food safety hazard over the last two decades. Over the same period, knowledge about the biology and clinical characteristics of food allergy has grown, together with information that can be used to assess the risk more accurately. While current practices in allergen management have increased the safety of food products to allergic consumers, the standards applied by different manufacturers remain divergent in the absence of agreed approaches to risk assessment. This has been reflected in a considerable expansion of precautionary labelling and a concomitant reduction in consumers’ trust, resulting in risk-taking. To address these issues, this paper advocates a risk management approach based on a common agreed set of principles, leading to consistent and well-understood management action levels across the food industry. The approach also recognises that minimising the risk from allergenic foods is a shared responsibility of all the stakeholders involved. Action levels, by permitting a consistent use of precautionary labelling and clear communication of the allergen status of a food, will play a crucial role in ensuring that risks from allergenic foods are reduced as far as possible.     

营养学在肉制品加工领域的应用

将营养学与肉制品的加工设计相结合,从不同人群的营养需求出发,研发出适合各类人群的肉制品,可丰富肉制品的品种,提升肉制品产品的针对性与适用性。我国开始在预包装食品中实施营养食品标签管理规范,标志着我国食品产业的监管从食品安全向食品安全与食品营养并重的方向转移,它符合全球食品业和消费者追求营养,追求健康的潮流,这同时也给肉制品加工带来了机遇与挑战。     

Cooking DNA: the effect of ‘domestic’ cooking methods on detection of GM potato

The ability to detect GM material in otherwise unprocessed foods cooked using domestic methods is important should ‘ready‐to‐eat’ foods require labelling. This study addresses the issue of DNA degradation in foods as a result of cooking. A number of ‘domestic’ cooking methods were shown to affect the length of DNA sequences able to be PCR amplified from potato samples and the degree of degradation was treatment‐specific. However, a. real‐time PCR assay was developed and. GM material was positively identified in all cooked GM potato samples. This confirms that GM material should be able to be detected in otherwise unprocessed food samples cooked using domestic methods, even if the cooking process has partially degraded the DNA. Results indicate, however, that there may be implications of the cooking process on the ability to accurately quantify GM content in some cooked samples.     

基于消费者心理视角探究转基因食品发展策略

随着转基因技术的迅速发展和广泛应用,转基因食品的种类和数量与日俱增。然而,转基因食品发展带来的伦理问题不仅引起社会关注,而且直接影响消费者的主观态度、接受程度和购买意愿。同时,消费者的心理感受和购买行为也反向影响着转基因食品的市场份额和发展前景。该文探讨了转基因食品发展与消费者心理的关系,对影响消费者心理感受和购买行为的因素（转基因食品引发的安全伦理问题、科学伦理问题、商业伦理问题和消费伦理问题）进行总结。并从以下几个方面综述了转基因食品的发展策略：完善转基因食品安全立法,科学构建转基因食品监管制度,科学解释转基因食品技术问题,实现转基因食品社会共治,平衡转基因食品领域各方利益,建立转基因食品发展政策保障制度,科学设置转基因食品标签粘贴制度。以期缓解或消除消费者的心理忧虑,利于转基因食品的顺利发展。     

Thermal pasteurization of ready-to-eat foods and vegetables: Critical factors for process design and effects on quality

Increasing consumer desire for high quality ready-to-eat foods makes thermal pasteurization important to both food producers and researchers. To be in compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), food companies seek regulatory and scientific guidelines to ensure that their products are safe. Clearly understanding the regulations for chilled or frozen foods is of fundamental importance to the design of thermal pasteurization processes for vegetables that meet food safety requirements. This article provides an overview of the current regulations and guidelines for pasteurization in the U.S. and in Europe for control of bacterial pathogens. Poorly understood viral pathogens, in terms of their survival in thermal treatments, are an increasing concern for both food safety regulators and scientists. New data on heat resistance of viruses in different foods are summarized. Food quality attributes are sensitive to thermal degradation. A review of thermal kinetics of inactivation of quality-related enzymes in vegetables and the effects of thermal pasteurization on vegetable quality is presented. The review also discusses shelf-life of thermally pasteurized vegetables.     

日本食品法律法规体系框架研究

近年来,日本不断通过立法,提升其食品监管理念,调整食品行政机构,明确风险监管机构的职责,完善其食品监管法律法规体系。形成了以食品安全基本法和食品卫生法为核心,以及由相关食品安全政令和几百部地方食品安全管理条例的补充构成的食品安全法律法规框架。     

A Guidance Document on the Best Practices in Food Traceability

Several regulatory agencies around the world are involved in rulemaking to improve the traceability of foods. Given the complexity of the global food system, guidance on improving traceability practices across the entire food industry is a challenge. A review of the current regulations and best practices indicates that “one back, one forward” is the minimum traceability requirement. There are also no uniform requirements across different food sectors, supply chains, or countries for collection of Critical Tracking Events (CTEs) and Key Data Elements (KDEs). There is a need for standardized and harmonized requirements across all food sectors compared with developing specialized rules and mandates, including exceptions, for specific foods. This document presents food traceability best practices guidance and it addresses the unknowns and gaps in understanding and the broad applicability of a CTE–KDE framework. It applies this framework to 6 food sectors as bakery, dairy, meat and poultry, processed foods, produce, and seafood. An analysis of similarities and differences across these sectors is conducted to determine broader applicability to other foods. Fifty‐five experts from 11 countries were involved in developing this guidance. This guidance document is intended for regulatory agencies and the food industry. Regulators will find it useful in developing regulations and/or guidance applicable to most foods. Industry will find the minimum criteria that are necessary to manage a proper food traceability system, with the understanding that companies can choose to exceed the minimum level of criteria established. This guidance is intended to serve as a step toward consistent baseline requirements for food traceability.