Food Prices

A classic method of passing price increases to consumers (you!) that usually go unrecognized is by decreasing the net weight of the food package, yet maintaining the same price. Oftentimes small weight decreases like 0.25, 0.50 ounces go unrecognized and unnoticed by the average consumer. How often do you check weights, and price per ounce?
Food manufacturers would rather use this method of price adjustment than throw a price increase your way. Consumers are not as tolerant of higher prices now as they were prior to the great recession, and many food companies feel that a price increase would drive the consumer to a private label brand. But let's admit it, some of those private label brands, for example Market Pantry, are of sound value and good quality.
Now for you chocolate lovers, price increases are expected due to worsening political and economic conditions in the Ivory Coast cocoa bean growing area (west coast of the African continent). The recent election created more disarray than stability because of an export ban.

Food Safety and Modernization Act

A recent university study found that foodborne illnesses in the US alone cost our country $152 bio in lost productivity, medical bills, etc. That is the reason for this government endeavor. We need our FDA to continue to work with public and private partners to make sure this act gets funding. Write to your congressional leader and tell him / her that the FSMA will help prevent food safety problems. We must find the funding to make this work.

Front of Pack Nutrition Labeling

The whole purpose of the front of pack nutrition labeling is to point out nutrients of encouragement and help the consumer avoid an overdose of negative nutrients.
We need information like this on all food products to help improve our public health and fight obesity in this country. This will help consumers make informed choices and better decisions about what they eat in order to maintain a much healthier diet.

New Food Safety Law

Eventhough the claimed theme of this new  Food Safety Law is prevention, there are some impediments to the full implementation of this new law.
The first one is the fact that this new law will require funding from our Food and Drug Administration, but the question is with all going on regarding reduced federal budgets, where will this money come from and whose pockets? I doubt if the "new Congress" will pass any legislation for funding $1.5 billion over the period of 2011 to 2015. You all know what that means, no new inspectors and no increased watchdog approach.
The other building situation is that this new law requires FDA to make "regulation" or guidance laws, such as the new HACCP plan for us food makers.
We know sometimes it takes years for them to provide a guidance document and then fully implement it.
Such is life in the food industry.

New Food Safety Act

With the passage of the Food Safety and Modernization Act, you should know that the FDA in consultation with the Department of Educaton is required within one year from December, 2010, to develop voluntary guidelines for managing the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools and early childhood education programs. The guidelines are required to address, among a lot of other issues, a variey of strategies to reduce the risk of exposure to allergens in classrooms and cafeterias.
This is great especially if you have a child who easily suffers from food allergies.
I just wish we could get this done quickly and not wait one year.

The Canadian Food Health service is taking a more practical approach to allergen labeling. I applaud them.
They have included in their new allergen guideline the proper labeling of sulfites. Good work Canada!!
Our foiod administrators should follow suit.