Food & Food Equipment News

FDA Cracks Down on Carbendazim in Oranges, Ignores Other Foods, Expert Says

The FDA announced this week that it is implementing a “test and hold” policy for all imported shipments of orange juice to determine if they contain carbendazim (a fungicide, also called “MBC”). Under the law, a food cannot contain a pesticide residue unless the residue has an established tolerance level for that specific food. The Environmental Protection Agency has not established a tolerance level for carbendazim residues in orange juice.

The sudden crackdown on orange juice in particular highlights the questionable way that FDA and the EPA regulate pesticides in foods, said Benjamin England, former FDA Regulatory Counsel and founder of FDAImports.com. Carbendazim is now at the forefront of FDA’s attention because EPA has not established a legal limit in oranges (or orange juice). FDA will therefore reject for importation orange juice with more than “trace” amounts of MBC, greater than 1.0 parts per billion.

At the same time, England said, MBC is permissible in apples, apricots and bananas. Should the FDA stop all of those fruits too? The concentration of another pesticide (thiophanate methyl or TPM) that is related to (and degrades down to) MBC is permitted in apples and bananas at 2.0 parts per million and in apricots at a whopping 15 ppm. So how does FDA test for the presence of TPM? By testing for MBC, the same pesticide that is causing all the imported OJ containers to stop at U.S. ports of entry.

Not Just Apples and Oranges

FDA will not be stopping apples, bananas and apricots due to the presence of thousands more times (in concentration) of the same pesticide chemical simply because EPA has established those high tolerances, England said. Of course, if FDA were worried about the safety of MBC, it would also have to stop grape juice (with an EPA tolerance of 5.0 ppm) and cherry juice (the heavy-hitter, with an EPA tolerance at a monstrous 20 ppm). Grape juice is used as the base juice for most fruit juices sold in the U.S.A.—and it has a tolerance for TPM, which is measured by testing for carbendazim, the original “culprit.”

“Expect FDA to use these recent pesticide results in OJ as an excuse to stop, delay and test for MBC [carbendazim] in many other fresh and finished fruit and vegetable products”, England said. “While FDA is busy locking up the American orange juice supply, U.S. consumers will have to turn to other juices for their kids, like apple and grape juices. Apparently the fact that MBC is permitted at much (much) higher concentrations in those other juice products is lost on FDA.” The net result of FDA’s actions in this case will be to greatly increase the cost of orange juice, burden the American public with a gratuitous pesticide scare and unnecessarily bottleneck imports of orange juice and juice concentrates into the United States.

Importer Impact: What to Expect?

England cited other ways that the orange juice crisis would impact imports and manufacturers bringing in product to the United States:

• Expect FDA to become “concerned” about other imported fruits, vegetables, juices, juice concentrates, etc. FDA will hold the entry and test it for carbendazim and other pesticides for residues that are obviously not unsafe.
• If FDA detects a pesticide residue for which there is no tolerance in a food or finds a residue that exceeds a tolerance, the agency will refuse the entry.
• If FDA finds an “illegal” pesticide residue or a residue that exceeds a tolerance the product is going on one of FDA’s automatic detention lists (import alerts).

For more information, go to www.fdaimports.com, call (410) 740-3403 or contact Jon Barnes at jrbarnes@fdaimports.com.

PMA Members Donate $900,000 to Center for Produce Safety

Food safety in the produce industry continues to be top of mind for consumers and industry leaders in 2012. Recognizing that ensuring consumer confidence in produce is crucial to building greater consumption, the Produce Marketing Association has announced the donation of $900,000 to the Center for Produce Safety over the next two years. With this contribution, PMA is continuing to reinvest in the future of its members and is ensuring that all other funds provided to the Center go directly to fund research.

PMA’s Executive Committee approved the donation in late 2011 and the commitment was strongly endorsed by the association’s board last week. Bryan Silbermann, president and CEO of PMA made the donation on behalf of PMA in San Diego Wednesday at the start of a CPS meeting attended by industry and government leaders as well as food safety researchers.

“Our Executive Committee decided that PMA’s ongoing investment in CPS really is a show of faith in the future of our industry and simply the right thing to do,” said Rich Dachman, PMA’s Chairman of the Board and Senior Vice President of National Sales at Sysco Corp. “We helped create CPS five years ago to bring together government, industry and researchers so we could find answers to big questions about produce safety. Today PMA and its members make a significant statement that we are moving ahead on the road to continuous improvement in our food safety knowledge and practices.”

Over the past four years, CPS has funded more than 50 research projects with grants of more than $9.2 million from government as well as organizations throughout the produce supply chain. Today’s gift brings PMA’s total contribution to CPS to more than $3 million.

“This gift could not come at a more opportune time for industry and demonstrates the leadership of PMA members,” said Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, Executive Director, CPS. “Ensuring the health and safety of the consumer can only be enhanced through continued research and process improvements to mitigate any potential produce safety issues that may occur in the future. I could not be more pleased and honored with this generous donation.”

Google Executive to Speak at 2012 Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium

Google Shopping Group Product Manager Vineet Buch will share his knowledge and expertise marketing fashion products online and the lessons learned that can be applied to the wine industry, where consumer’s behavior patterns are similar. This talk will occur during the Wednesday Evening Social Mixer on the eve of the 2012 Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium, Jan. 18.

During the Wednesday Evening Social Mixer, Buch will speak about “Social Media Marketing for Taste-Based Products: Lessons From the Fashion World.” The talk will discuss how to effectively market a product, such as wine and fashion, where the purchase decision is based on taste, emotion, or complex social signals. The fashion industry has broken new ground in social e-commerce and he will apply those key learnings to the wine industry.

Buch manages Google Shopping and was the co-founder of Like.com, the fashion discovery engine acquired by Google in August 2010. Like.com pioneered personalized, discovery-based experiences for soft goods shopping. At Google, Buch led the development of company’s first vertically focused shopping site, Boutiques.com.

“The Direct to Consumer Wine Symposium is one of the only annual events where hundreds of vintners, marketers, tasting room staff, and suppliers from around the country are together in one room,” says Brian Baker, this year’s chairman and V.P. of Sales and Marketing at Chateau Montelena winery. “We added a Wednesday evening social mixer so that attendees would have another opportunity to network and socialize, while also hearing about the latest e-commerce trends from an expert outside the industry.” Register today at www.dtcwinesymposium.com/registration.html.

Sponsored by Elypsis Inc., the Wednesday Evening Social Mixer takes place 7-10 p.m. on Jan. 18. at the Stanford Court Hotel in San Francisco. Elypsis is a leading supplier of integrated software solutions for wineries and wine retailers.

For more information, go to www.dtcwinesymposium.com/index2.html.

Oregon Wine Board Names Tom Danowski Executive Director

The Oregon Wine Board and Oregon Winegrowers Association today announced Tom Danowski has been chosen as the executive director of the state’s largest organization representing Oregon’s $2.7 billion wine industry.

Danowski, a native of the Northwest and graduate of the University of Oregon, was chosen by the OWB’s board of directors from a field of more than 120 candidates. For the past two years, Danowski has managed a strategic marketing consulting business in the Seattle area. He has extensive marketing experience, including positions as director of winery marketing at Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest Wine Estates, the Northwest’s largest wine producer and one of the industry’s most admired brands.

He was also chief operating officer for Seattle’s Best Coffee until it was acquired by Starbucks Coffee, vice president of global marketing for Cutter & Buck Inc. and chief marketing officer of Gene Juarez Salons & Spas.

“Tom brings a wealth of operational and consumer marketing experience to the Oregon wine industry,” said Sam Tannahill, Chairman of OWB. “We are extremely fortunate to have been able to attract a veteran of the wine industry, savvy marketer and native Oregonian to lead our industry during this important time in our growth.”

“We’re in a reputation economy,” Danowski said of the opportunities ahead for the Oregon wine industry. “Developing and promoting a brand that truly captures the essences of Oregon wine in all of its many nuances is critical to the industry moving to the next level. I relish the opportunity to help take it there.”

As executive director of the OWB and OWA, Danowski is the strategic leader for OWB’s and OWA’s marketing, education and research programs. OWB and OWA represent the state’s 420 wineries and 850 vineyard owners. In 2010, the Oregon wine industry had a $2.7 billion impact on the Oregon economy, according to a study released in July. That represented a 93 percent increase over the last time the study was conducted in 2005.

Guidelines Encourage Wineries to Take Cork Forests Into Consideration When Calculating Carbon Footprint

Cork Provides Net Reduction in CO2 Emissions

Winemakers who want to lighten their carbon footprint have yet another reason to seal their wine with natural cork, 100% Cork announced today.

The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) is now encouraging wineries to consider the carbon offset value of cork forests when calculating the Greenhouse Gas Score of cork closures. The OIV recently announced the new protocol, once again making carbon sequestration a relevant environmental issue that continues to distinguish natural cork from artificial stoppers.

"Cork closures (have) ... an important impact in the sustainable conservation of forest," the General Assembly of the OIV wrote in its resolution. "Because of this important role, carbon balance of corks may be taken into account when applying the Product Protocol."

OIV's new International Guidelines mean wineries should take the 6.6 million acres of cork oak forests in the Mediterranean Basin into consideration when aspiring to reduce their carbon footprint. 

"When accounting the GHG emissions related to natural cork closures, the cork production system should be considered from a holistic approach. The final figures of the GHG emissions due to the cork production should consider the managed forest it comes from and its carbon sink effect," according to the OIV resolution.

Cork Closures Produce Net Reduction in CO2 emissions

Throughout its life cycle, natural cork creates a net decrease in CO2 emissions, whereas synthetic and aluminum stoppers are net contributors to CO2 pollution, according to the peer-reviewed comparative Life Cycle Assessment conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers/Ecpbilan.

A CO2 calculator at www.corkqc.com/CO2 can be used to calculate the carbon footprint of closure types and convert them into auto mileage.  For example, using natural cork on 5,000 cases of wine reduces approximately 7.4 tons of CO2 -- the equivalent of eliminating about four average car trips from Anchorage to Miami.

By contrast, using metal screw-caps or synthetic stoppers on 5,000 cases increases CO2 emissions by 2.5 tons and 1 ton, respectively, according to the calculator.  If U.S. wineries switched all of their synthetic closures alone to natural cork, there would be a savings of approximately 7,000 tons of carbon emissions, the equivalent of nearly 12 million miles of automobile travel.

The cork oak forests offset the carbon dioxide emissions from 2.5 million vehicles every year, prevent desertification, provide habitat for 25,000 plant and animal species and sustain generations of family farmers. The forests are found in portions of North Africa, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, which is the world's largest cork producer.

OIV's full report can be viewed here.

Leading Flavor Experts Are Red Hot for Tart Cherries

'Cherry Will Be the New Pomegranate'

American palates are indicating a new appreciation for a combination of sweet and tart tastes. In fact, while sweet still ranks third among America's favorite flavors, tangy is now fifth (up from sixth) and sour ninth (up from 10th). It's no coincidence that tart cherries—with their unique sweet-tart taste—are showing up in more new products and menu items.

Restaurateur Michael Moorman, owner of popular cafe m.henry and recently opened m.henrietta in Chicago, says he's been using tart cherries as a featured ingredient in everything from salads to sauces to baked goods. One of the cafe's signature items is their Sour Cherry Granola, which features dried tart cherries. "We use tart cherries for their flavor and the added value that they bring to a dish. They're plumper and moister than most other dried fruits, so they offer greater appeal to our customers."

Moorman adds that tart cherries are an ideal choice because they're highly versatile and available year-round, in dried, juice and frozen forms. "Tart cherries have a distinctive enough flavor to stand up as a featured ingredient, but are also subtle enough to complement other flavors." Coupled with their eye-popping, bright red color, tart cherries offer a winning combination unmatched by any other Super Fruit.

Beyond the restaurant menu, tart cherries are outfitting store shelves in everything from granola bars to pre-made salad mixes to cereals, making it easy for everyone to incorporate this versatile Super Fruit into the daily diet.

Cheers to Tart Cherry Juice

According to the Food Channel's "Top Ten Beverage Trends 2011," one of the hottest ways to use Super Fruit juices — such as tart cherry juice — is to mix them with beers and spirits. This gives them a healthy twist, adds color and provides a unique flavor. In her 2011 trends report, wine and spirits expert Kara Newman cited, "cherry will be the new pomegranate," when it comes to adding new flavors. Mixologist Charles Joly of Chicago's Drawing Room livens up cocktail hour by mixing tart cherry juice with whiskey for The Cherry Club Cocktail (recipe available at www.choosecherries.com).

Tart Cherries Add RED Hot Holiday Appeal

It's easy for anyone to get in the holiday spirit with tart cherries, according to food blogger and photographer Matt Armendariz of MattBites.com. Armendariz says tart cherries are always on the top of his holiday shopping list. "The holidays are the time to really elevate the menu, and adding tart cherries to any holiday favorite instantly ups the appeal."

Matt shared some of his favorite ways to add tart cherries to holiday fare –easy for anyone to do:

• Red hot mulled wine. Simmer a full-bodied red wine and a splash of tart cherry juice with cloves, a cinnamon stick, some orange slices and dried tart cherries. This also works great with apple cider.
• Roast chicken with red. Roast a chicken with chicken stock, layering cippolini onions, fingerling potatoes, garlic and a handful of dried tart cherries around it before putting it into the oven. "It couldn't be easier to do, and the tart cherries provide a delicious contrast to the warm roasted flavors of the potatoes and chicken," said Armendariz.

Visit www.choosecherries.com or facebook.com/choosecherries for more recipes and tips to inspire you to Go Red Instead with tart cherries.

Drinking 100% Orange Juice Linked to Improved Nutrient Adequacy, Diet Quality Among Children, Study Shows

Orange juice may do more for children's diet and overall health than you think, according to results of a recently published study in Nutrition Research.

Data from this study suggest children (ages 2-18) who drink 100 percent orange juice tend to have improved nutrient adequacy and diet quality, as well as certain diet and health parameters. Additionally, the research suggested that consumption of 100 percent orange juice was not associated with overweight or obesity in children.

As part of the study, researchers analyzed data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and found that children who regularly consume 100 percent orange juice tended to have significantly higher intakes of vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6, folate, dietary fiber and magnesium than non-consumers.  None of the children who consumed 100 percent orange juice were below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for vitamin C, while nearly 30 percent of non-consumers were below the EAR. Furthermore, diet quality (as measured by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2005)) was significantly higher in those children consuming 100 percent orange juice than in non-consumers, as was intake of total fruit, fruit juice and whole fruit.

"A growing body of research has painted a clear picture that enhanced nutrient intake and better diet quality are associated with drinking 100 percent orange juice in children," said study co-author Carol E. O'Neil, PhD, MPH, LDN, RD, School of Human Ecology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center. "Our research adds further support to the association between drinking 100 percent orange juice and higher intakes of five important nutrients—vitamin C, folate, magnesium, dietary fiber and potassium—which are generally underconsumed by the U.S. population."

This is the first study that has examined the usual intake of 100 percent orange juice in a nationally representative population, and these data add support to previous studies that found no association between 100 percent fruit juice consumption and increased risk for overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. Furthermore, children who consumed 100 percent orange juice had significantly lower mean LDL cholesterol levels than those who did not consume 100 percent orange juice.

"These findings are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, which conclude that 'for most children and adolescents, intake of 100 percent fruit juice is not associated with body weight,' " said Gail Rampersaud, MS, RD, LDN, Associate in Nutrition Research and Education, University of Florida. "It's encouraging that the overall body of research provides evidence to support children enjoying all of the taste, nutritional and health benefits that 100 percent orange juice offers." 

Mexican Tariff on California Grapes Expected to Drop to Zero

It is expected that Mexico will completely suspend the retaliatory tariff on U.S. grapes by Friday, Oct. 21. The first Mexican carrier was cleared Friday, Oct. 14, under the Department of Transportation’s cross-border trucking pilot program, which was the final step under the U.S.-Mexico agreement for suspending the retaliatory tariffs.

The agreement states that Mexico must reduce the tariff on U.S. fresh grapes from 10 percent to 0 percent within five business days of the first permit issued.

This has been a long awaited step to resolve the 2-year trade dispute between Mexico and the U.S. In March 2009, Mexico increased its tariff on table grapes from zero to 45 percent in retaliation for the U.S. government canceling a pilot program that allowed Mexican trucks to operate in the U.S. Fresh grapes were among 89 products included on Mexico’s retaliation list, and received the highest tariff imposed on any product.

Mexico is one of the largest export markets for California’s fresh grape industry, with shipments ranking second in 2008, valued at over $61 million. The increased tariff caused exports to drop by almost 73 percent to a value of $16 million in 2009. Volume decreased from nearly 5.8 million 19-pound boxes in 2008 to 1.7 million in 2009.

The California Table Grape Commission immediately began working with U.S. trade negotiators, Congress and other industry organizations to try to resolve the trade dispute. “Mexico has been a vital market for California’s fresh grape industry and it was important to get this issue resolved so steps could be taken to rebuild the market,” said Kathleen Nave, President of the commission.

In August 2010, Mexico reduced the tariff to 20 percent resulting in increased shipments over those of the prior year, but still significantly less than totals for 2008. In July, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was in Mexico City to sign the agreement that would end the Mexico trucking dispute. The fresh grape tariff was reduced to 10 percent until trucking began, when the tariff would be suspended. The tariff is expected to be dropped to zero by Oct. 21.

The California Table Grape Commission was created by the California legislature in 1967 to increase worldwide demand for fresh California grapes through a variety of research and promotional programs.

Crunch Pak's DipperZ feature apples, carrots

Sliced-apple specialist Crunch Pak is launching a line of low-calorie produce snacks.

All four offerings in the Cashmere, Wash.-based company’s new DipperZ line will have 80 or fewer calories, according to a Crunch Pak news release.

The single-serving DipperZ include sweet or tart apples with caramel dip; sweet apples with chocolate dip; and baby peeled carrots with ranch dip.

“Produce-based snacks are on the rise, and will likely continue to grow along with the emphasis in the U.S. on eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables,” Tony Freytag, Crunch Pak’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said in the release. “We saw an opportunity gap in the single-serve segment.”

Crunch Pak will showcase the DipperZ, which hapve an estimated 30-day shelf life, at the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit Oct. 14-17 in Atlanta.

Superfruits Sweep Nation: National Retailers Participate in First National Superfruit Month

Across the country, grocery stores including Kroger, Safeway, ShopRite, Shaw’s and Dierberg’s, are enticing shoppers to supercharge their diets by adding superfruits to their daily routines. October is the first National Superfruit Month, a month dedicated to supporting healthier lives and bodies through the use of fruits that offer nutritional value far beyond standard fruits and vegetables.

To celebrate National Superfruit Month, participating retailers will be displaying special signage in stores to guide shoppers to superfruit products, as well as offering discounts on produce when superfruit products are purchased. For instance, Genesis Today is offering $2 off the purchase of any fresh fruit or vegetable, including pumpkins, with the purchase of their 32- or 64-ounce superfruit juices.

Superfruits provide concentrated amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that bodies need with fewer calories. Many superfruits, including the acai berry, goji berry, noni berry, Mangosteen fruit, sea buckthorn berry and cacao, are generally grown abroad and are most readily available to U.S. consumers in the form of juices, chews, vitamins and supplements.

“The Standard American Diet (SAD) is completely void of the vitamins and nutrients we need and quite frankly, it is slowly killing all of us. To combat this and the everyday toxins we incur from pollution, stress and poor diet, we need to consume fruits and foods and beverages with off-the-charts nutrient levels,” said sought-after celebrity nutritionist Dr. Lindsey Duncan, ND, CN, whose clients have included Courtney Cox, Marc Jacobs and Demi Moore. “A diet that combines superfruits like the acai berry and goji berry with readily available fresh produce like spinach, blackberries and sweet potatoes will help fight the damage in our bodies and lead us to optimum vitality.”

For more information about Dr. Lindsey Duncan, visit www.drlindsey.com.