Food safety

A Bitter Tase of Honey

The cosy-sounding world of honey - redolent of toasted crumpets and jars with flowery labels in country shops - has been going through turbulent times. When Northumbrian honey farmer Willie Robson blew the whistle on a fellow beekeeper, Richard Brodie, for potting Argentine honey and passing it off as Scottish borders honey, the court case that resulted last week before

Europeans Don't Quaff But Rather Scoff At Bioengineered Beer

Spurned across the continent by food-fastidious Europeans, the biotechnology industry has turned in its quest for converts to the ultimate ice breaker: genetically modified beer.

Human Error Likely Caused Mad Cow Scare

WASHINGTON - The first inconclusive test for mad cow disease was most likely caused by human error and not by the test used in the government's newly deployed rapid screening test, said a senior executive with the test's manufacturer.

Biotech Won't Help Farmers in the Third World

The Register fed into fallacies of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report that endorses biotechnology for poor farmers in developing countries ("Breakthrough on Biotech," May 19).

Of Mad Prices, Mad Cows and Mad Farmers

In the week before our nation celebrates its Birthday No. 228, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture proved once again that open access to public information is an unalienable right. The world's foremost farm and food agency proved it by violating it.

Secretive Meat Recalls Harm

Federal secrecy rules still limit the ability of Northwest states to help with meat recalls, as happened following the discovery of a Washington case of mad cow disease.

Supachai Backs Indian Farmer

World Trade Organisation director general Supachai Panitchpakdi has said that developed country members have to recognise the sensitivities of developing countries such as India in agriculture if the on-going WTO negotiations are to move forward.

Groups Chide U.S. Response to Mad Cow

WASHINGTON - Food and consumer groups handed mediocre grades to the Agriculture Department in a "report card" Tuesday on its handling of mad cow disease.

Japan, EU Business Leaders Urge Progress On WTO Doha Talks

European Union and Japanese executives Monday pressed for a new urgency in World Trade Organisation talks on global trade while urging their own governments to promote two-way investment. Forty-nine executives from major companies such as Toyota Motor and Bertelsmann AG called on their governments to work to reach a basic agreement by a July deadline set by the WTO.

BSE Testing Debate Continues (Canada)

North American meat companies have been told at this week's World Meat Congress in Canada that checking all cattle for mad cow disease would push up costs without improving food safety.