On September 21, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) published a call for submissions regarding protein glutaminase for use as an enzyme in various foods. Comments are due by November 2, 2017.

Australia & New Zealand's food additive regulations are included in the International Food Additive Database. If you are interested in subscribing, please contact BCI for more information.

This month saw the publication of a book coauthored by Bryant Christie Inc.’s Vice President for Global Access Matt Lantz and former staffer Alyse McConnell. Declining International Cooperation on Pesticide Regulation; Frittering Away Food Security is one of few books published concerning the challenges to international agricultural trade posed by differing international pesticide Maximum Residue Level (MRL) standards. 

Differing MRL standards have been an increasing problem for the last decade as more and more countries have developed their own unique pesticide regulations with standards that are not harmonized at international levels or with those of trading partners. The result is a variety of MRLs, causing food that is perfectly legal in its country of origin to be rejected upon arrival in an export market due to differing or missing standards. The cost to shippers and industry reputations can be enormous. 

The book provides background on this issue, outlines how serious the problem is, reviews how different countries address international MRL issues, and proposes options for minimizing negative effects on trade while providing for consumer safety.

The book is published by the Palgrave Studies in Agriculture Economics and Food Policy and can be purchased at: https://www.palgrave.com/la/book/9783319605517

On September 20, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a reasoned opinion on the modification of the existing MRL for bifenazate in soya bean.

Relevant proposed MRLs from this reasoned opinion will display in the Global MRL Database on September 21, 2017.