A recent report conducted by seafood watchdog group Oceana found that one in five seafood samples tested worldwide were mislabeled, from restaurants selling endangered whale as fatty tuna to caviar that wasn’t caviar at all.
To reign in this sort of rampant deception, the Obama administration is implementing a program to help prevent illegal fishing and seafood fraud across the United States.
A network set up by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to deal with questions about the produce safety rule is struggling to cope, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Senior Scientific Officer – Sustainable Beef Systems Unit
REF: IRC214080
SALARY: £35,190 - £39,675 (under review)
DEPARTMENT: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute Northern Ireland (AFBI)
LOCATION: AFBI Hillsborough
AFBI is currently recruiting for a key scientific position which will provide a unique opportunity for an enthusiastic and innovative scientist to join the research teams at AFBI Hillsborough.
The successful candidate will jointly lead Agriculture Branch’s Sustainable Beef Systems Team. This post will involve establishing a programme of research to improve the sustainability of beef production, which may include on-farm studies. Current research interests involve evidence gathering from innovative studies to address knowledge gaps that optimize beef production systems. This will span topics of importance for upland and lowland enterprises in Northern Ireland, such as breed diversity, dairy/suckler calf origin, blueprinting for rearing and finishing systems, suckler herd fertility, synchronisation methods/sorted semen, nutritional efficiencies, improving meat quality, grass/feed optimisation balance, high and low input systems, precision feeding, animal health and welfare issues and management impacts on biodiversity.
Further appointments may be made from this competition should AFBI positions become vacant which have similar duties and responsibilities.
Closing date for applications: 30/12/16
The EU wants to lead the food sector in a new direction with a huge scientific and economic stimulus program. The goal is education, research and 350 start-ups promoting new technologies, healthy food, less food waste and less greenhouse gas emissions during food production.
Despite widespread distribution of Listeria tainted ice cream not many illnesses were reported due to low contamination levels in a product that does not support growth, according to a study.
The Chair of the Food Standards Agency and its Chief Scientific Adviser are welcoming applications to join the new independent FSA Science Council. We are looking for passionate, highly capable and motivated people to be Chair and members of our new Science Council.
North West Regional College has officially opened the region’s first centre of excellence for food development and technology.
Foodovation, under the direction of food development centre manager Brian McDermott, is a new state of the art research and development centre which offers a sanctuary to develop excellence in food innovation, science and technology.
Consumer demand for food products formulated without synthetic additives has increased. However, food still has to be safe for consumers to eat, so food scientists are looking for ways to replace synthetic additives.
Quality Control Lab Manager (Microbiology)
An opportunity has arisen for the position of QC Lab Manager (Microbiology) in Glanbia Ingredients Ireland. This position provides an exciting career opportunity for a qualified candidate who is interested in being part of a growing quality team and business.
Reporting to the Head of Quality, based in Ballyragget, Co Kilkenny, the role will have responsibility for managing the Microbiology QC function and its team of Analysts and will oversee method development and validation activities. You will also optimise the analytical capability of the laboratory to ensure that all products are released meeting customer specifications.
Description
The person will be based from the Coleraine manufacturing site and will play a key role in the development of new scientific innovations within the Kerry R,D&A structure
Objective
The person will be based from the Coleraine manufacturing site and will play a key role in the development of new scientific innovations within the Kerry R,D&A structure. Supports R,D&A with analyses, tests, factory trials and insights. Works as a member of a research unit or project team. Provides second level supervision to R,D&A intern, providing technical leadership and mentoring. The person will be responsible for managing and delivering upon all development, finished goods PIPS and raw material pips for Foodservice and Foods. The person will also be the lead for new projects based in Coleraine such as the Appetisers commissioning plan and ongoing factory upscaling.
Deadline for Applications: Friday 25 November 2016
Future attempts at measuring campylobacter levels in poultry need to be consistent if both consumers and retailers are going to trust the published figures, a food policy advisor has suggested.
Basic Function
The successful candidate will have an honours Level 8 degree, or Ph.D. in Food Science, Biosciences or related discipline. The appointee will be part of a team of researchers within the Food Biosciences research programme. The successful candidate will be experienced in food formulation but also tissue culture.
Background
Teagasc is now seeking to recruit a highly motivated, ambitious Scientist with experience in beverage formulation and tissue culture to join their Food BioSciences research programme. The successful candidate will formulate model beverages with bioactive ingredients from whey and marine sources. Anti-oxidant bioactivity of the model beverages will be assessed. Bioavailability of the bioactive ingredients will be monitored during upper gut transit using simulated in vitro digestion methods. The ability of the bioactives to pass the intestinal barrier will be investigated using intestinal cell lines. The health benefits to the intestinal cells will also be examined. It is expected that the successful recruit will work closely with postgraduate students within this project and an important output of the work is the publication of the data in an international peer reviewed scientific journal.
Deadline for Applications 12 midnight on Wednesday 16th November 2016
Fonterra says it does not know if anyone has fallen ill from consuming its expired milk powder, as the NZ dairy giant tries to come to terms with the latest scandal to engulf the Chinese food industry.
After Heineken Ireland confirmed that some of its "low-volume high-quality draught products" had been mislabeled and sold as craft beer in Irish pubs, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and Health Service Executive (HSE) have announced they are carrying out an investigation related to craft beers.
Ref: RO/DC/1016
Basic Function:
To develop, lead and implement a research programme in aspects of Dairy chemistry within Teagasc. Candidates should have a comprehensive understanding of milk chemistry (protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins) and potential impact for Dairy processing sector. The successful candidate will be tasked with building a team with focus on studying the nutrient and surrounding chemistry of milk. While a particular focus will be placed on protein and/or fat, knowledge of the chemistry of minor components in milk is also required. The role should involve the development of new thinking on the chemical interactions and forces present in milk as influenced by different external factors such as pH, heat and addition of cationic or anionic species. The appointee will be responsible for taking on leadership role in dissemination of these new research findings, e.g., as peer reviewed publications or as directly applied to Industry. The role will involve transfer of relevant research to commercial application through interaction with industrial clients, including management of intellectual property as appropriate.
Closing date: 12 midnight on Monday 7th November 2016
China and the EU are increasingly working together in the area of food safety. Marking a milestone in the relationship between EFSA and the CFSA, EFSA’s Executive Director Bernhard Url and CFSA’s Acting Director General Mr Jiang Lu are to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation on 1 November 2016 in Beijing.
People who retain a particular bacterium in their gut after a bout of food poisoning may be at an increased risk of developing Crohn's disease later in life, according to a new study led by researchers at McMaster University.
Recently Oceana released a poll revealing that 83 percent of Americans support new requirements focused on eliminating seafood fraud in the United States, including requiring that key information such as what type of fish it is, and how and where it was caught or farmed, follows our seafood from boat to plate.
Development, organization and delivery of training activities under the EFSA European food risk assessment fellowship programme (OC/EFSA/AFSCO/2016/02)”.
The tender documentation can be accessed in the document library via this e-Tendering link.
Any updates or clarifications to this call for tenders will also be published via this link. Tenderers are strongly advised to register for updates and may only submit questions using the e-Tendering tool.
Please kindly note that the tender’s documentation is only available in English language and that the deadlines are the following:
Question deadline 02nd October 2016
Answer deadline 03rd October 2016
Time limit for receipt of tenders 06th October 2016
Job description
The Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland is responsible for the provision of advice on food safety and diet and nutrition issues to consumers, both directly and via a range of stakeholders.
The FSA’s Communication Team has implemented a new strategy to build our expertise and enhance capability. We’re moving away from channel specific teams (press, stakeholder, campaigns etc.) and becoming project based teams of all round communications excellence.
The Communications Team promotes the Agency’s key messages through supporting the work of the policy teams. The key challenges for this team are centred on tailoring activity to the priorities and outcomes set out in the Strategic Plan and, in Northern Ireland, an awareness of the need to work collaboratively with the Public Health Agency and in an all island context with safefood.
The post holders report directly to the Senior Communications Manager.
SOME KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Project management and planning
• Delivery of communications content
• Manage and create content for key external communications channels including digital channels – eg Twitter, Facebook, and internal channels FoodWeb, Yammer and the monthly field operations staff newsletter Between the Lines, and quality assure any content before issuing.
• Monitor communications activity via dashboards, track platforms, web data, staff surveys and analyse results
• Assist with drafting content and responses to external enquiries during incidents
• Be a first point of contact for journalists, partners and other influencers contacting the Communications team, write responses and lines and deal confidently with journalists on day-to-day issues
• Match content and channel to relevant audience so as to maximise effectiveness of communication, including those aspects relevant to each particular country within the UK.
Closing date: 7th October 2016
