Food Safety and Standards issues identified with Bubble teas and Caffeine supplements: As part of its fifth annual retail food surveillance programme completed in the second half of 2024 the Food Standards Agency found 83% of samples of caffeine supplements had unsatisfactory results relating to caffeine content not reflecting that on the label and other labelling issues. 59% of the bubble tea samples were unsatisfactory with multiple minor labelling issues, mainly related to nutritional information and the format of the date on the label. 42% of the unsatisfactory samples also had issues related to undeclared and excess use of additives. Bubble tea products from the far east were found to contain Konjac (E425) which although an approved additive, its use in bubble tea is not authorised due to potential choking hazard. View >
Consultation on Government plans for mandating business climate change plans: The government committed to mandating “UK-regulated financial institutions (including banks, asset managers, pension funds and insurers) and FTSE 100 companies to develop and implement credible transition plans that align with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement”. This consultation by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero seeks to explore views on how to take forward the commitment having regard to the need to:
- support an orderly transition in line with global climate goals
- enhance transparency for investors and promote efficient capital allocation
- support companies in capturing the opportunities from the global net zero transition
- support the growth of the UK’s financial services industry by ensuring its sustainable finance framework is internationally competitive and maintains the UK’s status as a global financial hub.
DESNZ is also consulting on sustainability standards and assurance of delivery. Responses are required by 17 September.
Consultation > Client Earth >
Advertising watchdog publish guidance on making sustainability claims: The Advertising Standards Authority has published guidance based on the advertising codes and previous rulings drawing out key principles to make the basis of claims clear, to be clear on the meaning of all terms used, make sure that claims can be substantiated and to take the full lifecycle impacts into account. View >
Supreme court opines on role of Court of Appeal in Trademark infringement cases: The Supreme Court has ruled that judges in the court of appeal were wrong to make their own judgment on appeal on the similarity of designs and scope for confusion over-ruling the trial judge in the high court. View >
Government Chemist highlights method to detect frozen poultry: When meat is frozen and then thawed, the muscle mitochondria are damaged during the process and the enzyme HADH is released into the intracellular fluid. The relative increase in the amount of HADH found in the intracellular fluid before and after analytical method freezing procedure may be indicative as to whether the meat has previously undergone freezing. The Government Chemist has produced a webinar on the measurement of HADH activity in the intracellular fluid, taken by pressing meat and analysing the fluid using a spectrophotometer which provides a simple, rapid and reliable procedure for a laboratory to undertake when evaluating the reported cryological history of raw chicken or turkey samples. View >
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