01.01.70

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is changing how food labels are approved and inspected, which means consumers will be putting more trust in food processors, according to one industry expert.

The change is a part of the deregulation of food packaging announced in this year's federal budget bill.

Some farmers and food processing companies in Windsor-Essex, Ont. are concerned about losing business and jobs.

Keith Warriner is a professor at the University of Guelph's Food Science department and is the director of the school's Food Safety and Quality Assurance Program.

"Essentially what they're doing is giving the responsibility to the industry to police itself. They expect us as consumers to actually go and do the job of the CFIA," said Warriner.

The CFIA's funding was slashed in the 2012 budget, but officials said that won't affect safety standards.

"It is important to note that the CFIA is not reducing the number of front-line inspectors or activities aimed at verifying the accuracy of labels in the marketplace," said CFIA media relations officer Guy Gravelle in an email to CBC News.

Source: CBC.ca

by Angela Lenssen

Dannon Company Probiotics Fellow Program

Here is some information regarding a scholarship that might be of interest to graduating seniors applying for graduate programs in the field of probiotics or students currently enrolled in graduate degree programs within the field of probiotics. As part of their commitment to helping students excel in science, The Dannon Company is offering a scholarship of one year’s tuition (up to $25,000) to a current or incoming graduate student to enhance his or her academic path in this field. The student will also receive an all-expense-paid trip to the Danone Research Center in France to explore topics in probiotics, nutrition, and human physiology alongside leading experts; this unique experience will offer the winning student access to and networking opportunities with top international researchers. For students who are planning to further their education in probiotics, this is an exciting opportunity to not only receive educational support, but also have access to some of the leading minds in this arena. We encourage you to share this with all future or current graduate students who have a demonstrated interest in probiotics to apply for this important opportunity. Scholarship applications are now being accepted, and must be submitted by March 31, 2012 to qualify. The winning applicant will be determined by a panel of expert judges and announced in mid-April. For additional information, qualification requirements, and to download a copy of the application, please click here ....

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