Estimation of Effect of Radiation Dose Reduction for Internal Exposure by Food Regulations under the Current Criteria for Radionuclides in Foodstuff in Japan Using Monitoring Results

This study examined the effect of food regulations under the current criteria (e.g., 100 Bq/kg for general foods) established approximately a year after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. Foods are monitored to ensure that foods exceeding the standard limit are not distributed; ~300,000 examinations per year have been performed especially since FY2014. This study comprehensively estimated the internal exposure dose resulting from the ingestion of foods containing radioactive cesium using the accumulated monitoring results. Committed effective dose was conservatively calculated as the product of the radioactive concentration randomly sampled from test results, food intake, and dose coefficient. The median, 95th, and 99th percentile of the dose were 0.0479, 0.207, and 10.6 mSv/y, respectively, in the estimation with all test results (without regulation), and 0.0430, 0.0790, and 0.233 mSv/y, respectively, in the estimation with results within the standard limits (with regulation) in FY2012. In FY2016, the dose with and without regulation were similar, except for high percentile, and those doses were significantly smaller than 1 mSv/y, which was adopted as the basis for the current criteria. The food regulation measures implemented in Japan after the FDNPP accident have been beneficial, and food safety against radionuclides has been ensured.

Food Act of Sri Lanka: A Systematic Review on Awareness and Practice

The Food Act of 1980 is the main legislation governing food safety in Sri Lanka. Along with its regulations, the act provides a strong basis to ensure safety of food consumed. However, to achieve its objectives, the act needs to be properly implemented. For that, the food industry needs to adhere to food laws while law enforcing officers need to initiate legal proceedings for law violations. A good knowledge on food laws is needed among food industries, law enforcing officers and consumers contributes towards successive implementation of food laws. The present review examines the available research literature on knowledge on food regulations and practice of food industries, law enforcing officers (Public Health Inspectors) and consumers in Sri Lanka which helps to identify weaknesses in current law enforcement. Most of research on the Sri Lankan Food Act of 1980 has focused on food labels. Very few labels have been found to conform with existing laws and some include outrageous health claims. Knowledge and practice of food regulations by food industry, law enforcing officers and consumers in Sri Lanka are not satisfactory which has led to a failure in achieving the intended objectives of the legislature.

An Introduction to Shared-Use Commercial Kitchens

Shared-use commercial kitchens are commonly used by food entrepreneurs to launch new food products into market; however, there remain questions about how these facilities work. This new 4-page document defines basic terms used to describe shared-use commercial kitchens, such as incubator, accelerator, or food hub, and gives an overview of potential services or resources available at these facilities. Furthermore, basic information on state level food regulations and an extensive list of Shared-use Commercial Kitchens in Florida is included. Written by Matthew Krug and Sarah Ellis and published by the UF/IFAS Food Science and Human Nutrition Department.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs400

Centralisation of Halal Matters Under the Federal Government in Malaysia: A Legal Perspective

Generally, halal matters in Malaysia are governed by piece-meal legislation, inter alia, the Trade Descriptions Act (TDA) 2011 and its by-laws, the Food Act 1983, Food Regulations 1985, state-issued fatwas, and the rules and guidelines promulgated by relevant authorities, whether under the federal or state governments. Consequently, as prescribed by the law, halal matters are assigned to various different entities. For instance, the Ministry of Domestic Trades, Cooperatives and Consumerism (KPDNHEP) supervises halal trade practices. Both the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and Islamic Religious Councils (IRCs) of the states take charge of the halal certification portfolio. The Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) handles services related to the internationalisation of halal products, whereas the Department of Standards Malaysia (DOSM) issues and revises time-relevant halal standards. This situation, however, may lead to the overlapping of mandates and confusion among industry players as to whether halal matters fall under the federal or state governments as prescribed in List II of the Malaysian Federal Constitution. Since Malaysia is at the global forefront of promoting the halal agenda, the Malaysian government must call for the centralisation of its regulatory framework to provide better supervision and harmonise practices in the industry. Hence, this paper discusses and deliberates on the legal and regulatory outlook of the country for the purpose of centralising halal matters under the federal government of Malaysia.