@tracingpaper follows the emergence of the novel H1N1 flu virus; the impact on pigs, farming and pork; and the debate over its possible links with industrial pig production. This list will continue to be updated, with latest entries at the top.
Ever wondered how Easter eggs are made? Cadbury opens the doors of its Bournville factory, which produces about half the UK’s Easter eggs, 40 million a year. This short BBC film provides a fascinating insight into the process behind the jauntily packaged eggs we devour every Easter.
There’s a surreal fascination in the endless eggs proceeding smoothly along conveyors belts – sometimes marching along in neat rows, later whizzing in single file towards the robot arms that fit the half-shells together with faultless precision. When the egg is complete, it’s wrapped and spun under a roller to smooth its foil. After all this automation, it comes as a surprise to see real people adding the bags of chocolate buttons to each packet.
Mammalian excreta, rodent filth, insect filth, mould, rot, insects, larvae, mites, insect eggs, sand and grit, mildew, parasites: an unappetising list, but the US Food and Drug Administration publishes a useful handbook detailing the acceptable amounts of such contaminants in a range of foods.
US consumers are told to expect to find up to 60 aphids / thrips / mites in every 100g of frozen broccoli (but only up to 30 in frozen Brussels sprouts), up to 60 insect fragments in a 100g chocolate bar, up to 4 rodent hairs in 25g of curry powder, and a “copepod accompanied by pus pockets” in 3% of their red fish fillets. These are the specified action levels, below which there is “no inherent hazard to health”.
The Conservative Party launches a campaign for honest food, demanding that food labelled “British” should be born and bred in Britain. It’s hard to argue with but sadly often not the case in Britain today.
FSA publishes complete list of meat processors and companies affected by Irish pork contamination alert. FSAI and FSA confirm contamination of beef but offer reassurance of lower risk.
The contamination of some Irish pork with carcinogenic dioxins has led to the recall and withdrawal of almost all pork products from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Both the UK Food Standards Agency and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland are advising the public not to consume any raw or cooked pork [...]
Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s revealing and disturbing Our Daily Bread goes behind the scenes of food industry, revealing the story of food from hatchery to abattoir
Barack Obama supports US union’s campaign for union engagement and better working conditions at Tesco’s US Fresh and Easy stores
Absence Still from Our Daily Bread – spraying sunflowers Loyal visitors to the Tracing Paper will have noticed a distinct lack of activity over most of the last year. I’m ashamed that I only just avoided a clear six month hiatus with a (very) brief post about the superb documentary on the modern food industry, [...]
Update – Our Daily Bread is now available on DVD in the UK Our Daily Bread is a film about the modern food industry that’s been described as “The 2001: A Space Odyssey of modern food production”, despite its direct depiction of the truth behind the food we eat. Shot without any commentary, director Nikolaus [...]
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