A federal investigation into the hazards facing cooks exposed to diacetyl is under way in New York City restaurants, reported the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. And state safety agents are beginning a similar inquiry in Seattle.

Three teams of physicians and industrial hygienists from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) took samples of the cooking oils and sprays being used and the air inhaled by cooks and other workers employed by Aramark at kitchens in the Manhattan financial offices of JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs. NIOSH launched the investigation at the request of Unite Here, a union representing 440,000 hotel, restaurant and hospitality industry workers.

The union requested the study after the Seattle P-I published in December the results of laboratory analysis the newspaper commissioned of almost two dozen butters, margarines, oils and sprays used by home and professional cooks. Cooking was simulated and the air coming off the skillets and grill surfaces was collected and measured for diacetyl. The chemical flavoring agent was found in everything tested, with the highest level in the oils, sprays and butters used by professional cooks.

Dr. Kathleen Kreiss, chief of the Respiratory Disease Field Studies Branch of NIOSH, and her colleagues were looking for signs of bronchiolitis obliterans in New York when they questioned the workers on their health and work habits. Personal air monitors were attached to the uniforms of the cooks to sample the air they were breathing as they prepared the food. The researchers checked for ventilation systems as well as its effectiveness. Large vacuum monitors tested the air throughout the kitchen and samples of the oils and sprays were collected. The analysis of all the samples could take weeks, Kreiss said. Medical testing was also scheduled for the workers.

Kreiss says the field inspections are among several ongoing diacetyl operations that her agency has undertaken:

Kreiss says that if the ongoing series of evaluations in New York and Seattle don't provide enough information on diacetyl exposures in commercial kitchens, NIOSH will attempt to duplicate "experimental situations in a test kitchen or laboratory."

NAFFS & WFFC TO CO-HOST
FOOD SAFETY MEETING

In response to the increasing demands on companies to ensure the safety and quality of their products, the NAFFS Technical Meeting Committee has teamed up with the Women in Flavor & Fragrance Commerce (WFFC) to offer an information-packed seminar on food safety. The program will be held from 9 a.m.-noon on Thursday, June 5, at the Holiday Inn in Newark, N.J. A continental breakfast, included in the registration fee, will be available beginning at 8 a.m.

The program will address the new and proposed food safety regulations and what you can do to protect your products and boost consumer confidence. Presenters include:

• John Cox of the Law Offices of John H. Cox and legal counsel to FMA and FEMA.
• Paul Jeka of All-Ways Forwarding International
• Pamela Smith of McCormick
• A representative from the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) office

With the growing complexity of the food supply chain and the emphasis being placed on prevention, you can’t afford to miss this seminar. Complete details on the program will be sent shortly.

EFSA DOUBTS FOOD ADDITIVES’
IMPACT ON CHILDREN

A Europe-wide ban on artificial additives commonly found in sweets and drinks and linked to hyperactive behavior in children has been ruled out by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Food campaigners reacted furiously to the decision and are demanding Britain to take unilateral action to remove the additives from food.

The EFSA decided that the UK study which identified a link between eating food packed with colorants and preservatives with impulsive and inattentive behavior in children did not provide sufficient evidence to justify a policy change. The EU watchdog accepted that the findings may be relevant to children who were sensitive to food additives, particularly artificial colors, but it concluded the research study was too limited to apply to the general population.
Last September the Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued a warning to parents to keep their children off sweets, drinks and other food packed with additives if they were worried about behavior. An FSA spokeswoman said it will not comment on the decision until officials have studied the report. The list includes sunset yellow (E110), quinoline yellow (E104), carmoisine (E122), allura red (E129), tartrazine (E102) and ponceau 4R (E124).

NOSB TO MEET
NEXT MONTH

A meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has been scheduled at the Holiday Inn Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore, Md. on May 20, 21 and 22. The NOSB meeting agenda and proposed recommendations may be viewed at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop. Additional details may be obtained by contacting Valerie Frances, executive director at NOSB at 202-720-3252.

NAFFS WELCOMES
NEW MEMBER

Kalsec
3713 West Main Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49005
Phone: (269) 349-9711
Fax: (269) 349-9055
Website: www.kalsec.com
e-mail: jweaver@kalsec.com
Contact: John Weaver, Director, Product Applications
Products: Basic spice extracts, flavors, colors, antioxidents

NAFFS CALENDAR

June 5 – NAFFS/WFFC Meeting, Holiday Inn, Newark, N.J.
October 23-26 - The 91st Annual NAFFS Convention, The Resort at Longboat Key Club, Longboat Key, Fla.