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Public overwhelmingly favors term ‘lab-grown’ over ‘clean’ meat
Source : http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/07/public-overwhelmingly-favors-lab-grown-meat-over-industry-term-clean-meat/#.W1aCNE66zct
By News Desk (July 16, 2018)
Consumer Reports, published by the 7 million-member nonprofit Consumers Union, last week reported on survey results showing the public expects laboratory-produced meat from cultured animal cells to be clearly labeled. The results show the public favors different language that those pushing the new products.
“By an overwhelming margin, our survey found that consumers want clear labels identifying meat produced in the lab from cultured animal cells,” said Dr. Michael Hansen, senior scientist for Consumers Union, the advocacy division of Consumer Reports.
“Federal regulators should ensure these emerging food products are clearly labeled so consumers can make informed choices for their families and easily distinguish them from conventional meat.”
The Consumer Reports phone survey found that 49 percent said it should be labeled as “meat, but accompanied by an explanation about how it is produced,” while another 40 percent said it should be labeled as “something other than meat.”
Only five percent thought it should be labeled as meat “without any further explanation.”
This new technology, which was subject of a July 12 FDA forum, involves taking cells from a food animal and getting those cells to grow and differentiate in a suitable growth medium that contains vitamins, lipids, amino acids, and growth hormones, including fetal calf serum.
During his testimony at the FDA meeting, Hansen noted that the vats in which the lab meat is cultured contain animal cells in a large nutrient solution, which can become contaminated with disease-causing bacteria, viruses, fungi and mycoplasma.
“In addition, when given a list of seven terms and asked to choose which would constitute accurate labels, the most commonly chosen terms were ‘lab-grown meat’ (35 percent) and ‘artificial or synthetic meat’ (34 percent). The least commonly chosen terms were ‘cultured meat’ (11 percent), ‘clean meat’ (9 percent ), and ‘in vitro meat’ (8 percent),” Hansen added
Consumers Union has urged federal regulators to require pre-market safety testing of cell-cultured meat products. The consumer group warned that the lab meat industry should not be allowed to take advantage of the “generally recognized as safe (GRAS)” loophole which allows food producers to avoid getting approval for a new food substance as a food additive.
Under the GRAS process, a company that wants to introduce a new substance into food can evaluate the substance’s safety through its own small panel of scientists. The company is not required to notify the FDA of its review.
Consumers Union is not the first to subject lab-produced cultured meat, which remains largely in a research and development stage rather than production, to survey research.
According to the North American Meat Institute, the Good Food Institute hit upon “clean meat” as the marketing term for the prospective product after conducting at least 28 surveys, focus groups, and other public opinion studies.
Investors in the new lab-meat are said to include traditional meat industry giants Tyson and Cargill along with billionaires like Bill Gates and Richard Branson. One lab-grown hamburger created in 2013 was said to have cost $300,000. The first pricy lab-grown meat could reach the market in about three years.
Food hygiene for thought
Source : http://www.europeancleaningjournal.com/magazine/articles/special-features/food-hygiene-for-thought
By europeancleaningjournal.com (July 13, 2018)
Food hygiene for thought
A look at the importance of cleaning in kitchens, how cleaning should be carried out and how often. Plus ways in which food hygiene awareness can be raised among employees, to ensure they take a proactive approach to personal hygiene and daily cleaning. Luke Rutterford, technical manager at Rentokil Specialist Hygiene and Dr Peter Barratt, technical manager for Initial Washroom Hygiene write for ECJ.
The food and service industries must meet strict hygiene regulations in order to reduce the risk of contamination in their premises. As facilities managers are aware, maintaining high levels of hygiene is essential to prevent situations that could compromise the safety of customers and staff. Previous hygiene scandals in the media have shown the undesirable effects of hygiene lapses on profitability, as well as the long-term reputation of a business. This year scandal-hit food manufacturer 2 Sisters reported €43 billion in losses in 2017, amid a chicken hygiene crisis.
Managing a facility with high footfall can be hectic - and keeping the food preparation and dining areas sparkling clean is sometimes easier said than done. In such a busy environment, how can facilities managers look to ensure they keep food preparation areas clean and hygienic, preventing the spread of germs and unwanted illnesses?
The battle against germs
Communal areas can provide the perfect breeding and distribution ground for bacteria and other germs if they are not cleaned with the necessary frequency and care. It may go without saying, but a daily cleaning routine is crucial. Ensuring employees on your premises remain up to scratch with daily cleaning procedures, and honour the cleaning itinerary, is the first step to a clean kitchen.
It is essential cleaning is carried out both proactively and reactively in food preparation areas. Proactive cleaning involves routine disinfection of shared contact points in communal areas. Reactive cleaning occurs as necessary, such as during an outbreak of illness or when a known infection is presented by an employee or customer who has visited your premises.
For example Norovirus, one of the most commonly spread illnesses, can cause sickness, stomach pain and aching limbs. An individual can become infected after encountering only a few viral particles. If staff or customers become ill, or report back with symptoms of illness, a deep clean is recommended and they should stay away from work for 48 hours after symptoms have ceased, in order to prevent recontamination.
The simplest way to prevent spread of infection in the first place is to stay on top of daily and weekly schedules for cleaning. Implementing timetables will ensure the cleaning is carried out on time and helps guarantee areas are not missed. A fortnightly, in-depth, top-to-bottom clean is also recommended in common ‘hot spots’ where pathogens are likely to be found – such as around grills, coffee machines, sinks and washrooms.
Between cleans, multipurpose biocidal cleaners can help keep treated areas contamination-free.
Going that extra mile
In addition to this, a thorough deep clean should be carried out on a regular basis – ideally twice a year and by a professional cleaning company. The best time for a deep clean is during quieter trading times when disruption to your facility can be minimised; the period before the summer rush begins would be a good time to organise this.
Grease and oil particles can coat the floors and food preparation surfaces in the kitchen of your premises – as well as the nooks and crannies that are harder to access. Routine cleaning alone will not suffice as a preventative method against deposits of dirt, dust and grease in hard-to-reach areas. These can easily accumulate on less accessible surfaces such as walls, ceilings, lights and appliance fittings − providing the perfect environment for germs to multiply.
Grease, carbon and condensation can also form in ventilation ducts in your kitchen. If allowed to build up, air flow can be restricted, causing foul smells and temperature control issues. Even more concerning is the increased risk of bacterial and fungal development in the vent. This could put your facility at risk of breaching the The Food Safety Act 1990.
Protecting your assets
As well as helping to prevent the build-up or spread of pathogens, or in order to ensure you are compliant with health and safety regulations, a deep clean can be an important precaution to protect your assets and avoid unwanted costs down the line. Maintaining high standards of cleanliness can improve the life span of your equipment.
For example, vent blockages in your kitchen may reduce output, increase costs through greater power usage and damage often expensive equipment. Overall, the benefits of specialist deep cleaning can therefore significantly outweigh any costs incurred.
Targeting vents could also help to protect the safety of visitors to your premises by reducing the risk of a fire. A deep clean removes residual carbon and oil, which can sometimes be responsible for causing fires.
A tailored solution
Each facility is different and requires a different course of action. A consultation should be undertaken that analyses several factors to determine the required frequency of in-house deep cleaning as well as how specialist disinfection should be implemented to enhance everyday infection control measures. If you are unsure of how regularly a premise requires cleaning, it is best to consult a professional who is trained to understand latest legislation requirements and how to achieve excellent hygiene standards.
Hand-ling personal hygiene
Most bacteria and 80 per cent of viruses are transmissible through touch so the extremely simple step of effective hand washing after visiting the washroom and before preparing food will help prevent employee illness and cross contamination.
Promoting good hand hygiene amongst your employees can have a noticeable impact on your business’s hygiene standards. This can be achieved through these four simple steps:
1. Wet your hands using clean, running water – preferably warm water – and apply soap, if possible using a no-touch dispenser to avoid washroom cross contamination.
2. Rub soap all over your hands, covering the front, back, fingers, thumbs and nails. This helps to remove the maximum number of bacteria and viruses.
3. Rinse your hands again with clean running water. The entire hand washing process should take around 20-30 seconds – that’s about the time it takes to sing happy birthday twice.
4. Dry your hands thoroughly. Damp hands spread 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands, so the door handle of the washroom is likely to become contaminated if hand drying is missed.
5. Sanitise your hands. Alcohol-free hand sanitisers should be available in catering environments, as they provide an effective, long-lasting barrier to protect against microorganisms.
Minimising touch points
The layout of your washrooms can also have a direct impact on overall hygiene levels in your entire premises. Limiting the number of touch points in communal areas, for example, by reducing the number of handles in your washroom, can help to prevent the spread of germs to the kitchen. No-touch products such as taps, soap dispensers, hand dryers and sanitary bins are available, and can dramatically reduce cross-contamination.
You can also consider an odour-killing air purifier that helps to eradicate airborne bacteria. Given the vast number of surfaces and objects vulnerable to cross-contamination in cafés, it is critical that managers enforce these practices so that staff and customers are protected and their reputation remains intact.
Combining specialist deep cleaning and the latest cleaning technologies, with a willingness among staff to meticulously follow hygienic procedures, you can keep your food preparation areas sparkling, and prevent the spread of harmful germs in any facility. As a result, you’ll not only be honouring legislative requirements, but guaranteeing happier, healthier staff and visitors.
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Sudbury faces food safety issue after storm triggers lengthy outages
Source : https://www.sootoday.com/around-ontario/ontario-sudbury-faces-food-safety-issue-after-storm-triggers-lengthy-outages-983408
By Sudbury.com Staff (July 12, 2018)
SUDBURY — With hundreds of households without power for several days now, the issue of spoiled food, and how to deal with it, has become important.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts reminds residents that fridges and freezers will only keep food safe for so long without electricity.
Naturally, during a power outage, it's best to avoid opening refrigerators and freezers unless absolutely necessary. A full freezer will keep food frozen for approximately 48 hours, the health unit says, while a freezer that is half full will keep food frozen for about 24 hours.
An unopened refrigerator will only keep for cold for approximately four hours.
Carefully inspect all food items at higher risk of spoilage and don't consume any you think it might not be safe. Discard perishable foods that have been unrefrigerated for more than two hours and those with an unusual odour or texture. Keep in mind that food contaminated with bacteria might not look or smell spoiled — when in doubt, throw it out.
However, now that several days have elapsed, many residents in New Sudbury will have spoiled food that needs to be thrown out, particularly as the heat wave lingers.
The city is offering to help. If you have a significant amount of spoiled food due to the power outage caused by Monday's storm, you can call 3-1-1 to make arrangements for a special food waste pick up.
Simply call the city to make arrangements, rather than waiting to put it out at the curb.
Training tackles direct-to-consumer food safety issues
Source : https://www.thepacker.com/article/training-tackles-direct-consumer-food-safety-issues
By Chris Koger (July 12, 2018)
As growers, distributors and others in the supply chain have prepared for Food Safety Modernization Act changes, attention has turned to possible problem areas in guarding against pathogens.
One of those areas, according to the recent annual meeting of the Association of Food and Drug Officials in Burlington, Vt., is focused on a growing trend: the rise of services delivering food to consumers’ homes.
“Food home delivery is an exploding market with both retail and restaurant chains establishing systems designed to provide consumers with convenience service solutions,” according to a news release from Ryan Systems Inc. “Along with this new demand, the AFDO expects that enforcement of ‘last mile’ food safety regulations may fall on city, county or state agencies, but that the industry has the primary responsibility to prevent food safety outbreaks.”
John Ryan, president of Ryan Systems, and Edgar Vargas, owner of Kleen Trans, created Sanitary Cold Chain to help food transporters meeting TransCert requirements.
The partnership is offering a one-hour training program to educate drivers on their responsibilities regarding preventing food safety outbreak. The training costs $20, according to the release, and it can be downloaded to PCs, tablets and phones.
“Companies seeking to improve consumer safety and reduce company liability for potential food safety outbreaks may choose one of two options designed to increase driver and transportation personnel food safety knowledge and competency,” according to the release.
Frozen vegetables recall over fears of potential contamination not expected to generate consumer backlash
Source : http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-07-10/frozen-vegetables-recall-not-likely-generate-consumer-backlash/9968574
By David Claughton, Amina Daniels, Michael Condon (July 12, 2018)
Simplot, the largest Australian manufacturer of frozen vegetables, is confident consumers here will not be put off buying the local product in the wake of the recall of imported frozen vegetables announced on Monday.
Popular brands of frozen vegetables are being recalled from supermarkets across Australia over fears of potential contamination by the listeria bacteria.
Earlier this year a listeria outbreak linked to contaminated rockmelons claimed six lives in NSW and Victoria.
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) on Monday issued an alert for a number of brands of vegetable products across Aldi, Woolworths and IGA stores.
Some of the vegetables were imported from Europe, and the recall in Australia comes after recent recalls in the United Kingdom over the same contamination fears.
Only about 20 per cent of frozen vegetables sold in Australia are from overseas.
Australian frozen vegetables not affected
Simplot sells almost 40 per cent of all frozen vegetables in Australian supermarkets.
General manager of vegetables Adam Hanlon, said they had not seen a big reaction to consumer demand for their products.
"We are pretty certain there won't be any impact on our Australian grown Birds Eye brand.
"The support we have had on social media has been overwhelming," he said.
He said the company was very confident in its food safety programs for its Australian-grown produce but there was always the risk that consumers might question the [food] category.
"But we think frozen Australian vegetables are a fantastic healthy option for people.
He said the changes to the country of origin label would help the industry and help the consumer to buy locally grown produce.
"This may be a positive in pushing people back to Aussie vegetables and fruit," he said.
A spokesperson for Coles said all Coles brand frozen vegetables were Australian grown and were not included in the recall.
The peak body for Australian vegetable growers, AUSVEG, has said the national recall involved imported products only, not locally grown produce.
Chief executive officer James Whiteside he did not think growers would be overly concerned and they had faith in the ability of the public to make informed decisions about the food that they buy.
Shoppers say they will me more careful
Shoppers outside a Woolworths in Haymarket in Sydney said they were most likely to be a bit more careful in regards to what vegetables they buy.
New testing device to ensure food safety in Dubai
Source : https://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/dubai/New-testing-device-to-ensure-food-safety-in-Dubai-
By Sherouk (July 11, 2018)
The Dubai Central Lab (DCL) will introduce a new device by the end of this month to test bigger food samples and ensure public safety, officials said.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Eng. Amin Ahmed Amin, director of DCL, said the testing device will allow authorities to inspect bigger capacity of fruits and vegetables that reaches to 600 types of samples a day. "Our current system takes in up to 260 kinds. The new device, operated by latest technology, will offer different types of inspections," said Amin.
Dubai Municipality (DM) tests food to ensure it's free of pesticides and fit for consumption.
Amin said the device will detect different types of chemicals in imported fruits and vegetables more accurately and quickly. "The device will be full-fledged in terms of capacity it can receive and the bigger scope it will cover to achieve higher food safety for both traders and consumers."
Iman Al Bastaki, director of food safety department at the DM, said the civic body has been focusing on testing bigger samples of fruits and vegetables to ensure higher food safety amid virus outbreaks.
Officials were speaking on the sidelines of an MoU signing that the municipality will sponsor the 10th edition of World of Perishables (WOP) that will be held from October 1-3.
The exhibition, which is expected to see participation of 38 countries, will be a platform for fresh produce businesses to explore ways to meet the rising demand for fresh vegetables and fruit products and to discuss industry best practices, prospective partnerships and opportunities.
Bastaki said she hopes that the exhibition will allow easier information exchange about the nature of testing in Dubai and the requirement needed for food and vegetables import.
The event, she said, becomes more significant since the UAE is a regional hub for re-export of fresh produce, with the quantity of such goods rising about 710,000 tonnes in 2017 worth about $1.6 billion, according to the International Trade Centre.
Kerala fruits, vegetables being monitored
Dubai municipality (DM) is working closely with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment to ensure safe fruits and vegetables importation from Kerala after the fruit and vegetables ban was recently lifted.
"Although the ban has been lifted after World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the food to be free of Nipah virus, we still ask importers for certificate that the vegetables and fruits are safe," said Iman Al Bastaki, director of food safety department at the DM.
She added: "Countries has seen recent outbreaks, which is why the ministry prefers to test samples to ensure that vegetables and fruits are free of pesticides and chemicals. The samples we receive are generally fit for consumption, but once a problem is detected in a sample, it is disposed."
Ahmed AbdulKarim, assistant director general at the municipality for general support sector, said the general trust around Dubai's food safety has been beneficial to traders. "Ensuring food quality vegetables and fruits helps traders increase their business. About 35 per cent of them have re-exported their food, thanks to the trust of other countries in Dubai's safety standards," said AbdulKarim.
He added that the aim to promote the import and export of fresh vegetables and fruits in Dubai in general and in the Dubai Central Fruits and Vegetables Market in particular. "We will gather big traders in the UAE and consumers like hotels and international traders for both to benefit and exchange trade," he said.
The 2018 edition of the exhibition, which is the only event of its kind dedicated to the region's fresh produce industry, is expected to attract experts and specialists in the field of fresh produce, food safety, fresh food trade, technical equipment, transport and logistics.
The exhibition is a strategic platform for leading global companies in distribution, import and export of fresh produce. It also aims to highlight the important role of the DM in promoting trade exchange through the Dubai Central Fruits and Vegetables Market.
Easing the growing pains of going digital with food safety records
Source : http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/07/easing-the-growing-pains-of-going-digital-with-food-safety-records/#.W1aEb066zct
By Laura Mushrush (July 10, 2018)
Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment of a four-part series on electronic record keeping enhancing companies’ food safety efforts. The series is sponsored by PAR Technologies.
It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” digital platforms will be required for food safety records, says Matthew Botos, CEO of food safety software company ConnectFood.Com. While the industry still primarily operates with paper-based records, there is a lot to be gained by being ahead of the curve in adapting more efficient and accurate practices.
“Companies must keep records of their daily processes for up to two years according to State and Federal regulations. Given the requirement to maintain records, it is time the food industry embraces that change with digital records due to several advantages,” he explains.
“Such as: real time access to product and facility information and the ability to detect problems prior to their occurrence, automated corrective action workflows, accurate electronic signatures and stamps, and a searchable database of record history. Knowing in the moment what is happening in your facility through a digital record alert system will save money and make a company more efficient.”
Premal Bhatt, QA and Food Safety SME, agrees, adding it is imperative food companies make food safety part of their mission statements, investing in the best systems to achieve this.
“Due to recent public health scares resulted primarily from broken supply chain system In the Food industry, there is urgency to go digital to maintain corporation brand name and avoid damage to company’s bottom line,” he adds.
Finding the right platform
While there are multiple food safety data management software programs on the market, when it comes to selecting which one is best, accessibility, accuracy and efficiency should be top priorities, says Botos.
“First and foremost, food safety is about a company embracing a culture of best practices. I frequently tell companies that they need a system that provides appropriate data and that works for their facility and processes,” explains Botos.
“A company should spend time analyzing what services they need: which logs are required, which records need to be managed, a way to tell the company’s story. You must be comfortable accessing the data you will collect. In the case of an inspection, audit, or product recall, the records you keep could make or break the future of the company.”
According to him, it’s also essential for digital record keeping software to be fully adopted and supported by all team members responsible for using it in order to be effective.
“Software is part art, and value is sometimes based on perception. If your team finds a solution they all see as valuable, then everyone has to get behind it and make the transition in the organization’s culture,” Botos adds.
Invest in infrastructure and training
Before companies break up with paper and go digital, they must take a step back and make any necessary structural investments and have a plan to adequately train employees.
“The transition from paper to digital record keeping will be a culture change more than anything,” explains Botos. “Before companies focus on button clicks to enter log data, they have to step back and make all the structural investments first.”
At the bare minimum, these investments include good internet access in and around critical facility areas, cohesive hardware such as tablets, an in-house or out-sourced technology support team and personnel training.
“Any time an organization switches to a new platform or installs a new piece of equipment, training is paramount. It is no different than installing a new retort system, a new oven, or moving from pasteurization to aseptics – training is the key to success,” adds Botos. “Proper investment in gaining technological efficiencies does take up-front investment, but the switch to digital record keeping will eventually save time and money on the factory floor, not to mention easily analyzing data will help make manufacturing run smoother and provide a safer food supply.”
Start simple and start now
According to both Bhatt and Botos, the industry’s transition from paper-based records to digital will be gradual.
“The transition will initially happen gradually since research and innovations in are constantly happening to achieve the most efficient digital system. Additionally, stakeholder’s participation and government policy making is slowly catching up on this aspect of doing business,” explains Bhatt. “Later on, the transition will happen rapidly.”
For companies looking to stay ahead of the curve and take advantage of digital benefits, Botos recommends to start simple and to start now. For those who are hesitant to make the transition, he suggests using pilot trials for different technology systems to fully see the potential advantages that can be accomplished.
“Change is always a little awkward, but if you take it slowly and investigate what works for your team and your facility, you will find a day-to-day process that works for everyone. You’ll never know what works for your company if you don’t make the effort to try. Remember, this is the future, and being ahead of the curve will be in your best interest,” concludes Botos. “Paperless record keeping is coming. It is a brave new world and from large companies to small companies there are solutions that exist. Food safety is so important and the better records we have and the more data associated with these records will only make for a safer food supply.”
Top food safety officials tell IAFP audience pathogens don’t wait
Source : http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/07/top-food-safety-officials-tell-iafp-audience-pathogens-dont-wait/#.W1aEpk66zct
By Dan Flynn (July 10, 2018)
SALT LAKE CITY — Several hundred people attending the International Association for Food Protection annual conference Monday gave up lunch to hear Stephen Ostroff’s and Carmen Rottenberg’s updates on the federal regulatory scene.
And Ostroff wasted no time in serving up the main course. The Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at FDA is not happy about the round of outbreaks in recent months, including two E. coli O157 outbreaks that caused a total of six deaths.
“Events of the last couple of months support that we have a food safety problem in the United States,” Ostroff said, referring mostly to the produce-related E. coli O157 outbreaks, but also to several involving various Salmonella strains.
Specifically, FDA’s top food safety official expressed his concern about these outbreaks:
•Romaine lettuce – E. coli O157: H7
•Leafy greens – E. coli O157: H7
•Kellogg’s Honey Smacks cereal – Salmonella
•Pre-cut melon – Salmonella Adelaide
•Eggs – Salmonella Braenderup
•Kratom – Salmonella
Taken together, those outbreaks have sickened at least 622 people, sending 224 to hospitals where six died. The Salmonella Braenderup outbreak was also marked by Rose Acre Farms recalling 207 million shell eggs
Ostroff said the transition period before full implementation of certain elements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) can be blamed for the rash of outbreaks. Congress passed the Act in 2010 and President Obama signed it into law in January 2011.
“The pathogens are not waiting for us,” he said.
Ostroff told the attendees at the food safety conference that America’s food supply is becoming more and more complicated, making tracing up and down the food chain difficult.
FDA experienced that problem in spades during the E. coli O157: H7 outbreak investigation involving romaine lettuce. It was left warning the public not to consume romaine lettuce from the Yuma, AZ, growing area, but Ostroff acknowledged most consumers had no way of telling where their romaine was grown. The FDA hasn’t closed the investigation yet, and is continuing to work with Arizona officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to connect the remaining dots between the growing fields and consumers.
FDA eventually linked the romaine contamination to a Yuma area irrigation canal but does not yet know how the E. coli O157: H7 got into the water.
The FSMA’s produce rule, which includes easy greens, became effective in January this year, but only for the largest growers. FDA is also holding off on the FSMA water quality rule as it relates to testing requirements because of industry push back. FDA hopes to work out water testing protocols acceptable to farmers for implementation in 2022.
Ostroff also said there is some potential for conflict between food defense and food safety. “Food safety always takes precedence,” he said.
Rottenberg, USDA’s Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) administrator, spoke alongside Ostroff.
She said FSIS continues with its modernization program, which has focused on poultry and swine production.
FSIS is also working on regulatory reform, following up on suggestions from the public and industry. Rottenberg said one suggestion calls for changing how “net weight” is shown on a label. Currently, net weight must be shown in both ounces and pounds.
Eggs now classified as inferior by FDA might in the future be used if pasteurized, the FSIS administrator said. She said the idea was advanced as a method of cutting down on food waste.
Rottenberg was appointed Acting Deputy Under Secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office for Food Safety in August 2017. She is serving in that role until the Senate decides whether to confirm Mindy Brashears as President Trump’s appointee to the post. Rottenberg was named FSIS Administrator in May. She has held several other leadership roles in FSIS’s Office of the Administrator, including the Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff.
In those roles, she has spearheaded FSIS efforts to modernize inspection systems and implement science-based and innovative solutions to better protect consumers from foodborne illnesses. Through her leadership, she has ensured that FSIS programs are consumer-focused and delivered efficiently, effectively and with integrity. Rottenberg holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Hope College and a Juris Doctorate from American University. She will continue to serve as Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety until a nominee for this position has been confirmed by the Senate.
Ostroff joined FDA in 2013 as Chief Medical Officer in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and Senior Public Health Advisor to FDA’s Office of Foods and Veterinary Medicine. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases at CDC. While at CDC Ostroff focused on emerging infectious diseases, food safety, and coordination of complex outbreak responses. Ostroff has also served as the acting FDA Commissioner on two occasions, from April 2015 to late February 2016 and again from January to May 2017.
He retired from the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service at the rank of Rear Admiral (Assistant Surgeon General). Ostroff was also the Director of the Bureau of Epidemiology and Acting Physician General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and has consulted internationally on public health projects in South Asia and Latin America.
Federal court orders remedial action by Minnesota’s Meech Dairy
Source : http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/07/federal-court-orders-remedial-action-by-minnesotas-meech-dairy/#.W1aE_E66zct
By News Desk (July 10, 2018)
The U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota has enjoined Todd & Patty Meech Dairy Farm and its co-owners from introducing adulterated meat into interstate commerce pending required remedial action.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the federal court entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against the Meech Dairy Farm, located in Sebeka, MN, and its co-owners Todd Meech and Patty Meech.
The consent decree settles a complaint filed by the DOJ alleging violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and it requires the defendants to implement specific steps to ensure consumer safety before they can resume introducing animals and their edible tissue into interstate commerce.
In particular, the decree requires defendants to establish and implement a quarantine or segregation system to ensure the sharp distinction between medicated and unmedicated animals and that prevents defendants from selling or delivering for food slaughter any animals with illegal new animal drug residues in their edible tissues.
“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting consumers from unsafe foods,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to work with FDA to ensure that food producers maintain processes necessary to keep food safe.”
DOJ filed a complaint in the District of Minnesota on Feb. 23, at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
According to the complaint, the Meech Dairy Farm has approximately 500 cattle, including about 400 dairy cows, and sells cows for slaughter for use as food. The complaint alleged that defendants failed to abide by laws designed to protect consumers from consuming food that contained new animal drugs above legal limits.
According to the complaint, lab testing by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) detected above-tolerance drug residue in the liver of one of the defendant’s cows sold for slaughter. The complaint alleged that an FDA inspection confirmed the defendants did not record information regarding administered dosage, administration route, withdrawal time for meat, or the usable date for beef.
High levels of new animal drugs in animals’ edible tissues poses a significant public health risk. For example, consumers of edible animal tissues who are susceptible to antibiotics may experience severe allergic reactions as a result of ingesting food containing antibiotic levels above established tolerances.
“Poor recordkeeping practices and improper administration of drugs to food-producing animals pose a serious risk to consumers,” said United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald for the District of Minnesota. “The United States Attorney’s Office, along with the FDA, will continue to take action on these types of cases to ensure that Minnesota farmers are following the law and maintaining high food safety standards.”
Trial Attorney Monica Groat of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Siekert of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota represent the government. They are assisted by Associate General Counsel for Enforcement Jennifer Argabright of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of General Counsel’s Food and Drug Division.
Thirteen infected with Hepatitis A virus from frozen strawberries
Source : http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/07/thirteen-infected-with-hepatitis-a-virus-from-frozen-strawberries/#.W1aJYU66zct
By Joe Whitworth (July 10, 2018)
Thirteen people in Sweden have been infected by Hepatitis A virus linked to frozen strawberries from Poland.
Eleven confirmed and two suspected cases come are reported from four Swedish counties, Skåne, Blekinge, Kalmar and Gävleborg.
Nine women and four men aged 11 to 92 are affected. The most recent person to fall ill had symptoms begin on June 18.
The Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten), the National Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) and local authorities are involved in the investigation. They traced the source of Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection to frozen strawberries from Poland and informed Polish authorities of their findings.
All of the cases had smoothies or a dessert containing frozen imported strawberries that were not heated prior to consumption. The strawberries were not sold directly to consumers.
Analysis of the current lot of strawberries from Poland showed they contain the same type of hepatitis A virus, genotype 1B, that has infected the victims. Livsmedelsverket told Food Safety News that patients ate strawberries in smoothies from a juice bar and unheated strawberries in a dessert in a nursing home.
Frozen strawberries have been sold by a company in Poland to a wholesaler in Sweden. The wholesaler sold them to various caterers and restaurants. A recall is underway, and official say the products might still be on the market.
Skogsmat i Uddeholm AB, a Swedish producer and supplier of berries, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, purées and juice concentrates, imported the strawberries from Poland. Menigo Foodservice AB, a food supplier based in Sweden and owned by Sysco, distributed them.
Livsmedelsverket said the distributor has not been fined or closed because it did what it was supposed to given the circumstances.
The agency added extra checks of imported strawberries, as a general action, is not an option as it would be a breach of rules concerning the free movement of goods and products in the EU internal market.
Two outbreaks of Hepatitis A infections were noted in the second quarter of this year, according to international food safety statistics, the one referenced above and another linked to frozen pomegranate arils.
Hepatitis A virus is transmitted through ingestion of contaminated food and water or through direct contact with an infectious person, according to the World Health Organization.
Anyone who has not been vaccinated or previously infected can get infected.
The incubation period is usually 14-28 days. Symptoms range from mild to severe and can include fever, malaise, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark-coloured urine and a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes.
In contaminated food, the highly contagious liver virus is killed when exposed to temperatures of mire than 185 degrees F (85 degrees C) for one minute, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Teens can learn food safety habits, but reinforcement needed
Source : http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2018/07/teens-can-learn-food-safety-habits-but-reinforcement-needed/#.W1aJk066zct
By Kelsey M. Mackin (July 9, 2018)
Each year, the Government of Canada estimates that one in eight Canadians get sick from a foodborne illness, for a total of 4 million Canadians. Anyone who has ever been through a bout of food poisoning will most likely never forget how terrible and traumatic it was.
Public health officials from local to federal levels often warn about how young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals are more susceptible to contracting a foodborne illness. But, what about older teenagers and college students? What about these future mothers, fathers and consumers who have a hand — literally — in food preparation and cleaning food surfaces in the spaces they share in home kitchens or public spaces?
A new study by the University of Waterloo shows that the majority of teenagers are in need of food safety education.
Taking a look at this study, a low level of awareness among youth was highlighted around the necessary, proper precautions when it comes to handling food.
The study measured 32 different food-handling behaviors among Ontario high school students in grades 10 to 12. It found that less than 50 percent of the recommended practices were followed by students. This included basic hand hygiene and simple steps to prevent cross-contamination.
The leader of the research team, Ken Diplock, said high school students represent the next generation of food handlers, but they are not well studied; “They are just starting to prepare food on their own and for others, and they’re also beginning to work in the food industry.”
Diplock believes it’s important to “get to” students before they develop bad habits.
For the study, researchers observed students in high school food and nutrition classes three times; once before the students took an Ontario standard food-handling training program, then two weeks and three months later. The program significantly helped them improve their skills, but many students continued to engage in behaviors that greatly increase the risk for foodborne diseases.
The most significant improvement found after the training course occurred with thermometer use. Using a thermometer is the only way to determine if food, especially meat and poultry, has been cooked thoroughly enough to kill pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella. Student use thermometers increased from 5 percent at the first observation to 36 percent and 33 percent after two weeks and three months, respectively.
“Even though training programs have important benefits, there are obviously still gaps between knowledge and how food handlers behave,” Diplock said in the research report. He said food safety education improves knowledge and behavior, but unless the values are reinforced in other areas, “such as home life and society,” the behaviors will not always stick.
The study showed that behaviors remained consistent between the second and third observations; which is believed to be caused by students regularly handling food in the presence of teachers, who reinforced what they had learned.
Co-author and Public Health Professor Shannon Majowicz, said “we put a lot of emphasis on general food safety education as a way to protect people from getting sick; it could also make a difference if we educate students about safe food handling in high school before they are young adults living and cooking on their own and for others.”
In June, the study was officially published in the Journal of Food Protection with Waterloo with credit to Joel Dubin, Scott Leatherdale, David Hammond and Shannon Majowicz, and Andria Jones-Bitton at the University of Guelph. Diplock is now coordinator of the Bachelor of Environmental Public Health program at Conestoga College.
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The S&P 500 had a good week due to the impressive start of Q1 earnings and favorable inflation data. In March, the consumer price index rose 5%, lower than the previous month's 6%, and met economists' expectations.
What’s Wrong with Netflix?
Information is not investment advice
It seems like the current period isn’t that great for Netflix. After publishing the Q1 report, the streaming company’s shares fell 26% during preliminary trading in New York on Wednesday. Later it said it was losing customers for the first time in a decade.
Netflix reported worse-than-expected results on Tuesday evening. Investors were expecting Netflix to report a slowdown in subscriber growth in the Q1, but the results were even worse. Netflix lost 200,000 subscribers last quarter, marking the first time in more than a decade it actually lost customers. The company’s exit from Russia also cost it 700,000 customers. Additionally, it was mentioned that maybe its higher subscription prices might frighten some viewers.
However, it looks like things could get even worse as the company expects to lose another 2 million subscribers this quarter. Because investors use subscriber growth to measure the future profitability of Netflix, it doesn’t give much hope.
Overall, Netflix projected 2.5 million subscriber growth in the first quarter, roughly in line with Wall Street estimates. For the current period, analysts had forecast earnings of $2.43 million. First-quarter revenue rose 9.8% to $7.87 billion, falling short of analysts' estimates. Earnings of $3.53 per share easily beat the forecast of $2.91.
What can it lead to?
If the decline continues, the streaming leader's market value will depreciate roughly $40 billion overnight, making it the worst-performing stock of the year on S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indices.
Losing 2 million subscribers next quarter is a huge setback for a company that has grown regularly by 25 million subscribers or more a year. This is happening as consumers around the world are cutting back on life's little luxuries to cope with rising prices - a decision made even more urgent by the rise in streamer prices.
Another important Netflix’s problem is that people continue password exchanges. The company said that more than 100 million households use its services and don’t pay for them, in addition to 221.6 million subscribers. The company is experimenting with ways to register such viewers, such as asking people who use someone else's account to pay more. Fighting password sharing is a risk for a company. They started out by providing customers with a cheaper, more convenient alternative to cable television. By pushing customers to pay and inserting ads, Netflix began to resemble what it replaced.
Finally, analysts believe that Netflix can offset non-existent subscriber growth by selling ads on its platform, as HBO Max has already done and Disney+ is planning to do. In fact, they think Netflix could make up to $3 billion in additional revenue if it follows other companies’ steps. However, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings declines this idea.
Netflix is still well ahead of most of its competitors outside the US and is the largest streaming service globally. The company believes it can find a way out of its current setback by attracting new customers with better programs and finding more ways to charge its existing user base.
FAANG stocks started recovering. Which ones are the best according to fundamental analysis?
The previous year 2022, was undoubtedly tumultuous for the stock markets, with several stocks plummeting across multiple industries. Analysts have blamed the hard times on inflation, hawkish federal reserve policies, an impending global recession, and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. This year, however, we're beginning to see some recovery in the stock markets. This article will find a few stocks worth buying this year.
Greetings, fellow forex traders! Exciting news for those with an eye on the Australian market - the upcoming interest rate decision could be good news for Aussies looking to refinance or take out new loans. The Mortgage and Finance Association Australia CEO, Anja Pannek, has...
Hold onto your hats, folks! The Japanese yen took a nosedive after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) left its ultra-loose policy settings unchanged, including its closely watched yield curve control (YCC) policy. But wait, there's more! The BOJ also removed its forward guidance, which had previously pledged to keep interest rates at current or lower levels. So, what's the scoop? Market expectations had been subdued going into the meeting, but some were still hoping for tweaks to the forward guidance to prepare for an eventual exit from the bank's massive stimulus

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By Harald Eisenaecher, senior vice-president EMEA of Sabre Travel Network
It’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement in and around London as the city prepares for one of the most historic events in recent British history.
With each passing day the Olympic torch inches closer to London, passing through many UK towns and cities along the way.
Some 8,000 athletes from more than 200 countries will participate in both the Olympics and Paralympics, watched live by more than 11 million spectators.
Organisers have predicted that upwards of five million of these will be visitors to London. This is a great time for the travel industry and destination London. Or is it?
A flurry of bad press in the past week has produced a dark cloud that now hangs ominously over the Games, throwing into question London’s ability to play host.
Security concerns, traffic woes, and news that immigration staff are to strike on the eve of the opening ceremony over pay and conditions.
Logistical challenges are to be expected with an event this size, but the number and gravity of issues that cropped up one week out is hurting London’s reputation and the travel experience for millions.
But perhaps the most worrying issue is a potential meltdown in telecommunications.
The warning from experts is that the huge volume of calls, texts and internet browsing in a concentrated area could lead to the collapse of local mobile networks: a serious issue for the travel management community.
Since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, smartphones and tablets have become integral to the way we live and travel.
The number of smartphones sold globally in the fourth quarter of 2011 was larger than combined sales for the whole of 2008.
In that timeframe, the number of Facebook users burgeoned from 60 million to almost a billion.
This means that of the more than five million expected visitors to London, a large portion will take to their phones to help manage their trip. As an agent or travel manager, this presents two opportunities:
Firstly, harness the power of today’s smartphones to service your travellers.
Companies have invested hundreds of millions of pounds in hardware and applications to simplify and enrich the travel experience on-the-go.
Virgin Atlantic, for example, has launched a London city guide app offering information on events, restaurants, hotels and activities.
Visa is using the Games to showcase near-field communications (NFC) payments for customers.
Proximity marketing – targeting consumers who use NFC tagged smartphones – and QR codes are expected to be highly visible over the next month.
Sabre announced a new-look TripCase mobile app to help travellers navigate and manage their travel itinerary including unexpected changes or obstacles that come up in transit.
These are just a handful of innovations designed to make travel easier, and as an agent, you can help your customers make the most of new technology, even if it’s just recommending useful apps.
Secondly, have a well-thought out contingency plan if the network fails. Don’t lose sight of your customers.
Communicate with them before their trip, and ensure they know how to reach you if things go wrong.
Travellers often need your help the most when things go wrong. The ability to manage such situations can make all the difference to customer loyalty.
When the Olympics start, I’ll be cheering my country on. But I’ll also have a keen eye on our customers and their needs.
Of course, my hope is that we all cross that finish line unscathed. Enjoy the Games!


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Motorola, a sub brand of Lenovo, began sending invitations to a press conference to be held on June 6 with the intention of officiating a new smartphone that may well be the Moto Z3 Play. The invitation reveals the front of the equipment but does not reveal the main details. It is important to point out that this event takes place at 9:30 am in Brazil.
One year after launching wide 2, Samsung has now unveiled it’s successor Galaxy Wide 3. The company has announced the entry-level smartphone in South Korea with SK Telecomm which is a South Korean wireless telecommunications operator. The smartphone is the descendant of Galaxy Wide and Wide 2 and will go on sale from today at price 297,000 SKW. The SK Telecomm has previously made 70 percent users by selling over 1.3 million units of Galaxy Wide 2. The company has designed this phone for the people of over 40 years of age. As they want large size display at friendly price. Therefore the phone doesn’t have fingerprint sensor, dual camera and outrun the attractive additional features.
It’s Qualifier-II between Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders tonight at the Eden Gardens. Advantage to Kolkata players is that they have played Eliminator-I at their home and coming into this one they will have the advantage of home crowd. Their batting has been well with skipper Dinesh Karthik supporting the middle order followed by Andre Russell who is a massive hitter of the bowl. Another day, Kolkata won by 25 runs with Karthik scoring highest 52 runs. Their all rounders are best and bowlers being economical in crucial match so they are looking very strong here and rightly so are a contender for the IPL 2018 Trophy.
Vivo, the Chinese giant, resulted first in manufacturing the smartphone with Helio P22 processsor. The smartphone Vivo Y83 was officially announced in China on Thrusday. Launched two days ago it comes with a MediaTek processor Helio P22 which is a mid-range chipset with the advantage of AI. The device is a mid-range and is now ready for sale through Vivo China online shop. The disadvantage is that it has no fingerprint sensor although it features a Screen Unlock using Face. Because of an intelligent processor, device can use best AI for developer efficiency.
Mobiistar, a Vietnamese startup, has put foot in Indian market by launching its two new smartphones. The event was held in New Delhi. While debuting in India, the company announced the devices namely XQ Dual and CQ at price of Rs 7,999 and Rs 4,999 respectively. However, the devices sale starts from May 30 through Flipkart. It is to be noted that prices of the XQ and CQ are best suited for Indian customers which comes under low budget category. The smartphones are said to be Selfie star enhancing in the field of photography. Another noteworthy point is Mobiistar XQ features dual selfie camera.
LG has launched three mid-range smartphones under Q series. Namely with the code name LG Q7, LG Q7 Plus and LG Q7 Alpha. The three devices were unveiled at an event in South Korea showing AI based features. The design shows curved edges with a unique metallic body. Although, the prices are not yet unveiled but as believed by the renders European countries are first to be shipped with smartphones in June. Followed by North and South America, and Asia.
While, reaching and completing its 8 years, the Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi shall reportedly launch its flagship smartphone Xiaomi Mi 8 at the end of this month. The company’s rumored phone Mi 7 has been leapfrogged by new smashing edge-to-edge display handset. The company is celebrating its 8th Anniversary with the launch of Mi 8.
A tough competition is going to be held in Mumbai’s Wankhede as we wait for Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2018 season. It’s Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings tonight where all spectators shall witness a visual battle in cricket ground. The team who top the points table with 18 points and +0.284 NRR is Hyderabad willing for the first Qualifier to reach the Final. While Chennai also scored 18 points but their NRR is just under Sunrisers i.e., +0.253 and finished in second place. This is Chennai’s first achievement after they were busted for 2 years in 2016 and 2017. It was a grand finish to the league stages by four participating teams following SRH, CSK, KKR, and RR. The fighting for third and fourth place was very intense but at the end only two acquire the positions.
The Super AMOLED display smartphones Samsung Galaxy J6 and Galaxy J8 has been launched in India today. The Galaxy J6 has 5.6″ and J8 has 6″ HD+ display with 18.5:9 display ratio for unparalleled experience. The design has smooth curves with plastic unibody and 2.5D curved glass which protects display from edges. The mid range smartphones will be available on Flipkart and Samsung e-store. Samsung J6 will be made available from May 22 means tomorrow while Galaxy J8 comes out on June 20 as claimed by the company operator. The dual nano SIM smartphones will comes as intrigued with Black, Gold and Blue color.
The Canadian company BlackBerry Limited is somewhat in news about for the ongoing work on its new levels of smartphones. The benchmark listings has been surfaced on the internet for the two new BlackBerry’s smartphones. Talking about the company’s slowing down business has not affected the designing team much. Since they are anxious for their new designed smartphones that has been listed on Geekbench. The superlative platform for all newly designed devices to check their performances. The first one is surfaced as BlackBerry KEY2 (with model number BBE100-2) while the second one holds alias as just “BlackBerry”.


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US (CA): Storm could be trouble for cherries
Storms this week throughout California's Central Valley could damage cherries before the season gets underway. Although rain won't affect this year's crop, hail could damage fruit.
An erratic bloom period already promised to curtail production of Brooks cherries in southern growing regions, but overall production was not expected to suffer. But if this week's storms bring large amounts of hail or strong winds, that could damage fruit.
"Rain won't really do anything," says Jim Stewart, sales manager at Wespak Sales. "But hail and wind would injure cherries." He adds that this time of year is important as so much of the success of the season is dependent on spring weather.
Production is not anticipated to be significantly different from previous years, but a bad storm could change that. Once this week's weather changes, says Stewart, they might have a better idea about production and quality.
According to the National Weather Service, after a brief break on Thursday morning, a storm system should impact central California into the weekend.
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Hotels across the UAE are well-positioned to make the most of the Eid Al Adha break, with many reporting close to full occupancies as a result of their attractive packages and unique offerings for domestic travellers.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Tim Cordon, senior area vice president for the Middle East & Africa, Radisson Hotel Group, noted that the past months’ recovery has been driven by a rebound in domestic tourism and, as a result, hotels had to change their approach in terms of strategy. Whilst summer and special occasions such as Eid, are usually synonymous with travelling, enjoying a well-deserved break or visiting loved ones, many residents have been opting for mini getaways and staycations, preferring to stay within the country.
“With that in mind, it has become essential to create attractive packages and offerings in order to grab the consumer’s interest,” said Cordon. “It has become crucial to add value to existing offerings. Guests, especially in a city like Dubai, are now looking for incentives such as F&B discounts, free upgrades, added value and booking flexibility.”
The unique selling points of a hotel, he added, no longer focus solely on location, it focuses on the flexibility the guest has in terms of bookings and cancellations, the type of experience the guest will receive when staying at the hotel, and their safety.
“While location and experiences used to be the main deciding factor, consumers also want to be reassured that hotels are taking their health and safety seriously,” Cordon said. “Personally, I believe there is a real opportunity for brands to stand by and clearly communicate their brand values and positioning to consumers. Consumers need to believe in your brand, in your health and safety commitment and that you will deliver on your promises.”
Alexander Lee, CCO at Jumeirah Group, had a similar observation, saying that the group’s properties in the UAE have seen “a tremendous response” from the domestic market, particularly over the weekends and national holidays. “We are seeing a positive uptake for the upcoming Eid Al Adha break. Our dedicated staycation offers are helping to drive this interest as they allow guests the chance to spend time with loved ones, while enjoying luxurious hospitality within stunning locations that are close to home, ideal when they cannot travel abroad so freely.”
“We offer exciting new dining concepts as well as new and improved resort facilities, including refreshingly chilled pools,” he added. “These, combined with our world class safety efforts and an exceptional breadth of experiences, as well as our 2km private beachfront in Dubai, have enabled us to deliver exciting new concepts to attract guests with mindful, shareable and enriching experiences.”
Similarly, Matthew Mullan, GM of Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island, pointed out that having a wide range of family friendly activities is important for customer satisfaction. “With individuals being more inclined towards domestic travel this Eid al-Adha, residents are looking for an escape from the ordinary and turning to local destinations for a fun and engaging break. We are excited to welcome families and guests to explore our range of activities and to be able to provide them with experiences that will offer lasting memories for years to come.”
As part of the staycation package, he explained that the hotel is offering a host of additional benefits, including access to Yas Theme Parks, included in each stay for every registered guest, which are valid for Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld or Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi.
“Our limited-time F&B offers across our dining venues over the holiday provides guests with the opportunity to enjoy a family-friendly Eid al-Adha brunch or an Eid al-Adha dinner at Graphos Social Kitchen,” he said. “Guests looking to celebrate Eid with a special Levant Afternoon Tea can do so at Osmo – Lounge and Bar. They can indulge in an array of bites, teas, coffees or juice, while overlooking the Yas Bay lighting up with a magnificent display of Eid fireworks across the three days of Eid al-Adha.”
Jan Moenkedieck, GM of Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, added that it is important to have activities that are specifically catered to children at the hotel. “Alongside our newly revamped Kids Club we have implemented multiple initiatives for the little ones: a Kids Concierge program, new children’s menus, plus engagement from arrival to departure. Our kids can choose from several activities based on their interests, designing their own bespoke recreation program.”
To ensure younger guests are thoroughly entertained, Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah also provides a dedicated Kids Passport upon arrival, which includes games and puzzles, and a section for stamps that children can collect by visiting different checkpoints within the resort.
“We have two separate pools, one catering to families, and another for adult’s only, providing some quiet time for those who need it. Guests can also enjoy our pristine private beach which enjoys stunning views across the Arabian Gulf shoreline, alongside a woodhouse and kids' slides for extra fun,” Moenkedieck said. “All the hotel staff are feeling incredibly positive about the long break ahead and we are delighted to have the opportunity to provide travellers with everlasting memories.”
Events to be staged at the DWTC, comprising diverse sectors including construction, energy, technology, beauty, food, healthcare, environment and automotive, will mark the emirate’s post-pandemic economic recovery


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Five years ago, Jonathan Tan and Roger Basu were looking for an industry where they could use their experience in thin film technology to achieve the best possible and fastest results. They chose the battery, more precisely, degradation and battery life.
It was not, and still is not, an industry without investment, research, or companies that claim to be successful in the field of batteries. But the couple claims to have seen everyone else zigzag.
Tan and Basu, who co-founded California-based startup CorShell in 2017, said they weren’t trying to develop a new battery from scratch as many companies were already working on the costly and time-consuming undertaking.
Instead, they focused on nano-coating technology that could be added to a battery cell manufacturer’s existing manufacturing system. The founders of CorShell said that this coating increases the battery’s usable capacity by 30% or more and improves thermal stability by up to 200%, while reducing costs and improving safety. It can also be applied to batteries with a variety of chemistry and applications, including consumer electronics and electric vehicles.
“We want to be the ‘Intel Inside’ of the battery,” said CorShell CEO Tan gaming-updates. “We want to apply this coating technology directly to the most difficult surfaces in a battery, namely the anode surface and the cathode surface where it comes into contact with the electrolyte.”
CoreShell’s new approach has been backed by various investors, battery manufacturers and even the prestigious dune buggy company Meyers Manx. The advisory tube is also full of experts, including Tesla co-founder Mark Tarpening; Chunmei Bang, professor at the University of Colorado, known for her work at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; and Judith O’Brien, who has made a career of helping companies go public.
The pair first started trading and then went through the Alchemist Accelerator in 2020 to raise some seed capital.
Since then, CorShell has collaborated with BASF on a range of coatings for advanced cathode materials, as well as with other battery cell manufacturers Tan could not name. The company recently raised $12 million in a Series A round led by Trousdale Ventures, Industry Ventures and Helios Capital Ventures. The round also included existing investors Entrada Ventures, Foothill Ventures and Asymmetry Ventures. To date, CorShell has raised $19 million.
CorShell’s relationship with Trousdale Ventures and, in particular, Managing Partner Philip Sarofim also led to a collaboration with Meyers Manx. The Meyers Manx Electric Beach Buggy prototype will be the first vehicle to feature CorShell technology.
Sarofim, who is also president of Meyers Manx, said the partnership is in line with Meyers Manx’s mission to “continue to bring adventure and entertainment to the world, but with even greater performance to meet the expectations of today’s consumers.”
Meyers Max Performance, a collaboration with other battery cell manufacturers and automakers, will enable CoreShell to showcase all of its capabilities at both the cell and device levels, as well as the speed at which it can be applied to vehicles, said Tan, a chemical engineer. . who became a tech business development manager.
The company is also partnering with New Era Converting Machinery to demonstrate how its thin film coating technology can be used in roll-to-roll processing. If successful, Corshall will be able to convince car and battery manufacturers to adopt its technology.
Battery manufacturers use a continuous process called roll-to-roll. “Open the cylindrical cell and you will see what looks like a bead of electrodes,” Tang explained. They are essentially large rolls of electrodes on foil before they are placed in the battery case.
“Obviously, this is too small to start with, but even demonstrating this potential is an important step in order to show: “Hey, you can just put us there and the battery will die.” and can reap the performance benefits of increased capacity. while lowering production costs,” Tan said.
It was this progress that caught Tarpening’s attention.
“It seemed like every six months a breakthrough was announced that would mean a reduction in battery capacity, or price, or whatever — but that never happens,” Tarpenning said. “Part of this is because many of these technologies that work in the lab don’t scale well or require major process changes.”
He liked CorShell because it could be added to existing cell maker operations.
“You can really put it in there and see how it works in an existing factory – and that was a huge achievement for me,” he said. “I thought, wow, well, this is one of those big chicken and egg problems that have just been sorted out.”


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Although Apple is usually the company dishing out lawsuits, it does happen from time to time that various companies make claims, genuine or otherwise, against the great Californian cruncher that is global tech behemoth, Apple.
This particular claim came from the Swiss SBB national railway, which among other things is famous for its simple and iconic clock face, desgined in 1944 by Swiss engineer Hans Hilfiker and still used on Swiss railway platforms today, with the iconic clock design supposed to be "exclusively" licensed to the Mondiane Watch Group. Indeed, Mondaine says it is surprised that SBB has licensed the clock face to Apple, according to a Reuters report.
In any case, it's this classic and decades-old clock face design that Apple seemed to borrow liberally from when creating its long awaited native clock app for iPads - and one that Apple borrowed from without checking with SBB first.
As widely reported at the time, SBB was quick to protest not long after the release of the iOS 6.0 upgrade for compatible iPads, pointing out the clear and present similarities, and no doubt setting off a major series of sqwaks for its legal division of angry-bird eagles and those of Apple's.
In addition to Reuters' report, linked above, comes a report from news giant AFP, quoting a Swiss newspaper, which suggests that SBB has received a 20m Swiss franc payment from Apple last month in October, equalling approximately US $21m, in payment for licensing of the famous clock face.
However, Reuters report SBB stating that: "For the use of the clockface on certain Apple devices such as iPads and iPhones, the parties have negotiated an arrangement that enables Apple to use the SBB station clock under a license agreement".
So, not even the mighty Apple can get away without being very closely inspired by someone else's design and not having to cough up the fees if caught doing so - in this case, Apple has clocked up a hefty $20+ million dollar sum, although one that's easy for Apple to pay when it has billions in the bank.
Ultimately, it's a timely reminder that even if, as Steve Jobs noted, that "good artists copy, and great artists steal", there still might come a time when you need to pay the piper - with originality always your best bet to avoiding imperial patent and copyright entanglements.
It also helps to be really successful like Apple with excellent cashflow and profits so you can always pay your way out of any licensing clock-ups!


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A few days ago, it was reported that restaurants in cities such as New York, San Francisco and Chicago encountered "professional bad reviewers" on Google Maps. In fact, to put it simply, someone uses the "one-star bad review" to "intimidate and blackmail" the business. According to a report in The New York Times, almost every email to these restaurants was the same. It reads, "We sincerely apologize for our actions and do not want to harm your business, but we have no choice." The sender said he lived in India and asked the restaurants to "remove bad reviews" in exchange for a $75 Google Play Store gift card that could be resold to provide them with several weeks of revenue. In response,
Google Maps said it is "investigating the situation and has begun to delete comments that violate its policies." At the same time, Google also emphasized that "reviews must be based on real experience, and when we find behavior that violates the policy, we will take prompt action, including deleting content, suspending accounts, and even suing." Despite this, there b2b data are still quite a few restaurants with negative reviews that continue to emerge and are retained. "We just felt defenseless," said Julianna Yang, general manager of Sons & Daughters in San Francisco. In fact, the problem of "bad reviews" on Google Maps has been around for a long time. It is reported that operators including wineries, art studios, dental clinics and other operators have also encountered similar
"false reviews" and "malicious negative reviews", which have damaged the company's reputation, including malicious competition methods from rivals. But in the United States, lawmakers tend to be more on the side of consumers, protecting users' "right to complain" online, and operators will only learn the identity of anonymous commenters if the court determines they are fake. Obviously, such a system also makes consumers' "bad evaluation rights" really not friendly enough for businesses. 1. "Protected Right to Bad Evaluation" and "Unarmed Merchants" There is no doubt that the problem of "bad review extortion" is not only on platforms like Google Maps these days, but also on e-commerce platforms or food delivery platforms.


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After months of engineering, teasing, and testing, we are ready to roll out the newest creation from our DJ TechTools labs: Chroma Cables! We took our extremely popular High Quality USB Cable, gave it a full redesign, and wrapped them in five new brilliant colors with integrated matching cable ties. All models are now shipping in the store; check out more details after the break.
TechTools supporters have been asking us in the last week if we’re doing another massive Black Friday sale this year, and the answer is a strong “Yes!” Avoid the lines at Guitar Center and the other megastores by supporting your favorite DJ community this holiday season. The entire store is getting a giant discount between […]


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Britvic to cut plastic content in its bottles
from Plastics & Rubber Weekly
Britvic, the U.K.'s leading producer of soft drinks, plans to use less plastic in bottles containing its brands, including Robinsons and Fruit Shoot, as it attempts to keep a lid on costs.
7701 Las Colinas Blvd., Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063


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For years now, the renown pastor, Martin Sempa was well-known for trashing anything including non Godly related, without fear or favour. He’s well-known for exposing fake prophets and Pastors once they fail to meet biblical standards and commands.
However, according to Ghafla Uganda, it indicates that Martin Sempa doesn’t recognize Zari Hassan the boss lady and mother of five kids as a Uganda’s tourism ambassador, but rather a sex ambassador in Uganda.
However, Zari Hassan, a socialite and a former wife to the Tandale singer Diamond Platnumz, was named as the brand Tourism ambassador in Uganda recently, but not all people have the same positive understanding in certain things, Pastor Martin Sempa noted that Zari can’t be Uganda’s tourism ambassador and everyone is comfortable with that.
Therefore, the pastor finally blamed the Ministry of Tourism for acting unprofessionally while choosing personalities who don’t fit or qualify as ambassadors. So keep posted for more news about his claims and response from the ministry or from Zari herself.
- President Museveni Wants Tourism Growth In The Country
- Zari Hassan Chosen As The Latest Tourism Ambassador In Uganda
- Love Sparkles Between Zari And Diamond
Please use the button below to contribute to Newslex Point, Inc. using a credit card or via PayPal.


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Anti-sanction measures will extend for years to come...
In a counter attack against EU sanctions, the Russian government has announced that within the decade Russia will be entirely self-sufficientwhen it comes to food products.
Agriculture Minister, Alexander Tkachyov stated on Tuesday that Russia will be less reliant on food imports in future, hoping to eliminate them from the market altogether by 2025.
Such a move would require, of course, considerable state support - a sum of 2 trillion roubles ($35 billion) over the next five years. Nevertheless, it will undoubtedly be a huge boost to domestic agriculture. Tkachyov, appointed in April to boost agriculture development remarked that as a result of sanctions, domestic producers have greatly benefited as the cost of imported food was raised. In addition he says it is in demand by the Russian public itself:
“Domestic products are sought after on shop shelves; they are in demand. There is now something of a trend - people want to see national produce and they trust it because it is good quality and they know where it’s come from”.
Although counter-sanction measures are to be in place till 6th August 2016, it seems the sanctions put in place by the EU have inspired a re-think of Russia's agricultural policy for years to come.


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Wednesday, April 28th, 2021.
Denim Day. An anual day in honor of all of the survivors of sexual violence. Denim Day is a day to spread awareness, educate, and wear denim with a purpose.
Italy 1992. Twenty-nine years ago while an 18 year old female was taking a driving lesson, she was taken advantage of by her 45 year old male driving instructor. After reporting the crime, the driving instructor was found guilty and was sent to jail. Years pass and he comes up with the claim that what he did was all consensual to get out of jail. The court’s argument was that the survivor was wearing very tight denim jeans. The clothing plays a part in the court’s argument, while what a person wears should not correlate with actions. The court said that the survivor was wearing tight jeans so she would’ve had to help him take them off, and this meaning she would’ve been contributing to the actions and “giving him consent.” The case and all of the information got released to the public and it caused outrage. The women of Italy took to the steps of the Supreme court and wore denim jeans in protest. The news got out and it went international. Denim events happened in the United States and Denim Day was born.
Every year since 1999, Denim Day has been a day for survivors of sexual violence. Denim Day is a global campaign and always will be. Denim Day in 2019 had 10,679,597 people wear jeans with a purpose.
Wearing a certain article of clothing does not mean consent is given. People should be able to wear whatever they want and not worry about things happening to them. While there is the argument many people try to make, “Well look at what they’re wearing,” “What they’re wearing is asking for it,” and the question “What were they wearing?” The denim jeans the survivor wore goes to show that an everyday, basic piece of apparel can still have sexual violence attached to it. The clothing isn’t the problem, the problem is people.
Spreading awareness is a way anyone can help. Wearing denim on April 28th can help spread awareness. Posting about it and talking to people about it can also help educate and spread awareness on sexual violence.
24/7 LA Rape & Battering Hotline: 626.793.3385 | 310.392.8381 | 213.626.3393
RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255


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Tecnocap Announces Indian JV Tecnocap Oriental
Italy-headquartered Tecnocap has announced its entry into India with a joint venture called Tecnocap Oriental. The company recently signed an agreement towards this with the Indian packaging producer Oricon Enterprise. According to the agreement, the two partner companies have set up the Tecnocap Oriental based in Mumbai. Tecnocap will have the control of 75% of the share capital through the acquisition of the metal lug business of the Indian partner Oricon, which will hold the remaining 25% of the company.
Tecnocap develops and manufactures functional, attractive and reliable metal closures, aluminium aerosol cans and bottles, enabling worldwide customers to build their brands, to protect the integrity of their products and guarantee the safety of consumers.


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Coke stumbles, KFC bounces back
A new scandal involving Coke and a previous food safety scandal involving KFC are likely to pass quickly, having little long-term effect on the companies' China operations
New reports on global food and beverage giants Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) and Yum Brands (NYSE: YUM) are highlighting some of the unique challenges of doing business in China, while also showing that Chinese are quite willing to forgive these global giants' missteps if they show proper contrition. In fact, most of these so-called missteps are due to uniquely Chinese circumstances that most major multinationals would never have to worry about in more developed western markets.
As such, these problems are rarely the result of intentional actions, which is perhaps why Chinese consumers and officials are so willing to quickly forgive the transgressions. A good dose of contrition is also important, with the big western food and beverage giants all becoming quite skilled at offering numerous apologies and other public announcements to show they are working to solve the problems each time a new scandal occurs.
Most of the recent scandals are related to food safety, but the latest crisis confronting Coke comes on the completely unrelated area of national security. In this case, the world's biggest beverage company is being investigated for potentially violating some of China's national security laws by mapping parts of southwestern Yunnan province.
The allegations are coming from a local provincial body, which is alleging that Coke may have used handheld GPS equipment to illegally gather classified information. Coke, which is now quite experienced at handling this kind of crisis, responded by saying it is fully cooperating with the investigation. It added that it has used commercially available GPS services at many of its bottling operations to help improve customer service and fuel efficiency.
This move against Coke comes just months after a unit of Chinese construction equipment giant Sany Heavy (Shanghai: 600031) was blocked from investing in a US-based wind farm also on national security grounds that weren't ever explained. (previous post) It's unclear if this case is related to that veto.
But regardless of the reasons, the case does underscore the fact that something as seemingly innocuous as mapping using commercially available products can be considered a national security issue in China. Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) made a similar discovery when it clashed with Beijing last year over its popular mapping service in China. I'm relatively sure that Coke will quickly settle this case and the negative headlines will subside, as it's unlikely the company deliberately engaged in any illegal action.
Meantime, Yum is saying separately that same-store sales for its flagship KFC brand in China fell 20 per cent in the first quarter of this year. While that kind of drop would normally look catastrophic for a company like Yum, which counts China as its biggest market outside the US, the figure is actually a bit better than the 25 per cent drop that many company watchers were expecting.
KFC has been in the headlines for much of the last few months due to a food safety scandal after media reported that chickens from one of its smaller suppliers contained excessive antibiotics. The scandal caused KFC's China sales to slump at the end of last year, and also took a big bite out of Yum's stock price.
The relatively quick bounce-back in Yum's business doesn't surprise me at all, as similar scandals at other major multinationals ranging from McDonalds (NYSE: MCD) to Carrefour (Paris: CA) are often forgotten within a few months by Chinese consumers and officials who generally trust the big foreign names more than local Chinese rivals. At the end of the day, Yum can probably expect its KFC business to return to a growth track by the third quarter of this year, while Coke can expect its Yunnan tussle to quickly pass with little or no negative impact on its China operations.
Bottom line: A new scandal involving Coke and a previous food safety scandal involving KFC are likely to pass quickly, having little long-term effect on the companies' China operations.
To read more commentaries from Doug Young, visit youngchinabiz.com


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Jebbit celebrates Data Privacy Day 2019!
First-party data is the most valuable marketing data you can get. But how can you get it at scale?
Learn how retail and travel brands are using Jebbit for their holiday marketing.
Jebbit, the world’s leading declared data platform, today announced it has experienced another record quarter, underscored by doubling its business in under six months and the addition of several new clients, including Monster.com.
Marketers struggle to capture their customers' attention and learn what matters to them. Here's how Jebbit can help.
We illuminate three unique ways media companies are using first-party data to drive revenue.
Announcing Big Changes to the Jebbit Platform: Declared Data Trends + Semi-Automated Content Creation
Jebbit's latest feature release makes building experiences easier and adds new analysis capabilities.
Declared data platform company supports growth with Twitter partnership and strategic additions to team.
Consumers want personalization, but their blind trust in brands to access their personal data is fast eroding. How do we market effectively in this new, post-Cambridge Analytica world?
Jebbit is a Twitter Partner!


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Ars Technica has an interesting piece today about the iPhone SDK, and the NDA that continues to withhold information about it from reaching the masses. While the problem isn't that there's a lack of documentation...
...of Windows 10 Mobile, Samsung's latest slip-up and Clippy's machismo
Hands on with Verizon's Lumia 735
Discover all of our Windows 10 PC and Mobile coverage here!
Review: Ulefone Be Touch
Polling app Straw goes global with 2.0 release (and we chat about it with @BenThePCGuy)
Microsoft: Windows Insider program is not a free upgrade path for XP users to Windows 10
At Apple's WWDC this week, the company said that applications written as Carbon applications, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop, would be the most difficult to port to Intel-based Macs. Apple also encouraged developers...


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The results of a recent survey by premier communications holding company, AT&T, called the “Small Business Technology Poll” have just been released, and they show that small businesses are continuing to use an increasing amount of the latest wireless technologies, such as 4G devices, tablet computers, and GPS navigation mobile apps.
Within the poll, it was also discovered that 96 percent of small businesses are using wireless technologies as a part of their regular operations, and almost two out of every three of those businesses (63 percent) said that it would either be a significant challenge to survive, or they would not be able to survive at all without the assistance of their mobile devices.
At the same time, 43 percent of the small businesses that participated in the survey said that all of their employees were using mobile commerce technology or devices so that they could work when they were away from the office. This is an increase of almost 80 percent when compared to the results seen three years earlier.
Even though tablets are relatively new to the mobile technology scene, it was still found that 67 percent of small businesses use these devices. Compared to last year, this is an increase of 57 percent.
It was also predicted that by the time 2012 comes to a close, about half of all of the surveyed businesses will have all of their employees armed with a mobile device in order to be able to work when they are out of the office.


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CHARBONNEL ET WALKER, suppliers of chocolate to The Queen, has done it again, with the launch of its new banoffee truffles…buy a box and share at your discretion.
LUXURY CHOCOLATIER Charbonnel et Walker, dating back to 1875 and suppliers of
chocolate to The Queen, has just released a new flavour of its trademark
truffles – Banoffee.
This latest addition to the already world-renowned
truffle collection, is handmade at the Charbonnel et Walker headquarters in
Royal Tunbridge Wells to the original recipe; a creation of white
chocolate, butter, natural banana extracts and caramel enclosed in a milk
Buy a box now for £10.95 and share at
your discretion. Stores
can be found at 28 Old Bond Street, Canary Wharf, London Liverpool Street,
Leeds, York and Bath. Stockists include John Lewis, Waitrose and Harvey Nichols. Tel: (020) 7491 0939;


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Top-tourist-attractions-in-plymouth-travel-guide-england, destination plymouth executive director lea filson is looking at the numbers these days and knows from experience what they. Border restrictions are slowly being eased across the world but what does this mean for potential global travel here we, from the spirit of the west park in cornwall to blobbyland in somerset there have been some spectacular theme parks here in. The greek tourism ministry has announced that as of june 15 people from 29 countries will be allowed to enter greece on, while things have improved from a public health perspective in recent days with the government preparing to lift its state.
With a trip abroad unlikely and social restrictions still in place here's what to expect from a summer that will be like no, holidays in the future may not be at the top of most britons' agendas right now but for those keen travellers itching to book. "we know it's going to be very difficult for them in the months to come and will try to guide on tourism and hospitality our hoteliers publicans holiday resorts and visitor attractions, trade body says firms don't receive coronavirus support because of business rating.
We have compiled for you the 15oldest cities in the usa the cities are more of tourist centres that preserve cultures and, as the travel industry reopens following covid 19 shutdowns tpg suggests that you talk to your doctor follow health. Children exploring rock pools walks through meadows and the sun setting over cliff tops - these are all the delights of


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NEW YORK (NEWS10) – She’s no Easter Bunny, but on April 1, New York Attorney General Letitia James secured 1.2 million eggs that will feed New Yorkers still suffering economically due to COVID-19. An agreement signed with Hillandale Farms Corporation resolves an August 2020 lawsuit for price gouging eggs at the beginning of COVID-19.
Under the agreement, Hillandale will stop price gouging eggs and, in addition, will donate 1.2 million eggs to New York food banks. The food banks will then distribute the eggs to thousands of food pantries, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters.
“As New Yorkers scrambled to stock up on food, one of the nation’s largest egg producers raised prices to unprecedented levels and made it harder for New Yorkers to feed their families,” said Attorney General James. “Hillandale may have run afoul of our state’s price gouging laws and hatched a plan that targeted our state’s most vulnerable in its darkest hour, but, today, we’re delivering 1.2 million eggs to feed hungry New Yorkers and make things right. New Yorkers can trust that I will always stand up for our state’s working families.”
According to the suit last year, from March 2020 through at least April 2020, Hillandale allegedly gouged the prices of eggs that it sold to major grocery store chains, U.S. military facilities, and wholesale food distributors throughout the state. The lawsuit alleged that during those two months alone, Hillandale made millions of dollars from price gouging eggs. Many of those eggs were sold in grocery stores located in low-income communities.
From January 2020 to early March 2020, Hillandale charged Western Beef Supermarket prices ranging from $0.59 to $1.10 for a dozen large white eggs. On March 15, 2020, Hillandale raised that price to $1.49. As the pandemic progressed, Hillandale raised prices, eventually reaching $2.93 per dozen. Similarly, prices were raised on eggs sold to Stop & Shop, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Associated Supermarkets, and at the commissary stores at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and at the U.S. military bases at Fort Hamilton and at Fort Drum.


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According to an unconfirmed Famitsu leak, Kingdom Hearts III will give Sora a Keyblade that transforms, changing how it's used. Kotaku will confirm this once the magazine is released in Japan.
Out of 1,161 Japanese gamers polled, 40.4% want a Wii U, 33.4% a Vita, 21.2% a 3DS, 19.7% a PS3, and 9.6% an Xbox 360.
In the latest issue of Famitsu, Shuhei Yoshida apparently said that there are lots of unannounced PS Vita titles. Noted!


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Isle of Man Netball turns pink in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Isle of Man Netball is marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month by turning pink.
Breast Cancer Now (Volunteering in the Isle of Man) is Isle of Man Netball’s charity of the year, voted for by members. Throughout the year the association is going to be fundraising and raising awareness for the charity.
To mark the awareness month, Isle of Man Netball has launched a pink scrunchie campaign. Working with local businesswoman Amanda Dawson who owns Hairwrap (Instagram hairwrap.scrunchies), they have created a bespoke pink scrunchie available exclusively to Isle of Man Netball members.
Members purchased 350 scrunchies in total, and players will wear these as they take to the court throughout October. £2 from each scrunchie is being donated to the charity; meaning in total the charity will receive £700 from the campaign.
Anna McChesney, Head of Marketing and PR at Isle of Man Netball, explained: “We wanted to celebrate this important awareness month with our members. We were overwhelmed by the popularity of the scrunchie campaign and the amount of orders we received. A big thanks to everyone involved – we’ve managed to raise a fantastic £700 for our charity of the year.”
Angie Aire MBE of Breast Cancer Now Isle of Man, commented: “We’re extremely grateful to Isle of Man Netball for engaging their members in this fantastic campaign, not only raising money for our charity but also awareness. It’s such a creative idea and it was fantastic to see so many pink scrunchies out on court on Sunday when we popped down to the Senior League games.”
Breast Cancer Now Isle of Man has a number of activities throughout October to mark the awareness month. Visit their Facebook page for more information: https://www.facebook.com/BCNowIOM