It’s food, but not as we know it: a new processing plant is set to produce sausages packed with deadly E.coli and cheese full of Listeria – to save us from food poisoning.

Brine baths, background flora, disinfection and drying can all help to get rid of Listeria, but the bacterium is very hard to kill off.

Researchers believe that the packaging of the future will contain substances that will get rid of unwanted bacteria. Or it could be made from food waste.

Salmon that becomes stressed before slaughter has a shorter shelf life because the flesh suffers more bacterial growth and develops undesirable flavours and odours more quickly. The negative consequences of stress are greater for raw than for cooked salmon.

There is nothing like a juicy piece of meat, many consumers would claim, only to immediately express their meat-related concerns about food safety, the environment, and health. No other food item triggers as many or as complex associations. What does it entail for the meat industry that consumers have such differing perceptions of meat?

The aim of the EU project FORBIOPLAST is to develop biodegradable food packaging from forestry and paper industry waste. Wood and paper mill by-products are intended to replace the fossil-fuel resources that are common today.

Norwegian researchers have found the solution to avoiding acrylamide in deep-fried potato products. Their goal now is to sell the technology to both European and American companies.

The Research Council of Norway has granted 27 mill NOK (3.4 mill euro) for establishing Campus Ås as a National centre for Food science and product development with modern pilot plant facilities for food production, packaging and storage. Existing pilot plant facilities will be upgraded and a unique new pilot plant for processing of foods contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms will be established. This pathogen pilot plant, at Biosafety level III, will be available for international cooperation among R&D institutions, Universities and industry.

Wenche Aale Hægermark

After about six months on the market, the sales of Strøm cod have exceeded all expectations. Now the cod loin has been nominated for the award that is considered to be the Oscar of the seafood industry – the Seafood Prix d’Elite in Brussels.