April 20, 2009
Events & Seminars
Toy/Children's Products
Food/Drug
Lead/Chemical
Regulation Updates
Apparel/Textile
Industry Updates
Responsible Sourcing
|
Specialized Technology Resources, Inc.
Raising the world’s expectation of product quality, safety and supply chain responsibility
|
|
|
|
|
|
Events & Seminars
• STR Webinar: Lessons From The Food Recall Crisis - How To Achieve Quality, Safety & Traceability
STR is pleased to present a webinar on Lessons from the food recall crisis: How to achieve quality, safety & traceability on May 7, 2009 from 2:00 – 2:45 pm EST. The recent spate of recalls in the food industry has once again raised consumer concerns over food safety. Join STR as we discuss the lessons which food companies can learn from this recall crisis and how to achieve quality, safety and traceability in your food supply chain.
Click here to register and for more details.
• Material World & Technology Solutions
Victor Ovadia, Senior Director Business Development and Ben DeVito, Business Development Executive at STR will attend the Material World & Technology Solutions Show on April 21-23, 2009 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, in Miami, FL.... [Full Article]
• World Trade Group's Food Technology & Innovation Forum
STR will participate in the World Trade Group's Food Technology & Innovation Forum being held May 12-13, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago, IL.... [Full Article]
• National Restaurant Association (NRA), Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show
STR will participate in the NRA Show®, exhibit booth #4706, being held May 16-19, 2009 at McCormick Place in Chicago. IL.... [Full Article]
• CHINAPLAS 2009 Exhibition
STR will participate in the upcoming CHINAPLAS 2009 Exhibition, on May 18-21 at the China Import & Export Fair Pazhou Complex, Guangzhou, PR China. Please visit us at booth N21 in Hall 9.2. Full Article.
• AAFA Product Safety/Supply Chain Compliance Seminar & Exhibition
STR will participate in the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) Product Safety/Supply Chain Compliance Seminar & Exhibition on June 11, 2009 in New York City.
... [Full Article]
Toy/Children's Products
• Confusion, Concern Still Surround New CPSIA Regulations
The recent implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act has resulted in a growing wave of complaints from retailers who are saddled with more than $1 billion of goods they can't sell. Read more.
• CPSC Final Rule - Procedures and Requirements for a Commission Determination or Exclusion
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a final rule, effective March 11, 2009,
which outlines procedures and requirements for requests for a commission determination or exclusion.
Read more.
• New Australian Safety Standard for Lead and Heavy Metals in Toys
The Australian government has published a new safety standard that limits lead and heavy metals in children's toys. These requirements, which go into effect on January 1, 2010, will replace the current Trade Practices Act ban on lead in toys, which was implemented in September 2007. Read more.
• The Line on Lead Testing
Susan DeRagon, Associate Director of the Toy and Premium Division, co-authored an article on testing toys for lead in light of recent and upcoming changes in CPSIA regulations. The article, which appears in this month's issue of Playthings, advised against duplicative testing of identical parts and instead recommended a reasonable testing program based on testing and certifying component parts. Read more.
Food/Drug
• ABC News Story on Pistachios and Salmonella Contamination Quotes STR
As part of its investigation of this latest food safety crisis, ABC News turned to Jerry Kelly, Senior Technical Consultant, for his expertise and insights on what food manufacturers need to do to ensure the safety of their products. Read more.
• U.S. Food Safety No Longer Improving
The safety of the nation's food supply has not improved over the past three years, and in the case of salmonella, infections may be on the rise, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In response to the report, the FDA stated that the entire food safety system needs to be overhauled and modernized to adequately address the challenges of an increasingly global food supply. Read more.
• It's Organic But Does That Mean It's Safer?
Consumers' belief that organic food is safer was shaken when it was revealed that the food manufacturers implicated in the salmonella-contaminated peanut butter recall had federal organic certification. In fact, although the rules governing organic food require health inspections and pest-management plans, organic certification technically has nothing to do with food safety. Read more.
• FDA Approves Vitamin D Fortification of Soy Foods
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently amended its food additive regulations to allow for soy-based foods and drinks to be fortified with vitamin D. Although vitamin D is essential in humans, experts have noted that about one billion people are estimated to be vitamin D deficient, particularly since very few foods are fortified with the vitamin.
Read more.
Lead/Chemical
• Household Products Start to Come Clean on Ingredients
A few manufacturers of household cleaning products have begun disclosing the chemicals in some of their products, partly in response to joint guidelines recently established by industry trade groups to encourage use of a standardized format for presenting technical information such as chemical names. Consumer demand for cleaning products perceived as eco-friendly, which consumers assume are safer, has also driven the voluntary initiative.
Read more.
Regulation Updates
• Canada: New Regulations for Corded Window Coverings
The Government of Canada has announced new safety regulations for corded window coverings. These regulations, designed to reduce the strangulation hazard, are effective immediately.
Read more.
Apparel/Textile
• Triexta Established as New Generic Fiber
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has established "triexta" as a new generic subclass within the existing "polyester" category for fibers made from poly(trimethylene terephthalate) ("PTT"). Read more.
• Canada Issues Guidance on Bamboo Labeling
Canada's Competition Bureau has issued clarification on the proper labeling of textile articles derived from bamboo. The Textile Labelling Act (TLA) and Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations (TLAR) require consumer textile articles to be labeled accurately in to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions.
Read more.
Industry Updates
• Private Label Industry Growth
Several articles in the Wall Street Journal have focused on the growth of "private label," or store-branded, products. In the midst of a slumping economy, consumers are switching from big brand names to less expensive private label products. The private label industry is responding quickly to take advantage of this growth opportunity. Read more.
Responsible Sourcing
• STR Responsible Sourcing Releases 4th Annual Report
STR Responsible Sourcing is proud to announce its fourth annual report that includes our Communication on Progress in furthering the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) principles. Read more.
• Exxon Valdez and the Birth of Corporate Responsibility
Twenty years after the Exxon Valdez tragedy, Adrien Lopez, who was born and raised in Alaska, reflects on the emergence of the corporate responsibility movement and the progress made to date. Read more.
• Corporate Guide Provides Tool to Assess Human Rights
With the increase in globalization, multinational corporations can have a vast impact on society, particularly in the area of human rights. To help companies measure their footprint, Aim for Human Rights recently released a Guide to Human Rights Impact Assessment Tools. Read more.
• U.S. Consumers Confused By, Yet Still Support, Green Products
While nearly one in four U.S. consumers say they have "no way of knowing" if a product is green or actually does what it claims, more than half are willing to pay more for green products, according to a recent survey. Consumers rely on a variety of sources to verify green claims, including consumer reports, certification seals or labels, and ingredient lists. Read more.
• U.S. Labor Department Steps Up Enforcement of Wage and Child Labor Laws
The U.S. Labor Department recently announced the hiring of 150 more investigators to enforce wage and child labor laws and ensure all workers are paid at least the minimum wage and proper overtime. The additional hirings are part of a plan by the agency to increase staff in the division by more than a third, as part of an increasingly vigorous approach to workplace regulation under the Obama administration. Read more.
|
|
