Two timely nutrient data sets provided by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are being used by the beef and pork industries to provide new Nutrition Facts labels for their products.

Developers of analytical instrumentation for food laboratories are constantly being kept on their toes—foremost by the competing technical advancements and expanding market demands inherent in their business, and also by the need to help customers comply with changing and more stringent regulatory requirements worldwide.

In an age of ever-increasing consumer requirements and the enforcement of strict regulations such as the Food Law and Foodstuffs and Commodities Act (US Food and Drug Administration, §64 LFBG), it is vital that beverage manufacturers demonstrate the quality and safety of their final product.

Thermo Scientific Gallery and Gallery Plus are discrete photometric analyzers with a broad menu of industrial and environmental system applications.

The Institute for Food Safety and Health (FSH), formerly the National Center for Food Safety and Technology, which is engaged in a broad range of food-related research, provides an excellent profile of the vital tools and instrumentation required for food testing.

The food sector in the United States (US) is experiencing its biggest changes in decades. This year, Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, updating regulations first implemented in 1938. The act greatly expands the powers of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whose new clout now includes food recall authority. Also in 2011, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are revised every five years, were updated to push for healthier diets overall, and especially for children.

Consumers and regulatory agencies are expressing more and more interest in the true amount of sodium contained in food products. Sodium has traditionally been indirectly tested using a silver nitrate precipitation reaction.

The requirements for sophisticated instruments and well-trained, experienced analysts in food safety laboratories are essential factors in making certain that food is safe from chemical contamination.

The role of food labs in the development of new flavours, textures and products.

Some say the world's population will swell to 9 billion people by 2030 and that will present significant challenges for agriculture to provide enough food to meet demand, says University of Idaho animal scientist Rod Hill.