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Salon du Chocolat to Return to NYC in November 2024

The largest world-renowned celebration of chocolate and cocoa, Salon du Chocolat, is set to return to the heart of New York City on Nov. 8-10, 2024 at the Javits Center.

Globally recognized by its Parisian origin,Salon du Chocolat is a remarkable international gathering of chocolatiers, artisans, pastry chefs, experts, and businesses from around the world, united by their unwavering passion for everything chocolate. Together, they create an awe-inspiring array of delectable offerings while showcasing their craftsmanship, diverse cultures, and extensive knowledge in a thoughtfully curated and immersive setting.

Attendees will have the opportunity to explore exclusive vendors, partake in delectable tastings, demonstrations, and educational seminars, shop for chocolate treasures, and most importantly, revel in the joy of chocolate in all its delightful forms.

The November 2024 edition of Salon du Chocolat New York City marks an exciting new chapter with globally recognized event organizer, Messe Frankfurt. This collaboration is poised to elevate the trade show to new heights, offering an even more premium, immersive experience for attendees, building on the strong foundation established in 2019.

“Celebrated for its diverse gastronomic landscape and culinary innovation, New York City provides the perfect backdrop for an event that celebrates the art of chocolate in all its forms. We look forward to continuing Salon du Chocolat’s legacy of excellence,” said Sharona Sandberg, operations manager, Messe Frankfurt Inc.

Save the date and prepare your taste buds for a sumptuous adventure at Salon du Chocolat New York City 2024.

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Amazon Fresh Store Achieves Zero Carbon Certification

In an important step in Amazon’s Climate Pledge commitment, a Seattle Amazon Fresh location received a Zero Carbon Certification from the International Living Future Institute, becoming the world’s first grocery store—and Amazon’s first building—to receive the certification. ILFI awarded the certification in September, and is currently evaluating four additional Amazon locations, which are on track to achieve this validation of their carbon-reduction efforts.

The 35,000-square-foot store opened in 2022 on Aurora Avenue in North Seattle, and was built with sustainability in mind. Its many climate-forward features include a natural-refrigerant-based refrigeration system, all-electric kitchen and hot water heating systems, electric-vehicle charging for customers, and low-carbon concrete floors. These features are hiding in plain sight throughout the store, and customers may not even realize the floors they walk on have a lower carbon footprint, for example—yet, the store has saved over 100 tons of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) compared to an industry standard grocery store since it opened.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the team and everyone involved in this achievement,” said Tony Hoggett, senior vice president of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores. “At Amazon, we’re building a best-in-class grocery shopping experience, and part of that is bringing customers more sustainable options across our stores. Enacting initiatives that support Amazon’s commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040, like the Zero Carbon Certification, are a win for our planet.”

ILFI’s Zero Carbon Certification is a globally applicable standard mandating combustion-free systems, reductions in operational and embodied carbon impacts of a building, and measured achievement through demonstrated data. Its certification is a highly rigorous standard for validating building decarbonization efforts—to achieve it, the Amazon Fresh store operations were reviewed for 12 consecutive months.

“We’re thrilled to see this leadership from Amazon,” said Lindsay Baker, CEO of ILFI. “A grocery store showing how to be accountable for all its carbon—from construction and materials to operations—is impactful from both a customer and industry perspective.”

In addition to the Seattle Amazon Fresh location, three Los Angeles-area Amazon Go locations, an Amazon Same-Day site in Sacramento, and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle are currently on track to receive Zero Carbon Certification from ILFI.

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FDA Seeks to Ban Brominated Vegetable Oil in Food

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed to revoke the regulation authorizing the use of brominated vegetable oil in food. The agency concluded that the intended use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe after the results of studies conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health found the potential for adverse health effects in humans.

BVO is a vegetable oil that is modified with bromine. It is authorized by the FDA for use in small amounts to keep the citrus flavoring from separating and floating to the top of some beverages. In 1970, the FDA determined BVO was no longer “Generally Recognized as Safe” and began overseeing its use under our food additive regulations. Over the years many beverage makers reformulated their products to replace BVO with an alternative ingredient, and today, few beverages in the United States contain BVO.

The FDA prioritizes its review of chemicals in food based on risk, science and regulatory authority. Although BVO has a long history of use in foods and was at one time considered GRAS, we have continued to study it to understand any potential health impacts. Recent toxicology studiesExternal Link Disclaimer conducted in collaboration with the NIH have now given us conclusive scientific evidence to support our proposal to remove the FDA’s food additive authorization for BVO.

The proposed action is an example of how the agency monitors emerging evidence and, as needed, conducts scientific research to investigate safety related questions, and takes regulatory action when the science does not support the continued safe use of additives in foods.

The FDA recognizes that California recently took steps to ban the use of four food ingredients, including BVO, in that state. The agency is continuously reviewing and reassessing the safety of a variety of chemicals in food to ensure the science and the law support their safe use in food, including all four ingredients that are part of the recent California law.

In fact, the FDA is reviewing the color additive regulations authorizing the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in ingested drugs and foods (including dietary supplements) under the Delaney Clause of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which, in relevant part, prohibits the FDA from approving a color additive that is ingested if it causes cancer in animals or humans when ingested. A decision from the FDA is forthcoming.

While these reviews take time, one of the key reasons for the proposed Human Foods Program transformation  underway is to enhance our review of food chemical safety. The proposed HFP would include the creation of the Office of Food Chemical Safety, Dietary Supplements and Innovation where we intend to develop a faster and more nimble process for evaluating chemicals in the food supply.

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