Day: 22 May 2014

“Food fraud – is it an issue in Australia and New Zealand?” asks Richard Bennett

Fraud is nothing new to the food industry. It probably started even before there was currency – there must have been shonky food deals going back to the hunter-gatherers. Some like to think that they can go half way, and provide a customer with something that they value but just give them an inferior model of…
New food safety & technology post by Richard Bennett on the PMA A-NZ Blog . View the full post here: http://ift.tt/1tnmLM0

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Day: 22 May 2014

Food Industry Recall Protocol 7th Edition now available

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is pleased to announce that the new edition of the Food Industry Recall Protocol, 7th Edition, May 2014 is now available. It has been officially released today by Assistant Minister for Health, Fiona Nash.
The Food Industry Protocol has been updated by FSANZ with the assistance of the Australian state and territory food enforcement agencies and the food industry.
This Protocol provides information on recalling food in Australia specifically the:
· roles and responsibilities of food businesses and government during a food recall
· key steps in the food recall process
· legal requirements for food businesses in relation to food recalls
· important elements of a food recall plan.
The new Protocol is available on the FSANZ website (pdf 1908kb) | (word 3307kb), and hard copies are available from FSANZ on request.
Key updates in the new edition include:
· revised recall templates
· updated information on communicating recalls to the public
· removal of the reference to the term ‘voluntary recall’ – this term caused confusion with consumers and some businesses who interpreted a ‘voluntary recall’ as meaning it was voluntary for them to take action
· a new section on the importance of traceability and food business’s obligations under the Food Standards Code
Source: www.foodstandards.gov.au

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Day: 22 May 2014

Study traces E.coli toll from bagged salads

About 63,000 cases of illness from E.coli happen in the U.S. each year, and a growing number of cases are linked to lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens in bagged salads, according to a study published in the journal Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. The study examined an outbreak of foodborne illness that was traced to bagged salad, in which six people were hospitalized and two died.

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