Posts from the "Latest News" category
US: Which food is most likely to give you Salmonella?
The Daily Meal: Salmonella poisoning, or salmonellosis, is an illness inspired by the consumption of one of over 2,000 foodborne salmonella strains. “Salmonella infection usually occurs when a person eats food contaminated with the feces of animals or humans carrying the bacteria,†says Foodborne Illness.
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US: Research shows feedlot link to E. coli O157:H7 on leafy greens
Food Safety News: Current guidelines for the minimum distance between cattle feed lots and fresh produce growing fields are likely inadequate to ensure leafy greens are not contaminated with E. coli from dust and manure. “Additional research is needed to determine safe set-back distances between cattle feedlots and crop production that will reduce fresh produce contamination,†according to scientists who conducted a two-year study.
A two-year study at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center showed leafy greens planted well past the recommended minimum safety distance from a cattle feedlot were contaminated with E. coli from the dust and manure.
Read Article →AU: Patties still feels pain from berry recall
Inside FMCG: The effects of the hepatitis A scare that led to the recall of its Creative Gourmet and Nanna’s frozen berry products in February 2015 lingers on despite tests finding no traces of the virus in recalled samples.
Patties Foods’ first half profit declined almost 12 per cent to $7.3 million. This was largely due to a 62 per cent decline in revenue from its frozen fruit products in the six months to December 31.
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AU: Tests results associate more people with recalled salads
FPSC: Cases of Salmonella anatum illness associated with salads recalled by Tripod Farmers on the 4th February have increased. While there are potentially more cases to emerge through ongoing testing during the follow up, it is expected that the rate of new cases that will be associated with this event has peaked and will start to decline. The use-by-date of any affected products has expired and the incubation time for symptoms to emerge is nearing the end. So far 10 cases have been confirmed with another 200 cases with probable association.
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NZ: Golden apple industry on its way to $1 billion target
NZ Herald: When Hawke’s Bay orchardist Lesley Wilson began growing apples close to 30 years ago, “paperwork” meant keeping a cashbook and a box of receipts. Now, she says she could fill a room with compliance folders — and that’s part of the reason why the industry has performed so strongly in recent years.
Wilson says all those folders mean the industry now has the ability to jump through various compliance and quarantine requirements to find lucrative markets for its apples.
Read Article →AU: Food police strike school lunches with watermelon, bananas and strawberries off the menu
Herald Sun: As schools and kinders grapple with spiralling food allergies, some are advising parents that even certain fruit and vegetables should be binned. Point Cook P-9 College has urged parents to avoid sending bananas, watermelon, soy, wheat, eggs, dairy, and nuts in lunches due to minor allergies and life-threatening anaphylaxis.
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute Professor Katie Allen said there were rising rates of food allergies and intolerances around the world, and fruit was one of the rarer ones.
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Salmonella outbreak linked to pre-packed mixed salad update
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services continues to investigate an outbreak of Salmonella Anatum infection associated with consumption of mixed salad ingredients from one supplier.
Other states are also investigating cases of Salmonella Anatum to see whether these cases are linked to the outbreak strain in Victoria, or coincidental to it.
Victorian health authorities are leading the investigation into the source of the Salmonellaoutbreak and coordinating testing on this issue.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is working closely with State, Territory and Federal authorities and coordinated the product recall.
Consumers can stay updated on the recall by visiting www.foodstandards.gov.au<http://www.foodstandards.gov.au>.
OzFoodNet, Australia’s enhanced foodborne disease surveillance network, is undertaking a multi-jurisdictional outbreak investigation, led by Victoria. Investigations are ongoing.
LATEST CASES OF SALMONELLA ANATUM NATIONALLY:
There have been 208 cases of Salmonella Anatum reported which match the outbreak case definition.
Nine confirmed and 144 probable cases were reported from Victoria with packaged salad being eaten by many of the interviewed cases.
Other states are also investigating cases of Salmonella anatum: Queensland
13 probable, Western Australia 5 probable; South Australia 21 probable; New South Wales 1 confirmed and 14 probable; ACT one probable.
Note: WA is not part of the national recall as no product was distributed in WA.
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Sydney Markets Professional Development Event: Fresh Produce Testing for Food Safety
1 March 2016
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre is running a professional development event to improve understanding and utilisation of fresh produce testing for food safety.
AU: Health Check: do we really have to pay attention to ‘use-by’ and ‘best-before’ dates?
The Conversation: Food quality can deteriorate before we perceive obvious signs of spoilage. If allowed to grow to high levels, some microbes that may contaminate foods (collectively called ‘pathogens’) can cause foodborne illness, or ‘food poisoning’. Often these microbes don’t visibly spoil the food so we can’t tell if a food has become unsafe.
To protect consumers against poor quality or potentially hazardous foods, governments have introduced ‘date codes’ to help consumers evaluate the ‘freshness’ of foods. Food producers also embrace date codes to help them provide safe, high quality products to consumers.
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US: Research uncovers consumer values influencing food decisions
PR Newswire: Taste, price and convenience are no longer the sole deciding factors when people buy food and beverages, according to a new study, from Deloitte, Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).
The study, “Capitalizing on the Shifting Consumer Food Value Equation,” found that roughly half of Americans surveyed (51 percent) weigh “evolving drivers” – health and wellness, safety, social impact, experience and transparency – in their purchasing decisions, in addition to the “traditional drivers” of taste, price and convenience. Moreover, this occurs regardless of demographic factors.
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