Posts from the "Latest News" category
US: Consumer definition of food safety expanded, study finds
Associations Now: Health and wellness, safety, social impact, experience, and transparency are all factors 51 percent of consumers weigh when determining which food items to purchase, according to a joint study from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), Food Marketing Institute (FMI), and consulting firm Deloitte. The study, “Capitalizing on the Shifting Consumer Food Value Equation,†found these new factors influence purchasing decisions in addition to traditional drivers like taste, price, and convenience.
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AU: Frozen berries still on the shelf after Hep A scare a year ago
Sydney Morning Herald: In the middle of February last year, the frozen berry lost some of its sweetness. Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services decreed – very publicly – that the popular Nanna’s Frozen Mixed Berry 1kg bag had been linked to multiple cases of hepatitis A.
While Patties Foods is getting out of berries, it’s not out of trouble. Law firm Slater & Gordon remains committed to action they started on behalf of more than 20 clients.
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FPSC events in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
10 & 11 February 2015
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre will be visiting Hawke’s Bay in February 2016. Two events are being held to bring together key stakeholders in the local fresh produce industries.
US: The troubling problem for the fresh produce industry
Food Safety News: Once again, the fresh produce industry has been hit with a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak. The latest involves fresh-cut salad items, reportedly produced at a Dole processing plant in Ohio.
The food industry has controls in place to combat Listeriosis [sic], along with other pathogens; yet outbreaks continue to occur, and we must ask the difficult question… why? A look at the disease transmission factors associated with Listeria monocytogenes point out some unique and difficult problems that can confound our controls.
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Save the date: Verification testing workshop at Sydney Markets Plaza
1 March 2016
The area of verification testing is a crucial, yet complex one. The FPSC is running a professional development event, The latest on verification testing – Soil, water, produce and equipment, to address and clarify issues around verification testing.
US: New study will focus on food safety in stone fruit packinghouses
Growing Produce:Made possible by a $100,000 grant from the Center for Produce Safety, Dr. Steven Pao, department chair, and Dr. Erin Dormedy will oversee a one-year study to evaluate and improve sanitizing treatments in stone fruit packinghouses. The study will begin this month and will be conducted in partnership with the California Fresh Fruit Association and area stone fruit producers.
Read Article →TO: New body enforces Tonga’s food safety, fights against importation of unsafe food
Loop Tonga: A new National Food Authority has been launched in Ma’ufanga at MAFFF’s head office to enforce government’s Food Acts and fight against importation of unsafe food to the kingdom. The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (MAFF) Hon Semisi Fakahau told guests on Thursday that the national body would address food safety in Tonga and also at the international level.
Read Article →US: CDC investigating deadly Listeriosis outbreak linked to various Dole salads
Food Safety News: One person has died and 12 have been hospitalized in a Listeriosis outbreak linked to Dole packaged salads. Officials from [US] CDC announced today they have been investigating the six-state outbreak since September 2015.
“Epidemiologic and laboratory evidence available to date indicate that packaged salads produced at the Dole processing facility in Springfield, Ohio, and sold under various brand names are the likely source of this outbreakâ€
Read Article →PH: PH-New Zealand food safety pact
Philippine Daily Inquirer: The Philippines and New Zealand – which mark 50 years of diplomatic ties this year – have signed a food safety cooperation arrangement as part of efforts to enhance trade relations.
The Philippines Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) signed a food safety cooperation arrangement on Tuesday, building on the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nation)-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA).
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A-NZ: Natural contaminants in honey
Food Standards Australia New Zealand: Some types of honey contain high levels of naturally occurring plant toxins, known as pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), which may cause adverse health effects. PAs are found in many foods and are naturally produced in more than 600 plants.
The toxins may get into the honey when bees forage on the flowers that are rich in pyrrolizidine alkaloids such as Paterson’s Curse, also known as Salvation Jane.
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