Posts from the "Latest News" category
US: Reusable plastic containers are difficult to clean
Food Safety News: New research continues to demonstrate that typical cleaning doesn’t actually sanitize the reusable plastic containers (RPCs) used to transport fruits, vegetables, poultry and other foods.
In a study publicized earlier this year, Steven Ricke, director of the University of Arkansas Center for Food Safety, and his team grew Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and E. coli O157:H7 on RPC surfaces and then subjected them to cleaning and sanitizing practices typical in the industry. They found that bacterial biofilms could still survive on the surface of RPC material.
Read Article →AU: Company fined over Salmonella outbreak on Melbourne Cup day
The Courier Mail:Â A company at the centre of a massive Melbourne Cup Day Salmonella outbreak has been found guilty of failing in food safety standards, a court has heard.
The Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday heard the bacteria was contained in one or some of the 20 raw eggs used to make five batches of mayonnaise by Piccalilli Catering in November 4, 2013.
Read Article →NZ: Is your business high or low risk?
Ministry for Primary Industries:Â The new Food Act could mean changes for your business if you make or sell food. To help you work out where you fit in with the changes, a new online tool Where Do I Fit? is available from the Ministry for Primary Industries.
The Food Act covers businesses that make, serve, sell or trade food commercially.
With the online Where Do I Fit? tool, by answering a series of yes/no questions, you can find out what you’ll need to do to comply with the law.
Read Article →AU/NZ: FSANZ – Our science
FSANZ: Our vision is to ensure a safe food supply that supports the health of people in Australia and New Zealand. To achieve this, FSANZ develops food standards in collaboration with Australian and New Zealand governments.
A risk analysis framework is used to ensure food regulatory measures are based on the best available scientific evidence. The successful application of science is critical to the effectiveness and appropriateness of food regulatory measures, and underpins the risk management decision making process.
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US: Sick employees insist on serving up food
Food Safety Magazine: More than half of food industry workers go to work sick, according to the annual Mind of the Food Worker study conducted by the Center for Research and Public Policy and commissioned by Alchemy Systems.
A few highlights from the poll:
· 51 percent of workers say they “always or frequently†go to work when sick.
· More than 45 percent say they go to work because they can’t afford not to.
· More than 46 percent said they don’t want to let their fellow coworkers down by not showing up for their scheduled shift.
Read Article →AU: Food safety rating system approved in SA
Australian Food Safety News: Officially beginning next year, South Australian pubs, cafés and restaurants will be able to publically display the food safety rating they receive during council inspections.
A successful trial period has laid the foundation for the new program called the Food Safety Rating Scheme. The rating will be based on the business’s scores for a variety of criteria gathered by council health inspectors.
Read Article →US: ‘Rat’-atouille sandwich shocks hungry Subway fan
USA Today:Â People who got spinach on their sandwich or salad at a Subway restaurant in Lincoln City earlier this month may have unknowingly eaten food tainted by a dead rodent.
But the state health department said it didn’t put anyone in danger of getting sick. “They [health inspectors] consulted with physicians and we followed their advice that, although it is not very appetizing, the risk of someone becoming sick due to eating lettuce with those particular circumstances were very low,†explained Cheryl Connell, Dir. Of Lincoln County Health and Human Services.
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AU: Global handwashing day 15 October 2015
Food Safety Information Council: On Global Handwashing Day the Food Safety Information Council has recommended Australians take the time to wash their hands for the time it takes them to hum ‘Happy Birthday’ twice.
Food Safety Information Council Chair, Rachelle Williams, said there was evidence that Australians did know how to wash their hands correctly as the Council’s telephone surveys consistently showed that 98% of respondents recognised that you should wash your hands using soap and dry thoroughly on a clean towel.
Read Article →US: Growth of Listeria monocytogenes within a caramel-coated apple microenvironment
American Society for Microbiology: Neither caramel nor apples are a food where the pathogenic bacterium Listeria monocytogenes should grow, as caramel does not contain enough free water and apples are too acidic. Caramel-coated apples, however, were recently linked to a deadly outbreak of listeriosis. We hypothesized that inserting a stick into the apple releases juice to the interface between the apple and caramel, providing a more hospitable environment than either component alone. To test this hypothesis, apples were inoculated with L. monocytogenes prior to caramel dipping. Some apples had sticks inserted into them before dipping, while others did not. No growth of L. monocytogenes occurred on refrigerated caramel apples without sticks, whereas slow growth was observed on refrigerated caramel apples with sticks. In contrast, significant pathogen growth was observed within 3 days at room temperature on caramel apples with sticks inserted. Food producers should consider interfaces between components within foods as potential niches for pathogen growth.
Click here to read the full research report from the American Society for Microbiology.