Posts from the "Latest News" category
AU: Implementing a food safety culture in your business
Food Processing: A food safety faux pax can kill hundreds more than a workplace accident so why is food safety not as ingrained as OHS in businesses? Ben Bowering, the director of rulethirteen, has been working with food businesses and auditing and certification for over 30 years. Here is his take on implementing a food safety culture and food safety leadership.
Read Article →UK: No recall plan risks losing food firms millions
Food Manufacture:Â Nearly 20% of food and drink businesses risk losing many millions of pounds by failing to put in place plans to cope with a product recall, warns new research from law firm Roythornes.
Read Article →NZ: 1080 threat: Arrest made
NZ Herald:Â A 60-year-old Auckland businessman has been arrested over threats to poison infant milk formula, bringing an 11-month long investigation to an end.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush told media this afternoon that the man will be appearing in Manukau District Court this afternoon facing two counts of criminal blackmail.
The charges relate to letters sent to Fonterra and Federated Farmers in November last year threatening to poison infant formula if New Zealand did not stop using the pest-control poison [1080] by the end of March this year.
Read Article →![Nanotech [lab at Georgia Tech] CC BY 2.0 Will Folsom via Flickr](https://fpsc-anz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/8031813630_ca12c09b85_k.jpg)
AU/NZ: Nanotechnology and food
Food Standards Australia New Zealand:Â Nanotechnology describes a range of technologies used to manipulate materials that are generally less than 100 nanometres (nm) in size in one dimension. One nm is one billionth of a metre.
There is little evidence to suggest nanotechnologies are being used in the food industry on a wide scale, although a lot of research is being undertaken on potential applications. Future applications of nanotechnologies could include nanostructured food products, nanoscale or nano-encapsulated food additives, or food packaging with improved properties. There are, however, certain foods including food additives that naturally contain nanoscale particles.
Nanoscale materials are not new. Food is naturally composed of nanoscale sugars, amino acids, peptides and proteins, many of which form organised, functional nanostructures.
Read Article →US: Researchers develop a faster, cheaper way to detect Salmonella
Food Safety News:Â Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a highly sensitive, cost-effective technology for bacterial pathogen screening of air, soil, water, and produce in as little as 24 hours.
According to lead researcher Ezra Orlofsky, Ph.D., of BGU’s Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, “Rapid and reliable pathogen detection in field samples is critical for public health, security and environmental monitoring. Current methods used in food, water or clinical applications rely on labor- and time-intensive culturing techniques, while activities such as dairy farming, wastewater and runoff treatment necessitates real-time monitoring of pathogens in environment samples.â€
Read Article →![Kiwi fruit [with red background] (CC BY 2.0) Tawheed Manzoor via Flikr](https://fpsc-anz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2317182944_37eb001d66_z.jpg)
NZ: Assessing China’s revised food safety law
New Zealand-China Trade Association: China’s revised Food Safety Law (FSL) took effect on 1 October 2015. Whilst much of the reform and future enforcement is expected to be directed towards China’s domestic food producers, New Zealand food producers that export to China under any business model – including cross-border e-commerce – must ensure compliance.
Import Agents tasked with clearing Commodity, Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ) at the border and wholesale/retail channel partners will want to know that China standards are being met by Kiwi producers. Moreover, various implementation measures will be rolled out post 1 October 2015 for which new company practices and controls will likely have to be implemented.
Read Article →AU/NZ: Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety available for download now
In case you missed it, the Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety are now available for free download from the FPSC website. Provided as a printable 120 page colour PDF, the Guidelines includes 18 chapters such as:
Where can contamination occur in the supply chain?
Managing the growing site and planting material
Vehicle maintenance and hygeine
Product indentification, traceability and recall
Download the Guidelines now at the Fresh Produce Safety Centre website.
The Guidelines were produced with funding from the following industry and government organisations:
AU: Food safety auditing project report
Food Innovation Australia Ltd: Major retailers, quick service restaurants, food service companies and major manufacturers commission a large number of audits of suppliers of fresh products, ingredients and finished retail ready products. Regulatory agencies also conduct food safety audits. Industry surveys indicate that there is appreciable overlap between audits and there are many common elements between audits.
Read Article →US: Multistate outbreak of Salmonella poona infections linked to imported cucumbers
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:· Since the last update on September 29, 2015, 61 more ill people have been reported from 24 states. Given the 14-day shelf life of cucumbers and the gap between when someone gets sick and when that illness is reported to public health, it is not unexpected to continue to see illnesses reported after the recalls.
Read Article →NZ: Your views sought
NZ Ministry for Primary Industries: The Food Act comes into force in March 2016. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) consulted on the regulations early in 2015. This consultation is another chance for food businesses and providers to have their say about how the Food Act 2014 will work in practice.
The proposed notices apply to all businesses that need to operate under a food control plan or a national programme.
Read Article →