Posts from the "Latest News" category
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.
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 →