Posts from the "Latest News" category
AU/NZ: Food borne illness in Australia falling except Salmonella which is increasing
Australian Broadcasting Corporation:Â Despite more than four million Australians getting sick from contaminated food each year, the overall national rate of food poisoning is falling. Except, that is, when it comes to Salmonella.
A glance at Victoria’s Department of Health figures for example, shows a 50 per cent increase in salmonella in poisoning since 2012. Queensland has seen a doubling of Salmonella poisoning cases in the past 12 months.
Salmonella can be found in soil and water, and multiplies rapidly if food is not handled properly, including washing and refrigeration. It is one of the reasons the independent Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia New Zealand has released new guidelines for everyone involved in food to try to lift standards.
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UN: Promoting safe produce and quality in Samoa
United Nations:Â The Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are partnering to promote fresh produce safety and quality in Samoa. Consumers have a right to expect that the foods purchased and consumed will be safe and of high quality. Consumers should also have a right to voice their opinions about the food control procedures, standards and activities that governments and industry use to ascertain that the food supply has these characteristics.
To raise awareness of fresh produce safety and quality in Samoa, FAO and the Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc [offered] a training workshop in Apia from July 15 and 16 on fresh produce safety and quality in Samoa.
Read Article →NZ: Government easing constraints to agricultural innovations
Scoop.co.nz: Agcarm commends the government for tabling a Bill to improve access to the latest innovations in veterinary medicines and agrichemicals, helping New Zealand agriculture to remain competitive.
Agcarm chief executive, Mark Ross says “We applaud the government for supporting primary production, by encouraging the registration of new products from overseas and new uses for existing products.
“This means New Zealand can remain competitive in a global market,” he added.
Improved data protection will allow farmers and growers to have access to more products, because there will be an incentive for suppliers and manufacturers to invest in them.
Click here to read the full article from Scoop.co.nz.
AU: Consultation begins on Safe Food Australia review
Food Standards Australia New Zealand:Â Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today released a consultation paper on a review of Safe Food Australia.
Safe Food Australia is an explanatory guide to the food safety standards in Chapter 3 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
Chief Executive Officer Steve McCutcheon said Safe Food Australia is used as a practical tool, by both industry and regulators, to help understand and implement safe food handling practices.
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US: FDA reports on cantaloupe safety inspections
The Packer: After inspecting 17 operations, federal officials report that fresh cantaloupe packinghouses are generally following good agriculture practices even though tests at nine of the companies showed Listeria contamination.
The inspections by the Food and Drug Administration were part of the agency’s follow-up efforts after a 2011 cantaloupe-related Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that sickened more than 150 nationwide and killed more than 30.
Eight firms did not have any positive Listeria test results. One had pathogenic Listeria present and the other eight tested positive for non-pathogenic Listeria.
Read Article →AU: Fake foods: Australian producers face Asian retreat in counterfeit battle
Sydney Morning Herald:Â “Tasmanian” cherries and “Barossa” wine that is not from Australia are competing with our exporters for space in stores overseas. This is the new world of counterfeiting and it’s our exporters and consumers who are in the firing line.
The growing market for high-end Australian agricultural produce – renowned for being safe, clean and green – has led to the wave of fake foods.
It is claimed some counterfeiters are taking dangerous steps, including dyeing second-grade oranges with inedible paint to pass them off as high-quality Australian brands.
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US: Downy mildew raises E. coli probability in lettuce
Fresh Fruit Portal: Scientists from a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agency have found the presence of a common lettuce disease increases the chances of E. coli bacteria infecting the plant.
In a release, the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) highlighted downy mildew, caused by fungus-like water mold Bremia lactucae, was one of the biggest problems lettuce growers had to face.
Read Article →EU: Foodborne diseases associated with frozen berries consumption: A historical perspective, European Union 1983 to 2013
Eurosurveillance: Epidemiological investigations of outbreaks of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and norovirus (NoV) infections in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) in the last five years have highlighted frozen berries as a vehicle of infection. Given the increasing berry consumption in the EU over the last decades, we undertook a review of the existing evidence to assess the potential scale of threat associated with this product. We searched the literature and four restricted-access online platforms for outbreak/contamination events associated with consumption of frozen berries. We performed an evaluation of the sources to identify areas for improvement. The review revealed 32 independent events (i.e. outbreak, food contamination) in the period 1983 – 2013, of which 26 were reported after 2004. The identified pathogens were NoV, HAV and Shigella sonnei. NoV was the most common and implicated in 27 events with over 15,000 cases reported.
Click here to access the full report at Eurosurveillance.
NZ: Growing career worth considering
Sunmedia: Young people planning their careers would be wise to consider the horticultural industry. That was the message from Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy at the Horticulture New Zealand conference in Rotorua this week.
According to the Otaki MP, the industry is gearing up to employ an extra 26,300 trained workers, many with tertiary qualifications, and skilled labour will be required from production to processing and marketing.
“Special skills will be required in areas like food safety, biosecurity, environmental management, and plant science,†says Nathan.
“Full time job opportunities within horticulture are as diverse as hand-on orchard or market garden work through to scientific research and development to marketing, to management at all levels.
Read Article →AU: Salmonella – find out more
Food Safety Information Council:Â There have been a number of salmonella outbreaks, including a recent one in Melbourne. A study by the [Australian National University] ANU has found Salmonella cases have increased by 24% in Australia over the last 10 years.
Salmonella food poisoning (salmonellosis) is usually linked to consuming inadequately cooked meats or poultry, other foods contaminated by raw meats and poultry, as well as foods containing raw or undercooked eggs, unpasteurised dairy products such as raw milk or cheeses. But many other foods have been linked to outbreaks caused by Salmonella including mayonnaise (with raw eggs), fruits and vegetables, salads, milk, unpasteurised fruit juices, nuts, seeds and sprouted seeds.
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