Posts from the "Latest News" category
NO: An outbreak of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) infection in Norway, 2012: a reminder to consider uncommon pathogens in outbreaks involving imported products
Epidemiology and Infection: We investigated an outbreak of gastroenteritis following a Christmas buffet served on 4 – 9 December 2012 to ~1300 hotel guests. More than 300 people were reported ill in initial interviews with hotel guests. Imported chives added fresh to the scrambled eggs were the suspected source of the outbreak but were unavailable for testing. Following this outbreak, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority recommended that imported fresh herbs should be heat-treated before use in commercial kitchens.
Click here to read the full Summary at Cambridge Journals Online.
Fresh Produce Safety Centre releases RFP for Understanding the Gaps Literature Review Project
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre today released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Understanding the Gaps: a Food Safety Literature Review.
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre is seeking a provider to review the contemporary literature surrounding microbial contamination of fresh produce and the interaction of sanitisers with fungicides when used postharvest.
This review will provide the fresh produce industry in Australia and New Zealand with information to improve food safety best practice and reduce the opportunity for foodborne illness.
The Understanding the Gaps project has been generously supported by Pipfruit NZ and the NSW Food Authority (Full Research Partners) plus Fresh Select and GSF Australasia/Snap Fresh Foods (Associate Research Partners).
The Understanding the Gaps report will be released mid-year.
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre’s supporters are:
Platinum supporters: Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd | PMA Australia-New Zealand Limited | University of Sydney | Woolworths Ltd
Silver supporters: Freshcare Limited | Harris Farm Markets Pty Ltd | Horticulture New Zealand | Perfection Fresh Australia Pty Ltd | Primo Moraitis Fresh Pty Limited
Bronze supporters: Australian Mango Industry Association (AMIA) | Chamber of Fruit & Vegetable Industries in Western Australia (Inc) | GS1 Australia Ltd | Kalfresh Pty Ltd | Living Foods NZ | MG Marketing Limited and LaManna Limited | Mulgowie Farming Company | OneHarvest Pty Ltd | Premier Fruits Group Pty Ltd | Sci Qual International Pty Ltd | TQA Australia
Establishment of the FPSC has been funded by a Horticulture Innovation Australia project using voluntary contributions from industry and matched funds from the Australian Government.
For further information please contact FPSC Executive Director Emma Walters on +61 02 8627 1058 or Chair Michael Worthington, CEO, PMA Australia-New Zealand, on +61 03 8844 5536.
Read Article →HK: Why Chinese food safety is so bad
Almost half of Chinese food-processing plants fail to meet internationally acceptable standards, new figures suggest.
AsiaInspection’s vice president Mathieu Labasse said the extremely fragmented nature of China’s food chain — the country has 500,000 food production and processing companies, 70% of which have fewer than 10 employees — made it very difficult for authorities to control and foreign buyers to understand.
Click here to read the full article at CNN International.
NZ: Fruit producers to face higher fees
Farmers, fruit-growers and other food producers could feel a pinch, with the government looking to hike its fees for biosecurity and food safety services.
The Ministry for Primary Industries is consulting on a plan to recover an extra 12.8 million dollars a year for its pest-prevention and safety systems. Food Safety Minister Jo Goodhew says the changes will vary between food sectors.
Click here to read the full article from Newstalk.
Click here to read the media release from the Ministry for Primary Industries.
US: Scared By The Apple Recall? These 5 Fruits And Veggies Are Even Bigger Risks
Yahoo health: Apples are the second most popular fruit in America, according the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center. But apple contamination is rare because the fruit has a hard surface, which prevents bacteria from entering the fruit, says Doug Powell, PhD, a former professor of food safety in the U.S. and Canada who publishes barfblog.com.
“Fresh fruits and vegetables are probably the biggest source of foodborne illness today in North America, and that’s because they’re fresh — we don’t cook them — so anything that comes into contact has the potential to contaminate,” Powell tells Yahoo Health.
Powell is especially careful with the following five fruits and vegetables, which have been linked to a significant number of foodborne illness outbreaks over the past few years. (And no, apples didn’t make the list.)
Click here to read the full article on Yahoo Health.
A-NZ: Consultation on proposed approach to next stage of a review on micro limits
​Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today released a consultation paper on the proposed approach to the next phase of a review of microbiological limits in the Food Standards Code.
FSANZ Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Marion Healy said the aim of the review was to ensure the limits are practical and clear for both industry and enforcement agencies and consistent with contemporary practices.
“The limits in the code were set before 2000 and since that time approaches to food safety have evolved, along with our understanding of how to manage pathogens in the food chain,” Dr Healy said.
Click here to read the full media release and to access the consultation paper and directions for making a submission.
Fresh Produce Safety Centre launches two landmark projects
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre today launched two landmark research projects aimed at improving the safety of Australian and New Zealand fresh produce.
The two projects are:
- Understanding the Gaps – a Food Safety Literature Review; and
- The Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety.
The projects have been financially supported by industry and government, demonstrating the broad support across Australia and New Zealand for this work.
Read Article →Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognises SQF Scope Extension for Storage and Distribution
The GFSI Board of Directors is pleased to announce that SQF has achieved recognition against the Guidance Document Sixth Edition for the scope of Storage and Distribution (J). This is in addition to the scopes for which SQF has already achieved GFSI recognition (AI, BI, C, D, EI, EII, EIII, EIV, F, L and M). The GFSI Guidance Document’s Scope J, Provision of Storage and Distribution Services, is the latest extension to the scopes covered by the GFSI benchmarking requirements, and includes the management of safety schemes for storage facilities and the distribution vehicles for food and feed.
Click here to read the full article from the Global Food Safety Initiative.
US: Bidart Bros. Works with Federal and State Officials to Determine Source of Listeriosis-Associated Outbreak
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is collaborating with public health officials … to investigate an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections (listeriosis) linked to commercially produced, prepackaged caramel apples. As of January 10, 2015, a total of 32 people infected with the outbreak strains of Listeria monocytogenes had been reported from 11 states. Thirty-one ill people have been hospitalized, and seven deaths have been reported. Listeriosis contributed to at least three of these deaths. To date, 25 (89%) of the 28 ill people interviewed reported eating commercially produced, prepackaged caramel apples before becoming ill.
Today, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the results of findings from additional tests performed on samples collected from Bidart Bros. apple processing plant. Test results confirm two strains of Listeria monocytogenes were found at the apple processing facility and are believed to be the same strains associated with the [caramel apples] outbreak. Those same strains were also found in Bidart Bros. apples collected from a retailer by the FDA. Bidart Bros. has instituted a voluntary recall of all Granny Smith and Gala apples still available in the marketplace.
Click here to read the US FDA media release and here for the latest CDC update.
US: Walmart VP: To make gains in food safety, focus on behavior (Part 2)
In Part 2 of our series, Walmart vice president of food safety Frank Yiannas discusses how the company and its associates convey food safety messages to consumers.
Click here to read the full article at Food Production Daily.