Posts from the "Latest News" category
BRC publish revised Global Standard for Food Safety
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has published the seventh issue of its internationally recognised BRC Global Standard for Food Safety on 7 January 2015, and audits against Issue 7 will begin in July 2015.
The BRC Global Standards are internationally recognised as the market leaders setting the benchmark for good manufacturing practices in food, packaging, storage and distribution, agents and brokers, and consumer products. Certification enables customers to have confidence in their suppliers, and helps suppliers by allowing them to show they are maintaining high standards of safety, quality and legal compliance.
Click here to read the full article from the British Retail Consortium.
USA: Walmart VP: To make gains in food safety, focus on behavior (Part 1)
How to improve food safety performance in any business along the value chain, from the smallest grower to the largest retailer? Frank Yiannas, Walmart’s VP of food safety, outlines the four behavioural principles that change staff behaviour for the better.
Click here to read the full article from Food Production Daily.
China goes organic amid food scandals
An organic food craze is emerging among China’s urbanites as food safety scandals spur the younger generation toward alternative ways to buy fresh produce and meat.
So far, organic foods’ penetration into China appears small, accounting for 1.01 percent of total food consumption, but that’s nearly triple 2007’s 0.36 percent, according to data from organic trade fair Biofach.
A series of high-profile food scandals over the past seven years has been a primary catalyst for growth in the organic food market. Biofach expects the segment’s share of China’s overall food market to hit 2 percent this year.
Click here to read and view the full story from CNBC.
NZ: Geckos and glass: the unexpected additives
Consumers have been stopped in their tracks after discovering nasty surprises such as sticking plasters, metal and pieces of glass in their food.
Of the 589 food complaints made to the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) in the year-ended September 30, 2014, just over 100 related to consumers finding foreign objects in food, according to figures released under the Official Information Act. The number of complaints about foreign items fell 28 per cent from the previous period.
The majority of those unwanted items were hidden in mixed foods, which included dietary supplements, filled rolls and sandwiches, jelly, pizza, sauces and toppings, and sushi.
Meat and meat products had the second highest number of suspect items with 12 complaints.
Click here to read the full article in The New Zealand Herald.
US: 2011 Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak Still Lingers in 2014
In evaluating some of this year’s top stories in food safety, it’s been found that news originating two to three years ago still made headlines in 2014.
One of those stories was that of the 2011 Jensen Farms (Holly, CO) Listeria monocytogenes outbreak traced back to contaminated cantaloupes that ultimately caused 33 deaths and one miscarriage. The cantaloupes were shipped after a July 2011 audit conducted on behalf of food safety audit firm PrimusLabs Corporation, giving the packing facility a “superior” rating of 96 out of 100.
Click here to read the full article in Food Safety Magazine.
US: Food safety audit firms may be held liable for consumer injuries from negligent inspections
A food safety audit firm can be held to answer in court for claims that its negligence in performing an audit resulted in the sale of contaminated food and the subsequent injury, or death, of a consumer.
Click here to read the full article from Food Quality News.
Getting Your Claims Right – A guide to complying with the Nutrition, Health and Related Claims Standard of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code
This document, developed by the Implementation Subcommittee for Food Regulation (ISFR), provides guidance on how to comply with the Nutrition, Health and Related Claims Standard (Standard 1.2.7) in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Food Standards Code).
Click here to download a copy of the guide from the FSANZ website.
EU: Over 97% of foods in EU contain pesticide residues within legal limits
More than 97% of all samples analysed as part of the latest Europe-wide monitoring programme of pesticides in foods contain residue levels that fall within legal limits – with over 54% of samples free from any detectable trace of the chemicals. These findings are part of the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) 2012 annual report on pesticide residues in food. The report is based on the analysis of almost 79,000 food samples carried out by 27 EU Member States, Iceland and Norway.
Organic foods showed a lower MRL exceedance rate compared to non-organic products (0.8% versus 3.1%). The non-compliance rate of food imported from third countries into the EU, Norway and Iceland was five times higher than foods originating from these nations (7.5% compared to 1.4%). The foods with the highest MRL exceedance rates were broccoli (2.8%), cauliflower (2.1%), table grapes (1.8%), sweet peppers (1.4%) and aubergines (1%). The foods with the lowest MRL exceedance rates were peas without pods and olive oil (both 0.1%), wheat (0.7%) and bananas (0.7%).
Click here to read the full article and access the report from the European Food Safety Authority.
NZ: Glass, metal, bugs found in food
A hamburger with a metal bolt in it, a cockroach found in chips, glass in two hot beverages and a rotisserie chicken containing a maggot were among 28 Tauranga-based food safety complaints made to the Ministry of Primary Industries in the past three years.
There were four complaints last year and six as of November this year.
Some cases were referred to the product’s manufacturer, others required the ministry to send an educational letter or give an official warning. Seven complaints were deemed invalid.
Bay of Plenty district medical officer of health Dr Phil Shoemack said Toi Te Ora – the region’s public health service – dealt with at least one outbreak of a potential food-borne illness a week.
The illnesses were, however, often associated with events at home, or a school, hospital or rest home, rather than a food premise, he said.
Click here to read the full article in the Bay of Plenty Times.
AU: Irradiation of Specific Fruits & Vegetables
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has assessed an application made by the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to irradiate apple, apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, plum, honeydew, rockmelon, scallopini1, strawberry, table grape and zucchini (courgette) for phytosanitary purposes.
On 28 August 2014, FSANZ sought submissions on a draft variation and published an associated report. FSANZ received forty six submissions. FSANZ approved the draft variation on 4 December 2014. The Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation2 (Forum) was notified of FSANZ’s decision on 15 December 2014.
Click here to download the Approval Report for Application A1092.