Posts from the "Latest News" category
US: Whole-Genome Technology Solving More Outbreak Investigations
James Andrews writes: A common disclaimer supplied by public health officials while in the midst of a foodborne illness outbreak investigation goes something like this: “We’re doing our best to find the food source of the outbreak, but it’s important to remember that the majority of outbreaks are never traced back to a source.”
In other words, most outbreaks go unsolved because it’s just too difficult to pinpoint a food source given the constraints of technology and resources. While that may still be the case, more public health agencies are beginning to adopt technology that will help close the gap between the number of solved and unsolved outbreaks.
That technology is whole-genome sequencing (WGS), a method of identifying organisms such as bacteria and other pathogens by analyzing their entire DNA sequence. By comparison, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), the decades-old industry-standard epidemiological technology, looks at less than 1 percent of a pathogen’s genome.
Click here to read the full article from Food Safety News.
Image credit: Col Ford and Natasha de Vere / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
NZ: Keep food poisoning at bay this summer
NZ Govt: “As summer weather approaches and we look to pull the barbeque out of the shed, Food Safety Minister Jo Goodhew reminds New Zealanders to remember basic food safety rules.
“New Zealand produces some of the safest food in the world, but it is still common for foodborne illnesses to peak over the summer months,” Mrs Goodhew says.
“We have already seen cases trending up, with over 700 people diagnosed with food poisoning due to campylobacter in November.”
Click here to read the full media release from Jo Goodhew, NZ Food Safety Minister.
Food Safety in Australia
Linda Leake writes: “Ask Australians to share some of their favorite foods and they are quick to mention hamburgers with beetroot, crab sticks, barbequed snags, pavlova, lamingtons, and Vegemite on toast, just to start the list. These unique local lip-smacking goodies and the many other tasty foods produced on the continent of Australia are the fruits of a highly developed food production and food safety system that extends from farm to fork. To be sure, the food industry is a significant part of the Australian economy. Fifteen percent of the Australian workforce is involved in food production, according to the Australian Department of Agriculture (DoA). Some AU$30.5 billion (as of Oct. 31, 2014, 1 AU$ equals .88 US$) worth of food is exported annually, while Australia produces enough to feed the country twice over. Food creation is the biggest employer in rural and regional communities.”
Click here for a complete overview of the Australian food safety system from Food Quality and Safety magazine.
US: Advances in nanotechnology can improve food safety and prep
Elizabeth Crawford writes: “A consumer backlash based on the fear of the unknown may have temporarily blocked marketing of nanotechnology in foods, but the ability to manipulate particles 100,000 times smaller than a strand of hair could improve food safety and prep, according to a Cornell University associate professor.”
Click here to read the full article in Food Navigator.
AU: Food allergies: the rise of the modern epidemic
Herald Sun / Lucie Van Den Berg: Jett’s little face was so swollen it looked as if someone had blown his head up like a balloon. The puffiness forced his eyes shut and as his throat constricted, the then two-year-old started vomiting.
But it was the sound coming from her baby boy’s chest that was the most terrifying for his mother Kaylee Muse.
It’s a similar story for five-year-old Nicanor Martell.
He can only eat food made by his mother Dedrieia Tull because he is allergic to wheat, rye, eggs, cow’s milk, bananas, salmon, almonds, avocados and sesame.
Click here to read the full News Ltd article.
US: Food safety agencies debut ads featuring dancing E. coli and salmonella
Heidi Parsons / Food Production Daily: “Don’t let E. coli mosh with your food. An estimated 3,000 Americans die from a foodborne illness each year. You can’t see these microbes, but they might be there. So always separate raw meat from vegetables. Keep your family safe… at FoodSafety.gov.”
Click here to read the full article including a link to the advertisement.
HACCP-certified indoor vegetable farm for Singaporean restaurant
Foodprocessing.com.au: “In land-scarce Singapore, only 8% of vegetables consumed are grown on local farms – but this is set to change as Panasonic Factory Solutions Asia Pacific partners with Ootoya Japanese Restaurant for the commercial supply of locally harvested vegetables from its indoor farm.
A range of premium Japanese leafy and root vegetables are being cultivated in Singapore’s first licensed indoor vegetable farm with controlled and optimised conditions.
US: Effect of Proximity to a Cattle Feedlot on Escherichia coli O157:H7 Contamination of Leafy Greens and Evaluation of the Potential for Airborne Transmission
American Society for Microbiology: “The impact of proximity to a beef cattle feedlot on E. coli O157:H7 contamination of leafy greens was examined. E. coli O157:H7 was recovered from 3.5% of leafy green samples per plot at 60 meters, which was higher (P < 0.05) than the 1.8% of positive samples per plot at 180 meters, indicating a decrease in contamination as distance from the feedlot was increased. Current leafy green field distance guidelines of 120 meters (400 feet) may not be adequate to limit the transmission of E. coli O157:H7 to produce crops planted near concentrated animal feeding operations.”
Read Article →
US: 10 little known facts about fruit stickers and PLU codes
geobeats: Following are 10 little known facts about fruit stickers, including how PLU codes are allocated and the safety aspects of the stickers themselves.
Even though nearly every piece of fruit in the produce aisle has a little sticker on it, most people probably never give them much thought.
Click here to watch the YouTube video from geobeats.
Image credit: Brennemans / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
US: Chlorine Dioxide Gas Offers Hope for Sprout Sanitation
Researchers at Rutgers University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have found that chlorine dioxide gas is more effective at killing Salmonella on bean sprouts than chlorine wash — the industry-preferred decontamination technique.
Sprouted seeds have a long, and poor, contamination record. Since 1995, at least 51 outbreaks in the U.S. and Canada have been linked to sprouts. Of those outbreaks, 39 were linked to Salmonella.
While the sprouted seed industry has been searching for a surefire way to sanitize its product, cleaning sprouts is tricky because the food is sensitive and any harsh treatment could affect its color or taste. Sprouts are also harder to treat because, as with other fresh produce, the porous, uneven surface of sprouted seeds provides many places for bacteria to tuck themselves away.
Click here to read the full article at Food Safety News.