Posts from the "Latest News" category
Norovirus is the leading cause of disease outbreaks from contaminated food in the U.S.
The food service industry can help prevent norovirus outbreaks
Most norovirus outbreaks from contaminated food occur in food service settings, according to a Vital Signs report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infected food workers are frequently the source of these outbreaks, often by touching ready-to-eat foods served in restaurants with their bare hands. The food service industry can help prevent norovirus outbreaks by enforcing food safety practices, such as making sure workers always practice good hand hygiene on the job and stay home when they are sick.
To read the full article, please click here.
Source: http://www.cdc.gov
Norovirus image by GrahamColm. Some rights reserved, CC-BY-3.0.
Sick, vomit, diarrhoea: key words on the social media radar of food safety authorities
Australian health authorities are tracking a New York City initiative that uses social media and restaurant review websites to investigate cases of food poisoning.
A collaboration between the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Columbia University and popular review site Yelp resulted in the discovery of previously undocumented cases of food-borne illness originating in restaurants.
The project was initiated after an investigation by New York City authorities into an outbreak of gastrointestinal disease linked to one particular restaurant. It was discovered in that particular case customers had reported illness on Yelp but not to the department of health.
A spokesperson for the New South Wales Food Authority, said it will monitor the New York program and “any other jurisdictions that may have something similar”.
Users of Yelp’s Australian site have reviewed more than 6000 restaurants and cafes and hundreds of bars and other food outlets.
To read the full article, please click here.
Source: http://www.smh.com.au Written by Matthew Hall.
GS1: Traceability, food safety should be supply chain priorities
Traceability makes recalls more efficient and gets the correct information into consumers’ hands much more quickly, writes GS1 Australia’s Andrew Steele, and the lack of an effective traceability system is one of the main reasons for food recalls that escalate into crisis situations. A report released last year by an expert group in the European Commission made recommendations for improving traceability with global standards, bar codes and other tools, and programs to educate consumers. “Enhanced product traceability, faster recalls and improved consumer safety should be at the top of the agenda when an organisation is detailing its supply chain process,” Steele writes.
To read the full article, please click here.
Source: http://www.foodmag.com.au
Chemicals and Food Safety
Confused by the chemical jargon? Don’t understand the registration process?
Agricultural chemicals, whether they be for conventional production systems, organic production systems or both, must be registered by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) before they can be legally supplied, sold or used in Australia.
Read Article →New Zealand strengthens food safety law in wake of botulism scare
New Zealand legislators unanimously passed a new food safety law on Tuesday, paving the way for a faster response to crises such as the false botulism scare that saw a global recall of dairy products last year.
"The new Food Act will put in place a risk-based approach, where regulatory requirements are based on the extent and nature of the food safety risks associated with particular kinds of businesses," Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye said in a statement.
The Act also contained provisions concerning recall powers and other powers that may be used in a food safety response.
"It was important to bring these provisions in to force as soon as possible so that government could respond to a major food safety event if one arose tomorrow," Kaye said.
To read the full article, please click here.
Source: http://english.sina.com
Fresh Produce Safety Centre Limited launched
27 May 2014
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre Limited officially opened its doors for business today.
The first meeting of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre’s Board of Directors occurred this morning, following registration of the new company limited by guarantee with ASIC yesterday.
The Centre is being hosted by the University of Sydney under a project with the Produce Marketing Association of Australia and New Zealand (PMA A-NZ).
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How many Food Safety Supervisors do I need for my business?
Depending on your business size, you may need one or more Food Safety Supervisors.
A key legal requirement of a Food Safety Supervisor is that they are reasonably available at all times to:
· Dispense food safety advice
· Monitor and prevent hazards in the workplace
· Supervise food handling staff
· Deal with food safety emergencies and unexpected health inspections
While this does not mean the FSS needs to be at the business 24/7, the FSS should be present to supervise all food handling tasks.
To read the full article, including suggestions for single and multiple sites, please click here.
Source: http://www.foodsafety.com.au.
Cooks image by Garry Smith 2011 Some Rights Reserved (CC by 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/aiPpC3
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European pesticide residue adherence rates above 97% for third consecutive year
The results of the EU coordinated programme showed that 98.1% of the samples analysed contained residue levels within permissible limits and that 53.4% of samples contained no measurable residues at all. The foods with the highest MRL exceedance rates were spinach (6.5%), beans with pods (4.1%), oranges (2.5%), cucumbers (2.1%) and rice (2%). The foods with the lowest MRL exceedance rates were wheat flour (0.3%) and potatoes (0.6%).
To read the full article and report, please click here
Source : www.efsa.europa.eu
Asparagus by Steve Snodgrass 2011, Some Rights Reserved (CC BY 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/9kC9GL
Read Article →Food Industry Recall Protocol 7th Edition now available
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is pleased to announce that the new edition of the Food Industry Recall Protocol, 7th Edition, May 2014 is now available. It has been officially released today by Assistant Minister for Health, Fiona Nash.
The Food Industry Protocol has been updated by FSANZ with the assistance of the Australian state and territory food enforcement agencies and the food industry.
This Protocol provides information on recalling food in Australia specifically the:
· roles and responsibilities of food businesses and government during a food recall
· key steps in the food recall process
· legal requirements for food businesses in relation to food recalls
· important elements of a food recall plan.
The new Protocol is available on the FSANZ website (pdf 1908kb) | (word 3307kb), and hard copies are available from FSANZ on request.
Key updates in the new edition include:
· revised recall templates
· updated information on communicating recalls to the public
· removal of the reference to the term ‘voluntary recall’ – this term caused confusion with consumers and some businesses who interpreted a ‘voluntary recall’ as meaning it was voluntary for them to take action
· a new section on the importance of traceability and food business’s obligations under the Food Standards Code
Source: www.foodstandards.gov.au
Study traces E.coli toll from bagged salads
About 63,000 cases of illness from E.coli happen in the U.S. each year, and a growing number of cases are linked to lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens in bagged salads, according to a study published in the journal Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. The study examined an outbreak of foodborne illness that was traced to bagged salad, in which six people were hospitalized and two died.
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