Posts from the "Latest News" category
Pathogen-busting films created with high flavanol cocoa
Researchers have created antimicrobial packaging films containing high flavanol cocoa extracts that they say inhibits the growth of pathogens like listeria, E-coli and salmonella in food products.
This could have wide spread appeal across the food industry. This particular research by Catalayud and her team developed the film and tested it in an infant formula package against various food born illnesses. The research was published in the journal Food Chemistry.
To read more about this article, written by Oliver Nieburg, click here.
Know the bugs causing foodborne illness
Food Standards Australia & New Zealand (FSANZ) have released the second edition of “Agents of Foodborne illness” (June 2013).
This publication is intended for the food industry, food safety consultants and food regulators. It contains information about pathogens that cause foodborne illness, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and infectious prion particles. The sections contain information about:
growth and survival characteristics
symptoms of disease
virulence factors
epidemiological data including a summary of large, well-document outbreaks
occurrence in food
susceptible populations
dose-response relationship
This is an excellent resource to begin understanding what pathogens cause many of the foodborne illnesses. It contains a great deal of recommended readings for each of the areas covered.
download a copy of Agents of Foodborne illness (2nd Edition, 2013).
Foreign Supplier Verification Programs summary released, new FSMA webinars announced
Produce Marketing Association (PMA) is releasing new resources to help the global fresh produce industry understand the U.S. government’s latest proposed rules to implement the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The association announces plans for bilingual produce-specific webinars explaining the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposals for Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) and Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors, released by the agency on July 26. PMA also announces release of English and Spanish summaries of the FSVP proposed rule.
The FSVP proposed rule summaries are tailored for the global fresh produce industry, as the proposed rule would extend U.S. food safety standards to imported foods. English and Spanish summaries of the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors proposed rule will follow soon.
PMA will partner with Canadian Produce Marketing Association, Fresh Produce Association of the Americas and Western Growers to host an English-language webinar covering the two newly proposed rules on Thursday, Aug. 29, from 3-4:30 p.m. EST.
That webinar will feature FDA experts Brian Pendleton, J.D., and Charlotte Christin, J.D., both FDA senior policy advisors who will explain the proposed rules and then answer participants’ questions. PMA will also host a Spanish-language webinar covering the proposed rules on Tuesday, Sept. 10, from 3-4 p.m. EST. Both webinars are free; registration is now open for the English webinar, and will open soon for the Spanish webinar.
“The global reality of today’s fresh produce supply chain is reflected in these latest proposed rules,” said PMA Chief Science & Technology Officer Bob Whitaker. “PMA is here to help all of our members, inside and outside the U.S., understand FSMA’s implications on our global industry.”
PMA’s latest summaries and webinars are designed for:
U.S.-based fresh produce importers, who would be responsible for implementing the FSVP rule;
non-U.S. fresh produce suppliers to U.S. importers, who would be responsible for working with importers to meet FSVP requirements;
fresh produce buyers and sellers who utilize or participate in third-party audits; and
auditors or certifiers, who would be subject to the third-party audit rule
Access FSVP proposed rule summaries and additional PMA resources, by visiting the “What’s New” section of PMA’s online FSMA Resource Center.
Read Article →Food Safety Guidance Documents now available online at pma.com
The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) now offers a new resource for food safety guidance documents to help producers and buyers develop food safety programs for their specific operations. Both country and commodity-specific resources are available. If you or your organisation is aware of applicable produce safety best practices/guidance documents that are not listed and would like to have them included, please contact Cynthia Neal at cneal@pma.com
Access the full list of resources, here.
Check out PMA’s full range of global food safety resources, here.
FDA releases second set of proposed rules
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released the second set of proposed Food Safety Modernization Act rules covering foreign supplier verification and third-party auditor accreditation. In a statement to members, PMA President and CEO Bryan Silbermann said food that’s consumed in the U.S., no matter where it’s grown, must meet the same standards. Read the entire statement.
Read Article →
Fifth FPSANZ monthly newsletter out now!
The fifth edition of the Fresh Produce Safety Australia & New Zealand newsletter has just been released!
In this edition:
Were you spotted at the Food Safety Hub at PMA Fresh Connections, 2013?
“Fresh Produce Safety: A Collaborative Model” Summary by Dr. Robyn McConchie
Fresh Produce Safety Centre – seeking your support.
Message from the CPS Research Symposium: Key messages from the first day, Safe food is a commitment from all businesses.
Get on Track with food safety: Traceability
…and more!
Click here to check out the newsletter.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in the Fresh Produce Safety community by signing up for the monthly newsletter.
Researchers create rapid E.coli detector
A group of researchers at Canada’s University of Alberta have created a gadget they say can quickly detect the presence of E.coli bacteria in food. The test, which can be used at food-processing facilities, makes millions of copies of the genes in the meat being tested and provides results in under an hour. See the full article at Food Business Review (7/17)
Read Article →Dr. Jim Gorny Appointed as Center for Produce Safety (UC Davis) Technical Committee Chair
—Dr. Bob Whitaker to remain on CPS board of directors—
Newark, Del. — Dr. Jim Gorny, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) vice president of food safety and technology, has been appointed as chair of the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) Technical Committee by Steve Patricio, chair of the CPS Board of Directors. Gorny will replace Dr. Bob Whitaker, PMA chief science and technology officer, who has chaired the committee since 2008 and will retain his position on CPS’s board.
The transition allows CPS to continue to benefit from Gorny’s extensive knowledge of food safety, while providing Whitaker the opportunity to dedicate more time identifying and translating existing and emerging science and technology into useable industry solutions for PMA members.
“Jim has served as a CPS board and Technical Committee member since our founding, providing CPS an opportunity to tap into his extensive knowledge of food safety, industry practices and produce safety public policy,” said Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, CPS executive director. “He’s certainly no stranger to CPS and food safety and his oversight of the Technical Committee leaves the center and the industry in excellent hands.”
Gorny is an alumnus of the University of California, Davis, and previously served as the executive director of UC Davis’ Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center. Before recently joining PMA, Gorny worked as senior advisor for U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Food Safety where he advised on policies and programs affecting the safety of fresh produce.
“Jim has built a career around pushing the ball forward on produce safety by strongly advocating for and developing science and risk-based food safety industry programs and public policy, a commitment shared by PMA,” said Whitaker. “His transition to Technical Committee chair furthers this goal while also allowing me to dedicate more time to the tremendous work that still needs to be done for PMA members in the vast area of science and technology, which extends beyond food safety to also include such areas as supply chain efficiencies, seed technology, processing and packing innovations, and data management methodologies.”
Whitaker steps away from his chairmanship well accomplished, having helped CPS establish a framework for annual grant-funded research that has resulted to date in CPS’s awarding more than $10.6 million to fund 70 projects at 26 institutions in 17 U.S. states and three countries. The CPS Produce Research Symposium reports annually on the research funded by the center.
“Bob has done a tremendous job not only in helping to get CPS’s research grant program up and running, but also in helping us concentrate our limited resources on research areas needed most,” said Fernandez-Fenaroli.
As Technical Committee chair, Gorny will work extensively with the CPS executive director and the committee to identify, fund, translate and provide industry with high priority, impactful produce safety research solutions that enhance produce safety for industry and consumers alike. The Technical Committee reports to the CPS chair and the board. Because food safety is top priority for PMA members, to date PMA’s contributions to CPS total more than $3 million, and half of Gorny’s time will be dedicated to CPS as Technical Committee chair.
PMA President and CEO Bryan Silbermann added, “PMA’s members are so well served by the unmatched insight and experience brought to food safety by Drs. Bob Whitaker and Jim Gorny on our staff team. Bob has done wonders in his role of CPS Technology Committee chairman and has laid a strong foundation. He’ll remain active on the CPS Board and the Technical Committee. With Jim running the committee, Bob will increase the added value we deliver to our members as translator and educator – a role in which he excels.”
For more information about Center for Produce Safety as well as to access research findings and summaries from the 2013 CPS Produce Research Symposium and past symposiums, visit http://www.centerforproducesafety.org/
Brief Report: CPS Research Symposium Key Messages, part 1.
Brief Report, CPS Research Symposium 26 and 27th June 2013 ,Wegman’s Conference Centre Rochester, NY State.
The CPS at the University of Davis has been very supportive of the initiatives in Australia to establish an affiliated Fresh Produce Safety Centre. Over the past year they have very generously shared their research outcomes, they have given presentations to our industry, and this year invited Australian researchers to apply for research grants to work collaboratively with US scientists on issues important for the Australian fruit and vegetable industry.
Read Article →
Increasing the awareness of fresh produce safety is ongoing.
The New South Wales parliamentary Inquiry into the Management of Domestic Wastewater suggests there had been either a “negligent disregard” for human health or a lack of awareness about the dangers of using raw sewage.
The final report found that untreated effluent is being used on some farms and market gardens as a form of fertiliser and that a small number of farmers deliberately use waste on their crops, additionally it also suggests that many sewage systems on small farms are failing.
Camden MP Chris Patterson, who chaired the inquiry, said most farmers are doing the right thing. “That would be very minimal if that is occurring,” he said.
“It did find out there’s a need for greater education amongst market gardens potentially in non-English backgrounds.”
To increase the awareness of fresh produce safety, FPS A&NZ is looking for support to provide a coordinated approach to research and outreach for industry-identified fresh produce safety issues and challenges in Australia and New Zealand.
This will be a ‘go-to’ source for all information and news related to food safety and act as an important interface for information between regulatory bodies and the industry at all parts of the value chain.
The industry has come a long way to bring about greater collaboration on the critical issue of food safety in the fresh produce industry, however work in this area must be ongoing to ensure the health and safety of the consumer and to build on the strengths of the fresh produce industry.
For more information regarding the actions FPS A&NZ is taking to address food safety issues and challenges and how you can be involved contact:
info@freshproducesafety-anz.com