Posts from the "Latest News" category
AU: A barcoded apple is more important than you may realise
Food & Beverage Magazine: What is the significance of barcoding every single apple in a mountain of fruit at the supermarket? It seems a tedious process when an apple is surely just an apple. But, an apple is much more than what is seen at face value. It comes with a history – a place of origin, a past in which it was grown in specific soil and shipped in a certain container. This is valuable information, even for the humble apple, as a food recall could affect any product at any time.
Read Article →Seeking Director Nominations
The Centre has recently undertaken a major strategic review and is forging a dynamic new pathway as the leading organisation in food safety in the Australasian fresh produce industry.
Under its Constitution, two Directors are required to retire annually and are eligible to re-nominate for election. Therefore, FPSC A-NZ is seeking nominations to fill two Board vacancies, one from Australia and one from New Zealand (to become effective as from 19 December 2018). These are voluntary roles. The Board meets four times per year – usually twice by teleconference.
Candidates should have a sound knowledge of the fresh produce industry and experience in working on boards and/or industry advisory boards.
Skillsets to include one or more of food safety, innovation, R&D, communication, marketing, events, funds procurement and fresh produce operations.
Interested candidates should complete the Director Nomination Form and return to info@fpsc-anz.com no later than 5pm Tuesday 11 December 2018.
Understanding Good Food Safety Culture
A strong food safety culture will prevent further outbreaks, says Dr Pieternel Luning, visiting from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. However, it is unlikely we will ever reach zero.
Read more
Food Safety Culture Top Tips
Take an assessment of your current food safety culture – what’s happening, what isn’t
Employee characteristics (food safety attitudes & values, food risk perceptions)
Organisational characteristics (leadership, commitment, communication style, food safety/hygiene procedures)
Food safety management system (design & operation)
Facilitative technological resources (protective clothing, food safety/hygiene tools)
Look at what you can actually see within an organisation
Values on display
Hygiene facilities
Understanding of procedures
People, process, purpose, practicality – think about these four areas when creating the right food safety culture in your organisation.
Read Article →US: FDA says poor records stalled outbreak work; feedlot likely source of E. coli
Food Safety News: Federal officials won’t say definitively that contaminated canal water was behind this year’s deadly E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, but they are saying they “found no evidence in support of alternative explanations.” Another point made clear in an outbreak investigation report released yesterday puts the FDA firmly on record when it comes to antiquated shipping and receiving recordkeeping used by many in the leafy greens industry.
Read Article →NZ: How to Determine the Shelf Life of Food
NZ Ministry for Primary Industries: This guidance document has been developed to help operators to determine the shelf life of their food products and to apply the appropriate date marking. It provides useful information to assist operators preparing and handling foods for retail sale. Any legal requirements are shown in boxes with quotation marks.
[news]
AU: One in three Australian households at risk of potentially deadly Listeria infection
Food Safety Information Council: The Food Safety Information Council today released national Omnipoll research that shows that one in three Australians are either at risk of getting the potentially fatal Listeria infection themselves or live in a household with someone at risk. Rachelle Williams, FSIC Chair, said that this research shows a third of these people who are at risk, or living with someone at risk, had never heard of Listeria infection and two in ten of these couldn’t name any of the foods they needed to avoid or cook to prevent Listeria infection.
[news; microbial contamination]
AEON First Asian Retailer to Label GGN
GLOBALG.A.P.: The Japanese AEON Group will become the first retailer to sell products in Asia with the GGN consumer label, thus showing that the products are supplied from farms that have obtained GLOBALG.A.P. certification for good agricultural practices. As of October 2018, AEON and AEON STYLE general merchandise stores, MaxValu supermarkets, and other AEON Group stores across Japan have begun selling GGN-labeled bananas, potatoes, and onions under AEON’s private brand “Topvalu”.
[news; food standards]
AU: Paper towels or air hand dryers: Which is better for the environment and hygiene?
ABC News: Given a choice, what do you use: a paper towel or an electric hand dryer? Or do you wipe your hands on your jeans and walk out the door? The paper-towel-vs-hand-dryer debate makes headlines whenever a study comes out in favour of one or the other. Look at who doles out the money for these studies, though, and you’ll see it’s usually the “winning” side. Still, universities and research institutions do (hopefully) conduct the research independently, even if they receive industry funding. So let’s take a look at what they say.
Read Article →NZ: New Food Safety Guide Released
New Zealand Food Safety: New Zealand Food Safety today released a new publication that provides foundation food safety information for directors, executives and owners of food businesses. New Zealand Food Safety’s director of food regulation, Paul Dansted says the guide, entitled Food safety: Good governance guide for directors, executives and business owners, has been developed with the support of the Institute of Directors and is designed to assist directors, executives and business owners understand their responsibilities in relation to food safety and to improve food safety culture in their businesses.
Read Article →AU: Australia’s agricultural traceability strengthened with new project
Food & Beverage Magazine: A national traceability project, which will help Australian farmers show the origins and quality of their produce, is underway. ​Australian minister for agriculture, David Littleproud, said the project would enhance trust in Australian-grown products and give farmers a competitive edge. ​”We’ll be able to more easily find where a biosecurity or food safety problem began so an isolated incident won’t impact a whole industry,” said Littleproud.
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