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Fresh Produce Safety Conference 2018
Fresh Produce Safety Centre Conference 2018
Wednesday 26 September, 2018
University of Sydney
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Food Safety – It’s Your Responsibility’.
Food safety is one of the most critical issues facing the food industry today. Getting it wrong can be dangerous and sometimes fatal to consumers as well as ruinous to growers, processors, suppliers and retailers alike.
The increasing complexity of the food supply chain, and the ongoing challenges of globalisation and technology, have multiplied the risks within the food sector, while the threat of deliberate contamination (as in this month’s strawberry scare) represents another challenge for both businesses and regulators.
Listeria remains a menace to the food industry and the 2018 Fresh Produce Safety Centre Conference opens with an important session chaired by food safety veteran Richard Bennett that asks: ‘Listeria outbreaks: Are we any the wiser?’ Microbiologist and food scientist Dr Robert Premier will explain why Listeria is such a lethal danger to consumers and what makes it different to other pathogens. Dr Craig Shadbolt from the NSW Department of Primary Industries will present a case study based on this year’s Rombola melon incident, in which six Australians died of listeria, and other cases around the world, including the 2012 Jensen Farms outbreak in the United States that claimed more than 30 lives.
Training is the key to an effective food safety culture and Brendan Hayes from Coles and AUSVEG’s Andrew Shaw will offer a retailer’s and grower’s view of food safety training.
What happens when things do go wrong? Kashif Ahmed of Symbio Laboratories will give practical advice on laboratory testing, explaining the journey from sample selection to test result and asking, ‘What does the result tell you about the source of the outbreak?’ Steve Hather of the Recall Institute explores the worst-case scenario and asks ‘Can your business survive a recall?’
International perspectives will come from Dr Sylvain Charlebois, Canadian author of five books and one of the world’s most cited scholars in food supply chain management and food value chains, who will address the issue of food fraud; and from Suresh DeCosta, the Director of Food Safety for Lipman Family Farms in Illinois, USA, whose keynote address will focus on international developments in food safety.
In the conference’s final session, Ruth McLennan of Dairy Farm and FSBC director Catherine Richardson will examine food safety from an exporter’s perspective. With the rockmelon incident still fresh in the memory, and footage on the nightly news of strawberries being ploughed into the ground, Ruth and Catherine attempt to answer the crucial question, ‘Is Australia-New Zealand’s reputation for safe food at risk?’
View the full program at the Fresh Produce Safety Centre A-NZ website.
Registrations have now closed, however registration on the day will be available between 8.15 and 8.45 am
Media inquiries:
Stephen Fujiwara
Senior Administration Officer
02 86271058
0423 152 800
info@fpsc-anz.com
AU: Strawberries sold in Woolworths found with sewing needles embedded inside
ABC News: Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young has advised anyone who bought two brands of strawberries — Berry Licious and Berry Obsession — since the start of last week in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria to throw them out. She said the contaminated brands came from a farm in south-east Queensland, and were sold to Woolworths, but could also have been distributed to other stores.
Read Article →US: History, development, and current status of food safety systems worldwide
Oxford University Press: Immediately following the 1993 Jack-in-the-Box outbreak caused by Escherichia coli O157:H7, the United States began to look for a more robust regulatory food safety system than previously employed. In the same time frame in the United Kingdom, an outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) eroded public trust in the food safety systems of Western Europe. As a result, there was increased interest in implementing the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system worldwide.
Read Article →FR: How to Strengthen Your Culture of Food Safety
Global Food Safety Initiative: According to the Global Food Safety Initiative’s (GFSI) new guidance document, a strong food safety culture depends on five key dimensions: Vision and Mission, People, Consistency, Adaptability, and Hazards and Risk Awareness. Does your food safety culture leverage all of these critical components?
Read Article →AU: Refreshed Food Allergen Portal
Food Standards Australia New Zealand: A new look Food Allergen Portal, the result of a collaboration between industry, consumer and government stakeholders, is providing best practice resources on managing allergens in food. Launching the portal today, Food Standards Australia New Zealand CEO, Mr Mark Booth said the portal is now easier for people to navigate and access links to food allergy related resources and information. “The portal has information for food manufacturers and retailers; the food service sector; childcare centres and schools; government organisations; health professionals and consumers," Mr Booth said.
Read Article →
Last chance to register for annual conference!
This week is your last chance to register for the annual conference of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia and New Zealand. Register now to secure your place!
Theme: Food Safety – It’s Your Responsibility
Venue: University of Sydney Veterinary Science Conference Centre (New venue!)
Date: Wednesday 26 September 2018
Register
Program
AU/NZ: FPSC conference – Earlybird registration now open
Fresh Produce Safety Conference 2018
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
The University of Sydney, Australia
The fifth annual conference of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia and New Zealand, will be held at the University of Sydney, Australia, on the 26th of September 2018.
THEME: Food Safety – It’s your responsibility
VENUE: New venue – Veterinary Science Conference Centre
PROGRAM: Major food safety issues affecting our industry
View the program and other resources from our successful 2017 conference.
Registration prices:
Earlybird* – $195
Standard – $250
*(Earlybird registration available until 16 August)
Discounts are available for sponsors
Register
US: America’s enduring failure to prevent food-borne illness
Emily Atkin / The New Republic: The CDC’s green light to eat romaine again may have marked the end of the lettuce crisis in consumers’ minds, but the situation is far from over. The agency and the FDA are still investigating why and how a dangerous strand of E. coli wound up contaminating lettuce in Yuma. No single grower, harvester, processor, or distributor has been blamed, and investigators are still unsure whether contamination happened during the growing, washing, chopping, or bagging process.
Read the full article at The New Republic
AU: Woolworths, Coles and Aldi sliced mushrooms recalled over potential plastic hazard
ABC News: Punnets of sliced white and brown mushrooms are being recalled from across the country due to the potential presence of large pieces of white plastic.
Read Article →