Posts from the "Latest News" category
UK: BRC Global Standards announces launch date for industry leading food safety culture module
BRC Global Standards: BRC Global Standards has today announced the launch in June of a new voluntary module assessing food safety culture.
Food safety culture is a growing focus in the industry, and this module delivers thorough analysis and insight into working culture; complementing existing food safety programmes with valuable understanding of a site’s culture and areas for action.
Read Article →AU: Boy’s death after drinking Green Time Natural Coconut Drink prompts coroner’s warning
Adelaide Now: A Coroner has expressed alarm about mis-labelled imported foods after a 10-year-old-boy with allergies died following consuming a “natural†coconut drink. Keen soccer player Ronak Warty’s life was devastatingly cut short after becoming ill after dinner one night.
Read Article →NZ: New food rules impacting Southland businesses
Stuff.co.nz: Southland councils have implemented audit processes to deal with changes to food safety rules but say there is still some confusion over how the new rules impact businesses. Businesses that serve food are now required to have a Food Control Plan (FCP) under the new Food Act, which came into force in March.
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NZ: Food Safety Science & Research Centre launched
Scoop.co.nz: Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce and Food Safety Minister JoGoodhew today launched the New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre at Massey University in Palmerston North. Formed as a partnership between government, industry organisations and research institutions, the virtual centre aims to ensure New Zealand’s food safety system remains among the best in the world.
Read Article →US: Report: genetically modified crops pose no health risks
Food Safety Magazine: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has discovered that, after extensive research, there is no distinct difference between food crops that are genetically modified (GM) and those that are conventionally grown. Their research also uncovered no clear difference in risks to human health or the environment between the two types of crops.
Read Article →AU: New Salmonella warning – mung bean sprouts
SA Health: SA Health has today [19 May 2016] ordered a local mung bean sprout producer Star Tu, to recall all of its products and stop selling immediately after Salmonella Saintpaul was found in packaged bean sprouts.
Read Article →AU: Global-first agreement with Australian retailers to benefit horticulture growers
Fresh Plaza: In a world-first, major grocery retailers and the horticultural industry have agreed to streamline fresh produce safety requirements lowering the cost of doing business and improving food safety across the fresh produce supply chain in Australia.
Read Article →US: Food safety posters for safe handling of leafy greens
Journal of Extension: This article describes food safety educational tools depicting safe handling of leafy greens that are available as downloadable posters to Extension educators and practitioners. Nine visual-based minimal-text colored posters in English, Chinese, and Spanish were developed for use when formally or informally educating foodservice workers about safely handling leafy greens.
Read Article →AU: Brisbane to host PMA Fresh Connections
Queensland Country Life: Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Senator Anne Ruston will officially open the Produce Marketing Association Australia New Zealand’s (PMA A-NZ) Fresh Connections conference in Brisbane next week. Senator Ruston will use her opening on the main conference day (Tuesday) to announce the Harmonised Australian Retailer Produce Scheme (HARPS).
Regarded as a global first, the scheme involves Australia’s five largest grocery retailers Aldi, Coles, Costco, Metcash (IGA) and Woolworths agreeing to one single standard for food safety in fresh produce.
Read Article →WHO: 10 facts on food safety
World Health Organisation: The great majority of people will experience a food or water borne disease at some point in their lives. This highlights the importance of making sure the food we eat is not contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses, toxins and chemicals.
1. More than 200 diseases are spread through food.
2. Contaminated food can cause long-term health problems.
3. Foodborne diseases affect vulnerable people harder than other groups.
4. There are many opportunities for food contamination to take place
5. Globalization makes food safety more complex and essential.
6. Food safety is multisectoral and multidisciplinary
7. Food contamination also affects the economy and society as a whole.
8. Some harmful bacteria are becoming resistant to drug treatments.
9. Everybody has a role to play in keeping food safe.
10. Consumers must be well informed on food safety practices.
Read the full fact file at the World Health Organisation website