Posts from the "Latest News" category
AU/NZ: Strong support for FPSC
Produceplus:Â “Trans-Tasman body receives positive feedback for events held in New Zealand”
“Support for the Trans-Tasman Fresh Produce Safety Centre (FPSC) continue to grow, with over 40 representatives from the fresh produce industry attending events held by the centre in New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay in February.”
Read Article →US: Deliberate act cannot be ruled out for Germany’s 2011 outbreak
Food Safety News:Â Yes, the German E. coli O104:H4 was a pathogen of a high virulence that suddenly emerged, and that might point to an unnatural phenomenon. But might it have been a deliberate act? Or some kind of accident? To be sure, the 2011 outbreak centered on Northern Germany was large, severe, and deadly. Out of the 2,987 confirmed cases not involving hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), 18 died. And out of 855 HUS cases, 35 died.
Read Article →US: Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Poona Infections Linked to Imported Cucumbers (Final Update)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: This outbreak appears to be over.
CDC, multiple states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Poona infections.
A total of 907 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Poona were reported from 40 states.
A total of 204 ill people were hospitalized, and six deaths were reported from Arizona (1), California (3), Oklahoma (1), and Texas (1). Salmonella infection was not considered to be a contributing factor in two of the three deaths in California.
Read Article →AU: Peeling vegetables: is it necessary?
Huffington Post: When making a meal at home, many of us have the habit of peeling all our veggies — pumpkin, zucchini, carrots, everything. But do we really need to? Considering we waste $8 billion of food each year, with the average household throwing out one in five grocery bags per week, couldn’t we simply stop peeling our veggies? Many might dislike the idea of not peeling veggies for fear of food safety, but it’s not as much of a concern as we think.
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NZ: Fresh Produce Safety Centre endorsed at Hawke’s Bay events
21 March 2016
Support for the Trans-Tasman Fresh Produce Safety Centre (FPSC) was clearly demonstrated in New Zealand in February this year when over forty representatives from the fresh produce industry attended events held by the Centre in Hawke’s Bay.
Following the FPSC Board’s quarterly meeting, around 30 QA/food safety people gathered to hear a review of the Centre’s recent activities, plans for further Australia and New Zealand collaboration on food safety and an update on New Zealand issues from HortNZ. Attendees raised a number of issues of importance to the industry in New Zealand.
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SA: Microbiological food safety status of commercially produced tomatoes from production to marketing
Journal of Food Protection: Tomatoes have been implicated in various microbial disease outbreaks and are considered a potential vehicle for foodborne pathogens. Traceback studies mostly implicate contamination during production and/or processing. The microbiological quality of commercially produced tomatoes was thus investigated from the farm to market, focusing on the impact of contaminated irrigation and washing water, facility sanitation, and personal hygiene. A total of 905 samples were collected from three largescale commercial farms from 2012 through 2014.
Read Article →AU:Â Audits in the Food Industry fact sheet
FoodProcessing.com.au: In NSW, Food Regulation 2015 requires that certain industry sectors are licensed with the NSW Food Authority, including:
- businesses that handle, process or store meat
- dairy farms, factories, vendors and milk collection contractors
- businesses that handle seafood and shellfish
- food service to vulnerable persons in hospitals and aged care facilities
- high-priority plant product businesses
- the egg industry
To protect public health and safety, and ensure compliance with Food Regulation 2015 and the Food Standards Code, the NSW Food Authority undertakes regular audits and inspections of all licensed businesses under two different audit models.
Read Article →US: Fresh produce–associated listeriosis outbreaks, sources of concern, teachable moments, and insights
International Association for Food Protection: Foodborne transmission of Listeria monocytogenes was first demonstrated through the investigation of the 1981 Maritime Provinces outbreak involving coleslaw. In the following two decades, most listeriosis outbreaks involved foods of animal origin, e.g., deli meats, hot dogs, and soft cheeses. L. monocytogenes serotype 4b, especially epidemic clones I, II, and Ia, were frequently implicated in these outbreaks.
However, since 2008 several outbreaks have been linked to diverse types of fresh produce: sprouts, celery, cantaloupe, stone fruit, and apples. The 2011 cantaloupe-associated outbreak was one of the deadliest foodborne outbreaks in recent U.S. history. This review discusses produce-related outbreaks of listeriosis with a focus on special trends, unusual findings, and potential paradigm shifts.
Read Article →AU: Barcodes: benefits, usage & getting it right
Food Magazine: A product’s barcode is a vital aspect of its manufacture, enabling traceability within the supply chain and facilitating the smooth flow of goods. Poor quality barcodes can cause severe disruption to the supply chain, as well as impacting efficient product replenishment.
This infographic provides a best practice guide for Australian companies for successful barcode application.
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US: Project assesses food safety impacts of delays between pistachio harvest and drying
Center for Produce Safety: Even with the best-laid plans, delays can happen during pistachio harvest and post-harvest handling. Not only can the slowdowns reduce overall nut processing efficiency and quality, but they also may have food safety implications. A two-year research project led by Dr. Linda Harris, Cooperative Extension specialist in microbial food safety, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, examined the potential for those delays to increase food safety risks.
The data generated are being used to develop a model that could be used by the U.S. pistachio industry to assess delays during harvest. A separate objective has generated thermal processing data that will assist the pistachio industry in meeting the new preventative controls rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act, Harris said. Her work was guided by input from several of California’s pistachio processors.
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