Posts from the "Latest News" category

CA: Canada allows third-party audit results

Canadian Food Inspection Agency: While promising to retain its role in regulatory oversight and inspections, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will consider the results of third-party food safety audits. In a document, the CFIA said the policy will apply to both domestic and imported products.

AU: New tactics in war on toxins to prevent food poisoning

Weekly Times: One year on from Australia’s frozen berry food safety scare, producers are working harder than ever to make sure the food they produce is safe to eat.

CSIRO food microbiologist Cathy Moir said if something did go wrong in modern food supply chains, the large scale of operations and the widespread distribution of their products meant the problem could affect the whole country. Cathy Moir said protocols had shifted away from food testing and toward preventing contamination in the past 10 years.

NZ: Total Diet Study to look into what’s in our food

Scoop.co.nz: A periodic study that gives the most comprehensive view of what’s in our food over time has begun, says Scott Gallacher, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Deputy Director-General Regulation and Assurance. The New Zealand Total Diet Study (NZTDS) assesses New Zealanders’ exposure to certain chemicals such as agricultural compounds, contaminants and nutrients and it is used to identify any potential food safety risks to consumers, as well as monitoring changes to what we eat over time.

AU: New Food Standards Code

Food Standards Australia New Zealand: Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) today notified all stakeholders that a revised version of the Food Standards Code has now come into effect. There is no transition period between the old and the new version of the Code.

FSANZ Chief Executive Officer, Steve McCutcheon, said the Code had been revised so it more closely aligns with food Acts in Australian states and territories and in New Zealand.

US: Awareness, training, oversight keys to mitigating food safety risks

The Wall Street Journal: The recent food sickness problems at Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.—the chain suffered an E.coli outbreak that led to restaurant closures in nine states and a norovirus outbreak that sickened 140 people in Boston–placed a spotlight on risks faced by companies that sell food.

NZ: New Food Act comes into force

New Zealand Government: The new food safety legislation, which comes into effect [1^st March], will help protect public health and sustain a strong food industry for years to come, says Food Safety Minister Jo Goodhew. “The Food Act 2014 will help us to future-proof the safety of our food, and to make compliance more efficient for businesses,” says Mrs Goodhew.

DE: Opinion: Could retailer pollinator policy jeopardize bee and grower well-being?

Fresh Fruit Portal: In today’s competitive food retailer business where margins are at their lowest and every new advantage may increase customer share, the incentive to find a new angle that gains customer approval and raises profile above that of competitors, even at the expense of sound judgment, may be difficult to resist. Following a retailer’s recent decision to ban eight allegedly ‘bee harming’ insecticides from its products, Christina Huxdorff from Greenpeace, Germany was quoted as saying, “This is just a beginning”. For growers worldwide who need these valuable tools to control potentially devastating pests in order to supply the European food chain, the concern must now be: where will it all end?

DK: The supermarket that wants everyone to buy food waste

Aol.com: Residents of Copenhagen can cut their grocery bills by as much as half thanks to a new supermarket that opened in the city this week. WeFood, started by the nonprofit DanChurch Aid, gets all of its products—from dairy to meat to dry goods—from supermarket chains that would otherwise throw the food away.