Posts from the "Topics" category
“Learn from the past, because history has a habit of repeating itself†writes Richard Bennett
What’s the difference between a serious typhoid outbreak in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1964 and the tragic – was it cucumber or sprouts? – E. coli outbreak in Germany in 2011? Not a lot according to this article and the even worse news is that major foodborne illness outbreaks are most likely to happen…
New food safety & technology post by Richard Bennett on the PMA A-NZ Blog . View the full post here: http://ift.tt/1oYx2cq
Image credit: E. coli with flagella by AJ Cann CC BY-SA 2.0
Resilient Organisations – helping New Zealand businesses bounce back
resorgs.org.nz: Resilient Organisations (ResOrgs) is a public good research programme based in New Zealand. We have been researching what makes organisations resilient to crises since 2004.
ResOrgs is a collaboration between top New Zealand research universities, particularly the University of Canterbury and the University of Auckland. We are funded by the Natural Hazards Platform and supported by a diverse group of industry partners and advisors.
We are a multi-disciplinary team of over 20 researchers, representing a synthesis of engineering, science and business leadership aimed at transforming organisations into those that both survive major events and thrive in the aftermath.
See resorgs.org.nz for further information.
The #1 reason we bother with food safety? Because consumers demand it!, writes Richard Bennett
Consumers rank food safety at the supermarket as number 1. As suppliers, we often don’t give food safety the profile in our businesses that reflects this ranking, probably because we are focussed on price and quality. Consumers take a long time to forgive a food safety incident, which is why we must be so diligent to get food safety right.
Read Article →Agents of Foodborne Illness
Food Standards Australia & New Zealand: Agents of Foodborne Illness is a technical publication for the food industry, food safety consultants and food regulators. It contains information about pathogens that cause foodborne illness including:
· growth and survival characteristics
· symptoms of disease
· virulence factors
Death cap mushrooms – the industry is prepared for a perennial tragedy, writes Richard Bennett
With another four Canberra (Australian Capital Territory) residents struck down with poisoning from death cap mushrooms in April, the industry has the right to be nervous.
Read Article →
European Commission sets new MRL levels for two disinfectants
The European Commission (EC) has lowered the maximum residue levels (MRLs) for two disinfectants used in the food industry, with the new regulation due to enter into force next year. As a result, the fresh produce trade may need to adjust its current usage practices or explore the use of alternative products.
Read Article →Chemicals and Food Safety
Confused by the chemical jargon? Don’t understand the registration process?
Agricultural chemicals, whether they be for conventional production systems, organic production systems or both, must be registered by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) before they can be legally supplied, sold or used in Australia.
Read Article →
European pesticide residue adherence rates above 97% for third consecutive year
The results of the EU coordinated programme showed that 98.1% of the samples analysed contained residue levels within permissible limits and that 53.4% of samples contained no measurable residues at all. The foods with the highest MRL exceedance rates were spinach (6.5%), beans with pods (4.1%), oranges (2.5%), cucumbers (2.1%) and rice (2%). The foods with the lowest MRL exceedance rates were wheat flour (0.3%) and potatoes (0.6%).
To read the full article and report, please click here
Source : www.efsa.europa.eu
Asparagus by Steve Snodgrass 2011, Some Rights Reserved (CC BY 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/9kC9GL
Read Article →Food Industry Recall Protocol 7th Edition now available
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is pleased to announce that the new edition of the Food Industry Recall Protocol, 7th Edition, May 2014 is now available. It has been officially released today by Assistant Minister for Health, Fiona Nash.
The Food Industry Protocol has been updated by FSANZ with the assistance of the Australian state and territory food enforcement agencies and the food industry.
This Protocol provides information on recalling food in Australia specifically the:
· roles and responsibilities of food businesses and government during a food recall
· key steps in the food recall process
· legal requirements for food businesses in relation to food recalls
· important elements of a food recall plan.
The new Protocol is available on the FSANZ website (pdf 1908kb) | (word 3307kb), and hard copies are available from FSANZ on request.
Key updates in the new edition include:
· revised recall templates
· updated information on communicating recalls to the public
· removal of the reference to the term ‘voluntary recall’ – this term caused confusion with consumers and some businesses who interpreted a ‘voluntary recall’ as meaning it was voluntary for them to take action
· a new section on the importance of traceability and food business’s obligations under the Food Standards Code
Source: www.foodstandards.gov.au