News and Resources Roundup
February 2023
27th February | Food Safety News and Free Resources1 |
🐝 🌸 Mad honey poisoning 🌸🐝
A case of ‘mad honey’ poisoning was investigated in Hong Kong. Food safety officials said the honey was ‘home-made’ and from Nepal. Mad honey poisoning is caused by grayanotoxins, natural toxins that occur in honey derived from Ericaceae plants, which include rhododendrons. Grayanotoxins, are neurotoxins and cause symptoms including loss of coordination and balance, blurred vision, confusion and disorientation, seizures, respiratory failure, and death. The victim was treated in hospital and has recovered.
https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202212/22/P2022122200660.htm
⚠ Cronobacter in infant formula – new recall ⚠
A new recall of infant formula has begun in US, Guam and Puerto Rico due to potential contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii.
🍍 Food Company Faces Cyberattack 🍍
The US food giant Dole had to temporarily shut production and halt shipments after a cyberattack involving ransomware, the company has revealed.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/22/business/dole-cyberattack/index.html
🦠 Fraud Charges for Salmonella Outbreak 🦠
A company which manufactured infant formulas that caused a 2017 Salmonella outbreak has been charged with fraud, failure to perform a product recall and involuntary bodily harm. The outbreak resulted in at least 18 infant hospitalisations. The outbreak strain has also been linked to 141 illnesses in 2005, in food made at the same site – France 18/02/2023
New Standards, Limits, Guidance and (soon?) a CCP decision tree from Codex Alimentarius
The Codex Alimentarius Commission of the Food and Agriculture Organization (Codex) has set maximum levels for aflatoxins for several food categories, including cereal-based foods for infants.
A code of practice for managing cadmium in cocoa beans and a maximum limit for cadmium in cocoa powder was formally adopted by Codex.
Standards for chilli peppers and paprika have been agreed.
Reminder: Codex limits and standards are designed to be used as a benchmark or framework for adoption into countries’ food laws.
The Codex committee on food hygiene’s proposed draft guidance on the management of biological foodborne outbreaks was adopted. The guidelines are in draft form and have not yet been published in their final form.
A new/updated CCP decision tree for HACCP has been added to the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene, according to the minutes of the 45th annual Codex meeting. However, this does not appear to be publicly available yet, with the most recently modified version being 2020.
Source: Minutes of the 45th Codex Alimentarius Meeting
WHO and FAO Call for Food Micro (Virus) Experts
The organizations have published calls for experts and data on microbiological risk assessment of viruses in foods at the following websites.
📌 In Food Fraud News this week (for paying subscribers) 📌
Stolen easter eggs (200,000) possibly destined for independent retail outlets
Cement powder allegedly used to make counterfeit powdered beverages
Massive rates of non-compliance in global alcoholic drinks industry reported by UK advisory group
Organised criminals with industrial-scale harvesting equipment stealing olives in broad daylight - 22,300 kg recovered from mills
20th February | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
⚠ 💀 Traces of egg and dairy proteins in ‘vegan’ food – one death 💀⚠
A person has died after eating vegan food that contained animal proteins to which they were allergic. A vegan tiramisu was found to contain traces of dairy proteins and the victim was also served a sandwich with ‘mayonnaise’ that contained egg protein - Italy.
⚠💥 Botulinum Toxin in Almond Milk – Australia ⚠💥
One person has been hospitalised with botulism and investigators found botulinum toxin in a sample of almond milk they had consumed. A range of products from one manufacturer has been recalled. This is one of just 3 cases of food-borne botulism in Australia in 30 years. Authorities said the products’ labels did not state that they needed to be kept refrigerated. The product is sold chilled and is not shelf stable.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/02/botulism-case-linked-to-almond-milk-in-australia/
IFS’s Appeal Against GFSI Suspension Has Failed
(For an explanation of the situation, see Issue 69)
A very brief post on the GFSI website on 15th February announced that IFS’s appeal against their suspension by GFSI had been denied unanimously by the GFSI appeal committee. IFS says GFSI’s decision to not supply a reason for the suspension means it is violating its own regulations. It also says European retailers will continue to accept IFS certificates.
GFSI’s announcement: https://mygfsi.com/news_updates/gfsi-votes-to-maintain-suspension-international-featured-standards/
IFS’s response: https://www.ifs-certification.com/index.php/en/news/news-archiv/4311-statement-on-gfsi-decision-to-maintain-the-suspension-of-ifs
Trends in food safety incidents for 2023 – free webinar
23rd February
FOODAKAI’s AI models have generated their 2023 forecasts for emerging trends in food safety incidents globally. Their predictions will be explained and followed by a panel of discussion in this webinar.
https://info.agroknow.com/webinar-2023-food-risk-predictions
Consumer Food Insights (USA)
An excellent report prepared by a Food and Agricultural Economist explores what consumers think about food supplies, how much they trust ‘Big Food’ (trust for brands like Nestle is down), and whether they have experienced shortages or food insecurity.
Read a summary and find a link to the whole report here: http://jaysonlusk.com/blog/2023/1/31/consumer-food-insights-january-2023
Microbiological Safety of Sprouts – Technical Advice from FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization has released a report from a group that examined microbial hazards and created advice for preventing them and controlling them for fresh sprouts. A good resource.
https://www.fao.org/3/cc3810en/cc3810en.pdf
📌 In Food Fraud News this week (for paying subscribers) 📌
Food safety certificates may have been forged for raw oysters from Japan and Ireland, say officials investigating an outbreak.
13th February | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
⚠💥 Propylene glycol safety warning 💥 ⚠
Indonesian police allege that a chemical company was packing diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol into bulk containers labelled Dow Chemical Propylene Glycol, giving rise to a huge food safety risk because the substitute chemicals are toxic. All purchasers of propylene glycol are urged to check for adulteration or contamination.
🦠 ⚠ Enoki mushrooms and Listeria ⚠ 🦠
A recall that began in December 2022 has been expanded to include a second brand. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) found two strains of Listeria monocytogenes in enoki mushrooms and these strains were linked to illnesses. Three victims were hospitalised but no deaths have been recorded.
https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/enoki-11-22/index.html
New food labelling rules drafted for South Africa
Proposed new Food Labelling Regulations have been released in South Africa. The draft regulations include alterations to the rules for nutrition, health and cosmetic claims, as well as the suggested labelling of preservatives and allergens plus warning labels for foods deemed ‘unhealthy’. Feedback can be submitted until April 30, 2023.
EU Import Inspections Betray Concerns About Vanilla Extract, and Other Products
The EU has released new inspection frequencies or special certifications for imported foods. Foods that are going to receive more inspections and which might be considered to be growing food safety risks, are listed below.
Note there could also be increased food fraud risks for some of these foods because their certificates of origin or test results could be falsified to avoid inspections.
Ethylene oxide in vanilla extracts from USA must be accompanied by an official certificate for ethylene oxide residues;
Botanicals, locust beans, tomato ketchup, tomato sauces, calcium carbonate (ethylene oxide concerns);
Sesame seeds from certain countries, for Salmonella;
Turnips from Lebanon due to Rhodamine B dye;
Palm oil from Cote d’Ivoire for Sudan dyes;
Groundnuts, peanuts, melons, rice, dried figs, brazil nuts from specific countries, for mycotoxins;
Cumin seeds and dried oregano from Türkiye for pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
AI, Blockchain and IoT in Food Systems, Ethics and Compliance - free webinar
14th February
This free webinar discusses the “informed and aware governance of the ethical and data management risks of deploying such disruptive technologies” in food systems.
https://ilsi.org/?post_type=event&p=34424
Free Genomics Virtual Summit
22nd February 2023
Learn about how the new technology of genomics can be used for food safety, traceability and authenticity testing, with networking opportunities.
Hosted by New Food Magazine and Eurofins.
https://newfood.events/the-food-genomics-summit/
Produce Industry and the new FSMA Traceability Rule – Free Webinar
23rd Feb 2022
This free webinar will include discussions on what the new traceability rule will mean for the US produce industry including the compliance period, audits, what enforcement may look like, and a (live only) Q and A session.
https://virginiatech.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CRNa10nLTjKm7yfjaVY1SA
6th February | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
🦠 ⚠ Listeria in cashew-based and almond milk cheese alternatives ⚠ 🦠
An investigation into a 2022 Listeria outbreak has found ‘irregularities’ at an alternative cheese manufacturing site in France. Recalls were initiated in April, July and August because of Listeria, with a new recall currently in progress. The products are distributed across Europe and the United Kingdom.
🦠 ⚠Cronobacter recall for dietary supplement 🦠 ⚠
In Canada, a natural fibre powder supplement has been recalled after it was found to contain Cronobacter.
Multi-serotype Salmonella contamination incidents might be going undetected 🤒
New research discusses an outbreak caused by two Salmonella serotypes and says “Present diagnostic protocols target single-agent infections, but not multi-serotype infections.” The researchers say there is a need to improve procedures to detect mixed contamination events that might be missed using current lab procedures.
https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.2.2200123
📌 Food Fraud News 📌
This week’s food fraud news includes
Dietary supplements and health products have new expectations for truth-in-advertising in the USA
Waste fraud - supposedly destroyed food diverted back to the market
Cocoa smuggling
Not-really artisanal breads discovered in multiple bakeries
Become a paid subscriber to access The Rotten Apple’s food fraud news.
⚠ Salmonella recall chocolate products found on shelves months later ⚠
Sixty-four retailers who were supposed to have removed contaminated chocolate eggs during a Salmonella recall in April 2022 were found to still have the products on their shelves during a regulatory check in a single county – United Kingdom
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/kinder-eggs-linked-salmonella-outbreak-26071605
Workshop for WGS for low- and middle-income countries
The FAO is hosting a workshop to discuss the application and integration of WGS into national food safety work. It is open to government-sector professionals. The application deadline is 17th February.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/02/fao-to-hold-workshop-on-wgs-for-developing-countries/
🧪 UK Pesticide Residues in Food Report Published 🧪
The Annual report for pesticide residues in food has been published by the United Kingdom Competent Authorities. The report is for 2021 data
New Label Rule for USDA-Governed Products
The US Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is amending its regulations to expand the circumstances under which it will generically approve the labels of meat, poultry, and egg products. The rule will be effective on 20th March 2023.
Heavy Metals in Chocolate
A major chocolate brand is being sued by a consumer concerned about heavy metals in the chocolate.
https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/news/188395/hershey-sued-over-harmful-metals-in-chocolate/
Traceability Rules - webinar on demand (US-and produce-specific)
This pre-recorded webinar, from SQFI, provides information about how food producers can get started on compliance with the new US FDA rules on food traceability.
An Assessment Tool for National Food Control Systems – WHO
The World Health Organisation has published an introduction to its new tool for governments to assess the effectiveness of their national food control systems, including 162 assessment criteria. Get the introductory booklet at the link below:
https://www.whofoodsafety.org/news/11555
Q and A session on the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety – Webinar
14th February 2023
Attend this webinar to ask questions about the Global Strategy for Food Safety answered by WHO experts in Q&A.
https://www.whofoodsafety.org/events/3055
Microbial monitoring in infant formulas – on-demand webinar
The webinar is dedicated to the food safety of infant formulas including microbial risk assessment and environment testing programs.
Norovirus prevention for foodservice operators – free webinar
21st February 2023
This is part of a webinar series featuring the US FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety.
Registration page: https://onlinexperiences.com/scripts/Server.nxp?LASCmd=AI:4;F:QS!10100&ShowUUID=A220BDD7-417F-4336-A756-06904D27DCA1&LangLocaleID=1033&GroupID=Onyx&AffiliateData=1_FSM_PW