News and Resources Roundup
January 2023
30th January | Food Safety News and Free Resources1 |
🦠 Not Just Monocytogenes? Another Listeria species has virulence genes 🦠
A new scientific paper says that Listeria innocua, which is “presumed non-pathogenic” actually carries virulence genes and genes that help it tolerate disinfectants and environmental stresses, making it potentially risky from a food safety perspective.
🍃 New Organic Rules for USA 🌿
The USDA has released new rules for the USA National Organic Program (NOP), which are aimed to strengthen enforcements and improve control systems. The new rules come into effect on 20th March 2023 and companies have one year to comply with the changes.
😢 Frank Yiannas resigns from US FDA 😢
Frank Yiannis, Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Food Policy and Response at the US FDA has resigned after four years of valiant work despite the challenges of the organisation. In his resignation letter, he shared his concerns about the decentralized structure of the foods program at the FDA, a structure that he says “significantly impaired FDA’s ability to operate as an integrated food team and protect the public”.
Read Mr Yiannas' LinkedIn post about this
🐜 Food Safety Aspects of Edible Insects (free resource) 🐜
This new review considers the safety aspects of raising and processing insects for human food. Click the link in the heading to access it.
🐟 Vibrio infections to increase 🐟
Researchers expect foodborne illnesses from Vibrio bacteria in seafood from the Baltic Sea to become more common due to warming water and extreme weather events like heavy rain and flooding.
Food Defense: Reliably protecting raw materials and food from contamination, manipulation or sabotage during transport - Free Webinar
February 10, 2023
This free webinar hosted by IFSQN and presented by ENFIT describes how to protect food materials during transport.
New Acrylamide Rules for California’s Prop 65
California has amended Proposition 65 by defining “exposure” to acrylamide and including levels and limits for various food types.
23rd January | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
⚠ Recalled Berries Accidentally Sold ⚠
Frozen mixed berries from a batch that was recalled due to their link with a hepatitis A outbreak seem to have been released by a distribution centre where they had been quarantined in New Zealand.
Orange Juice Company Sued Over Very High Levels of “Forever Chemicals” PFASs
A company in the USA has been sued after lab tests found levels of PFAS chemicals (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) “hundreds of times” higher than the levels considered safe in drinking water. The source of the chemicals is not known.
🐝 Honey Recalled for Antibiotic Residues 🐝
Honey has been found to contain the antibiotic metronidazole, which is used to treat bee diseases. Its use in bee-keeping is regulated or banned in most countries. The honey was recalled – Canada 13/01/2023
📌 Food Fraud News 📌
This week’s food fraud news includes
shrimp for export adulterated with jelly substances
milk containing formaldehyde, sucrose and ammonium sulphate
celery powder
risks for Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Become a paid subscriber to access The Rotten Apple’s food fraud news.
Kombucha - A Comprehensive Review (Free Downloadable)
This review, published by the Journal of Food Science covers kombucha regulations, substrates, composition and biological properties.
https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1750-3841.16029
16th January | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
🐱 Cat Food Poisoning – Mycotoxins in Pet Food 🐱
A paper about the investigation into a large cat food poisoning outbreak in the UK has been published. It reveals that the source of the poisoning was cat food contaminated with mycotoxins which were present at levels high than that which would be allowed in human food (there being no legal limits for pet food). Three brands of cat food were affected and they have a “common manufacturing source”.
No definitive source of the mycotoxin contamination was discovered but the source could be wheat, oat, maize; or root vegetable ingredients in the food.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.16615
💀 🍃 Tropane Alkaloid Poisoning - One Death 🍃 💀
A food poisoning outbreak, caused by a plant containing tropane alkaloids, which are natural plant toxins, caused ten illnesses and one death in China in July 2021. A report into the investigation has been published. The people who became sick ate wild-picked greens. They were migrant workers who were not local to the area. The plants have been identified as Anisodus tanguticus.
https://weekly.chinacdc.cn/en/article/doi/10.46234/ccdcw2022.189
Traceability Rules - Free Webinar on the US FDA’s New Rule
This free webinar, on Thursday 19th Jan is hosted by Eurofins. Learn:
The new Rule’s history and final publication
The Rule’s recommendations, applications, and what food commodities will be impacted
Exemptions, compliance deadlines, records, and how to prepare
Food Safety Culture – Free Webinar
US FDA, in collaboration with Stop Foodborne Illness, a non-profit public health organization, is offering a webinar on January 25, 2023 from 12 to 1 pm ET (USA). The webinar will discuss how food safety culture relates to training and education. More information on the webinar, including registration information, is available here.
Foreign Supplier Verification (FSVP) Guidance
The US FDA has published a guidance document to help importers and exporters to understand the requirements of the US FSVP rule. Find it here: https://www.fda.gov/media/118241/download
How to Spot Financial Fraud by Trusted Employees – Recommended Reading
This interesting article explains the motivations and pressures experienced by employees who steal or commit financial fraud in businesses. It is aimed at food service owners but equally relevant to any business where staff have access to accounts or financial transactions. Click the link in the sub-heading to read the article.
9th January | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
💀 🐴 Botulism in Horse Feed - 45+ Horses Dead (USA) 🐴 💀
Clostridium botulinum type C has been found in alfalfa cube horse feed after horses began dying from eating a certain brand of horse feed. The bacteria produce a toxin that causes equine botulism when consumed by horses.
🥛 Human Breast Milk Product Recalled Due to Heavy Metals (UK)
Commercially produced pasteurised powdered and frozen liquid human breast milk has been recalled in the United Kingdom because it contained elevated levels of lead.
(Click the heading for a link to the notification)
⚠ A food packaging company is being sued for toxic PFAS chemicals (USA) ⚠
The company treats plastic food containers with fluorine gas to make them stronger, allege the plaintiffs. The fluorination process produces PFAS chemicals (“forever chemicals”) which are toxic. Tens of millions of containers are treated this way each year. The company says they believe they are in compliance with relevant legislation.
Food Safety Leadership - Free Half-Day Virtual Seminar (Oceania Region) - SQFI
Includes GFSI and regulatory updates; challenges in food safety and supplier management; compliance; food safety culture; risk management and how to get started with SQF plus a live townhall style Q and A session.
(Click the heading for a link to the registration page)
2nd January | Food Safety News and Free Resources |
FSN (Food Safety News Magazine) Reviews the Outbreaks of 2022
From Cronobacter in baby formula to Salmonella in chocolate, this article summarises the year that was 2022 from a food safety incident perspective.
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2022/12/from-outbreaks-to-mdma-and-chemicals-2022-in-review/
UK National Food Crime Unit Releases a Video
This short video explains the seven types of food crime and how to report food crime if you are in the United Kingdom.
New Food Code for USA
The Food Code 2022 [sic] is a FDA code. It provides guidance to state and local authorities on retail food safety regulations and forms the basis of retail food safety regulations in US states. Updates made in the 2022 version, which has just been published, include required labelling of bulk and unpackaged foods, as well as the addition of sesame as an allergen.
Get it here: https://www.fda.gov/media/164194/download
New Food Safety Rules for EU
Beginning 1st Jan 2023, the European Union has imposed or changed limits for various chemicals in food. These include
“forever chemicals” perfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS);
dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs);
mycotoxin ochratoxin A;
hydrocyanic acid.
Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/01/2023-court-cases-rule-changes-and-codex-celebrations/
New Food Safety Rules for Mauritius, Israel, Azerbaijan and Nepal
The Mauritius Food Standards Agency (MFSA) will be operational beginning in January 2023.
Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/01/2023-court-cases-rule-changes-and-codex-celebrations/
Israel has new food laws from January 2023 and these will be mostly aligned with EU legislation for contaminants and residues in foods.
Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/01/2023-court-cases-rule-changes-and-codex-celebrations/
There is a new food safety law, in force from January 2023, in Azerbaijan.
Source: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/01/2023-court-cases-rule-changes-and-codex-celebrations/
Nepal has introduced new safety standards for foods and nutritional ingredients, with new limits for heavy metals, labelling and microbiological criteria
Source: https://kathmandupost.com/money/2023/01/04/nepal-implements-new-safety-standards-for-various-foods
Resource: Risk Assessments in Pre-requisite Programs Guidance
This guidance is a free, open-access document provided by SQF but relevant to any food safety management system.
Get it from here: https://www.sqfi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GMP-Risk-Assessment-Guidance-Document.pdf
Food Safety Culture: A Systematic Literature Review
The US FDA has published a review of scientific literature in an attempt to answer these three questions: 1. What is food safety culture?; 2. How is food safety culture developed and maintained?; and 3. How is food safety culture assessed?
Click the link in the heading to access the document.
📌 Food Fraud News 📌
Issue 70’s food fraud news includes
halal fraud
counterfeit agricultural inputs
fraud in poultry feed
a new code of practice for basmati rice authenticity.
Become a paid subscriber to access The Rotten Apple’s food fraud news.