What's new on our website
October 2015
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AU/NZ: Save the date for launch of Understanding the Gaps food safety literature review
The FPSC will be publicly launching the Understanding the Gaps: Food Safety Literature Review on the following dates:
5 November 2015
Auckland, New Zealand
Venue and time TBC
13 November 2015
Sydney, Australia
University of Sydney
7:30 – 10:00 am
Please contact i...@freshproducesafety-anz.com to express your interest in attendance.
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AU/NZ: Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety available for download now
In case you missed it, the Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety are now available for free download from the FPSC website. Provided as a printable 120 page colour PDF, the Guidelines includes 18 chapters such as:
- Where can contamination occur in the supply chain?
- Managing the growing site and planting material
- Vehicle maintenance and hygeine
- Product indentification, traceability and recall
Download the Guidelines now at the Fresh Produce Safety Centre website.
The Guidelines were produced with funding from the following industry and government organisations:
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NZ: Your views sought
NZ Ministry for Primary Industries: The Food Act comes into force in March 2016. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) consulted on the regulations early in 2015. This consultation is another chance for food businesses and providers to have their say about how the Food Act 2014 will work in practice. The proposed notices apply to all businesses that need to operate under a food control plan or a national programme.
[Full story]
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AU: An A-Z of common types of food poisoning
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ABC Health & Wellbeing: Do you know which foods are more likely to cause Campylobacter? Or how many hours it takes to develop symptoms of Salmonella [infection] after eating a contaminated egg? Get the low-down on some of our most common causes of food poisoning.
[Full story]
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UK: E. coli evolved to become deadly 30 years ago, new study finds
Food Poisoning Bulletin: E. coli O157:H7 evolved to become deadly 30 years ago, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and Public Health England. The study explains why deadly outbreaks began in the 1980s and demonstrates why the bacteria should be monitored closely, researchers say.
[Full story]
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NZ: AsureQuality inSight and Authenticateit sign agreement to bring together traceability, food safety and quality assurance
Australian Food News: New Zealand government-owned food safety and quality assurance company AsureQuality has officially signed a strategic alliance with Australian product authenticity, protection and traceability technology firm, Authenticateit.
[Full story]
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CN: Survey of microbial contamination and characterization of Escherichia coli in kiwifruit orchards in Shaanxi, China, 2013
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Foodborne Pathogens and Disease: The aim of the study was to survey three foodborne pathogens in kiwifruit orchards as a continuous monitoring program. A total of 193 samples were collected from 11 kiwifruit orchards in Shaanxi province in October 2013. Among the 193 samples, 68 Escherichia coli isolates were recovered, while no Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella was recovered.
[Full story]
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UK: 95% of consumers buy private brands but concerns in food quality and safety point to need for greater transparency
Packaging Today: Trace One today announced the results of its "Global Consumer Food Safety and Quality" research. The survey of over 3,000 shoppers across nine countries found that despite buying private food brands often, consumers are concerned about the safety and quality of the foods they eat. Only 12 percent of the consumers surveyed said that they wholeheartedly trust the safety of the private and National food brands they consume and only 10 percent wholeheartedly trust the quality. In fact, more than a quarter (27 percent) of consumers do not even trust the information on food product labels.
[Full story]
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US: Center for produce safety announces its $20,000,000 campaign for produce safety
Center for Produce Safety: Since its inception in 2007, the Center for Produce Safety has provided $16.4 million to fund critically-needed, actionable produce safety research. To expand this vital work, the Center today announced the “Campaign for Produce Safety,” a major fundraising initiative designed to secure $20 million in funding over the next five years. […]
[Full story]
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NZ: Crisis management critical in social media age
stuff.co.nz: In a time when social media gives new meaning to news "spreading like wildfire", it is increasingly critical to have a good crisis management plan in place. With the use of social media, it is critical that crisis management plans include social media as a matter of course. [Nestle Australia chairwoman Elizabeth Proust] says a thorough crisis management approach includes prior testing and simulation of different scenarios and a set of steps in place to deal with potential crises.
[Full story]
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AU: The cost of pest infestation
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FoodProcessing.com.au: In 2014, pest infestation cost Australian businesses $796 million, with a further revenue decline of $1.7 billion also attributed to unwanted creepy crawlies. Research commissioned by pest control company Rentokil found that 83% of Australian businesses have experienced incidences of pest infestations over the last five years. On average, an incident of pest infestation in an Australian business lasted for just under three weeks. Food-based businesses were particularly vulnerable, with 12% of companies within this industry reporting losing more than 10 working days as a result of pest infestation.
[Full story]
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US: Guilty verdict puts food safety responsibility where it belongs
Food Safety News: Guilty! The perpetrator of the 2008-09 Salmonella outbreak, Stewart Parnell of the Peanut Corporation of America, just received a 28-year sentence for knowingly distributing Salmonella-containing peanuts. The familiar refrain will be that this is evidence that our food safety system is broken. But those who believe that the response in 2010, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), is the answer have it completely wrong. In fact, the results of this court case provide a strong incentive for everyone involved in food safety, from farms to restaurants, to exercise due diligence.
[Full story]
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US: Arizona woman is third victim of widespread Salmonella outbreak
Reuters: An Arizona woman has died after eating Salmonella-tainted cucumbers grown in Mexico, marking the third fatality from the widespread outbreak, health officials said on Friday. The woman in her late 50s, who suffered from serious underlying health problems, died on Sept. 4 at a Tucson, Arizona-area hospital, said Pima County Health Department spokesman Aaron Pacheco.
[Full story]
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AU: Antibacterial soap no better than regular soap
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FoodProcessing.com.au: They dominate our supermarket shelves and encourage our germophobe tendencies. But scientists in Korea have now discovered that using antibacterial soap when hand-washing is no more effective than using plain soap. The study, published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, examined the effect of triclosan (the most commonly used active antiseptic ingredient used in soap) on bacteria in two ways.
[Full story]
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CN: China beefs up Food Safety Law
Xinhua News: China is preparing a tougher Food Safety Law to come into effect on Oct. 1, said a senior official with China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) on Tuesday. In April, the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, adopted an amendment to the 2009 Food Safety Law with the heaviest civil, administrative and criminal penalties yet for offenders and their supervisors.
[Full story]
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