Fresh Produce Safety Centre Newsletter
April 2015
In this newsletter:
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Do you have a suggestion or want more information? Contact us at info@freshproducesafety-anz.com. We would appreciate your feedback.
Please let your QA and compliance staff plus external advisors know about our newsletter. They can subscribe too!
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Fresh Produce Safety Conference 2015: Sponsorship Prospectus available
12 August 2015
The FPSC will be holding its annual conference in Sydney on 12 August 2015.
Sponsorship packages to the value of $1250 to $4500 are now available.
Click here to download the Sponsorship Prospectus (PDF, 1.1 MB).
Sponsors will:
- gain industry-leader recognition for their support of fresh produce food safety research and outreach
- receive widespread trade and public media exposure
- have the opportunity to promote their products/services during the conference.
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Take a deep breath and reflect on the hep A saga, suggests Richard Bennett
New blog post at the FPSC website
"I’ve given a few presentations over recent years about crisis management, starting with the need to prevent a crisis as much as possible by having the right attitude towards food safety backed up with the necessary systems. I put attitude first for a reason.
The next stage is to be prepared. Despite the best prevention systems and intentions, glitches happen and you might find yourself in need of a plan to manage the unthinkable. Good prevention and preparation will make all the difference to response and recovery. There’s plenty of evidence to show that resilience – the ability to bounce back – is almost directly related to how you respond, which is directly related to what you have done to prevent and prepare."
Read the full post and other recent pieces at the FPSC website
Other recent blog posts:
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Last chance to submit comments on Guidelines discussion paper
FPSC requesting comments on Guidelines discussion paper
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre is seeking comments on the content, presentation structure and format of the Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety. Thank you to those individuals and organisations who have made comments and submissions. There is still time to comment on the Discussion Paper. Please submit your comments by 13 April 2015.
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The Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety has been sponsored by these organisations:
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PMA A-NZ Fresh Connections 2015
Founding supporter of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre, PMA A-NZ, is hosting the annual Fresh Connections conference and trade show on 12-14 May 2015 in Melbourne. The Fresh Produce Safety Centre will be hosting a booth at the Fresh Connections Trade Show on Wednesday May 13 with some of our food safety colleagues. Make sure you stop by!
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Freshcare Forum 2015
The Freshcare Forum 2015 will be hosted at the Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach, Sydney Australia on Wednesday 22nd April and Thursday 23rd April 2015. Freshcare is a founding supporter of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre. Richard Bennett from the Fresh Produce Safety Centre will be presenting at the Freshcare Forum on “Local or national, accidental, intentional or natural – can we deal with a crisis?” and the FPSC will be facilitating an interactive think tank session on the new Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety.
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What's new on our website
AU: Australian consumers’ food safety report card released
Food Safety Information Council: To celebrate World Health Day 2015, which has the theme of food safety, the Food Safety Information Council has released a report card assessing Australian consumers’ knowledge of food safety. Council Chair, Professor Michael Eyles, said that, while it is good news that a recent Australian National University study found food […]
[Full story]
EU: Growers and industry hit by $1.3 bn in losses due to 2011 outbreak of E. Coli
Food Safety News: The World Health Organization (WHO) has totaled up some economic costs of the 2011 outbreak of the rare and deadly E. coli O104:H4 centered on Northern Europe. Farmers and industries lost $1.3 billion, and emergency aid provided to 22 European states cost another $236 million, according to WHO. The novel E. coli […]
[Full story]
AU: Debunking the urban myth about GS1 Barcodes
Food Magazine: Although barcodes have been around on a global scale for over 40 years, there still appears to be some confusion about the humble symbol, what the numbers mean and that familiar beep that is heard approximately six billion times around the world every day.
[Full story]
AU: Cases of Hepatitis A lower than last year
Food magazine: There have now been 65 cases of hepatitis A in Australia this year. This time last year there were 81 cases. As at 11:00 on 17 Mar 15, according to the Department of Health there were 27 cases of Hepatitis A linked to frozen berries. All 27 cases have reported eating Nanna’s frozen […]
[Full story]
US: Researchers tap GIS to help predict on-farm foodborne pathogen risks
US Center for Produce Safety: Growers may soon be able to log onto a website, note their farm’s location and view the relative risks from foodborne pathogens as different color gradients on a map. They could then make more informed planting and management decisions that would help minimize potential contamination. That scenario isn’t too far […]
[Full story]
AU: Frozen berries scare propels focus on traceability
Food Magazine: Food safety today is taking centre stage with the spotlight clearly beaming down on the need for an unequivocal, standard practice across the entire food sector.The recent 2015 frozen berries case is not the first food safety incident of its kind and it won’t be the last. According to the Australian Competition and […]
[Full story]
WHO: World Health Day 2015: Food safety
World Health Organisation: Unsafe food is linked to the deaths of an estimated 2 million people annually – including many children. Food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances is responsible for more than 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. New threats to food safety are constantly emerging. Changes in food production, distribution […]
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AU: Illawarra Salmonella outbreak over
Illawarra Mercury: NSW Health has closed its investigation into the deadly salmonella outbreak that affected 32 people in aged-care facilities across the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and the ACT. The rare strain salmonella bovismorbificans was found in 32 infected residents at 10 aged-care facilities operated or supplied by IRT. Two of the residents have since died. The […]
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US: CDC report links listeria cases to stone fruit
The Packer: A listeria outbreak in the summer of 2014 was definitely linked to fruit from Wawona Packing Co., marking the first time such an outbreak has been connected to stone fruit, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The company recalled everything it packed at its Cutler, Calif., facility from June 1 […]
[Full story]
NZ: Food Safety Arrangement signed with Vietnam
Scoop independent news: Food Safety Minister Jo Goodhew has welcomed an arrangement between New Zealand and Viet Nam to strengthen food safety cooperation. The Food Safety Cooperation Arrangement between the Ministry for Primary Industries and Viet Nam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development aims to promote recognition and consistency between the regulatory systems of the […]
[Full story]
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 Want more food safety blog posts?
Richard Bennett is the Technology Manager at PMA Australia-New Zealand and the FPSC. You can check out his Food Safety, Traceability and Technology blog on the PMA A-NZ website, here.
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