Fresh Produce Safety Centre Newsletter
June 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.
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Food safety and foodservice – an unavoidable relationship, writes Richard Bennett
New blog post at the FPSC website
The question was posed: Is food safety the weakest link in the foodservice sector? That was the question requiring an answer at the recent PMA A-NZ Fresh Connections Foodservice Forum in May. Is food safety the most critical aspect of foodservice, or are issues like raw material supply, product innovation, packaging, shelf life and logistics, higher priorities?
Sadly, the facts speak for themselves, and food safety has to be right at the top, even if it’s not alone. “From 2007 to 2009, annual OzFoodNet data has consistently indicated that, on average, approximately two-thirds of all reported foodborne illness outbreaks in Australia involved food prepared in retail/food service settings e.g. restaurants, takeaways, commercial caterers, camps, cruise/airline, national franchised fast food restaurants and delicatessens” (Office of Best Practice Regulation 2011). That’s a sobering quote to start with.
Read the full post and other recent blog posts at the FPSC website
Other recent blog posts:
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Fresh Produce Safety Centre marks its first year of operation
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre has just celebrated its first anniversary.
The FPSC was established by the PMA A-NZ and the University of Sydney with support from Horticulture Innovation Australia and a broad range of founding supporters. Its aim is to enhance fresh produce safety across Australia and New Zealand through research, outreach and education.
“The fresh produce industry can be proud of the collaborative approach taken in forming the Fresh Produce Safety Centre: we thank all those industry organisations, stakeholders and individuals who have engaged with the work of the FPSC,” said FPSC Chairman and CEO of PMA A-NZ Michael Worthington.
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre has released an outreach summary encompassing its first year of operation. The summary can be found here.
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GlobalG.A.P conference, New Zealand
Rotorua New Zealand July 2015
GLOBALG.A.P is the biggest farm assurance programme in the world, certifying 150,000 farms across 70 countries. GLOBALG.A.P is bringing its touring conference to New Zealand in July. The conference will focus on looking at the next step of quality assurance certification and how the Australian and New Zealand horticulture industries can incorporate integrity and trust with consumers and continue to build a reputation for food safety.
The GLOBALG.A.P event is being hosted by Horticulture New Zealand as part of its conference at Rotorua Energy Events Centre, July 27 - 29. Speakers will include GLOBALG.A.P President and Chief Executive officer Dr Kristian Moeller, and sustainability experts Caroline Saunders from New Zealand’s Lincoln University and Jon Manhire, from the NZ Sustainability Dashboard.
For more details about the conference or to register, see: www.hortnz.co.nz
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Two new supporters for FPSC
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre welcomes two businesses as new supporters of the Centre: Fresh Markets Australia and the Freshmax Group.
The Freshmax Group consists of a number of Australian, New Zealand and US Fresh Produce Marketers. The group includes: Freshmax New Zealand, Freshmax Australia, Deluca Banana Marketing, Valleyfresh and Crasborn Fresh Harvest.
Fresh Markets Australia is the national organisation representing each of the six Market Chambers, which themselves are organisations which represent in excess of 430 the fruit and vegetable wholesalers located in each of Australia’s six central Markets (Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Newcastle).
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Freshmax and Fresh Markets Australia have joined the ranks of 22 industry organisations who support the day-to-day running of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre.
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FPSC Conference on 12 August
12 August 2015
The FPSC will be holding its annual conference in Sydney on 12 August 2015.
The Fresh Produce Safety Conference 2015 is the annual event of the industry-led and industry-managed Fresh Produce Safety Centre. Now in its second year, the conference is becoming recognised as the key event on the fresh produce safety calendar in Australia and New Zealand. The conference brings together industry practitioners and researchers to examine fresh produce safety issues relevant to Australasia.
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Registrations open now! Register before 12 July for earlybird prices: $132 for general admission and $66 for students.
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What's new on our website
US: FDA publishes draft guidance for expedited importer program
Food Safety News: One requirement of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop a program to expedite food imports to the U.S. from importers with a proven food safety track record. On Thursday, FDA published draft guidance for industry explaining how the new fee-based Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP) will work.
[Full story]
AU: Food labelling: canny consumers should search for the source
The Australian: Go shopping for food or sit down at a restaurant or cafe and you're likely to be bombarded with assurances that everything is fresh, local, sustainable, seasonal, ethical, nutritious and/or Australian. Packaging is jammed with claims about "goodness" and "trust" and, if the photographs are any guide, every farm is a green swathe of lush perfection with one or two plump, healthy animals gambolling joyfully across the verdant expanse. In many ways this is encouraging. Retailers are responding to growing consumer preference for products that are healthy, ethically produced and local. But these images speak of a romantic idea of food production: clean, uncluttered and safe.
[Full story]
US: Is the food industry doing enough to control allergens?
Food Safety News: A recent spate of [US] food product recalls due to undeclared allergenic agents illustrates the problem the food industry has in preventing allergen exposures. While food manufacturers usually have allergen controls in place, protecting those in the population with food allergies can be particularly challenging. Undeclared allergens are considered a significant chemical hazard in food and thus a critical control in many processes, yet most product recalls are due to undeclared allergens.
[Full story]
AU: Food-borne illness a major health threat
Nine News: Food-borne illnesses now pose one of the greatest threats to the health of Australians, warns a communicable diseases expert. Changes to the way food is grown and distributed across the globe have been blamed for the increased risk of serious illness from the consumption of contaminated food.
[Full story]
UK: Supermarkets step up unannounced supplier audits
Food and Drink Manufacturing News: Unannounced hygiene audits of supermarkets? food and drink suppliers are becoming increasingly common, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Professor Chris Elliott, who carried out the investigation into the 2013 horsemeat contamination scandal.
[Full story]
AU: Proximity not enough
Stock & Land: Australia cannot rely on its proximity to Asia to ensure demand for its food continues to grow with the region's burgeoning population. At the two-day [Agribusiness Outlook Australia 2015] conference, researchers, industry leaders and business people told about 60 delegates that Australia had to leverage research and development (R&D) to increase productivity throughout the supply chain; ensure strict quality assurance programs underpinned our "clean and green" reputation; and have more concerted and combined overseas marketing campaigns for our commodities.
[Full story]
CH: China ramps up food safety laws
Asiafruit: China has moved to update its Food Safety Law for the first time since 2009, with harsher penalties for food businesses in China that don’t comply with the new regulations. The new laws will come into place from 1 October 2015, with regulatory bodies to hold more power, harsher penalties for violations of the new laws, and updated guidelines for food production and labelling.
[Full story]
NZ: New Zealand group seeks zero tolerance for pesticide residues in baby food
Food Safety News: A petition seeking zero tolerance for pesticide residues in baby food was discussed Friday by a committee of the New Zealand parliament, but members of the Primary Production Committee reportedly took no action on it. The Safe Food Campaign (SFC), which is sponsoring the petition, noted that the European Commission has mandated no detectable pesticide levels for baby food in EU countries.
[Full story]
US: Inspectors find Listeria at Bidart Bros. cooling and packing house
Food Safety News: Inspector observations from the investigation into the role of Bidart Bros. in last year’s 12-state outbreak of Listeriosis involving commercially produced, prepackaged caramel apples found that the problem could well have originated in the California grower’s apple cooler and packing facility. That outbreak required the hospitalization of 34 of 35 people from 12 states who were sickened. Before the outbreak ended, seven of them were dead, and Listeriosis was blamed for the deaths of at least three of them. Areas inside the Bidart Bros. packing plant where Listeria positives were found were on polishing brushes, drying brushes, packing line drain, inside a wood bin, and on an automatic line.
[Full story]
NZ: Major new markets put New Zealand food safety communication in focus
xinhuanet.com: New Zealand must recognize the importance of emerging markets like China by setting up a prime minister-led crisis management group to coordinate responses to food safety issues, a leading communications expert said Thursday. The country and the agricultural food sector needed a high- level response group, comprising industry and government key players as well as senior communications professionals, to act quickly to reassure export markets, Massey University communications expert Dr Chris Galloway told Xinhua.
[Full story]
AU: Food safety training gains global momentum
Australian Institute of Food Safety: Recent results from a global survey have shown food safety training is rapidly growing and currently almost 40 per cent of all training organisations offer it in some form. Described as ‘one of today’s most pressing public health priories,’ food safety is continuously being recognised as an area that needs multiple levels of education and a clear and accurate core skills framework. The survey, designed by the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), was developed along with the Global Food Safety Curricula Initiative (GFSCI). Through global education, this Initiative aims to helps battle poor food safety standards around the world and create a strong foundation with which to teach people in the food safety industry.
[Full story]
UK: FSAI reiterates advice to boil imported frozen berries
Food Safety Authority of Ireland: The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today reiterated its advice to consumers to boil all imported frozen berries for at least one minute prior to consumption. The advice follows recent outbreaks of norovirus in Sweden and hepatitis A virus in Australia linked to the consumption of imported frozen berries, although there is no indication that batches of berries implicated have been imported into Ireland.
[Full story]
US: Current issues in produce safety: growing areas
Food Safety News: There is nothing more iconic than the image of the farmer plowing his field, and anyone rubbing shoulders with these hard-working individuals enters a world of timeless traditions. Food safety in any application may seem quite simple, and so it appears to be in agriculture, at least on the surface. If the growing area is free of contamination and workers are in good health, and the environment, water and overall growing conditions do not negatively impact operations, consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables should be considered a low risk for causing foodborne illness. The evidence, however, points strongly in the other direction. Produce-borne outbreaks caused by bacteria, parasites and viruses are all-too-common events and, in many instances, investigation reveals unsanitary conditions in the growing area as the initial source of the pathogenic agent.
[Full story]
US: World-class food safety in foodservice
Food Safety Magazine: There are over 50 [US] restaurant chains that have over $1 billion in annual sales each. Some of these companies are quick to claim they have world-class food safety. But do they, really? What exactly makes a foodservice company best-in-class or world-class in food safety? Why would a company care to achieve those levels? This article will outline the processes and approaches that result in an elite food safety program.
[Full story]
AU: What’s on the menu at Australia’s first waste food café using ingredients destined for the garbage
Daily Mail Australia: Pumpkin quinoa burgers, organic bulgar salad, and slow cooked lamb are just some of the dishes set to be served up at Australia’s first ever waste food pop-up café - where all the food is created from ingredients destined for landfill. A fancy range of sharing-style meals will be served up by chef Travis Harvey who has spent the past month ‘squirreling away’ surplus ingredients that have been donated from restaurants, supermarkets and events. ‘None of it is questionable for consumption, that is the striking thing,’ Harvey told Daily Mail Australia. Thanks to a change in the Civil Liabilities Amendment Act, more food retailers and restaurants now feel comfortable about donating surplus ingredients to charity because the liability has been removed.
[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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