Articles Tagged with ''risk assessment''

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will be reevaluating the health risks posed by phthalates and replacement plasticizers used in food contact materials, and has recently published its scientific protocol for the hazard assessment of the substances.

Researchers have developed a new quantitative risk assessment model for foodborne illness outbreak investigations that takes into account epidemic curves, and demonstrated its efficacy with a case study on a 2019 Salmonella outbreak linked to precut melons. 

A panel of experts have advised against assuming that all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are equally toxic and potent, also providing other opinions on PFAS grouping and risk assessment.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we talk to Dr. David Acheson, President and CEO of food safety consultancy The Acheson Group, about a variety of pressing topics for the food industry, such as the declaration of Salmonella as an adulterant in poultry, Cannabis edibles regulations, compliance with the agricultural water rule, modernizing recalls, mitigating the risk of PFAS, and others. Dr. Acheson has a background in internal medicine and infectious diseases, and also served as the Chief Medical Officer at FDA’s CFSAN.

By 2030, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and its EU partners aim to implement more comprehensive, harmonized chemical exposure assessments to enhance food and feed risk assessments. 

The National Association of County and City Health Officials recently published a study, grounded in the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards, that analyzed the factors affecting the implementation of food safety risk factor intervention strategies among local retail food regulatory programs.

There are two big game-changers for improving food allergen safety: more effective food labeling, as well as risk assessments to understand the severity and frequency of allergic reactions. Identifying, prioritizing, and standardizing the list of major food allergens across global borders will help protect people everywhere living with allergies.

Panelists Christian Blyth (Pathogen Specialist, 3M Canada), Marie Tanner (Senior Vice President of Quality, Dairy Farmers of America), and Lone Jespersen, Ph.D. (Cultivate SA) discuss three features that are prominent in North America's food safety culture: diversity of thought, proactive risk-based approach, and high adaptability. 

A risk-based approach is rapidly being incorporated into food safety systems. This can be attributed to the efforts of regulatory agencies and non-governmental organizations to develop requirements for food businesses. This article examines these food safety systems from a systematic, risk-based approach to allow the food safety practitioner to develop and improve food safety.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recently published the report, “Ranking of Low-Moisture Foods in Support of Microbiological Risk Management.”