Scientists from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), alongside collaborators from the U.S. and Norway, have finally discovered the algal source of ciguatoxin in Caribbean waters. The findings will make it possible to develop methods and standards to help food safety laboratories monitor and manage the risk of ciguatera poisoning.
The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) recently published key takeaways from its 2023 Research Symposium regarding a variety of topics including foodborne pathogens, cleaning and sanitation, floodwater hazard mitigation, and other areas.
A project funded by the Center for Produce Safety has collected information about, validated, and evaluated the efficacy of the cleaning and sanitation practices for harvest equipment among blueberry harvesters and packers.
After finding nearly 70 percent of private-label avocado oils to be rancid or adulterated, researchers have identified key markers to help the retail food industry source authentic product.
A recent study exploring the use of a digital technologies for retail food safety inspections in the EU has revealed existing opportunities to improve inspection consistency through digitalization, as well as the barriers that exist to adopting a digital environment.
A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign concluded that, when sampling powdered infant formula for Cronobacter contamination, sampling with stratification may be more powerful than random sampling, and that taking more samples, even if smaller, increases the ability to detect contamination.
In support of FDA's Closer to Zero initiative, researchers have conducted a risk assessment that estimates the U.S. population’s dietary exposure to cadmium. The study found children aged 6–24 months and 24–60 months to be the populations most highly exposed to cadmium, with concerning levels of exposure when compared to guidelines set by regulatory agencies.
A nationwide study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has revealed that nearly half of all U.S. drinking water is contaminated by per- and polyflouralkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals.” Dietary exposure to PFAS is an issue of increasing concern due to the growing body of evidence regarding the chemicals’ harm to human health.
The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) has announced its Romaine Test and Learn initiative, a two-year food safety study commencing in October 2023, which will leverage LGMA members’ individual testing data to elicit meaningful, aggregated information to better understand potential microbial risks to leafy greens food safety.
A recent review of control methods for pathogens in beef has identified three key interventions—high herd health status, good management, and biosecurity.
