RadioAustralia reported today that more than 350 people across Japan have fallen ill after eating potentially pesticide-contaminated frozen food produced by a major Japanese frozen food company. A similar report from Bloomberg News put the number of those affected at 890, quoting Japan's public broadcasting outlet, NHK.
On Jan. 6, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) posted a guidance document, Compliance Guidelines for Controlling Salmonella in Market Hogs, for review, comment, and implementation by the industry. The guidance provides information on best practices that may be applied at a hog slaughter facility to prevent, eliminate, or reduce levels of Salmonella on hogs at all stages of slaughter and dressing.
The United Fresh Produce Association's Food Safety & Technology Council has developed a document, Guidance on Environmental Monitoring and Control of Listeria for the Fresh Produce Industry, that aims to guide the fresh produce industry in developing practical and scientifically sound “search and destroy” programs for Listeria.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced it is investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Stanley infections linked to raw cashew cheese produced by The Cultured Kitchen of West Sacramento, CA. To date, these infections have been reported in 14 people from three states; three of those people have been hospitalized.
Neogen Corporation, a Lansing, MI-based developer and marketer of products for food and animal safety, announced today that it has acquired the stock of Chem-Tech Ltd., a Des Moines, IA-based manufacturer of insecticides for the animal and food industries.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has recalled donkey meat sold at some outlets in China's eastern Shandong province after tests showed the product contained the DNA of other animals, the U.S. company said. The Shandong Food and Drug Administration explained that the donkey product contained fox meat.
As reported on Dec. 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is extending the comment period on its preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils, the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, are not “generally recognized as safe” for use in food. The agency announced today that the Federal Register notice extending the comment period is on display (see docket FDA-2013-N-1317) and will publish on Dec. 31.
The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) today announced that it will host a public meeting Jan. 7-8, 2014 to review and discuss safe handling instructions included on food labels. At that meeting, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will also seek feedback on its Establishment-Specific Data Release Strategic Plan.
In conjunction with its recently proposed rule, "Focused Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec. 24 released an updated version of the Food Defense Mitigation Strategies Database (MSD). The Database provides a range of preventive measures that food companies may choose to implement to better protect their facility, personnel, products, and operations from intentional contamination.
The Board of Directors of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) on Dec. 20 announced that the IFS PACsecure Standard Version 1 has been successfully benchmarked by GFSI and has achieved recognition against the GFSI Guidance Document Sixth Edition. The IFS PACsecure Standard has been recognized against the M Production of Food Packaging scope.
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