Contamination Control

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A recent study aiming to investigate the usefulness of publicly available whole genome sequencing (WGS) data for Salmonella surveillance has provided an overview of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among different serovars and defined the most common antibiotic resistance genes.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we are joined by Darin Detwiler, LP.D., M.A.Ed., who is a food safety academic, advisor, advocate, and author with a 30-year history of working to control foodborne illness. Dr. Detwiler discusses the U.S. food safety system as portrayed in the 2023 Netflix documentary Poisoned, in which he is prominently featured. Additionally, Bob Ferguson discusses his latest Food Safety Insights column on food processors’ post-pandemic priorities and challenges.

A recent study carried out environmental monitoring programs (EMPs) for Listeria monocytogenes at three food production facilities in Japan with the aim of developing EMPs that are relevant to Japanese food businesses and to encourage more widespread adoption of EMPs.

Researchers from Kao Corporation have developed a long-lasting skin coating agent that kills pathogens on the hands, paving the way for new hand hygiene solutions that could potentially help food handlers prevent cross-contamination. 

Titanium dioxide has been removed from the list of chemicals that would be banned as food additives under California Assembly Bill 418, which was recently named the California Food Safety Act.

The Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) will hold a meeting on September 18–22, 2023 in Rome, Italy to discuss food attribution, analytical methods, and indicators of viruses in foods.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an open call for elicitors to help develop estimates of the global burden of foodborne disease by participating in a structured expert judgement study. 

On September 1, 2023, two Texas state bills went into effect for foodservice establishments: SB 577 relates to how health inspections are conducted and regulations are enforced, and SB 812 covers food allergen awareness.

Researchers recently discovered a new fungal strain in soil that shows potential for eliminating patulin, a harmful mycotoxin that contaminates fruits, by breaking it down into less toxic compounds.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study has estimated a toxicological reference value (TRV) for oral cadmium exposure. TRVs are useful in the development of action levels for contaminants in foods like toxic heavy metals.