In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Brendan Niemira, Ph.D., a Research Microbiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA’s ARS), about his work developing cold plasma technology for microbial decontamination in food applications, and its potential to advance food safety.
A recent study found that, while alternative farming practices aimed at reducing water usage can lower greenhouse gas emissions and arsenic levels in rice, the same practices may also increase cadmium content in plants. The same study also demonstrated that no-till farming techniques raise the likelihood of mycotoxin contamination in crops.
A new study has revealed how leafy greens like spinach absorb various toxic metals differently and offers strategies to reduce uptake, highlighting practical solutions for farmers, food processors, and consumers.
This article summarizes the results of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA’s) Pesticide Monitoring Program Report for fiscal year (FY) 2022, including the rates of violative samples, imported versus domestic foods, and chemicals of concern.
The California Assembly has passed a bill requiring an expedited review of paraquat, an herbicide linked to human health harms. It is used on food crops like almonds and pistachios.
A recent European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) project explored new methods to understand the immunotoxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). At the same time, one Swiss canton has called on Parliament to develop a PFAS action plan after finding widespread contamination on farms, and has banned the sale of beef with high levels of the chemical.
A recent study has demonstrated that the risk of foodborne Salmonella enterica infection from raw produce may increase as humidity worsens due to climate change, and that certain plant diseases can aid the survival of Salmonella on leafy greens.
The California Assembly has passed AB 2316, named the California School Food Safety Act, which aims to ban six potentially toxic synthetic food dyes from foods sold or offered at public schools. The bill now awaits signature into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.
At the 2024 Farm Progress Show, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack revealed that the agency is beginning field trials for a vaccine to address the ongoing outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1—also known as “bird flu”—in cattle.
USDA has released an updated guideline to strengthen animal-raising and environment-related label claims on meat and poultry products, such as “raised without antibiotics.” Due to specific concern over negative antibiotic claims, USDA may undertake future sampling and rulemaking to ensure label claims are truthful.
RSS
