Microbiological Control

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The Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) recently published a technical report on the prevention and control of microbiological hazards in sprouts.

Researchers are investigating the use of antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria as a food-safe, clean-label, and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides, which pose food safety and environmental health risks.

This article presents the key findings of outbreak investigations from 2014–2021 that have been linked to the consumption of fresh, soft queso fresco-type cheeses in the U.S. The authors outline some of the specific circumstances that small manufacturers of all cheeses may encounter in an effort to provide lessons learned and highlight available resources.

In this article, the authors discuss the mechanisms by which food safety can be improved on the farm, along with some of the treatments that are effective today and likely will be available in the near future.

This article looks back at the events of the 1993 E. coli outbreak associated with hamburgers served at Jack in the Box restaurants along the U.S. West Coast, examining the regulatory changes inspired by the fatal outbreak and its impact. Also discussed are the corporate and industry changes, spearheaded by Dr. David Theno, that set new standards for leadership and management in foodservice and food safety. 

Researchers are exploring the use of superheated, dry steam to clean food manufacturing facilities where the use of traditional wet sanitation is limited, such as in produce packing facilities and low-moisture food processing plants.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has highlighted several fellowship projects that will advance food safety and help to inform FSIS decision-making.

In an after-action review of a 2022 Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to ground beef, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) highlights the importance of improving outreach to food retail stores about best food safety practices for beef that will be ground.

Using whole genome sequencing (WGS), researchers from the University of Johannesburg have identified a trend of nonpathogenic Listeria strains developing concerning characteristics, such as virulence and stress resistance. Like the pathogenic L. monocytogenes, the “harmless” strains L. innocua and L. welshimeri are common to food processing facilities.

A joint Nordic project has just ended with a report that focuses on the chemical and microbiological hazards associated with seaweed as a food. The project aims to develop a common Nordic approach to seaweed food safety risk management.