Testing & Analysis

RSS

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published a Post-Implementation Review of the 2013 Food Safety Sampling and Qualifications Regulations (S&Q Regulations), which is now available for public comment.

A recent study has demonstrated the benefits of interagency collaboration during foodborne illness outbreak investigations. The study was conducted by researchers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA’s CFSAN) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Some will argue that more sensitive methods are needed to drive change. This is a reasonable argument, but it misses the underlying problem of defining the mission before implementing a sampling and testing program.

Researchers from the Singapore Food Agency’s National Center for Food Science and the National University of Singapore have developed a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach for the detection of viable Salmonella Enteritidis contamination in shell eggs, which would accelerate the traditional Salmonella testing process if integrated.

McMaster University researchers have developed a rapid, inexpensive test for Salmonella contamination in poultry and other food. The test provides accurate results in an hour or less without the need for accessories or a power source.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has notified constituents that establishments wishing to adopt the cloth sampling method (i.e., manual sampling device or continuous sampling device) for Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) testing of raw beef products no longer require a “No Objection Letter” (NOL) from FSIS.

A new guidance document from ILSI Europe on the existing approaches for analyzing Non-Intentionally Added Substances (NIAS) from different food contact materials has been released. 

PathogenDx has expanded the reach of its patented multiplexed molecular testing technology—Dynamic Dimensional Detection (“D3 Array™”)—beyond the cannabis and hemp sectors, to the agriculture and food sectors.

Researchers from Pusan National University in Busan, South Korea have developed a polydiacetylene-based sensor that offers rapid visual detection of biogenic amines released from spoiled food, indicating when products have gone bad.

The Association of Official Agricultural Chemists Africa Section (AOAC Africa) has established a partnership with the African Organization for Standardization (ARSO) to develop analytical methods for the continent’s most widely consumed foods.