Testing & Analysis

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Expert scientists from nine African countries convened recently in Accra, Ghana to launch a new wave of diagnostic testing using DNA sequencing aimed at improving food safety and controlling antimicrobial resistance (AMR). 

Bureau Veritas has announced the opening of its fourth U.S. food laboratory, located in Chesterfield, Missouri.

Salmonella infection is one of the most commonly reported causes of foodborne illness, resulting in over 80 million cases of foodborne salmonellosis each year globally.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided and update on the agency’s activities to better understand per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the food supply, including recent testing results, progress on seafood-related work, and advances in testing methods.

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.