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There are no public health or food safety issues posed by popular non-nutritive sweetener steviol glycosides, according to a risk assessment conducted by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).

Following a string of recalls in recent years caused by Ethylene Oxide, the European Commission (EC) has classified Ethylene Oxide as a pesticide and the chemical will be subject to mandatory testing.

Part of Food Safety Magazine’s series with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), titled, “Evolution of a New Era: Advancing Strategies for Smarter Food Safety,” this episode of Food Safety Matters discusses the research and application of behavior sciences with retail foodservice employees and regulatory agencies that help reduce foodborne illness risk factors.

The Institute of Food Technologists’ Global Food Traceability Center (IFT’s GFTC) has released eleven new commodity-specific educational videos covering key sections of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Food Traceability Final Rule.

Of all the key features of FDA's Traceability Final Rule, the Traceability Lot Code (TLC) stands out for its criticality and understated complexity. This crucial code serves as a breadcrumb trail, highlighting every step a product takes through the supply chain. To meet the TLC requirements, industry actors will need to make significant modifications to current lot coding practices. 

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we talk with Donald A. Prater, D.V.M., the Acting Director of the Office of Food Policy and Response (OFPR) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Associate Commissioner for Imported Food Safety at OFPR. Dr. Prater discusses the work he has overseen regarding import food safety, particularly for fresh produce and seafood; food safety culture; and smarter tools and technologies for data-gathering and data-sharing.

Shellfish are filter feeders, and may concentrate microorganisms (bacteria and viruses), as well as natural toxins and chemicals if they are present in the growing waters. The current National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) dictates uniform requirements that every state must meet, with federal oversight provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). States are required by the NSSP to maintain minimum sanitation standards addressing issues such as water quality monitoring, harvest area enforcement, training of harvesters and dealers, processing, shipping, and handling.

The UK Government, in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, has published a plan that establishes the basis for risk-based checks across EU and non-EU trade. The draft Border Target Operating Model sets forth proposals for a new border surveillance and control system to provide protection from security and biosecurity threats, including those posed by unsafe food imports.

Amid the pandemic in 2020, federal and state recall coordinators and their leadership teams took a closer look at the existing regulatory recall response efforts in the state of Georgia, and where collaboration exists between the two agencies. After creating a pilot template project in 2021, the recall shadowing concept was expanded to a larger network. Feedback from 12 additional agencies in 2022 strengthened the project to enhance partner integration efforts, with the ultimate goal to better protect public health during recall events.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has revised a guidance document regarding Safe Food for Canadians licensing requirements for manufacturers and importers of infant formula and human milk fortifier.