International Standards/Harmonization

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Singaporean officials recently provided an update on the proposed national Food Safety and Security Bill, which was first introduced in 2021 and aims to provide greater clarity on the regulation of novel food innovations, such as cultured meat, while preventing foodborne illness. The country also opened a new National Center for Food Science.

After finding that more than a third of water courses in England and Wales contain medium- to high-risk levels of per- and polyflouralkyl substances (PFAS), the Royal Society of Chemistry is calling upon the UK Government to enact stricter drinking water standards for the “forever chemicals.”

The vast majority of food on the market in Canada meets standards for chemical residues, according to a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) report summarizing sampling activities conducted in 2020–2021.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) is advising consumers to limit their consumption of Cannabidiol (CBD) from foods to 10 milligrams (mg) per day for healthy adults, which is significantly reduced from FSA’s previous opinion that 70 mg of CBD per day is safe.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA’s) Food Fraud Working Group has published proposals to strengthen the collective public-private response to food crime. FSA also released new research on the cost of food crime and prevention strategies.

The European Commission has set significantly stricter limits for the use of nitrites and nitrates as food additives to reduce consumer exposure to carcinogenic nitrosamines. EU food business operators have two years to adapt to the new limits.

The establishment of a comprehensive surveillance program that harnesses the benefits of whole genome sequencing (WGS) requires a coordinated approach involving multiple stakeholders at multiple levels within the framework of One Health. EFSA is actively collaborating with the network of EU experts to foster cooperation and promote equitable data-sharing practices, and is also committed to ensuring a more balanced contribution from all European countries and providing effective support and resources when necessary.

This article explores the intricate relationship between food safety culture and EU regulation while shedding light on its enforcement, the legislative framework, and implementation within the industry. It also explores how technology and data-driven approaches can play a vital role in promoting a positive food safety culture, and how industry best practices complement EU regulation.

A recent report published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has provided a global overview of new genomic techniques being applied to food-producing animals and their products, including those already approved for commercialization in the agrifood sector. 

The Government of Western Australia Department of Health is launching a new strategy to reduce foodborne campylobacteriosis infections, which is the state’s most notified foodborne gastrointestinal disease.