The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced new funding and education opportunities for school nutrition professionals through its Produce Safety University.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has announced a virtual public meeting of the full National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) on August 30, 2023 to discuss a report on Cyclospora cayetanensis in produce and a charge on Cronobacter in powdered infant formula.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the fiscal year (FY) 2024 user fee rates for the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP) and the Accredited Third-Party Certification Program (TPP). Both are programs under FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recently highlighted a new rapid tool called GeneSeekR that can confirm if Escherichia coli detected in food samples can cause illness in humans.
State and local health departments in Washington are investigating five cases of foodborne illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes in Western Washington, three of which have resulted in death. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has indicated a common source of infection.
To highlight the economic burden of the emergence and transmission of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) foodborne pathogens, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently released a publication on the topic that also suggests actions and policies countries can consider.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently updated its list of qualified presumption of safety (QPS) -recommended microbiological agents intentionally added to food or feed. QPS is a regularly updated generic pre-valuation of the safety of microorganisms based on an assessment of published data for each agent.
A recent UK-based report from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) warns that the lack of a legal definition for vegan food is potentially putting people with allergies at risk, as well as causing confusion for consumers and businesses.
A recent study exploring the use of a digital technologies for retail food safety inspections in the EU has revealed existing opportunities to improve inspection consistency through digitalization, as well as the barriers that exist to adopting a digital environment.