Contamination of food, beverages, and water includes physical, chemical, and microbiological concerns, as well as allergens (the Big 9, formerly the Big 8).
Chemical contamination of food, beverages, and water include chemicals used in the growing or production of food, such as pesticides or veterinary drugs, as well as chemicals present in sanitizers, cleaning solutions, coatings, and packaging.
Physical contamination of food and beverages encompasses foreign material that makes its way into product at some point during growing, harvesting, storage, manufacturing, processing, or distribution.
Microbiological contamination of food encompasses bacterial pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli (E.coli), Salmonella, Cronobacter, and many other pathogens that can contaminate food at any point during the supply chain, causing foodborne illness. This category also includes foodborne parasites.
Allergens in food include the Big 9 (formerly the Big 8): milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat (gluten), soybeans, and sesame as of January 2023. Big 9 food allergens and residues in food are grounds for a Class 1 recall.
Researchers recently demonstrated the inadequacy of an industry standard quality test—Laboratory Pasteurization Count—for raw, organic milk, as it cannot sufficiently differentiate between groups of bacteria.
Scientists from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service are exploring how “transgenerational protection”—which is the ability of layer hens to pass along their resistance to Salmonella to their broiler chicks—can be encouraged, to ultimately reduce early colonization that introduces microbial contamination at the processing plant and poses a food safety risk to consumers.
Researchers have created a coating for galvanized steel food containers that repels bacteria and fungi, is mud-resistant, and reduces the risk of corrosion.
The FAO/WHO Joint Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) convened to review the most recent scientific literature regarding the control of Campylobacter on chicken meat. The experts emphasized the importance of a multi-hurdle approach in production and processing.
Missouri and Washington are the latest states to introduce bills to ban the same four food additives as the California Food Safety Act: brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye 3.
A bill has been introduced by California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-46), who was also behind the recently passed California Food Safety Act, to the California Assembly. Assembly Bill (AB) 2316 would prohibit food containing red dye 40 and titanium dioxide, among other color additives, from being offered by California public schools.
CEJN North America recently introduced the first-ever commercial metal and X-ray -detectable plastic blow gun—the 208 Detect—compliant with EU and U.S. food safety regulations.
The Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) recently convened to discuss the most recent literature on prevention and intervention measures for foodborne viruses.
New food allergen labeling requirements recently came into effect in Australia and New Zealand. A guidance for industry has been published to help manufacturers, importers, and retailers with compliance.
After hundreds of children across the U.S. contracted lead poisoning after eating fruit puree pouches containing contaminated cinnamon, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified six additional ground cinnamon products that were found to contain elevated levels of lead. The agency has issued a recall.
On Demand: From this webinar, attendees will learn how to implement a program to control allergens in food processing facilities and prevent allergen cross-contact.
Live: March 28, 2024 at 2:00 pm EDT: In this webinar, technical experts will explain what a system breach is, how to manage and reduce system breaches, and how to design breaches out of a system to help prevent pathogen contamination in dry and low-moisture environments.