The categories of food for which food safety concerns are examined include beverages; dairy and eggs; ingredients; meat and poultry; natural and organic; fresh produce; ready-to-eat (RTE); refrigerated and frozen; seafood and shellfish; plant-based; and alternative proteins.
Alternative proteins encompass lab-cultivated, cell-based meat, dairy, and seafood, as well as novel methods of producing proteins (e.g., upcycling carbon dioxide).
Meat and poultry safety focuses on the slaughter and processing hygiene of cattle, pork, ruminants, and other mammals used as food, as well as chicken, turkey, duck, and other avian species.
Natural and organic products contain no artificial ingredients or added colors, and are minimally processed or processed in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the product.
The ready-to-eat (RTE) category includes foods that are assembled from ingredients into fully prepared meals that do not require cooking, chilling, or other preparation prior to consumption.
Refrigerated foods are temperature control dependent and remain fresh between 35 °F and 38°F (1.7 °C and 3.3 °C) for a specified length of time. Frozen foods are prepared or processed fresh and then frozen for future consumption.
Seafood includes all commercially captured or farmed freshwater and saltwater fish, molluscan shellfish, and crustaceans. Seafood and shellfish food safety is characterized by a special set of HACCP rules.
Eagle Product Inspection recently launched its latest innovative solution for the poultry processing industry, the hygienically designed MAXIMIZER RMI inspection system.
Panera Bread is facing wrongful death lawsuits after two customers in vulnerable populations suffered fatal cardiac events following the consumption of the chain’s Charged Lemonade drinks. The lawsuits assert that the drink is not advertised as a dangerously caffeinated beverage.
The owner of the Tchin Tchin Wine Bar in Bordeaux, France has been charged with involuntary homicide after 15 people fell ill and one person died due to botulism caused by contaminated sardine preserves made by the establishment.
Special labeling requirements for supplemented foods sold in Canada are coming into effect. The regulations are already in force, but supplemented foods that are eligible for the transition period have until December 31, 2025 to comply.
A recent U.S.-based study analyzing the risk of multidrug-resistant (MDR) foodborne pathogen contamination of retail meats associated with the processor region of origin and shipping distance to the final destination suggests that increased distance is linked to increased MDR bacterial contamination.
FoodChain ID recently acquired Organic Certifiers Inc., one of the first certification bodies accredited in the U.S. for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has published a foresight technical report of the food safety considerations of three novel food sources and production systems: 3D food printing, plant-based foods, new applications of precision fermentation.
The UK Government has published guidances for EU and non-EU countries about risk categories and requirements for animals and animal products imported to Great Britain under the new Border Target Operating Model.
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) recently reaffirmed a “not specified” acceptable daily intake (ADI) for titanium dioxide, as well as concluded that there is no safety concern for and established the specifications for 21 flavoring agents.
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) has published an industry guidance to help stakeholders comply with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA’s) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR), Subpart E requirements for agricultural water.