New research shows that consumers believe that food safety in Ireland has improved in the past five years, with some 9 in 10 people considering food in Ireland safe. Comprehensive industry and consumer research undertaken by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) revealed today that overall food safety concerns by the food industry have also reduced due to what the industry perceives as robust regulations combined with their increased knowledge of food safety procedures and robust controls by food inspectors.
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EFSA’s expert Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF) is responsible for assessing the safety of new food additives and new uses of permitted food additives. Furthermore, it has been conducting re-evaluations of all food additives authorised for use in the EU before 20 January 2009, under Regulation EC 1333/2008. As the current FAF Panel 2018-2024 nears the end of its term, EFSA is convening a stakeholder meeting to take stock of the work carried out on food additives over these years and to discuss future challenges and developments.
According to the Scottish food agency’s annual report, a challenging economic climate has led to tough decisions about work priorities.
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) mentioned the knock-on effects of leaving the European Union and a prioritization exercise following a reduced budget. The agency also flagged the “huge amount of already limited resources” that were “unnecessarily” pulled into planning around the Retained EU Law (REUL) (Reform and Revocation) Bill.
According to two UK food agencies, the likelihood of vulnerable people contracting listeriosis from blue cheese is very low.
A Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) risk assessment found the severity of Listeria monocytogenes infection in vulnerable people is high. However, the frequency of listeriosis in these groups from consumption of blue cheese is considered very low.
The Secretary of State for Health has announced the appointment of Timothy Riley as Deputy Chair of the Food Standards Agency. His appointment begins on 1 January 2024 for three years.
An assessment of controls at companies in the dairy sector in Ireland has found the system works well overall but there are several areas that need improvement.
The audit covered official controls by a Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) division in the dairy production chain. Eleven businesses were audited between August and November 2022.
Managing Campylobacter in chicken flocks and their meat is challenging, according to a study looking at surveillance methods in Europe.
Researchers compared the different programs for Campylobacter in broiler production across EU countries to identify the most promising practices to control the pathogen.
The European Commission asked EFSA to update its 2011 risk assessment on polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in food, focusing on 10 congeners: BDE‐28, ‐47, ‐49, ‐99, ‐100, ‐138, ‐153, ‐154, ‐183 and ‑209. The CONTAM Panel concluded that the neurodevelopmental effects on behaviour and reproductive/developmental effects are the critical effects in rodent studies. For four congeners (BDE‐47, ‐99, ‐153, ‐209) the Panel derived Reference Points, i.e. benchmark doses and corresponding lower 95% confidence limits (BMDLs), for endpoint‐specific benchmark responses. Since repeated exposure to PBDEs results in accumulation of these chemicals in the body, the Panel estimated the body burden at the BMDL in rodents, and the chronic intake that would lead to the same body burden in humans. For the remaining six congeners no studies were available to identify Reference Points. The Panel concluded that there is scientific basis for inclusion of all 10 congeners in a common assessment group and performed a combined risk assessment. The Panel concluded that the combined margin of exposure (MOET) approach was the most appropriate risk metric and applied a tiered approach to the risk characterisation. Over 84,000 analytical results for the 10 congeners in food were used to estimate the exposure across dietary surveys and age groups of the European population. The most important contributors to the chronic dietary Lower Bound exposure to PBDEs were meat and meat products and fish and seafood. Taking into account the uncertainties affecting the assessment, the Panel concluded that it is likely that current dietary exposure to PBDEs in the European population raises a health concern.
Genomics also plays a key role in food safety by helping to monitor and prevent outbreaks within the food chain. The Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit (GBRU) at UKHSA pioneered the first service for genome-based surveillance and tracking of bacterial variants causing gastrointestinal infections. This marked an early shift from traditional laboratory methods to genomic analysis.
Updated figures for antimicrobial resistant (AMR) E. coli, Campylobacter, and Salmonella on chicken and turkey meat in the United Kingdom have been released.
A survey covered 306 fresh raw chicken and 302 turkey meat samples collected at retail in the UK from January to December 2022. A report was produced by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) under contract from the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Findings continued monitoring E. coli and Campylobacter and produced new baseline prevalence data on AMR Salmonella in chicken and turkey.
Researchers have raised questions about the threat Yersinia enterocolitica poses to public health.
The study, involving the Quadram Institute, University of East Anglia, and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found diverse populations of Yersinia enterocolitica on foods.
The number of yersiniosis cases is low, but it is likely there is underreporting. Not everyone with gastroenteritis reports it; such patients aren’t routinely screened for Yersinia.
The European Commission has changed the level of inspections on various imported products, including decreases related to ethylene oxide and increases in pesticide residues.
The revised legislation sets the rate of official controls and special conditions for food and feed of non-animal origin imported into Europe. Rules are modified every six months.
Consumer exposure to inorganic arsenic in food raises a health concern according to the conclusions of EFSA’s latest risk assessment of this contaminant. The finding confirms the outcome of EFSA’s previous assessment of the risks linked to the presence of inorganic arsenic in food from 2009.
Police in Spain and Italy have arrested 11 people and seized more than 5,000 litres of adulterated olive oil after breaking up an international gang that allegedly sought to profit by passing off cheap oils as their more expensive equivalents.
The investigation, carried out by the Guardia Civil in conjunction with Italy’s carabinieri and Europol, led to raids in both countries and the searching of olive-processing cooperatives in the Spanish provinces of Ciudad Real, Jaén and Córdoba.
The FSAI has published its Audit of Official Controls in the Dairy Production Chain. The FSAI has overall responsibility for the enforcement of food law in Ireland. The FSAI carries out official control audits to examine the effectiveness and appropriateness of official controls as implemented by official agencies in relation to food law, service contracts and MANCP requirements.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), Food Standards Scotland, (FSS) and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are warning the public not to eat four Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese which has been recalled because they may be contaminated with a specific type of E.coli bacteria called Shiga toxin producing E. coli, also known as STEC or VTEC.
The number of incidents involving a global food safety network dropped slightly in the third quarter of 2023.
The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) was part of 46 alerts from July to September 2023, down from 53 in the second and 47 in the first quarters.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has voiced frustration at what it called “repeated, similar and fundamental” breaches of food law.
92 enforcement orders were served on businesses for violating food safety legislation in 2023, up from the 77 reported in 2022.
FSAI expressed disappointment at the increase and urged businesses to train staff appropriately and to ensure that premises are suitable for safe food production and storage.
Czech controls on olive oil have found two-thirds of samples were non-compliant.
The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (SZPI) focused on the quality of olive oils on the domestic market.
Overall, 67 percent of evaluated samples failed to meet the requirements of European legislation. The most severe findings were olive oils that did not correspond to the extra virgin label when assessed and were of lower quality. Two samples matched the category lampante oil, which is not meant for retail sale and is intended for further processing.
Almost 1,000 people fell ill in a Campylobacter and Sapovirus outbreak in China in 2021, according to a recently released study.
The outbreak involved 996 patients and had two peaks over a 17 day period. Through case-control studies, scientists identified exposure to water from a secondary water supply system as a significant risk factor.
