In many jurisdictions there is currently no specific legislative requirement to provide information on allergens that are unintentionally present in food or drink due to contamination. This blog discusses precautionary allergen labelling/information (often referred to as ‘may contain’ statements) and details recent developments in this area.
Research published today by the Food Standards Agency indicates that the top three food-related concerns amongst consumers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are food waste, the amount of sugar in food, and animal welfare, with over half of respondents reporting that they are concerned about each of these issues.
Campylobacter, Salmonella, and norovirus caused the highest burden of disease in Denmark in 2019, according to a study.
Researchers ranked seven foodborne pathogens for their health and economic impact on Danish society in 2019. Work covered Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes, norovirus and hepatitis A.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has issued a warning about the safety of duck eggs following a recall because of Salmonella.
Meadow Park Eggs recalled duck eggs because of the possible presence of Salmonella earlier this month.
Authorities in the United Kingdom have advised businesses to test soya lecithin from India because of potential peanut contamination.
The issue was raised by Germany via a Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) report in late April and affects about 60 countries including the United States. Another four alerts have been made since, with three by Spain and one from Italy.
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Overall purpose of this call for tender is to develop a roadmap for action that will characterise the current state of play on aggregate exposure assessment and identify what needs to be done to achieve EFSA’s vision.
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Modelling of Campylobacter in Sweden has indicated a 2-week time lag between human cases and broiler prevalence.
This suggests that the broiler prevalence two weeks earlier can partly explain domestic Campylobacter infections with transmission via handling and consumption of fresh chicken meat.
An outbreak of E. coli O157 in England that affected more than 20 people was caused by a milk pasteurization failure, according to researchers.
In November 2019, a number of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O157:H7 infections were detected in South Yorkshire.
Official controls in the egg sector work well but there are a few minor issues, according to a report published by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).
An audit in November 2021 covered official controls on the table egg production chain including egg collection, transporting, packing, warehousing, and distribution and retail sale.
A recent poll by the Food Standards Agency revealed that 44% of adults view ‘use by’ dates as a ‘useful guide’ – not realising the potential health risks of getting food poisoning, which could make them or their family seriously ill.
The new finding shines a light on the larger issue of date mark confusion. We’re all aware of the various date marks t hat appear on food labels, such as ‘use-by’ and ‘display until’, but there are still many who are uncertain about what each of them means.
As a key part of labelling legislation, it’s important to have a good understanding of date marks, which is why I teamed up with our experienced food law advisory team at Campden BRI to provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information surrounding this area.
Marks & Spencer is planning to remove “best before” labels from 300 varieties of fruit and vegetables in its stores to cut food waste.
The change, to be rolled out this week, will rely on customers using their judgment to determine whether goods are still fine to eat. The measure will affect 85% of the supermarket’s fresh produce offering.
Supermarkets in the United Kingdom have reported their Campylobacter in chicken results for the the first quarter of 2022.
The data covers January to March 2022 for nine retailers on high levels of Campylobacter in fresh, shop-bought, UK-produced chickens.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) maximum level is 7 percent of birds with more than 1,000 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) of Campylobacter.
Research also suggests that chlorination, which is common in the US, does not have any significant impact on the safety of chicken and the prevalence of Campylobacter.
There was an increase in the number of food safety reports on a platform managed by the European Commission in 2021, according to a new report.
The Alert and Cooperation Network (ACN) includes the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), Administrative Assistance and Cooperation system (AAC) and the Food Fraud Network (FFN).
This report describes the key changes in food standards from 2019 to 2021, a period when the UK’s food system was affected by our departure from the EU
and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UKRI Transforming Food Production (TFP) team and Growing Kent & Medway both recognise the emerging opportunity in the alternative protein sector, and have come together to explore the UK priorities for industry, academia, regulatory bodies and funders. This was achieved through the development of a focussed workshop to provide a series of roadmaps for key categories of alternative proteins. The workshop brought together relevant stakeholder experts to determine the UK capabilities and capacity in the alternative protein
sector, and where future investments can be targeted to maximise impact.
Defendants are accused of participation in supply of horsemeat unfit for human consumption across Europe
18 people, including two veterinarians, are appearing in court in Marseille on Monday accused of involvement in a vast illegal trafficking network across Europe that allegedly supplied horsemeat unfit for human consumption to wholesalers and butchers.
The defendants, from France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain, are thought to have bought and sold thousands of retired draft horses and racehorses, and even ponies, that were exported to Belgium where they were allegedly given fake identification and tracking documents before being sent back to abattoirs in the south of France.
They have been charged with fraud as part of an organised gang, or supplying
The UK government has today published its food strategy.
This food strategy sets out government ambitions and priorities to deliver the following objectives:
The FSA has shared its first science newsletter.
These quarterly newsletters will update you on FSA funding opportunities, latest research publications, areas of research interest, and will highlight FSA science job vacancies and peer reviewer opportunities.
In this first issue, FSA highlight the recent launch of the new FSA 5-year strategy and the new Food Safety Research Network, and the publication of household food insecurity reports
Food matters. In fact, it is integral to who we are and how we live. It impacts on our health, defines our communities and powers our economy. It gives us enjoyment, variety and comfort in our lives. It is what we turn to, again and again, when we want to celebrate and share cherished moments with friends and family.
