A recent study published in LWT, found that bacterial cultures, known as protective cultures, can fight pathogens and prevent them from causing illness by hampering their ability to infect someone at several key points.
Protective bacterial cultures are commercially available and are designed to control undesirable microbes in foods, including foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes.
This report is an analysis of statistical data on food security in the United Kingdom. It is the first in a series of reports which will be published under a new duty in the
Agriculture Act 2020 to report to Parliament on food security in the United Kingdom at least once every three years.
A survey into public perceptions of emerging alternative proteins has revealed that a third of UK consumers would try cultured meat, and a quarter would try edible insects. It also revealed a greater number - 6 in 10 of us - are willing to try plant-based products many of which are already on the market.
Established in 2014, the Food Research Collaboration brings together academics, civil society groups and practitioners to produce and share the evidence-based knowledge needed to protect and expand the UK’s sustainable food sector.
Efforts to quantify the level of risk posed by food sold online are at an early stage, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the United Kingdom.
In a paper presented at the latest board meeting, the authority acknowledged limitations of the existing regulatory system are being exposed as some new companies set up online and, deliberately or not, don’t register as a food business, therefore avoiding local authority inspection and assurance.
The European Food Safety Authority published in August 2021 the “Guidance on technical require-ments for regulated food and feed product applications to establish the presence of small particles including nanoparticles” (Guidance on Particle – Technical Requirements (TR)) and an updated ver-sion of the “Guidance on risk assessment of nanomaterials to be applied in the food and feed chain: human and animal health” (Guidance on Nano – Risk Assessment (RA)).
Due to technical reasons, the public consultation is extended to 22 February 2022. EFSA's Food Ingredients and Packaging (FIP) Unit has launched an open consultation on the draft scientific opinion on the re-evaluation of the risks to public health related to the presence of bisphenol A (BPA) in foodstuffs. This document presents the hazard identification and characterisation, as well as the characterisation of human health risks related to the dietary exposure to BPA.
Scientists from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Nanyang Technological University Singapore have developed a biodegradable food packaging material that kills harmful microbes and could extend the shelf-life of fresh fruit by two to three days.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today stated that 59 Enforcement Orders were served on food businesses for breaches in food safety legislation in 2021, an increase of 40% in comparison to 42 Enforcement Orders served in 2020. The increase in numbers largely reflects the reopening of many food businesses following long periods of temporary closures in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. The FSAI reiterated the importance of robust food safety management systems and stressed that the legal responsibility lies with food businesses to ensure that the food they sell is compliant with food safety legislation and is safe to eat.
Superchilling has positive impacts on shelf-life and energy consumption.
In lieu of some of the recent COP21 debates, it is important to find ways to effectively reduce energy consumption whilst ensuring that the global demands for fresh and high-quality food can be met. A recent case-study by Lyon Seafood explored the use of superchilling to do just that. This technology, when used to preserve food, can use blast chillers to lower the temperature of food to around –1.5°C to–2°C. At this temperature range, a partial fraction of the water in the product freezes however enough liquid remains to limit freeze damage.
Climate change could have a big impact on the microbiological quality of raw milk in Europe, according to a study.
While many organisms suffer from the increased temperatures of climate change, some E. coli strains seem to be thriving. The danger is they have the potential to adapt to withstand the pasteurization process.
Marks and Spencer has again recorded the highest Campylobacter in chicken results in updated quarterly figures from the United Kingdom.
Campylobacter is the most common cause of bacterial food poisoning in the UK and the dose needed to make people sick can be as low as a few hundred cells. Marks and Spencer is the only retailer to publish data showing the percentage of chickens contaminated at 100 to 1,000 CFU/g and at under 100 CFU/g.
More than three-quarters of Irish people don’t know the correct temperature to cook their turkey, according to a survey.
Among respondents in the Republic of Ireland, 27 percent were concerned about undercooking the turkey and being sure it was safe to eat while 7 percent were worried about overcooking and serving it dry.
Blockchain technology is not a new concept to the foodservice industry. Before the pandemic, those of us in the industry discussed blockchain technology, traceability, transparency, sustainability, digital technology, and food safety and its impact on the green revolution every day. Then COVID happened, and some of these discussions and movements seemed to take a back seat or even stop. Conferences came to a halt. Collaborations were complex — in the beginning.
European experts and commercial growers have listed a series of recommendations to help reduce the risk of produce contamination.
A workshop in 2019 featured researchers, regulators, growers and other stakeholders to examine best practices to control human pathogenic microorganisms in plant production systems.
The European Commission has tightened the rules around imports of Galia melons from Honduras because of a recent Salmonella outbreak.
Emergence of a risk to human health because of possible Salmonella Braenderup contamination means official controls are to be increased with identity and physical checks on 10 percent of consignments entering the EU beginning Jan. 6.
Topics involving Salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter were discussed at the latest meeting of a European network dedicated to microbial risk assessment.
The Scientific Network on Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA Network) has 25 European Union member states as well as Switzerland and Norway as observer countries. It is coordinated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is proposing recommending a removal of import checks on products from Fukushima and nearby areas.
The FSA is reviewing the controls on imports of food from Japan, that have been in place since a nuclear accident in March 2011, to provide food safety and public health advice to ministers, so a decision can be made on whether they are still needed. Northern Ireland will still follow EU rules and the final decision will be made by ministers in each country of England, Wales and Scotland.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of dirt removal (bacteria and organic matter) of several hand-cleaning procedures. The results from the hand hygiene experiment indicated that washing hands with warm water and soap for 20 s is the most effective method investigated when hands are either dirty or greasy. Even if not proper washing, rinsing under running water for 5 s is a cleaning procedure that may significantly reduce the probability of cross-contamination, as it removes 90% of the hands' dirt. Although less effective than water and soap, the usage of antibacterial wipes was significantly more effective than wet wipes, indicating that they are a better choice when water and soap are not available. The results of this study enable us to inform consumers about the effectiveness of hand-cleaning procedures applied in their homes when cooking. Moreover, it can make consumers understand why, during the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities recommended washing hands as a preventive measure of infection and using an anti-bacterial hand gel or wiping hands with an antimicrobial wipe if water and soap are not available.
