More than 200 people in 11 countries could be part of a Salmonella outbreak across Europe. Investigations to find the source of the Salmonella Braenderup infections are ongoing.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) confirmed to Food Safety News that it was supporting countries in their investigations and following the incident closely with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
More than 30 Hepatitis A infections potentially linked to eating dates are being investigated in the United Kingdom.
Since the start of this year 31 people have fallen ill in different parts of England and Wales and a number of them reported eating dates. Those sick range in age from 6 to 93 years old and 25 have been hospitalized.
Researchers have provided evidence of changes in consumers’ food-related behavior during COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland.
The study, based on an online survey of 651 adults and published in the Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research, showed how the first pandemic lockdown in early to mid-2020 forced people to change their shopping and cooking habits.
It examines food planning, shopping, preparation and eating behavior, including stockpiling and influences on decision-making.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has opened a public comment period on its draft food safety strategy.
The proposed WHO global strategy for food safety 2022-2030 had input from a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on food safety that held two meetings virtually in February and April this year.
Experts have put together a document with steps to help stakeholders manage food safety risks in traditional markets.
The report contains guidance on the promotion of safe and healthy food in traditional markets in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region. This involves identifying food safety issues, deciding on priorities for improvements, finding interventions, developing an action plan, implementing interventions and monitoring performance.
TITLE Audit and Investigations Manager
REPORTS TO Chief Audit and Investigations Manager
JOB ENVIRONMENT
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is a statutory, independent and science-based national
agency, dedicated to protecting consumers by leading a collaborative food safety community to
continuously raise food standards and create a culture of excellence. Core FSAI objectives exist to
ensure through regulation and engagement with stakeholders, that food consumed, produced,
distributed or marketed in Ireland is to the highest possible standards. Consumers are placed at the
centre of all its activities.
Bacon and other cured pork meats have been identified as risk factors for hepatitis E virus (HEV) in England by researchers.
They found consuming bacon, cured pork meats, and pigs’ liver were significantly associated with HEV infection, confirming previous links to processed pork products.
A specialist from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has revealed how the authority is using data science to identify emerging risks by using a variety of sources and analytics techniques.
The aim is to help develop a picture of the food system, its safety, authenticity, and risks and vulnerabilities, so issues can be better managed.
Reports of cryptosporidium, E. coli and Campylobacter have all increased in Ireland so far this year compared to 2020.
Public health officials said notifications of all three diseases are nationally spread with no clustering pointing to large outbreaks but there are more infections in rural areas.
An international food safety network was involved in more than double the number of incidents in the first three months of this year compared to the previous quarter.
The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) dealt with 56 events in early 2021 compared to 23 in the fourth quarter of 2020. The network is managed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
Data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in zoonotic and indicator bacteria from humans, animals and food are collected annually by the EU Member States (MSs), jointly analysed by the EFSA and the ECDC and reported in a yearly EU Summary Report. The annual monitoring of AMR in animals and food within the EU is targeted at selected animal species corresponding to the reporting year. The 2018 monitoring specifically focussed on poultry and their derived carcases/meat, while the monitoring performed in 2019 specifically focused on pigs and calves under 1 year of age, as well as their derived carcases/meat. Monitoring and reporting of AMR in 2018/2019 included data regarding Salmonella, Campylobacter and indicator Escherichia coli isolates, as well as data obtained from the specific monitoring of presumptive ESBL‐/AmpC‐/carbapenemase‐producing E. coli isolates.
Organic agriculture is increasingly under the spotlight for being a promising approach to address the challenges raised by the increasing
demographics and urbanization as well as climate change. In the eyes of consumers, this often translates into healthier, safer, tastier and more environmentally friendly foods. But the “organic” certification actually indicates products that are produced in accordance with certain standards throughout the production, handling, processing and marketing stages, and which aim at a different set of benefits: better incomes for small-scale farmers and increased food security, environmental benefits such as improved soil and water quality and
biodiversity preservation, and improved animal welfare.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can be described as the quintessential One Health issue: it involves humans, animals and the environment.
It is also a multisectoral food safety problem whose effects transcend borders. With such an interlinked context, legislation that has an impact on AMR is crucial to combat the issue, and to establish linkages among the various sectors and activities. As AMR is a holistic problem, the connections between AMR and its implications in the different areas of law need to be considered.
On February 20, 2019, PulseNet, the molecular subtyping network for foodborne disease surveillance, identified six Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O26:H11 infections with the same pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) pattern combination. This PFGE pattern combination matched that of infections from a July 2018 outbreak that was associated with ground beef. In response, CDC initiated an investigation with federal, state, and local partners to identify the outbreak source and implement prevention measures.
Zoonotic pathogens are microorganisms transmitted by animals, which cause disease and illness in humans. Many of them are foodborne and are commonly associated with farmed animals, or less frequently with wildlife. However, some pathogens are also transmitted into the food-chain indirectly from animals onto plants, via faecal contamination of water used for irrigation or via the soil where the plants grow.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching negative impacts, including devastating the restaurant and foodservice industry in the United States. Loss of sales in this space were reported by the National Restaurant Association to surpass $185 billion between March and August of 2020 alone.1 In order for things to return to “normal” for the industry, customers will need to feel safe returning and the chance of this happening again significantly reduced.
More than half of local authorities in England are not taking on trainees or apprentices in environmental health because of funding and capacity issues, according to a survey.
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) said findings from its workforce survey of environmental health professionals were “concerning.”
There is no such thing as zero risk when it comes to food safety, according to researchers.
Consumers, industry and governments typically desire foods that are free of any risk but scientists said zero risk is unattainable in food production regardless of the severity of inactivation treatments or stringency of sampling programs.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D., today welcomed the launch of a public consultation on the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the draft Agri-Food Strategy to 2030. The draft was prepared by a committee of stakeholders, chaired by Mr Tom Arnold, and facilitated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Arun Chauhan, Founder and Managing Director at Tenet Law, explains how leadership style within an organisation plays a part in preventing and mitigating the risk of food fraud.
