The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has warned people not to buy or eat several types of counterfeit chocolate bars.
The alert comes after reports of fake branded chocolate being found on sale and follows an incident of people falling sick after eating chocolate sold at a market in Mansfield. Products were wrapped in gold packaging or sold in orange boxes marked Caligold.
EFSA and its sister agencies providing scientific advice on environment, public health and food safety have published a joint statement to express their common commitment to support the One Health agenda in Europe.
More details have been shared about a major E. coli outbreak linked to salad and other past incidents in the United Kingdom.
Presentations at the European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (ESCAIDE) covered a large E. coli outbreak in the UK and other epidemics caused by Shigella and Salmonella.
A record number of trade issues were raised at the latest World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting on safe food.
Delegates at the WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures meeting in November addressed specific trade concerns relating to food safety and animal and plant health.
Countries raised 55 specific trade concerns, including seven for the first time in the committee. In July, 46 concerns were discussed, but only one was new.
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Taenia solium, and plant-based products were among topics discussed at the latest meeting of a European network focused on risk assessment.
The Scientific Network on Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA Network) includes 25 member states plus Switzerland and Norway as observers. It is coordinated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Historically, safety assessments of chemicals in food and feed (as well as for medicines, consumer products, industrial and other chemicals) have relied on evidence from animal experiments. This core practice in evaluating risks from chemicals has, by and large, ensured the safety of our food since the 1950s.
Smoke flavourings do not have the same preservative function but when added to foods they give them a smoky taste.
EFSA has assessed the safety of eight[1] smoke flavourings on the EU market, the authorisation of which was due for renewal, according to the applicable legislation.
Wim Mennes, chair of EFSA’s working group on flavourings, guides us through the main findings of this work and the next steps.
The National Measurement Laboratory at LGC are leading on an UK Food Standards Agency funded project investigating the utility and potential of POC technologies in the food sector and have devised this questionnaire to support the evidence building phase of the project. The questionnaire is targeted at individuals involved in the food supply and allied sectors, including primary production, supply, manufacturing and enforcement/regulations.
Ministers from three government Departments today launched Irelands One Health Symposium.
Ireland’s One Health symposium - ‘One Health - From Policy to Practice’ marks the beginning of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, which runs from November 18th to 24th every year. This event will provide an Irish, European and global perspective on One Health through a combination of keynote speakers, case studies and panel discussions.
According to a survey, almost two-thirds of firms are highly concerned about the impact of a poor food safety audit or enforcement on their business.
Research found that just under half of food companies claim that food safety and compliance with regulations are their top priorities.
While nearly three-quarters of food business owners and managers believe they are very knowledgeable about food safety, only 52 percent feel that their staff have this level of knowledge about the issue.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has become the latest authority to warn about a problem related to Prime energy drinks.
The issue in the United Kingdom is imported Prime Hydration and Prime Energy drinks, which are not intended for the UK market.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a guide for use of whole genome sequencing (WGS) in food safety.
The guidance comes in three parts. The first explains the minimum capacity requirements in the foodborne disease surveillance and response system prior to considering implementation of WGS.
Food agencies in the United Kingdom have raised resource concerns in a report on food standards.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) published a report reviewing food standards across the UK. It looked at whether they have improved, declined or stayed the same in 2022 and is the second such analysis since the UK left the European Union.
Use of food irradiation in Europe has continued to fall, according to recently released figures.
More than 5,000 tons of foodstuffs were irradiated in EU member states in 2020 and 2021 compared to 7,832 tons in 2018 and 2019.
Data was forwarded from member states to the European Commission for January 2020 to December 2021.
In April 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the publication “Food safety aspects of cell-based food”. A factsheet was prepared for food safety competent authorities to grasp the contents of the publication. This document summarizes in nine points the main messages of the publication and includes some of the next steps that competent authorities may consider taking.
Every year in the UK, there are 2.4 million cases of foodborne illness, resulting in around 222,000 GP appointments(footnote 1). Now, Kitchen Life 2, an award-winning piece of research commissioned by the Food Standards Agency, has given us insight into what really happens behind closed doors and how our behaviours could be making us sick.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) are advising pregnant women and those with a weakened immune system to thoroughly cook Enoki mushrooms before consuming them due to possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes and the risk of severe disease.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has dropped some proposed plans as part of updating food hygiene controls following a consultation.
Several stakeholders raised concerns about a new scoring system and frequencies of planned official controls. They would have applied in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. FSA said the plans will not be progressed as costs and timescales outweigh the potential benefits.
The FSAI has been advised that members of the Northern Ireland public service alliance, which includes official veterinarians and meat inspectors who carry out border control post controls on foods of animal origin and meat inspections in approved premises, have announced industrial action this week from 30 October – 3 November 2023 inclusive.
The Group of Seven (G7) has urged recent restrictions imposed on Japanese food products from around Fukushima to be removed.
Trade ministers made the comments at a meeting in Sakai, in Osaka Prefecture, with Japan holding the presidency of the G7 in 2023. The G7 includes Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Canada, and the United States.
Japan has started releasing treated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station into the sea. The accident at the site occurred in 2011. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the discharges would have a “negligible” radiological impact on people and the environment.
