Scientists have given a preview of a forthcoming publication on the use of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) in food safety.
The World Health Organization (WHO) will launch a guide in July that outlines the capacities that need to be in place before WGS can be useful for foodborne disease surveillance and outbreak response; options for implementing it; and how to integrate WGS within existing systems.
Food standards controls are the checks carried out by local authorities (district councils in Northern Ireland) to make sure food produced and sold by food businesses is safe and what it says it is.
The changes published today will help local authorities to take a more risk-based and intelligence-driven approach to inspection, focusing their time and resources on food businesses that pose the greatest risk to consumers.
On June 6-9, the World Health Organization has scheduled a series of talks on food safety to increase awareness and encourage a variety of stakeholders to debate and discuss an array of topics on health and food safety. Over four days, WHO will explore the topics behind World Food Safety Day’s theme: “Food standards save lives.”
Progress has been made on guidelines for remote audits but not on a food fraud text, according to reports from a recent Codex meeting.
The Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems (CCFICS) met in May in Australia.
The development of draft guidelines on the prevention and control of food fraud was limited, with the text sent back to a redrafting stage.
The potential inclusion of geographical indications (GI) in the document received mixed views from members. Other areas discussed included definitions and types of fraud.
The United States is leading the Electronic Working Group (EWG), which includes the United Kingdom, China, the European Union, and Iran. Revised draft guidelines, based on feedback received, will be discussed at the next CCFICS meeting.
The number of food and beverage recalls in Europe went up in the first few months of 2023, according to an analysis.
Data comes from Sedgwick brand protection’s latest European product recall report and is based on information from the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The Global Summit on Regulatory Science (GSRS) is an annual international conference for discussion of innovative technologies and partnerships to enhance translation of basic science into regulatory applications within the global context. The conference provides an opportunity for scientists from government, industry, and academic research communities to objectively assess the utility of emerging technologies (such as nanotechnology, imaging, -omics for translational science, personalised medicine, medical product safety and food safety) for addressing regulatory research questions and to discuss the best way to translate these technologies into real-world applications.
So-called risky foods have been found on menus of healthcare facilities in Germany and Italy, according to a study published this spring.
Products that may present a risk to vulnerable people – including deli salads, raw/fermented sausage products, soft cheese, smoked fish or frozen berries – were offered on the menu of all facilities in Germany, and one-third of Italian sites.
During the pandemic, the public was encouraged to “wash their hands frequently”. A public poll shows that, although the public fully understood the importance of hand hygiene, they were unclear about when they needed to do this to protect against COVID infection.
An increase in a type of E. coli over the past decade has prompted scientists to warn of an emerging threat to public health in England.
While part of the rise is because of better detection of non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in labs, there is evidence more people are actually getting sick.
EFSA has officially launched our new journal Food Risk Assess Europe (FRAE), an open access repository of selected scientific articles from national food safety agencies across the EU.
Most of us will be familiar with the impact climate change has on the environment – biodiversity loss, rising sea levels, higher temperatures and much more. But it also has direct and indirect effects on the safety of our food and this is something that EFSA has to take into account when assessing risks to human, animal and plant health. Join us as we talk to one of our experts, Angelo Maggiore, about how climate change can act as a driver of emerging risks in the area of food and feed safety.
Following the success of the last two years, EFSA and its partners in EU Member States are today launching the third edition of the #EUChooseSafeFood campaign. #EUChooseSafeFood aims to help European citizens make informed decisions about their food choices. In 2023 the campaign will be bigger than ever, expanding to include 16 countries
The European Commission (EC) has launched a call for the next Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Eligible candidates are invited to apply by 26 June 2023.
The Executive Director is the legal representative and public face of EFSA and is accountable to the EFSA Management Board. She/he leads and manages the agency and has the overall responsibility for its operations. The appointment is for a period of five years, renewable once for an additional period of five years.
Microplastics in food is the primary concern for people in Germany followed by antibiotic resistance, according to a survey. Pesticides in food were also a very high concern for 57 percent of people surveyed.
Fifty cases of Cryptosporidium have been traced to a farm on an island off the south coast of England.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)’s South East branch has tried to contact people who visited Hazelgrove Farm from April to the start of May on the Isle of Wight.
People are thought to have become sick after coming into contact with animals. The farm halted animal petting activity in early May.
Helping Europeans to make confident food choices by explaining the science behind food safety is at the heart of the EU Choose Safe Food campaign.
The EU food safety system is built on scientific advice provided by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in close cooperation with national food safety authorities across Europe.
EFSA works with top scientists from the EU and beyond who analyse, assess, and advise, based on the latest evidence, what food is safe and if it poses any risks for consumers.
What is One Health?
Our societies face multiple health challenges from current and emerging threats such as antimicrobial resistance, infectious diseases crossing between animals and humans, impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. One Health recognises that humans, animals, plants, and the wider environment are inter-linked. The One Health High Level Expert Panel defines One Health as being “an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimise the health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognises the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment are closely linked and inter-dependent.”
The main objective of the call is to conclude Framework Partnership Agreements with multiple organisations belonging to the Article 36 list that will support EFSA in producing retrospective CRAs in the next 4 years. Two lots (hazard assessment and exposure assessment) are proposed.
The Government in the United Kingdom has dropped plans to get rid of European laws by the end of 2023.
The Retained EU Law Bill (REUL) will be amended, removing a clause that would have scrapped any EU-derived laws that hadn’t already been replaced, repealed, or integrated into UK domestic law by December.
The EU Commission has announced plans to speed up the deregulation of plants derived from new genomic techniques (NGTs or New GE).
In a letter to the non-profit organization Testbiotech, the Commission claimed that risks associated with unintended genetic changes caused by NGTs have already been addressed. Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said she will propose draft legislation before the summer break to accelerate the introduction of New GE plants.
