safefood Knowledge Network 's Posts (858)

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The European Commission replaced its regulation on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food (Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006) with a new one (Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 of 25 April 2023) that will enter into force from 15 May 2023 and it will be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 

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Food safety and foodborne diseases are one of four themes covered in an FAO report on products of animal origin. FAO is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

FAO’s Committee on Agriculture (COAG) asked the FAO to produce an assessment on the contribution of livestock to food security, sustainable food systems, nutrition, and healthy diets. The first part focuses on the downstream impacts of terrestrial animal source food consumption as part of healthy diets. It covers four areas including food safety and foodborne diseases as well as emerging issues.

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Aberdeen, Scotland – A range of food safety challenges and opportunities were touched on by the chief scientific advisor of Food Standards Scotland (FSS) at a major conference held this week.

Speaking at the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) European Symposium in Aberdeen, Professor David Gally said there are financial, social, and political issues that impact the food chain.

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Different stakeholders have shared positive and negative opinions on the food hygiene rating system in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The research covers the views of local authorities, businesses, and consumers on the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) and was published recently by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

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After the success of the first Science Meets Policy virtual conference in September 2020 (over 500 participants from 49 countries), EFSA and the European Commission’s Inter-European Union Reference Laboratories (EURLs) Working Group on Whole Genome Sequencing are jointly organising the second event in the series. EFSA will host the event in its premises in Parma, Italy on 5 and 6 September 2023.

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Dietary exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) is a health concern for consumers across all age groups, EFSA’s scientific experts have concluded in a new re-evaluation.

In an extensive assessment of the scientific evidence, and after input from a public consultation, EFSA’s experts identified potentially harmful health effects on the immune system.

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The European food sector has called for different methods to be used more in scientific and regulatory risk assessments.

FoodDrinkEurope said New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) can improve the relevance of data available for food safety risk assessment and avoids animal use. NAMs are any non-animal based approaches that can help provide toxicological information in chemical hazard assessments.

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Comparing foodborne illness rates between countries can be misleading because of differences in methodology and data sources, according to a study.

Foodborne illness estimation models are country-specific, making international comparisons problematic. Some disparities in estimated rates can be attributed to variations in methodology rather than real differences in risk, said scientists.

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The number of samples with pesticide residues above the legal limit has gone down in the European Union compared to the year before.

Almost 88,000 samples were collected in Europe in 2021. Overall, 96 percent of them fell within legally permitted levels. Almost 35,000 samples contained residues not exceeding legal limits.

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A series of Salmonella outbreaks in the United Kingdom caused by breaded chicken products from Poland could have affected up to 5,000 people, officials have revealed.

The UK-wide outbreaks resulted in more than 1,000 confirmed illnesses in 2020 and 2021 with potentially as many as 4,000 additional cases which were not confirmed or reported.

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After the success of the first Science Meets Policy virtual conference in September 2020 (over 500 participants from 49 countries), EFSA and the European Commission’s Inter-European Union Reference Laboratories (EURLs) Working Group on Whole Genome Sequencing are jointly organising the second event in the series. EFSA will host the event in its premises in Parma, Italy on 5 and 6 September 2023.

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Five people died in a recent outbreak in Italy linked to unpasteurized dairy products, according to a study.

Infections were caused by consuming unpasteurized fresh cheese produced from contaminated cow’s milk. The incident was considered to be the largest and most severe outbreak associated with raw milk cheese in Italy, said researchers in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

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The European Commission has added ethylene oxide to a list of pesticides that should be tested for following the substance being behind thousands of recalls in recent years.

New legislation means European countries must take and test certain food samples for ethylene oxide from 2023 until 2026.

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The Government in the United Kingdom has set out long-delayed plans on how checks on food imports will work.

The draft Border Target Operating Model was developed with the Scottish and Welsh Governments. A six-week consultation period is now open, with the final version being published later this year.

UK exporters to the European Union have faced checks since January 2021, after the UK left Europe.

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An updated food recall system in the United Kingdom has improved the situation but there are still areas to develop and things to consider for the future, according to an evaluation.

In 2016 and 2017, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) held a review to improve the way food is recalled. This resulted in changes to the withdrawals and recalls system, including new guidance, a revised point-of-sale notice template for shops, and additional training for food businesses.

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A consultation seeking stakeholders’ views on proposed developments for a modernised food hygiene delivery model (FHDM).

This consultation will be of most interest to:

- Competent Authorities - District Councils (DCs)
-food businesses and industry trade bodies
-third-party assurance organisations for food safety
- Professional awarding bodies for environmental health and trading standards professionals
- Trade Unions and expert groups may also have an interest. 

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