Irish people generally have good knowledge of the main aspects to prevent Salmonella infection, according to recently published study results.
Researchers evaluated consumers’ food safety knowledge by looking at their practices and attitudes regarding raw meat handling, cross-contamination while handling different types of food products, and knowledge of Salmonella risk and associated food-handling practices.
Callan Bacon Ltd. is recalling Smoked 100% Irish Ham Fillet and Unsmoked 100% Irish Ham Fillet with specific barcodes due to incorrect boiling instructions detailed on the label. The implicated ham fillets were sold in Lidl stores.
Abstract
This report of the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control presents the results of zoonoses monitoring and surveillance activities carried out in 2021 in 27 MSs, the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) and nine non‐MSs. Key statistics on zoonoses and zoonotic agents in humans, food, animals and feed are provided and interpreted historically. In 2021, the first and second most reported zoonoses in humans were campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis, respectively. Cases of campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis increased in comparison with 2020, but decreased compared with previous years. In 2021, data collection and analysis at the EU level were still impacted by the COVID‐19 pandemic and the control measures adopted in the MSs, including partial or total lockdowns. Sixteen MSs and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) achieved all the established targets in poultry populations for reduction in Salmonella prevalence for the relevant serovars. Salmonella samples from carcases of various animal species and samples for Campylobacter quantification from broiler carcases were more frequently positive when performed by the competent authorities than when own‐checks were conducted. Yersiniosis was the third most reported zoonosis in humans, followed by Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Listeria monocytogenes infections. L. monocytogenes and West Nile virus infections were the most severe zoonotic diseases, with the most hospitalisations and highest case fatality rates. Overall, MSs reported more foodborne outbreaks and cases in 2021 than in 2020. S. Enteritidis remained the most frequently reported causative agent for foodborne outbreaks. Salmonella in ‘eggs and egg products’ and in ‘mixed foods’ were the agent/food pairs of most concern. Outbreaks linked to ‘vegetables and juices and products thereof’ rose considerably compared with previous years. This report also provides updates on brucellosis, Coxiella burnetii (Q fever), echinococcosis, rabies, toxoplasmosis, trichinellosis, tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis or M. caprae, and tularaemia.
In 2021 there was an overall increase in reported cases of zoonotic diseases and foodborne outbreaks compared to the previous year, but levels are still well below those of the pre-pandemic years, reveals the latest annual EU One Health zoonosis report released by EFSA and ECDC.
The general drop compared to pre-pandemic years in reported cases and outbreaks is probably linked to COVID-19 control measures, which were still in place in 2021. Among the few exceptions are the number of cases for yersiniosis and those of foodborne listeriosis outbreaks, which exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
The most frequent cause of foodborne outbreaks was Salmonella, which accounted for 19.3% (773) of the total. Foodborne outbreaks differ from overall reported disease cases in that they are events in which at least two people contract the same illness from the same contaminated food. The most common sources of salmonellosis outbreaks were eggs, egg products, and “mixed foods”, which are meals composed of various ingredients.
Animal by-products, origin declarations, and potatoes are some of the topics on the radar of the National Food Crime Unit (NFCU), according to the agency’s annual update.
Major risks are the conflict in Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis in the UK. For the latter, intelligence is pointing to cost-cutting practices by businesses, mostly in smaller-scale establishments, which may lead to fake or unsafe products being offered to consumers or other companies.
NFCU action from 2021 to 2022 included closing websites that sold the toxic chemical 2,4- dinitrophenol (DNP) for human consumption. Operation Atlas, which began in June 2020, investigated the sale of DNP and other drugs on the dark web. Jack Finney was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to offenses related to selling DNP. Also, a consultation around including DNP in the Poisons Act has now concluded.
New research from safefood reveals that almost 4 in 10 people are concerned about getting Christmas dinner right this year. The main concern is the cost of the food (52%) while 9% of respondents claimed to be worried about overcooking turkey and 6% are focused on undercooking it and not being sure if it’s safe to eat. Other concerns included getting all of the food to the table hot (9%) and having leftover food that goes to waste (9%).
The research was commissioned by safefood as part of the annual ‘Trust the Meat Thermometer’ campaign. This year, safefood is again supporting home cooks to help them ensure that turkey is neither overcooked and more importantly, not undercooked. Their advice is to use a meat thermometer to ensure that turkey is cooked through to 75 degrees Celsius. safefood also has extra information this year on Christmas dinner leftovers to ensure they’re not going to waste.
The vision of the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety 2022-2030 is to ensure that all people, everywhere, consume safe and healthy food so as to reduce the burden of foodborne diseases. The strategy was adopted by the 75th World Health Assembly. With five interlinked and mutually supportive strategic priorities, the strategy aims to build forward-looking, evidence-based, people-centred, and cost-effective food safety systems with coordinated governance and adequate infrastructures.
The WHO Secretariat has prepared the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety with the advice of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Food Safety: Safer food for better health. The current strategy reflects feedback received through a comprehensive consultation process with Member States and governmental institutions, United Nations agencies and other intergovernmental organizations, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, private sector entities, and individuals working in public health and food safety.
Download here the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety 2022-2030
Tests carried out in 2021 under the National Residue Control Plan (NRCP) have shown that 99.89% of samples taken were compliant, and contained no evidence of approved or banned contaminants.
15,922 samples were tested last year over eight food-producing species including bovine; ovine; porcine; poultry; equine; farmed game; wild game; and aquaculture.
In the EU, defrosted previously-frozen poultrymeat, including turkey, is not allowed for sale. In particular, Council Regulation EC No 1308/2013 on the organisation of markets in agriculture products, and Commission Regulation EC No 543/2008 on the marketing standards for poultrymeat, require poultrymeat marketed in the EU to be in one of three states: fresh (not previously-frozen), frozen, or quick-frozen.
Almost 200 people have been sickened in a multi-country Salmonella outbreak that has been ongoing for more than a year.
Overall, 196 Salmonella Mbandaka infections have been reported with 89 people sick in Finland and 81 in the United Kingdom. Patients also live in the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Israel.
The research, conducted by the University of Southampton, was commissioned by the FSA following the publication of its risk assessment in 2020 which concluded it was very unlikely that humans could catch the virus from food. The study involved deliberately adding virus to the surface of food and packaging. It was not designed to consider the probability that food becomes contaminated under normal conditions, or the probability that virus on food will lead to infection.
The study’s results shows that the virus’s survival varied depending on the foods and food packaging examined. On some foods, such as cheese and ham, the virus survived for several days. On others, such as apples and olives, virus levels dropped quickly. For most food products tested there was a ‘significant drop’ in the levels of virus contamination over the first 24 hours. These findings confirm that the overall risk to consumers from coronavirus via food remains very low.
Air fryers are excellent devices that give consumers the opportunity to reduce their energy consumption from cooking, whilst quickly delivering comparable quality and ‘crispness’ to other cooking methods with less oil / fat. Despite the popularity and success of air fryers, the variability of cooking performance currently presents a food safety barrier to cooking instruction validation for high risk foods and to displaying such instructions on back of pack.
Researchers at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Italy have designed a food-grade device from edible materials that indicates whether a frozen product has been thawed and refrozen.
The researchers’ work, titled “Self-Powered Edible Defrosting Sensor” was published in ACS Sensors, by Ivan Ilic, Mario Caironi, and their colleagues.
Dietary intakes of sulfites could be a safety concern for high consumers of foodstuffs that contain the additives, EFSA’s experts concluded in their updated assessment of sulfur dioxide (E220) and sulfites (E221-228). Gaps in toxicity data meant the extent of certain adverse health effects could not be confirmed.
In a statement published today, EFSA’s scientists have proposed six main criteria to assist the risk assessment of plants produced using the genetic engineering techniques of targeted mutagenesis, cisgenesis and intragenesis. The European Commission asked us for this scientific advice to support their ongoing policy initiative on new genomic techniques.
Minimising transport duration and thoroughly cleaning vehicles, equipment and spaces where animals are loaded and unloaded are some of the measures considered effective in reducing the transmission of resistant bacteria during animal transport.
These are the findings of EFSA’s scientific opinion assessing the risk of spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among poultry, pigs and cattle during transport between farms or to slaughterhouses.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s (FSAI) Food Safety Consultative Council today hosted an open meeting to discuss online sales of food, from the consumer, the regulator and the industry’s perspectives. Click and eat - what’s cooking in online food delivery? also explored the rapid development in the availability of food delivery options available since the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted the importance of securing consumers’ trust that food hygiene practices and food safety legislation are being adhered too, regardless of the journey food may take to reach the consumer. Over 240 people registered for the virtual event with Irish and international speakers from the FSAI and representatives from Deliveroo, Manna Drone Delivery, and Dropchef.
This is a question that the Food Authenticity Network is frequently asked, so we are delighted to be collaborating with FoodChain ID to provide this information.
Foods most reported as being fraudulent, based on data from the FoodChain ID Food Fraud Database, will be posted on an annual basis in the Food Fraud Prevention section of the Food Authenticity Network website.
The data for 2021 and the last ten years is shown here.
A deadly Listeria outbreak in the United Kingdom has been linked to one company but product testing has only found low levels of contamination.
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) suspect the source of contamination to be a salmon-smoking processing factory in Scotland.
Food Standards Scotland wouldn’t name the company or answer questions about the incident from Food Safety News.
Senior Scientific Officer - Toxicology EFSA/X/AD/2022/13
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), based in Parma, Italy is looking for a Senior Scientific Officer - Toxicology (Temporary Agent, Grade AD8)
Please send us your application by no later than 22 November 2022 at 23:59 (local time), following the instructions in the ANNEX.
