Two agencies in the Netherlands have looked at the prevalence of selected pathogens in chickens for meat production. The study reaffirmed Campylobacter, Salmonella and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria on broiler farms can be transmitted to humans through meat consumption and direct or indirect contact. In 2018 and 2019 the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) investigated how often these pathogens occurred in broilers.…

A project funded by the European Union is helping to improve food safety in Armenia. The effort is being implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and funded by the European Union under its EU4Business initiative. The law in the Republic of Armenia on food safety sets the mandatory introduction and use of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system for all food producers in the country. Ensuring food safety is key to public…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Food Safety (OFS) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has a plan to decrease Salmonella, one of the leading causes of foodborne illnesses. The Roadmap to Reducing Salmonella: Driving Change through Science-Based Policy outlines programs and policies that are science based, data driven, and promote innovation to reduce Salmonella in meat, poultry, and egg products. “This roadmap represents FSIS’s commitment to lead with science and data…

The Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed. Recent modifications to FDA’s import alerts, as posted by the agency, are listed below. Click on the links to view the full alert modifications.   Import Alert Desc Text URL IA-12-10 Detention Without Physical Examination of Cheese Due to Microbiological Contamination https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/ cms_ia/importalert_9.html IA-16-124 Detention Without Physical…

As part of its enforcement activities, the Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until weeks or months after they are sent. Business owners have 15 days to respond to FDA warning letters. Warning letters often are not issued until a company has been given months to years to correct problems. Last week companies realized the FDA’s warning letters are no empty…

A Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)  food safety warning issued on August 11, 2020, has been updated to include additional product information. This additional information was identified during the CFIA food safety investigation. Sunsprout Natural Foods is recalling Sprouts Alive brand and Sunsprout brand Micro – Greens Alfalfa from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination.  According to CFIA, consumers should not consume and retailers, restaurants, and institutions should not sell or use the recalled…

Six in 10 people said they would never go to a restaurant again if they contracted a foodborne illness while eating there, according to a survey. Surveyed consumers said their top food safety concerns included restaurant kitchen and wait staff hygiene, foodborne outbreaks, illness from contaminated food, and recalls. Findings come from the food safety supply chain vision study by Zebra Technologies. It details the views of consumers and food and beverage companies on safety, traceability and…