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EU eases some food safety controls because of coronavirus pandemic

April 1, 2020

The European Commission is to give member states more flexibility to do official controls in the food supply chain because of coronavirus. The Commission leaders say the crisis relating to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) represents an “exceptional and unprecedented” challenge for the capacity of member states to conduct official controls and other official activities in line with EU legislation. There are restrictions in many countries on the movement of people to protect public health. Member states…

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Consumer Reports suggests USDA take action to address COVID-19 risks

By News Desk

April 1, 2020

Consumer Reports Tuesday sent out some suggestions for USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to ensure the safety and availability of meat, poultry and other food products during the COVID-19 pandemic. CR’s sent the advice to FSIS just as a number of meat and poultry processing plant employees reported having symptoms or testing positive for the virus. Among these were a Perdue Farms poultry plant in Perry, GA; a Sanderson Farms poultry facility in…

Food Safety News

First recorded EIEC outbreak in Sweden linked to leafy greens

By News Desk

April 1, 2020

Researchers have shed more light on the first recorded enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) outbreak in Sweden. The outbreak in the county of Halland in 2017 had 83 self-reported infections and one secondary case attributed to household transmission, based on a study published in the journal Eurosurveillance. Leafy greens were suspected to be behind the outbreak as this item was in a number of dishes associated with illnesses. There was no microbiological evidence to identify…

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Federal court orders property seized in immigration raid returned to Koch Foods

By Dan Flynn

March 31, 2020

Koch Foods’ property seized in August 2019 by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from the company’s chicken processing plant in Morton, MS, must be returned, according to U.S. District Court Judge Carlton W. Reeves. Koch was one of several USDA-inspected poultry processors in Mississippi targeted in this past summer’s immigration raid, the largest of its kind in a single state. ICE arrested 680 people at seven Mississippi poultry plants. Half the arrest s– 342…

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Salmonella outbreak traced to food ordered online

By Joe Whitworth

March 31, 2020

dreamstime_food delivery online food sales

Ten people were sickened by Salmonella from chicken legs in a Chinese city after eating food ordered online in mid-2018, according to a new report. Researchers said the investigation highlights the role of online food delivery platforms as a new mode of foodborne disease transmission. Collaboration between public health agencies and online food delivery platforms is essential for timely intervention and to limit the scale of outbreaks. From late June to early July 2018, 10…

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Cantaloupes, seafood top list of enforcement modifications

By News Desk

March 31, 2020

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 alerts. Import Alert Description URL IA-16-105 Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood and Seafood Products from Specific Manufacturers/Shippers Due to Decomposition and/or Histamines https://www.accessdata.fda.gov /cms_ia/importalert_19.html…

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EFSA assesses health risks of aflatoxins in food

By News Desk

March 31, 2020

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a risk assessment on aflatoxins in food. The report evaluates toxicity of aflatoxins to humans, estimates dietary exposure of the European Union population to these mycotoxins, and assesses the human health risks due to estimated dietary exposure. The risk assessment by the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain is an update of similar work in 2007 and 2018. It covers aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), AFB2, AFG1, AFG2…

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Water shut-offs pose safety risks during coronavirus pandemic

By Cookson Beecher

March 30, 2020

Imagine this, if you will. You’re a young dad. Three children, 3, 5 and 7. They’re not in school or daycare because the schools and daycare centers in your state have been closed down because of COVID-19, a coronavirus that spreads from person to person and that has already infected more than 140,000 people and killed more than 2,800 people in the United States alone. Your wife, meanwhile, is in the next town taking care…

Food Safety News

Uruguay’s inspections of beef and lamb found “equivalent to that of United States”

By Dan Flynn

March 30, 2020

Uruguay exports raw and processed beef and lamb products to the United States, and USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) finds no reason that those shipments cannot continue. The FSIS performed an on-site equivalence verification audit in Uruguay Dec. 2 to Dec. 13, 2019, without identifying any systemic findings of shortcomings. The final report dated March 19, 2020, was a clean bill of health for the South American country. “The purpose of the audit…

Food Safety News

Warning letters sent to companies because of Salmonella and Listeria

By News Desk

March 30, 2020

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. Bravo Packing Inc., Carney’s Point, NJ Amanda Lloyd, President In a…

Food Safety News

Breaking news for everyone's consumption

Blog Authors

EU eases some food safety controls because of coronavirus pandemic

Consumer Reports suggests USDA take action to address COVID-19 risks

First recorded EIEC outbreak in Sweden linked to leafy greens

Federal court orders property seized in immigration raid returned to Koch Foods

Salmonella outbreak traced to food ordered online

Cantaloupes, seafood top list of enforcement modifications

EFSA assesses health risks of aflatoxins in food

Water shut-offs pose safety risks during coronavirus pandemic

Uruguay’s inspections of beef and lamb found “equivalent to that of United States”

Warning letters sent to companies because of Salmonella and Listeria

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