Paul Kruse, former President of Blue Bell Creameries, remains free on a $50,000 appearance bond that restricts his travel to Texas. His “arraignment by a video” is set for 9 a.m. Nov. 12 on seven federal felony charges related to the 2015 listeria outbreak. At the arraignment, Kruse will enter his “not guilty” plea. But, his defense team is not waiting until then to demand immediate dismissal of all charges against their client. In court…

Food Safety News

EU toughens rules for sesame seeds from India

By Joe Whitworth

October 30, 2020

ethylene oxide crackers sesame seeds — One of many products recalled

The European Commission has strengthened checks on sesame seeds from India as recalls due to pesticide residue contamination continue. The move was prompted by food safety incidents notified through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) portal and information from official controls by member states on the seeds from India. An alert was first raised by Belgium in early September and now includes more than 50 notifications from France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy, Czech…

Food Safety News

USDA survey finds fast-growing organic food sales at nearly $10 billion

By News Desk

October 30, 2020

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released the results of the 2019 Organic Survey. It reports total sales of $9.93 billion in organic products, an increase of $2.37 billion, or 31 percent, from 2016. There were 16,585 certified organic farms, a 17 percent increase from 2016, which accounted for 5.5 million certified acres, an increase of 9 percent over 2016. California continued to lead the nation in certified organic sales with $3.60 billion, which is…

Food Safety News

EPA gives dicamba five more years with additional restrictions

By News Desk

October 30, 2020

Dicamba, the broad-spectrum herbicide first registered for farm use in 1967, will be back for the 2021 growing season under new label restrictions from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This past spring, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit did an immediate withdrawal of the registrations of three dicamba herbicide brands. Soybean and cotton farmers who hadn’t already bought enough herbicide to control weeds through this past summer were left hanging. This…

Food Safety News

Coronavirus dominates public concern in Germany

By News Desk

October 30, 2020

Coronavirus is the main issue concerning Germans, according to a survey by the country’s risk assessment agency. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)’s Consumer Monitor found more than a quarter of the public perceive the virus as the greatest health risk. Only 5 percent mentioned unhealthy or contaminated food. A third of respondents had heard of coronaviruses on food when data was collected in August but only 12 percent are concerned about this.…

Food Safety News

FSA warns of Salmonella risk in eggs

By News Desk

October 29, 2020

sainsbury's salmonella egg oct 2020 — Affected eggs sold at Sainsbury's

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a warning about eggs that could be contaminated with Salmonella. The British Lion eggs were sold in some Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Asda stores in England and Wales in packs of six, 10, 12, and 15. Affected mixed size, medium, large, and very large free-range eggs can be identified by the batch code 1UK15270 stamped on the eggshell and best before date from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5, 2020.…

Food Safety News

IAFP features round table on the challenges and strategies for implementing water treatment in the field

By Jonan Pilet

October 29, 2020

Day Three of the International Association for Food Protection 2020, A Virtual Annual Meeting featured a round table discussion, “This Is How We Do It: Challenges and Strategies for Implementing Water Treatment in the Field,” with speakers with expert knowledge in agricultural water treatment. This is a vital topic in the world of food safety because water is one of the most likely routes of pathogen contamination during fruit and vegetable production. The Food Safety…

Food Safety News

Mystery surrounds two new E. coli outbreaks with genetic links to past Romaine events

By News Desk

October 28, 2020

With Halloween only hours away, two new E. coli outbreaks have shown up to haunt the nation’s Romaine growers because genetic links to the past have been discovered. The two outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157: H7 (STEC) illnesses are under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control, and Prevention (CDC), along with various state and local health departments. “We do not know what food is causing people to get sick…

Food Safety News

WHO food safety expert speaks at IAFP

By Joe Whitworth

October 28, 2020

Peter Ben Embarek INFOSAN WHO IAFP Oct 2020 — Peter Ben Embarek

The Coronavirus pandemic, why producing food is not like selling T-shirts, and technology’s role in outbreak investigation were highlights of a talk today by a food safety expert at the World Health Organization. Peter Ben Embarek gave the John H. Silliker Lecture on this final day of the International Association for Food Protection’s (IAFP) annual conference and meeting. When asked what was keeping him up at night, Ben Embarek said for the past few months it…

Food Safety News

Experts give insight into food safety in Africa

By Joe Whitworth

October 28, 2020

African experts have highlighted the main food safety concerns, challenges, and potential solutions for the continent at the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) virtual annual meeting. The roundtable discussion included specialists from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Gambia. The majority highlighted mycotoxins as one of the top issues. Lucia Anelich, director of Anelich Consulting, presented the situation in South Africa. “Our main food safety issues from a bacterial point of view are Salmonella,…

Food Safety News

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Blog Authors

Defense: Felony charges against ex-Blue Bell president should go away for being “time-barred”

EU toughens rules for sesame seeds from India

USDA survey finds fast-growing organic food sales at nearly $10 billion

EPA gives dicamba five more years with additional restrictions

Coronavirus dominates public concern in Germany

FSA warns of Salmonella risk in eggs

IAFP features round table on the challenges and strategies for implementing water treatment in the field

Mystery surrounds two new E. coli outbreaks with genetic links to past Romaine events

WHO food safety expert speaks at IAFP

Experts give insight into food safety in Africa

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