The virus that causes COVID-19 is not a direct food safety concern, according to updated guidance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The guidance document replaces interim guidance from the FAO and World Health Organization (WHO) on coronavirus and food safety for food businesses, originally published in April 2020. Earlier guidelines were criticized by the then-International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) president Roger Cook and others for suggesting SARS-CoV-2 was…

Opinion By the Alliance for a Stronger FDA The Alliance for a Stronger FDA expresses its deep appreciation to Chair Tammy Baldwin, D-WI, Ranking Member John Hoeven, R- ND and other members of the Senate Ag/FDA Appropriations Subcommittee for their proposed $200 million increase in FY 22 budget authority (BA) funding for FDA. This amount was reported in a subcommittee press release distributed shortly after the subcommittee mark-up on Monday evening. See excerpts below. The…

A study in Australia looking at levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in food and drinks has found no food safety concerns for consumers. The 26th Australian Total Diet Study (ATDS) by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) studied dioxins and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs), ​​polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), ​dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) and non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCBs). These chemicals are of concern as they can accumulate in the body fat of animals and…

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has released new guidance documents for controlling beef and raw poultry pathogens. The FSIS Inspection Program Personnel (IPP) announced the availability of the new guidance at weekly meetings with establishment management. The agency regulates 6,500 production facilities. Many produce beef and poultry products. The “references are guidelines, not requirements,” FSIS told inspectors. They’ll be available until at least Aug.1, 2022. Compiance determinations will continue to hinge on “regulatory compliance.”…

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 here to go to the FDA page with links for specific details about various alert modifications. (To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)…

Nigeria is attempting to improve food safety with a range of training materials. The Federal Ministry of Health launched a unified food safety training manual for capacity building of food vendors, handlers, manufacturers and personnel in the food supply chain in the country. The aim is to address gaps and strengthen the food safety system at the federal, state and local government area levels, to develop a safe and reliable food supply chain from farm-to-table…

Veg Pak Produce has added Harvest Fresh brand stir fry vegetables to its recall of Harvest Fresh brand zucchini spirals because of possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. This recall is an update of the warning issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on July 25, 2021. This recall was triggered by CFIA test results. Consumers can use the following information to determine whether they have the recalled products in their homes. Brand Product Size UPC…