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Food safety

The importance of food safety has been brought into sharp focus as North America has been hit by a spate of foodborne illnesses. Now the regulatory framework governing US food safety looks set for an overhaul.

Probiotics and stevia extracts among new FCC proposed standards

05-Jan-2012 - US Pharmacopeia has drafted new ingredient quality standards for inclusion in the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC), for probiotics, steviol glycosides, benzoates, infant formula and flavoring ingredients, and is seeking industry comments.

Canadian listeria cheese warnings reiterated in US

05-Jan-2012 - US health authorities have issued a warning in relation to a variety of cheese and dairy products potentially contaminated with listeria monocytogenes – weeks after Canadian officials recalled the same products.

Interactive timeline: The Food Safety Modernization Act

04-Jan-2012 - A year ago today, President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act into law. FoodNavigator-USA tracks its development and implementation - as well as all the controversy along the way - in our exclusive interactive timeline.

FDA sued over lack of nanotech petition response

03-Jan-2012 - A coalition of consumer advocacy groups has filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), demanding that it respond to a 2006 petition to require labeling of nanotech ingredients in consumer products, and extra health and environmental assessments.

Revised estimate puts foodborne illness cost at about $78bn a year

02-Jan-2012 - The cost of foodborne illness in the United States is about $77.7bn per year, according to Dr. Robert Scharff, an Ohio State University assistant professor and former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) economist – slashing in half his previous, widely cited $152bn estimate.

US egg Salmonella prevention guidance issued

02-Jan-2012 - New US guidance on the prevention of Salmonella Enteritidis in eggs through improved bio-security measures has been published, with the intention of preventing cross contamination.

Mead Johnson infant formula given all clear by US feds

02-Jan-2012 - No traces of Cronobacter have been found at the Mead Johnson infant formula plant and there is no need for a product recall, said US safety bodies last week as part of an investigation into four babies infected with the bacteria - two of whom have died.

Altered food safety measures may hinder listeria assessments - FSIS

02-Jan-2012 - US food safety authorities have urged producers of ready-to-eat meats not to change listeria-related food safety practices in the run up to inspections.

Ground beef recalled after multi-state Salmonella outbreak - FSIS

22-Dec-2011 - An unknown quantity of ground beef products potentially contaminated with a multi-drug resistant strain of Salmonella Typhimurium has been recalled in the US, food safety authorities have announced.

Canadian and US officials issue pepper Salmonella warnings

22-Dec-2011 - US and Canadian food safety authorities have issued separate warnings on a brand of jalapeno and Serrano peppers potentially contaminated with Salmonella.

Apple juice safe but arsenic guidance still being considered - FDA

20-Dec-2011 - US food safety authorities are still considering setting guidance levels for inorganic arsenic in apple juice, despite reiterating its confidence in the overall safety of the beverage.

Killer listeriosis: Canadian govt draws ‘final’ line in sand as union attacks

20-Dec-2011 - The Canadian government yesterday sought to draw a line under the deadly listeriosis outbreak that killed 23 people in summer 2008, after publishing a final report into action taken since the incident.

Monsanto soybean trait for lower saturated fat gets USDA deregulation

20-Dec-2011 - The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has deregulated the biotech trait in Monsanto’s Vistive Gold soybeans, allowing the production of low saturated- and trans-fat oils from the beans within the United States.

X-ray irradiation of asparagus promises shelf life and safety boosts

19-Dec-2011 - Use of low dose x-ray irradiation on vacuum packed asparagus can increase both shelf life and microbiological safety of the product, according to new US research.

Admin error led to Canadian listeria recall delay - CFIA

15-Dec-2011 - Several dairy products, potentially contaminated with listeria, remained on the market over a month after an initial manufacturer recall because of an administration blunder, Canadian food safety authorities have revealed.

Report damns ‘significant weaknesses’ in FDA food safety oversight

15-Dec-2011 - An influential US government office has criticised the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for failings in overseeing state food facility inspections, stressing that it paid for inspections that didn’t take place and failed to ensure that ‘systemic problems’ were addressed.

Scientists urge manufacturers to make raw cookie dough ready-to-eat amid e-coli fears

13-Dec-2011 - Cookie dough manufacturers should reformulate ready-to-bake products to make them as safe as a ready-to-eat product, according to a study that has linked raw dough to an e-coli outbreak in 2009.

Romaine lettuce ‘likely’ source of E.coli outbreak - CDC

13-Dec-2011 - Romaine lettuce has been identified as the likely source of a US E.coli outbreak that sickened scores of people, US disease control authorities have announced.

Cargill facing hefty fine for safety ‘failures’

13-Dec-2011 - A US meat processor could be hit with a fine of nearly $150,000 for breaching health and safety regulations including those surrounding potentially hazardous chemicals, a statement from workplace safety authorities has revealed.

Senators urge FDA to reassure public of Gulf seafood safety

12-Dec-2011 - A group of US Senators from the Gulf region has called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to assist them in assuring the public of the safety of seafood from the Gulf of Mexico.

Over $10m awarded to meet US food safety concerns

09-Dec-2011 - US authorities have awarded over $10m in food safety grants to universities across the country with the aim of boosting research and education and reducing concern.

Report urges industry to stay ahead of nanotech regulation

06-Dec-2011 - Food companies should aim to stay ahead of regulation to ensure the safety of foods that use nanotechnology, urges a new report from As You Sow, a non-profit organization that aims to increase corporate accountability.

Industry and governments blast US plans to ban non-0157 E.coli

06-Dec-2011 - US plans to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to six new strains of E.coli have come under fire from industry bodies at home and governments abroad.

Food safety law gets $39m funding for 2012

02-Dec-2011 - The majority of a $50m increase in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) funding for fiscal 2012 will go toward implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act, after a lobbying group backed by several food industry trade associations played a key role in influencing negotiations.

Online US meat inspection publications could boost food safety - report

01-Dec-2011 - The online publication of meat, poultry and eggs product testing data could improve food safety and public health, said a report by the US National Research Council (NRC).