Analyzing the distribution, or epidemiology, of foodborne illnesses is a standard tool in controlling outbreaks, but infodemiology – the analysis of information distributed on the internet – could help minimize the impact of outbreaks in the future.
Hearts and minds need to be won in the battle to commercialise nanotechnology, if it is to avoid going the same way as GM food, according to a new study.
The firm behind ‘breathable’ caffeine shot AeroShot Energy has promised to amend its marketing to make it clear that it should be ingested – and not inhaled – following a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
State-specific food safety ‘tweets’ will help US consumers identify affected products and prevent potentially lethal foodborne outbreaks, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has claimed.
Canadian food safety budget cuts will see imports inspections reduced, meaning “greater food safety risks for Canadians”, the union that represents federal food safety inspectors has warned.
The concept of naturalness may be a major purchase driver, but there is disagreement about what ‘natural’ or ‘clean label’ really means – and about how to create foods that are both natural and safe.
US authorities are yet to establish regulations relating to third-party food plant auditors – six months after the start of an outbreak later attributed to lacklustre third-party inspection practices.
The Brazilian orange juice and concentrate industry has admitted carbendazim-related defeat, after efforts to increase allowable levels of the fungicide in orange juice product shipments were shot down by US food safety officials.
US food safety authorities will be given expanded access to food firm records under a new interim ruling – a move it hopes will prevent potentially harmful food entering the food supply and reaching consumers.
The inventor of 'breathable' caffeine shot AeroShot Energy says he has barely scratched the surface when it comes to potential applications for the novel delivery format.
There could be an impending shortage of food safety auditors in the United States, rooted in a lack of food safety emphasis in the US education system, says director of food safety solutions at DNV Business Assurance Kathleen Wybourn.
US food safety researchers are exploring the combined use of infrared and hot air as a tool in the pasteurisation of almonds – a method to prevent potential Salmonella contamination.
Canadian food safety authorities are yet to establish the source of a frozen meat-related E.coli O157:H7 contamination that has sickened one person in the country to-date.
A US food safety authority has “expanded” its surveillance of inorganic arsenic levels in organic brown rice syrup (OBRS) in response to calls for regulatory limits.
Food safety experts need to do a better job of communicating the consumer’s role in keeping food safe, by using personalized messages and the example of kitchen role models, says a consumer food marketing specialist.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to investigate the safety of an inhalable caffeine shot called AeroShot, which only hit US shelves last month.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and other consumer and food safety organizations have defended FDA deputy commissioner for foods Michael Taylor, who has been the target of a campaign calling for his resignation.
More data sharing and better communication between the private sector and public health organizations could be the next big development in food safety and public health, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) scientist.
A new global survey of food manufacturers found that most (98%) are confident about their food safety performance - but 70% of consumers aren't convinced. FoodNavigator-USA spoke to Hank Lambert, general manager of food and water at UL, which commissioned...
Experts in helping firms navigate the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) process say the American Heart Association (AHA) made some valid points in its recent attack on GRAS, but argue the system is actually working pretty well.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has refused to move on allowable levels of carbendazim in orange juice product imports – meeting disapproval from the US industry.
As the global food system has become more complex, food manufacturers are looking for ways to harmonize safety standards. Cargills Mike Robach, a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) board member, tells FoodNavigator-USA about what's driving the...
The 2011 cantaloupe-related Listeria outbreak has continued to effect food recalls across the US, with a 50% increase in the number of recalls in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared with Q3.
There are serious weaknesses in the system that allows firms to self-affirm the safety of foods without the approval or knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
The Food and Drug Administration is seeking a 17% increase in its budget, with the agency listing food safety and Chinese imports amongst its strategic targets.
The US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has requested a budget increase of more than $250m for 2013 – including $10m to strengthen the safety of Chinese produced food.
US imposed carbendazim-related orange juice import measures could be in violation of international trade agreements, according to a US imports legal consultancy.
Consumer groups have petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to alter the process by which it assesses the safety of AquaBounty’s fast-growing genetically engineered (GE) salmon.
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have agreed to form a food safety partnership, with the aim of cooperating toward achieving a safe, sufficient, and accessible food supply, according...
A Brazilian orange juice trade body has called for a stop to ‘double standard’ carbendazim measures after US officials declined to take action against US-manufactured orange juice containing the banned fungicide.
An industry coalition led by the American Frozen Foods Institute (AFFI) has urged the Obama administration to adequately fund food safety initiatives, without levying extra taxes or industry fees.
US food safety officials have denied entry to 11 shipments of orange juice products, including five from Brazil, after carbendazim was found in import samples.
While the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will undoubtedly “raise the floor” and increase confidence in the US food supply, experts are predicting “considerable growing pains” as the industry gets to grips with the new legislation.
Today’s complex and interdependent food supply chain makes food safety a shared responsibility more than ever before, according to vice president of food safety at Walmart Frank Yiannas.
A proposal to modernise poultry inspection in the US will focus resources on areas critical to ensuring food safety while reducing the burden on the taxpayer, the US government has announced.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a $25m research grant to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to tackle Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in the beef supply chain.
The ability to track and trace ingredients is likely to be a major focus for food manufacturers as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is rolled out – but the most important consideration for companies is brand reputation, according to a FSMA specialist...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is yet to find any trace of carbendazim in imports of orange juice since promising to block entry to shipments containing the fungicide.
A federal judge has again upheld a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rule that US raw almonds must be pasteurized in order to mitigate risk of salmonella, after organic almond growers challenged the rule.
PepsiCo is returning to using only Florida oranges in its Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice, saying that its decision was based on more people becoming interested in where their food comes from, rather than recent concerns over fungicide traces.
“Gulf seafood is as safe to eat now as it was before the spill,” FDA deputy commissioner for foods Michael Taylor has said, as government agencies continue to try and reassure the public about seafood safety in the region.
The Canadian government is planning cuts to food safety inspection funding put in place following the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak – a move that a food safety inspectors’ union claims could increase foodborne illness risk.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has missed its January 4 deadline for publishing details of how it will regulate imported food under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), but says it will update the industry “soon”.
The orange juice/carbendazim row currently engulfing the US orange juice market “highlights the questionable way that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulate pesticides in foods”, according to one food...
US produce industry associations intend to develop cantaloupe-specific food safety guidelines to combat the fruit’s association with a listeria outbreak that killed dozens of people in 2011.
The global food preservative market is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.5% in the next five years, according to a new report from Markets and Markets.
Auditors who gave Jensen Farms a “superior” rating, only months before a lethal Listeria outbreak, largely ignored FDA antimicrobial guidance, a US government report has found.
The Food and Drug Administration claims it has made significant progress with regulatory developments related to the Food Safety Modernization Act since the bill was signed into law a year ago, according to its one-year progress report.
Firms that can improve sample collection and preparation and make pathogen detection faster and cheaper will secure the first cash injections from the Global Food Protection Institute’s (GFPI’s) Emerging Technology Accelerator (ETA) initiative this month.
