Food Safety

Fapas has launched new food proficiency tests for E.coli O157 and campylobacter

New Fapas proficiency tests for labs

By Noli Dinkovski

The risks to public health from listeria, E.coli O157 and campylobacter are the focus of a new range of food microbiology proficiency tests from Fapas.

A relaxation of modified atmosphere-packed foods legislation has been urged by the industry

Call for FSA to relax MAP guidance

By Rick Pendrous

Food safety experts have called for a relaxation of guidance governing the controls on vacuum and modified atmosphere-packed (MAP) chilled foods, which has been claimed to place UK manufacturers at a distinct disadvantage compared with overseas competitors.

The FSA’s Brexit preparations are entering a critical phase

FSA boss Feeney to retire in summer

By Noli Dinkovski

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) chief executive Jason Feeney has announced he is to retire from the department this summer.

PASS urged manufacturers to provide correct cooking instructions on their products

Get cooking instructions right: PASS

By Noli Dinkovski

Food manufacturers have been urged to ensure they are providing correct cooking instructions on products after a testing services company revealed many were falling short of food safety guidelines.

Concerns over food allergens have reached a new high following two Pret-linked fatalities

In depth: clean-label

The Pret effect takes hold

By Lynda Searby

With allergens increasingly in the spotlight, the Government is to review allergen labelling policy, leaving manufacturers under pressure to comply with more stringent legislation and meet the demands of an increasingly cautious public.

Mislabelling accounted for 1,741 (19%) of the 9,148 failed food standards tests in Scotland since 2013

Better food labelling urged by Scots MSP

By Noli Dinkovski

A Scottish MSP has called for tougher labelling legislation after a freedom of information request found almost one-in-five failed food standards tests in the country were down to mislabelling.

Of the 568 samples of lettuce examined, 30 were shown to be norovirus-positive

Deadly norovirus found in one-in-20 lettuces

By Noli Dinkovski

More than one-in-20 lettuces sold in the UK are contaminated with the potentially deadly bug norovirus, a major study funded by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has found.

The new global standard put responsibility on senior management to identify risk

Mondelēz welcomes global safety revamp

By Rick Pendrous

A new global standard in food safety management, which puts responsibility on senior management to identify the level of risk they are prepared to take, has been welcomed by Mondelēz International’s head of food safety.

Premium Halal Meat & Poultry has recalled some of its produce due to approval issues

NEWS IN BRIEF

Premium Halal Meat & Poultry issues recall

By Aidan Fortune

Birmingham-based Premium Halal Meat & Poultry has recalled some of its Direct Poultry Products because they have been produced without approval.

MPs have urged the government to preserve standards on imports after Brexit

EFRA committee calls for food standards reassurance

By Gwen Ridler

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee has called on the Government to “put its money where its mouth is” and ensure imported food products are held to current British standards as part of any post-Brexit trade deal.

A subtype of E. coli could be the reason why human infection rates are three times higher in Scotland

Potential cause of Scottish E.coli problem identified

By Gwen Ridler

A subtype of E.coli found in Scottish cows could be behind rates of human infection by the bacteria being three times higher in Scotland than in England or Wales, a cross-organisation investigation has claimed.

Kubo: 'There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to this problem'

Opinion

The challenges faced with allergen labelling

By Mariko Kubo

The recent public inquiry into the tragic death of a teenage girl, following a severe allergic reaction to sesame seeds, consumed in a takeaway sandwich, has served to highlight how safety-critical the provision of accurate allergen information is for...

We round up the latest food and drink safety new

Food and drink safety news round-up

By Gwen Ridler

From a senior hire at research firm Campden BRI to a new system to detect fraud, we round up some of the latest developments in food and drink safety.

British Lion Eggs repeated calls for the EU to raise egg processing safety standards

News in brief

British Lion urges greater egg safety

By Noli Dinkovski

Egg accreditation body British Lion has renewed its call for the EU to raise egg processing safety standards across Europe after liquid egg whites produced in France, and available in the UK, were recalled due to salmonella.

Support for a change in on-pack labelling laws is on the rise

Pret allergen death sparks new law calls

By Noli Dinkovski

A change in on-pack labelling laws is gathering support following the death of a 15-year-old who ate a product containing an undeclared allergen bought from a Pret A Manager outlet.

Heineken's new multipacking system can only succeed by communicating with consumers

Explanation key to Snap Pack success

By Paul Gander

Consumer communications at the point-of-sale will be essential to the success of Snap Pack, the new glue-based multipacking system for cans of Carlsberg beer, the brewer has claimed.

Labelling errors sparked many of the recalls this week

Labelling errors cause recalls

By Michelle Perrett

Numerous recalls involving labelling errors were announced by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) this week, sparked by poorly labelled allergens and wrong use-by dates.

Richard Leathers of Campden BRI sees the same non-conformances in HACCP plans on a regular basis

opinion

Avoiding common HACCP pitfalls

By Richard Leathers

Campden BRI's food safety management systems services lead Richard Leathers discusses the main reason for non-conformances in HACCP plans.

For food and drink firms, BRC8 will mean greater scrutiny than ever before

FOOD SAFETY - HYGIENE AND CLEANING

Why there’s a culture shift on the horizon

By Alyson Magee

The latest update to the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety will move the goalposts in terms of food and drink hygiene with companies under even greater scrutiny.

Digitalisation is the only way to meet food compliance, claims Systems Integration

Digitalisation needed to meet new safety standards

By Gwen Ridler

Digitalisation of the quality assurance (QA) process is the only way food and drink firms will be able to achieve compliance with the new British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standards for Food Safety, the head of a food compliance software provider...

The FSA has reported a drop in formal enforcement actions

FSA reports drop in food law enforcement actions

By Gwen Ridler

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has reported a drop in formal enforcement actions across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while the number of written warnings to food firms has increased.

IDF suggested a system of treating mastitis in cows to reduce antimicrobial resistance

IDF combats antimicrobial resistance in dairy

By Gwen Ridler

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the dairy industry could be combated by changing the way bovine mastitis was treated, according to research by the International Dairy Federation (IDF).

Acrylamide is a suspected carcinogen that forms in foods with reducing sugar

Consumers ‘largely unaware’ of acrylamide: report

By Noli Dinkovski

Just 12% of consumers in the UK, the US and France are aware of acrylamide – but many who are expect manufacturers to take responsibility for reducing levels in food, a survey by ingredients firm DSM has found.

Rod Addy: ‘This would not have presented an issue if the products had been properly cooked’

Opinion

Frozen veg recall has some salutary lessons

By Rod Addy

I have been following avidly the latest developments in the Europe-wide recall of frozen vegetable products linked to the outbreak of listeria that has made 47 people ill and killed nine of those, as much from the point of view of a concerned consumer...

Budweiser is made at the AB InBev-owned brewery near Preston

GMB confirms strike action at Budweiser brewery

By Noli Dinkovski

Workers at a Budweiser brewery in Lancashire have voted in favour of strike action after a union claimed a colleague was sacked for raising health and safety concerns.

More than half of consumers responding to the survey said they were worried about the sugar content of foods

Food Standards Agency survey highlights sugar fears

By Rod Addy

Concern about sugar content in food is increasing among consumers, according to the results of the latest biannual Food Standards Agency (FSA) Public Standards Tracker survey, which have just been published.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has linked cucumbers in prepared meals to a recent outbreak of salmonella

Salmonella outbreak linked to ready-to-eat cucumber

By Gwen Ridler

A recent outbreak of salmonella in the UK and Europe that has made 147 people ill has been linked to ready-to-eat meals containing cucumber, according to European health officials.

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