Singaporean officials recently provided an update on the proposed national Food Safety and Security Bill, which was first introduced in 2021 and aims to provide greater clarity on the regulation of novel food innovations, such as cultured meat, while preventing foodborne illness. The country also opened a new National Center for Food Science.
A recent Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Consultation on Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption has concluded that, while the nutritional and health value of eating fish is undeniable, more research is required about the toxic effects of exposure to methylmercury and dioxins from consuming fish.
Due to a steady increase of foodborne Cyclospora cayetanensis infections in recent years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) charged the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) with producing a report that provides information on the factors that contribute to the contamination of produce by the parasite, as well as recommendations for a prevention and management strategy.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has put out an alert regarding an international outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis in chicken, involving 335 cases across 14 European countries plus the UK, as well as the U.S.
Building upon a December 2022 report on the levels of toxic heavy metals in dark chocolate, Consumer Reports recently published new findings about the contaminants in other kinds of chocolates, suggesting that one-third of chocolate products contain high levels of heavy metals.
An ongoing study funded by the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) is looking to fill knowledge gaps about the potential for microbial cross-contamination in dry produce packinghouse environments to inform risk assessments and mitigation strategies.
A protocol for the collection of honey reference samples for the creation of authenticity databases has been developed by the UK Government. Honey is one of the food commodities most subject to food fraud.
SQFI recently collaborated with McDonald’s Corporation and NSF International to develop an audit addendum for McDonald’s produce suppliers that are SQF-certified for plant production.
On November 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) will begin a one-year sampling program of domestic beef, pork, and Siluriformes fish (commonly referred to as catfish) to determine levels of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds.
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