The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has announced a virtual public meeting of the full National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) on August 30, 2023 to discuss a report on Cyclospora cayetanensis in produce and a charge on Cronobacter in powdered infant formula.
Traditional dairy processors have begun to develop various milk alternatives alongside their standard product lines to adapt to shifting consumer demand. To effectively analyze and test traditional product lines while overcoming the difficulties of testing novel plant-based milk, they must have access to adaptable instruments and accommodate specific food safety concerns.
A recent UK-based report from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) warns that the lack of a legal definition for vegan food is potentially putting people with allergies at risk, as well as causing confusion for consumers and businesses.
The U.S. and Canada are melting pots of cultures, and one of the most evident expressions of this diversity can be found in the variety of ethnic foods available in markets. While the influx of these foods has brought new and exciting flavors to North American palates, it has also brought the risk of new microbial hazards.
The Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has published the summary of its findings on the food safety aspartame and 15 other flavorings, which was discussed at the 96th meeting of JECFA that took place in Geneva, Switzerland from June 27–July 6, 2023.
However, FDA and industry groups disagree with WHO's determination.
July 14, 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared popular artificial sweetener aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans," although the acceptable daily intake of 40 milligrams mg/kg of body weight remains unchanged. Additionally, FDA and industry groups disagree with WHO's determination.
Wageningen University and Research (WUR) has announced the launch of its Safe Precision Fermentation (SAFERMENT) project, which is aimed at enhancing the safety of animal-free dairy protein production. The project consortium is still open to additional partners and encourages interested parties to contact WUR.
Following severe flooding that occurred throughout Vermont and New York, the Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) has compiled a collection of resources to help growers impacted by floodwaters ensure produce safety.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA’s APHIS) has announced 12 awards totaling more than $3.2 million in cooperative agreement funding to create antimicrobial resistance (AMR) dashboards. AMR is a crucial threat to food safety and global public health that is aggravated by the use of antimicrobials in food animal agriculture.
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