Contamination of food, beverages, and water includes physical, chemical, and microbiological concerns, as well as allergens (the Big 9, formerly the Big 8).
Chemical contamination of food, beverages, and water include chemicals used in the growing or production of food, such as pesticides or veterinary drugs, as well as chemicals present in sanitizers, cleaning solutions, coatings, and packaging.
Physical contamination of food and beverages encompasses foreign material that makes its way into product at some point during growing, harvesting, storage, manufacturing, processing, or distribution.
Microbiological contamination of food encompasses bacterial pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli (E.coli), Salmonella, Cronobacter, and many other pathogens that can contaminate food at any point during the supply chain, causing foodborne illness. This category also includes foodborne parasites.
Allergens in food include the Big 9 (formerly the Big 8): milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat (gluten), soybeans, and sesame as of January 2023. Big 9 food allergens and residues in food are grounds for a Class 1 recall.
To address the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a federal order that requires testing of dairy cows for the virus, as well as mandatory reporting.
A Biosurveillance Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (BISR) system would address two mission-critical requirements for biosurveillance to detect and prevent outbreaks: rapid detection and predictive analysis.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recently published an analysis of national data regarding cases and outbreaks of non-typhoidal Salmonella from 2013–2022.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated two types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)—as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA Act, also known as the Superfund Act).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published testing results for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
(PFAS) in foods collected as part of its Total Diet Study (TDS), and has provided an update on the agency’s activities to better understand and address PFAS in the U.S. food supply, including an updated analytical method to measure the chemicals.
Based on an analysis of seven years of data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA's) Pesticide Data Program, watchdog group Consumer Reports is warning that it found pesticide residues to pose “significant risks” in 20 percent of foods analyzed.
On May 9, 2024, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will hold a webinar via Zoom to discuss the food safety aspects that need to be considered and addressed when using environmental inhibitors in agrifood systems.
According to a recent evaluation conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), many of the most commonly farmed and consumed fish in the EU are free of parasites that can infect humans, but at the same time, parasites were found in some farmed species and more data is needed to determine prevalence.
On Demand: From this webinar, attendees will learn how to implement a program to control allergens in food processing facilities and prevent allergen cross-contact.
On Demand: In this webinar, technical experts will explain what a system breach is, how to manage and reduce system breaches, and how to design breaches out of a system to help prevent pathogen contamination in dry and low-moisture environments.