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KENYA – The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has urged local manufacturers to ensure quality products that are safe and can effectively compete in the market. Speaking during a meeting with CEOs of companies from the region, Charles Musee, KEBS Coast Regional Manager, said they have embarked on rapid testing of commodities, including imported maize, to ensure it is free…
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SWAZILAND – In addressing food and nutrition insecurity in Eswatini, the Department of Agricultural Research and Specialists Services (DARSS) under the Ministry of Agriculture has received financial support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), to aid in the evaluation of ten Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) varieties and developed food products. IFAD is an international financial institution and…
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CANADA – Bureau Veritas, a world leader in testing, inspection and certification (TIC) services, has announced the opening of its fifth Canadian Microbiology Laboratory located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The new laboratory will offer Rapid Pathogen testing for E.coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Listeria, as well as Indicators for Generic E.coli/Coliforms, Total Plate Count, Yeast and Mold. The facility is an…
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U.S – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published a final rule in the Federal Register, amending the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances for organic foods. The National List stems from the Organic Foods Production Act as a tool for managing the substances used in organic production over time. On the whole, natural substances are permitted…
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INDIA – The food safety commissioner of Tamil Nadu, India, has urged the bottled drinking water companies in the state to provide safe drinking water to consumers. He said of the 1640 packaged drinking water companies in the state, the products of only a third were suitable for safe drinking. The authorities said that nearly a quarter of the water…
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FRANCE – The French national public health agency, Santé publique France, and a lab associated with the National Reference Center for E. coli, Shigella and Salmonella at Institut Pasteur are investigating an increase in hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and serious E. coli infections that have been reported since the beginning of February 2022. HUS is a type of kidney failure…
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GLOBAL – A recent Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) publication has described how certain food safety considerations need to be taken into account to ensure acceptable health outcomes in situations where the impact of food insecurity is mitigated through food aid. Food security exists when people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet the…
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GHANA – The Ghana Food and Drugs Authority has scaled up the Street Food Vending Permit (SFVP) Scheme launched in November last year to its Upper East Regional Office. The scheme is aimed at ensuring foods sold on the street meet the basic hygiene and safety requirements to boost consumer confidence and safeguard public health. It charges street food vendors…
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KENYA – Kenyan avocado exporters will now have opportunity to sell their fresh produce to the populous Far East nation, China, which had initially in 2019 only allowed in the fruit in its frozen form. The opening comes after a successful completion of the rigorous Pest Risk Analysis carried out by Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and the National…
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GHANA – The Institute of Leadership and Development (INSLA), a non-profit civil society organization in Accra, is urging the government to supply the country’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) with service laboratories to enable them to test Trans-Fatty Acids (TFAs) in food products in the country. INSLA said TFAs are dangerous to human health if consumed, noting that many imported…
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