Africa's No.1 Food Safety, Quality & Compliance Magazine
U.S – In a move aimed at bringing standards for canned tuna into the 21st century, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has unveiled a proposed rule that could reshape the way we perceive this pantry staple. The proposed changes encompass everything from labeling to ingredients, reflecting the evolving tastes and expectations of consumers. One of the key aspects…
READ MORE
AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND – In a bid to ensure food safety and promote international trade, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has opened its annual call for public input on proposed changes to Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for agricultural and veterinary chemicals. This process aims to align 127 chemicals in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code with global standards, enhancing…
READ MORE
U.S – In a medical mystery that has left healthcare providers scratching their heads, an emerging condition known as Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), or the tick bite-associated meat allergy, is silently infiltrating the American population. Startling reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal that between 2010 and 2022, over 110,000 suspected cases of AGS were identified, but…
READ MORE
UK – In an era where antibiotic resistance looms as a global public health threat, a groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at the University of Nottingham has unveiled an innovative approach that could change the game in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). By harnessing the power of big data and machine learning, scientists have delved into the world of…
READ MORE
GLOBAL – The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) has taken center stage in safeguarding global food safety, as revealed by its recently released 2020–2021 Activity Report. The report indicates that the INFOSAN Secretariat responded to a staggering 375 international food safety events during this period, nearly doubling the number of incidents compared to 2018–2019. This surge represents the highest…
READ MORE
U.S – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has hit a milestone in its mission of safeguarding the nation’s drinking water by releasing the first dataset gathered under the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5). This initiative aims to enhance the EPA’s comprehension of the prevalence and concentration of 29 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and lithium in U.S.…
READ MORE
U.S – In a significant development for the food and beverage industry, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has unveiled its inaugural Deputy Commissioner for the Human Foods Program (HFP). James “Jim” Jones has been chosen to fill this newly created executive position, responsible for leading the charge in setting and advancing priorities within the proposed unified HFP. This…
READ MORE
U.S – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have shattered previous estimations regarding human brucellosis, a zoonotic disease that often flies under the radar. The CDC’s recent article published in Emerging Infectious Diseases presents a new, alarming estimate of global human brucellosis cases—1.6 to 2.1 million new cases per year, three to four times higher than the…
READ MORE
U.S – By leveraging Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has unveiled a persistent and emerging threat lurking in our salad bowls: a strain of Escherichia coli O157:H7 known as REPEXH02. This strain, believed to have surfaced in late 2015, has caused a series of foodborne illness outbreaks from 2016 to 2019, with…
READ MORE
UK – Researchers in the UK have highlighted that while the overall prevalence of Salmonella in retail foods across the UK may be low, the genetic diversity among these lurking pathogens is posing a new challenge to outbreak investigations and food safety. Between May 2018 and November 2019, researchers embarked on an undercover mission in Norfolk, UK, collecting 1,268 food…
READ MORE