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home | News | News Headlines: 23 June - 6 July 201 . . .

News Headlines: 23 June - 6 July 2012

Codex agrees on new food safety standards; Agency updates E. coli cross-contamination guidance; EFSA guidance on TTC approach to chemical risk assessment; Tahina recalled over Salmonella concern; EFSA raises concerns over poultry meat inspection; French E. coli outbreak linked to hamburgers; Dioxin contamination in eggs from farms in Germany

Codex agrees on new food safety standards

The UN food standards body, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, has agreed on a number of new food safety standards, including a maximum level of melamine in liquid formula, at its meeting in Rome.

Codex has agreed that the maximum limit for melamine in liquid formula milk for infants should be 0.15 mg/kg, following contamination incidents in China, which caused death and illness in babies four years ago.

New standards have also been agreed for aflatoxins in dried figs (10 µg/kg), for the chilled storage of pre-cut melons and for the prevention of virus contamination in seafood such as oysters and mussels.

More details can be found at the link below.

http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/150771/icode/

Agency updates E. coli cross-contamination guidance

The UK Food Standards Agency has published a third updated edition of the Q&A on a guidance document covering the control of cross-contamination for E. coli O157.

The new version of the Q&A includes an enforcement update, advice on the use of a common food preparation sink for raw and ready-to-eat foods, whether a change from raw to ready-to-eat foods is possible for 'complex equipment', and advice on cleaning probes.

Two 'decision trees' showing how enforcement officers may take action when considering hygiene controls designed to prevent cross-contamination have also been published. Links to the Q&A and the decision trees can be found via the link below.

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2012/july/ecoli-cross-contamination

EFSA guidance on TTC approach to chemical risk assessment

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a new scientific opinion providing guidance on the potential use of the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) approach for estimating the human health risk of chemical contaminants.

The TTC approach is based on the principle that, "the likelihood of toxicity is related to the extent and duration of exposure to a substance." EFSA has looked at the science behind the method and has also undertaken a public consultation, which included other agencies and non-food scientific committees.

The outcome of the process includes a recommendation that the TTC approach could be a useful screening tool in chemical risk assessment, especially for priority setting and deciding whether further toxicological data is needed when exposure to a substance is very low. But it is not an alternative to conventional risk assessment.

TTC is used when the chemical structure of the contaminant is known and where exposure is likely to be very low. EFSA already uses it for evaluating food flavours, but it could also be used for studies of impurities, breakdown products, metabolites and other low level contaminants.

The full opinion can be accessed via the link below.

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/2750.htm

Tahina recalled over Salmonella concern

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a Health Hazard Alert warning consumers not to eat certain "Alkanater brand Tahina", a paste made from ground sesame seeds, which may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The potentially contaminated product is sold in 454g containers bearing the lot code TT3N-260112 and date codes PRO: 26/01/2012 and EXP: 25/01/2014. It may have been distributed nationally.

The importer of the product, Phoenicia Group Inc., Quebec, has initiated a voluntary recall. No related cases of illness have been reported to date.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2012/20120703e.shtml

EFSA raises concerns over poultry meat inspection

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a new scientific opinion suggesting that traditional poultry meat inspection may not be sufficient to cope with some important biological health hazards.

The opinion identifies three foodborne biological hazards, Campylobacter, Salmonella and bacteria carrying certain antibiotic-resistance genes, which are prevalent in poultry and a serious threat to public health. Current inspection procedures do not allow detection of these hazards and also fail to differentiate between food safety concerns and other criteria, such as meat quality and animal welfare.

EFSA recommends the introduction of a comprehensive food safety assurance system, with targets, for poultry and the use of a variety of control options to meet those targets. Food chain information to help risk categorise poultry flocks and abattoirs is also seen as a priority.

The opinion also contains recommendations for dealing with chemical contaminants, including dioxins. The full text can be found via the link below.

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/2741.htm

French E. coli outbreak linked to hamburgers

According to news reports from France, an outbreak of E. coli O157 in the south west of the country has been linked to the consumption of hamburgers.

The outbreak is thought to have affected one adult and four children, three of whom remain in hospital in Bordeaux. Epidemiological evidence suggests a link with ground beef hamburgers manufactured by the Societe des Viandes Elaborees d'Estillac in the Lot-et-Garonne, but this has yet to be confirmed.

The implicated hamburgers were sold through Intermarche and Netto supermarket chains under the Jean Roze, Netto and Top Budget brands in 16 departments of Southwest France. Although they are now well past the last known 'use by' date of 15 June, consumers are being warned not to eat any of the affected hamburgers they may have stored in freezers.

http://aquitaine.france3.fr/info/steaks-suspects--4-enfants-ont-ete-hospitalises--74642647.html

Dioxin contamination in eggs from farms in Germany

According to a Reuters news report, dioxin contamination at concentrations above permitted levels has been detected in eggs from a farm in the Lower Saxony region of Germany.

The discovery follows similar contamination being detected in eggs from six other farms in lower Saxony and neighbouring North Rhine Westphalia during April and May.

The farm at the centre of the latest contamination incident is reported to have discovered the problem through internal safety checks. Some 12,000 hens have been quarantined and eggs from the farm have been recalled. The state agriculture ministry has stated that there is no immediate concern for public health.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/20/us-germany-dioxin-idUSBRE85J09L20120620