Food Safety Watch is an independent scientific and technical information service for food industry professionals.

Visitors can keep up-to-date with the latest international food safety news and comment and access a growing collection of carefully researched feature articles and fact-sheets on a broad range of key food safety topics, including - Foodborne pathogens (Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli), biological toxins (mycotoxins, and shellfish toxins), chemical contaminants (acrylamide, dioxins and antibiotics), food allergens, HACCP and food safety legislation.

Food Safety Watch members can also access our full library of over 100 food safety hazard fact sheets and our news archives and benefit from our free member's enquiry service. For more information on membership click here.

News Headlines: 14 - 27 January 2012 Russian Salmonella outbreak linked to powdered milk from Belgium; Smoked salmon detained and destroyed following Listeria find; Contaminated cheese recalled in Ireland; Consumers concern . . . more News Headlines: 23 December 2011 - 13 January 2012 Listeria outbreak report turns spotlight on food safety audits; High levels of antibiotic resistant bacteria found in German retail meat; New decontamination method for beef; Agency publ . . . more News Headlines: 10 - 22 December 2011 Jalapeno and Serrano chili peppers recalled; EU provides funding for reference laboratories; Salmonella contamination in ground cumin; EFSA publishes opinion on mycotoxins in food and fe . . . more More

ACRYLAMIDE UPDATE - a progress report on how the food industry is tackling this contaminant It is now more than eight years since the discovery that a potentially carcinogenic contaminant could be produced in some foods during processing. A lot of progress has been made since then, but there is still a lot we don't know about acrylamide. . . . more THE NATURAL ALTERNATIVE - antimicrobial compounds derived from nature as an alternative to synthetic preservatives in food Preservatives have been on the receiving end of some very negative publicity in recent years. Here we explore the potential for using antimicrobial compounds derived from nature as an alternative to synthetic preservatives in food . . . more SOMETHING IN THE AIR - techniques for monitoring airborne microorganisms Controlling levels of microbial contamination in the air around sensitive processing and packing operations has become an increasingly important part of hygienic food manufacturing in recent years. Despite this, the methods routinely used for monitoring the microbiological quality of the air in food factories have lagged behind those available for other applications. . . . more A REVOLUTION IN THE MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY Until comparatively recently, the tools available to the food microbiologist were antiquated in comparison with those at the disposal of analytical chemistry and other disciplines. After a long wait, the revolution in molecular biology that has already changed other branches of microbiology beyond recognition is set to propel food microbiology into the twenty-first century. . . . more SALAD DAYS (Part II) - an investigation into the microbiological safety of prepared salads Food poisoning outbreaks caused by leafy green salad vegetables, such as lettuce and spinach, have been making food safety headlines on a regular basis over the last few years, especially in the USA. In the second part of this two-part feature, we look at how contamination occurs, how it can be controlled and some of the latest research on the interactions between pathogenic bacteria and plants. . . . more More