Quick bites from around the food safety arena this week
- New directives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are tightening the standards for making the claim “Product of USA” on a food label. The new guidelines double down on the requirements that producers making such a claim have documented evidence “on hand” and that they be prepared to hand it over to the USDA within 24 hours of a request for it.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated documents relating to the surveillance of and response to foodborne diseases. WHO said timely detection and effective response are essential to protect public health and prevent local events from escalating into international emergencies. How the U.S. will fit into that effort is a new question now that the country has formally withdrawn from the WHO.
- A draft food law that includes mandatory allergen labeling and a licensing system for businesses has been proposed in Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands. The planned regulations cover food standards, such as labeling and allergen information, food hygiene and safety. If adopted, they will come into force in October.
- Two Listeria-based mysteries have been solved. A former Dole executive quietly revealed how company investigators found the root cause of a Listeria outbreak that sickened people across 13 states, killing two, in 2021. Scientists were also able to identify the underlying cause of two listeriosis outbreaks at a cold-smoked salmon producer in Norway. Both cases illustrate the challenges involved in cleaning food processing machinery to ensure contamination sources are eliminated.
Today's topic: Food allergens
The prevalence of food allergies has been increasing for decades, up by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011, and again by 50 percent between 2007 and 2021. So, few are surprised when undeclared allergens are the number one cause of food recalls in the United States over any given period.