A report on Ireland’s controls on horses and food safety has made several recommendations to improve the system with the relevant authority pledging to make changes.
Professor Paddy Wall, who is a veterinarian and food safety expert, was commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to carry
Continue Reading Report proposes changes to Irish horse controls
The number of food safety alerts and fraud investigations exchanged between European member states went up in 2023.
The European Commission, which manages the Alert and Cooperation Network (ACN), said there was a significant increase in notifications compared to 2022.
The network includes the Rapid Alert System for Food and
Continue Reading EU sees rise in food safety alerts and fraud investigations
An investigation in Ireland has shone a spotlight on the welfare of horses and how their meat can enter the food chain.
Traceability, misuse of microchips, and fake passport issues were raised in a program by Irish broadcaster RTÉ, including undercover footage and microchip record analysis.
In response, the
Continue Reading Irish Investigation Uncovers Horse Traceability Issues
A study of Salmonella in horses in Italy has uncovered an outbreak that affected 17 people.
From June to November 2021, 146 horses, five donkeys, and one mule were tested for Salmonella in cecal contents and through carcass swabs from one slaughterhouse.
Salmonella was detected three times in 152 of
Continue Reading Scientists uncover Salmonella outbreak linked to horse meat
The European Commission’s health and safety unit has published findings from two assessments looking at controls on exports of horse meat in Uruguay and Argentina.
A DG Sante audit in Uruguay, in October and November 2022, made seven recommendations and found some actions taken since the last visit in 2018
Continue Reading EU assesses horse meat controls in Uruguay and Argentina
The risk of corruption exists at every stage of the food supply chain, according to an analysis by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The UNODC publication highlights some of the main potential risks along the supply chain and discusses how they could be mitigated. It also
Continue Reading UN agency urges corruption focus in the food sector
A number of people have been sentenced for their roles in a network that sold horse meat that could have been unfit to eat.
A total of 15 people from France, Belgium, and the Netherlands were sentenced at a Marseille court this past week in a case that began in
Continue Reading Sentences handed out in French horse meat trial
European authorities have uncovered a network that sold potentially dangerous horse meat in at least four countries.
The operation was coordinated by Europol and the Spanish Civil Guard (Guardia Civil). A video can be seen here.
Operation Yucatán targeted the sale of horse meat unsuitable for consumption. The meat was
Continue Reading Europol and Spain lead horse meat fraud investigation
An additional 200 outbreaks were recorded in Belgium in 2021 versus the year before, according to the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC).
There was a significant increase in the number of food poisoning outbreaks from 333 in 2020 to 547 in 2021. The number of
Continue Reading Belgium reports large rise in foodborne illness outbreaks in 2021
There was an increase in the number of food safety reports on a platform managed by the European Commission in 2021, according to a new report.
The Alert and Cooperation Network (ACN) includes the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), Administrative Assistance and Cooperation system (AAC) and the Food Fraud Network
Continue Reading EU sees rise in fraud exchanges and RASFF alerts in 2021