Australia is proposing changes to food safety requirements for several imported foods.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has opened a consultation on the plans that cover dates, melons, enoki mushrooms, pufferfish, and kava.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has published risk advice for these foods. The agency

Continue Reading Australia consults on planned import changes for five foods

A food safety agency has revealed that it conducted more than 103,000 inspection visits in 2023 in the United Arab Emirates.

The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) undertook 103,000 inspections during 2023, covering all food establishments within the country. They resulted in 3,391 violations and 27,895 warnings.

Continue Reading UAE inspection data; melon outbreak case study released to mark WFSD

The European Commission has relaxed checks on melons from Honduras but added controls for vanilla extract from the United States.

Changes were made as part of updated legislation on the rate of official controls and emergency measures for food of non-animal origin imported into Europe. Rules are modified every six

Continue Reading EU eases melon rules but tightens checks on vanilla extract from U.S.

Experts have evaluated a range of methods to combat microbial hazards in fruit and vegetables.

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbial Risk Assessment (JEMRA) covered the prevention and control of microbiological hazards in fresh fruits and vegetables and provided scientific advice on ways to control such hazards from primary

Continue Reading Scientists assess ways to control hazards in produce

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has been given a grant to create an international food safety forum.

The almost AU $500,000 (U.S. $363,000) award was announced by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

FSANZ hopes it will initially include Australia, China, the Republic of Korea, Japan
Continue Reading FSANZ gets grant for food safety forum; consults on produce rules

Irish public health officials have reported four recent outbreaks of Salmonella.

The four different salmonellosis clusters affected 15 people, according to a report published by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) in Ireland.

Patients ranged in age from infants to people more than 80 years old with 11 females and
Continue Reading Ireland reports four Salmonella outbreaks so far this year

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-cantaloupe-image14966704A report released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that consumers respond to foodborne illness outbreaks differently depending on the severity. The case study, produced by Fred Kuchler, Ph.D., an economist with USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), compared warnings about cantaloupes issued in 2011 and again in 2012.
Continue Reading USDA Case Study: Consumers Seem to Recognize the Most Dangerous Outbreaks

UPDATE: An investigation by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) into both the Michigan and South Carolina Salmonella outbreaks has concluded that they are not related and are not part of any multi-state outbreak. Dr. Ian Williams, who heads up CDC’s foodborne outbreak unit, told Food Safety
Continue Reading Update: CDC Says Salmonella Outbreaks in Michigan, South Carolina Are Not Related