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... the uk food standards agency has invited researchers to come up with innovative approaches to answer key food safety challenges ... the fsa usually issues calls for evidence to address specific research questions, but is piloting a new approach to commissioning research by identifying innovative approaches which may provide significant leaps forward in addressing strategic challenges in the food industry ... the uk agency has identified four key challenges: ensuring imported food is safe to eat, including early identification of emerging risks using novel methods in managing outbreaks of foodborne disease improving compliance of food businesses with food safety laws obtaining better data on costs to industry that will be used to inform agency policies to find out more about the research opportunities, or to tender ideas, the fsa said researchers and industry members need to register as a supplier on its electronic tendering system found here

... the government accountability project (gap) has praised the inclusion of whistleblower protections in the food safety bill, which is expected to be signed into law by president obama early in the new year ... the food safety modernization act that was passed by congress this week establishes protections for “employees of entities involved in the manufacturing, processing, packing, transporting, distribution, reception, holding, or importation of food who provide information relating to any violation of the ffdca [the federal food, drug and cosmetics act] ... ” the bill is the first to specifically cover food industry workers who refuse to knowingly violate fda safety regulations or who provide information of such violations to authorities ... gap food integrity campaign director amanda hitt said: "these whistleblower protection provisions are a monumental change in public health protection, and a huge win for food safety ... without a doubt, these protections will allow more workers to come forward before outbreaks, which will save lives and enhance food integrity ... " however, the organization expressed concern that the protections only cover workers associated with food facilities and distribution networks that are regulated by the food and drug administration (fda) ... the fda oversees the safety of about 80 percent of the us food supply, but the us department of agriculture (usda) is responsible for meat and poultry ... gap legal director tom devine said: “there is no rational excuse to protect corporate workers challenging violations of fda food safety laws while allowing them to keep getting fired at will for defending usda food safety laws ... ” the bill also specifies that whistleblower protections for those who highlight violations of fda safety regulations cannot be canceled out by preconditions for employment

... the institute of food technologists (ift) has commended us congress for passage of landmark food safety legislation, which represents the largest changes in the country’s food safety laws in more than 70 years ... “this is a critical moment when it comes to the safety of the food we eat every day, because it puts science at the forefront of public policy,” said ift president bob gravani, phd ... ” key aspects of the legislation the legislation has a variety of new changes that will improve the safety of the food system from farm to fork ... four elements of this legislation are critical to protecting the food supply for generations to come: * product tracing-the u ... food and drug administration (fda) will be required to establish a comprehensive product tracing system to track the movement of food products effectively from farm to point of sale or service ... * performance standards-in order to continually reduce the risk of contaminants in foods, the secretary of health and human services will identify and determine the most significant foodborne contaminants and develop science-based guidance to assist food producers ... as a result, action levels (performance standards) will be set in place to encourage the food industry to strive toward a safer food supply ... * third party certification-designated imported foods will now need to be certified by a third party with expertise in food safety and under the oversight of the fda ... this will enable the fda to maximize resources and increase the number of product inspections to better ensure the safety of imported foods ... * preventive control plans-food manufacturing facilities will be required to develop and implement written plans based upon science that evaluate hazards that could affect the safety of food; identify and implement preventive controls; monitor the performance of these controls; and maintain records of such monitoring ... “this bill covers a wide range of food safety initiatives that will ultimately benefit consumers,” said gravani

... an albury takeaway restaurant has been fined following a salmonella outbreak that resulted in more than 170 people falling ill after eating food from the albury burger bar, minister steve whan said today ... “investigations conducted by the nsw food authority have determined the cause of the outbreak to be a raw egg aioli product that was contaminated with salmonella,” minister whan said ... “they have also been issued with a fine for handling food in a manner that renders it unsafe, after it was found the product was made on the premises with no effective pathogen control measures in place ... ” the nsw food authority was contacted by the greater southern area health service following a number of reports of illness where all of the patients had eaten at the same food outlet ... the nsw food authority, in conjunction with albury council, immediately commenced food and environmental sampling of the premises, the owner co operated with a request to voluntarily close the premises until a prohibition order was served, preventing it from trading until a full and complete investigation could determine the source and cause of the illness ... minister whan said the albury burger bar would now be placed on the name and shame register where consumers can find information about food businesses that had breached food safety laws ... “consumers have the right to purchase food safe in the knowledge it is not going to make them ill ... “if a business fails to comply with food safety requirements under the food standards code, they will face the consequences

... still, the massive salmonella outbreak that sparked a recall of more than a half billion eggs from two iowa plants in august could provide momentum for the senate to act on its own food safety bill soon after it returns this month ... the house passed food reform legislation in july 2009 ... "this incident exemplifies the critical need to make significant improvements in the food safety system," said agriculture secretary tom vilsack ... "we must pass the food safety legislation currently before congress that will help fda prevent outbreaks like this one in the future," he said ... food and drug administration, which oversees the bulk of the u ... food supply, has pressed congress for more funding and authority ... pressure to overhaul the food safety system has grown following several high-profile outbreaks involving lettuce, peppers, eggs, peanuts, spinach and most recently eggs since 2006 that have sickened thousands and shaken the public's confidence ... consumer groups have aggressively pushed for food safety reform during the last five years -- each time using the attention drummed-up by the latest recall to draw attention to reform ... "if you'll pardon the bad pun: the senate has egg on its face for not having moved on this sooner," said jaydee hanson, a policy analyst with the center for food safety, who said if reform would have been in place sooner the fda could have responded faster to the recent recalls ... food safety laws since 1938 when congress gave the fda the authority to oversee the safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics ... the house and senate food safety bills would give the fda power to order recalls, increase the frequency of plant inspections at the riskiest plants, give fda more access to food facility records, and expand its traceback capabilities in the event of a foodborne illness outbreak ... they also would place more responsibility on the food industry by requiring manufacturers to have a written food safety plan describing risk at their facilities and preventative controls they have put in place

... previously china had tried to tighten food safety laws to discourage companies from using melamine but now the country is loosening quality rules in pursuit of the same goal ... 8 percent level is based on a lot of data collected after an investigation by the agriculture ministry and is most suitable for china's current economic development,” said wang zhutian, deputy director of the national institute of nutrition and food safety at the china center for disease control

... president obama has said that passing the food safety modernization act would provide government with the tools it needs to better ensure food safety, as long-awaited discussion began in the senate this week ... the food safety modernization act is the companion bill to the food safety enhancement act that passed the house last july ... meanwhile, the bill has garnered widespread support from the food and beverage industry, including from such influential organizations as the grocery manufacturers association, the food marketing institute, and the american frozen food institute ... the legislation was prompted by a spate of food safety recalls, including the peanut product recall that involved thousands of products last year, after salmonella-tainted peanuts sickened hundreds and killed nine ... calls from industry to update food safety laws intensified as consumer confidence in food companies declined and recall costs mounted ... president obama said in a statement on wednesday: “a year ago today, the food safety working group, chaired by health and human service secretary kathleen sebelius and secretary of agriculture tom vilsack, announced key findings on how to upgrade the food safety system ... gov site to provide consumers rapid access to information on food recalls ... 510, the fda food safety modernization act ... this bipartisan bill would complement the work already undertaken by the food safety working group ... the bill addresses longstanding challenges in the food safety and defense system by promoting a prevention-oriented approach to the safety of our food supply and provides the federal government with the appropriate tools to accomplish its core food safety goals ... ” if passed, the bill would require food companies to submit detailed food safety plans, give the fda the power to order product recalls, and allow it greater access to company records ... last month, a report from the institute of medicine said that given that fda is responsible for more than 150,000 food facilities, more than one million restaurants and other retail food establishments, and more than two million farms, as well as millions of tons of imports, it lacks the resources to sufficiently monitor the entire food supply

... lai from directly or indirectly receiving, preparing, processing, packing, holding, and distributing any article of food, unless and until they come into compliance with the terms of the consent decree and the law ... “today’s action shows that the fda will seek enforcement action against companies that continue to violate federal laws designed to protect the safety of the nation’s food supply,” said fda acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs michael chappell ... “food facilities such as lifesoy are required by law to register with the fda and follow current good manufacturing practices and other laws, including maintaining a sanitary facility ... lai caused articles of food to be adulterated under federal law by preparing, packing, and holding foods in such conditions that the products may be rendered injurious to health or may have become contaminated ... the agency attempted to help the company come into compliance with appropriate food safety laws, however lifesoy failed to comply resulting in this action

... the new south wales food authority has reported nsw food outlets for a number of violations, including two outlets who served cockroaches in food, and one butcher who adulterated meat with sulfur dioxide ... delicious noodle taree was fined $2420 for selling food with cockroaches, as well as having live and dead cockroaches on the premises and failing to take pest control measures ... yagoona halal meats was fined $4800 (plus $2000 in costs) by the chief industrial magistrates court after being found guilty of a wide variety of food safety violations, including adulterating minced meat with sulfur dioxide, keeping raw meat in a shopping trolley, using rusty equipment, failing to properly clean the premises and having raw meat in contact with open salami ... primary industries minister, steve whan, welcomed the result and said the court’s decision was a stern reminder to those who flout food safety laws ... “poor food safety standards will not be tolerated; this government takes the health and safety of the consumers of nsw very seriously,” minister whan said ... ” minister whan also commended councils on their commitment to ensuring food sold in their areas was as safe as possible ... “councils work in close and effective partnership with the nsw food authority to ensure we can all enjoy the food our state is famous for safely

... and the chinese authorities launched an emergency crackdown eight days ago as a result, with health ministry officials saying the probe would “thoroughly check potential problems in food safety”, said one report ... following the 2008 scandal, china passed food-safety laws establishing standards, better testing systems and a method to recall problem products, placing more responsibility on food producers themselves to ensure their products were safe