|
Food safety professionals the world over have come to recognize IAFP’s commitment to presenting or supporting conferences that profoundly impact the safety of the global food supply. In response to great demand, our first Latin American Symposium will take place May 26–28 in Sào Paulo, Brazil. The most up-to-date information on this symposium as well as IAFP 2008, our 95th Annual Meeting, is always available at www.foodprotection.org.
Place LA logo image beside this article
IAFP Updates
Secretary Ballots Due March 17
There’s still time to make your voice heard in the Association Secretary election! Visit our Web site today to take advantage of this year’s convenient electronic voting process, using the information you received by E-mail on January 31. Technical and other assistance in casting your vote by March 17 is available through the link below.
[Link to IAFP 2008]
Featured Abstract from Journal of Food Protection
“Transfer of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to Romaine Lettuce due to Contact Water from Melting Ice” was the most widely-read article in the February issue. Read the abstract here.
[Link to paper]
March Food Protection Trends: Abstracts and Monthly Columns by IAFP President and Executive Director
New York state dairy producers are surveyed for attitudes and practices surrounding consumption of raw milk; an evaluation of the impact of food safety training on the performance of Midwestern foodservice employees; Gary Acuff discusses the IAFP logo, our three sectors of Membership, and the Board’s recent action to preserve balanced representation; David Tharp comments on January’s highlights, IAFP 2008 developments and reminders, and the progress toward our Latin American Symposium.
[Link to FPT]
Food Safety News
FSIS to Post New Policies on Salmonella Sampling
On March 28, the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will post on its Web site new policies and practices for verification sampling of Salmonella.
[Link to FSIS]
Researchers Poised to Wash Out Waterborne Pathogen
Cryptosporidium parvum, a waterborne parasite notoriously resistant to chlorination, may have met its match in research conducted recently at Brandeis University and the University of Georgia.
[Link to article]
Rare Strain of Common Pathogen Found in Raw Ahi
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the unusual development of Salmonella Paratyphi B in raw ahi, which has poisoned at least 30 people in Hawaii since October 2007.
[Link to article]
Rare Strain of Common Pathogen Found in Raw Ahi
In a February 20 press release, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that while the nation’s states have improved efforts in preventing and managing public health threats, significant trials have yet to be undertaken.
[Link to CDC]
Denmark Increases Vigilance Against Campylobacter
The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries in Denmark has initiated a new five-year action plan to fight campylobacter, the country’s most common bacterial cause of human gastrointestinal disease.
[Link to article]
Regulatory Updates
Controlling the Safety of Cold Ready-To-Eat Foods
In February, the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) issued this draft guidance for controlling Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods that are refrigerated or frozen.
story
[Link to guidance]
Minimizing Microbial Hazards of Fresh Produce
Also released in February, this CFSAN guidance recommends how to minimize the microbial food safety hazards of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.
[Link to guidance]
story
Research & Reports
E. coli Presentations Available Online
Select presentations from a January 23 briefing on E. coli surveillance and prevention, hosted by the American Meat Institute Foundation (AMIF) and the National Meat Association (NMA), are now available online.
[Link to AMI]
Study in Belgium Examines VTEC Found in Ice Cream
This Eurosurveillance report traces an October 2007 outbreak of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) to ice cream consumed by children at a farm in Belgium.
[Link to WHO]
Research Shows Probiotics a Threat to Pancreatitis Patients
This article from Medical News Today summarizes and provides the link to a research article on the risks of probiotics use in patients with acute pancreatitis.
[Link to article]
Risk Assessment of Human Salmonellosis from Meat
In January, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued this opinion on the contribution of meat to Salmonella infections in humans.
[Link to PHAC]
Items of Interest
WHO Publishes New Resource for Nanotechnology
INFOSAN Information Note No. 1 on Nanotechnology is now available for download in six languages through the World Health Organization (WHO) Web site.
[Link to WHO]
FAO/WHO Call for Data on Follow-up Formula
Through April 14, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are accepting data for a July 2008 joint meeting on Enterobacter sakazakii in follow-up formula.
[Link to WHO]
Preventing Norovirus: Six Simple Steps
A downloadable pdf on the six-step prevention of Norovirus is available through the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
[Link to APIC]
New HACCP-based Resource for Meat and Poultry Processors
New Web resources for small meat and poultry processors have been developed by University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension (UWEX) faculty, and are now available online through the UW Center for Meat Process Validation.
[Link to UWEX]
Comments or suggestions for IAFP Report may be sent to report@foodprotection.org, or directly to the Contents Editor, Dr. Jeff Farber, Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Health Canada. E-mail jeff_farber@hc-sc.gc.ca
Thank You to Our Contributors
Barbara Ingham, Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Photos: CDC Public Health Image Library, USDA Photo Library
Logos: CDC, EFSA
For employers. For job seekers. Find who's right for You.
| 
