NEWS PLUS | Issue 13

March 27, 2020

As leaders in food safety, we provide a weekly global update brought to you by our Food Plus+ team delivering an enhanced food safety & quality system to protect your brand..

1. China ends lockdown and USA will soon be a new epicentre of COVID-19

25.03.2020. Global. Coronavirus

China has ended its lockdown of most of Hubei province since Tuesday, but the city of Wuhan will not be eased until 8th April. Within 1-2 days, the USA will be number one outside of China for numbers of confirmed cases, and it looks as though the European region may be levelling off in terms of numbers of newly confirmed cases each day. In Italy, after the peak on 21st March, the number of new cases reported daily appears to be decreasing. This appears to have occurred roughly 2 weeks after control measures were implemented. Also this week, the ECDC have published a very comprehensive risk assessment.

Source: ProMED-mail/ECDC

2. African swine fever hits domestic pigs in Western Poland for the first time

25.03.2020. Poland. African Swine Fever

In western Poland, a domestic herd of over 23,700 pigs is confirmed to be infected with African swine fever (ASF).

Source: The Pig Site

3. Germany, Hungary, Poland report avian flu in poultry

26.03.2020. Europe. Avian Influenza

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been reported in new regions of Germany and Hungary. The virus has also been detected on farms in Poland and South Africa, and the mild form of the disease has been confirmed on five more turkey farms in the U.S.

Source: WATTAgNet

4. Advice for food businesses from UK and US authorities; What you need to know about coronavirus and food

25.03.2020. Global. Coronavirus

The UK and U.S. authorities have issued useful advice for food businesses to deal with COVID-19, while the FDA reminds that food is not a source of the virus.

Source 1: British Government Update

Source 2: CDC

Source 3: Food Safety News

5. Spate of salad recalls in Australia due to Salmonella

24.03.2020. Australia. Salmonella

A number of salad products have been recalled in an Australian state because of Salmonella contamination.

Source: Food Safety News

6. Rabobank: Covid-19 and ASF to shake-up world poultry markets

24.03.2020. Global. Trade

The fast-moving coronavirus pandemic will add significant uncertainty to global poultry markets, according to latest analyst by Dutch firm Rabobank. The outlook for the rest of the year will be affected by the virus and the ongoing African Swine Fever (ASF) challenges in the pork industry will also bring additional complexity.

Source: Poultry World

7. New Zealand targets 20% decline in Campylobacter by 2025

26.03.2020. New Zealand. Campylobacter

New Zealand aims to reduce foodborne Campylobacter infections by 20% by 2025. This goal was informed by a study commissioned by New Zealand Food Safety that found more than 80% of cases are likely due to consumption of poultry.

Source: Poultry World
 

8. Cheese sauce linked to Clostridium perfringens outbreak

21.03.2020. UK. Clostridium Perfringens

Researchers have detailed the first reported Clostridium perfringens outbreak in England associated with leeks in leftover and reheated cheese sauce.

Source: Food Safety News
 

9. Hong Kong records rise in foodborne outbreaks

25.03.2020. Hong Kong. Foodborne Outbreaks

Almost 200 foodborne outbreaks affecting 800 people were reported in Hong Kong in 2019, according to a new report.

Source: Food Safety News