NEWS PLUS+ Issue 39 | 04.10.2019

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. Two studies this week challenge ‘meat is bad for you’ guidance

01.10.2019. Global. Health & Nutrition

Two separate studies this week suggest that most people do not need to reduce their red and processed meat consumption, and that a large reduction in meat consumption could actually ‘produce serious harm’.

Source 1: Food Navigator

Source 2: Meating Place

2. Two deaths as a result of Listeria: company closed, worldwide recall

04.10.2019. Germany. Liseria

The veterinary office of the district Waldeck-Frankenberg has closed a company due to two deaths associated with company products. According to the Robert Koch Institute, the probability is 99.6 percent that the deaths are due to Listeria in pizza salami and a boiled sausage from the company.

Source: Online Focus

3. Listeria spurs multiple meat product recalls in U.S., Canada, Denmark

30.09.2019. US, Canada, Denmark. Listeria

A series of recalls involving possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination of various pork and poultry products in the U.S. and Canada have been announced, while in Denmark three illnesses have been linked to a store producing hummus.

Source 1: Meating Place

Source 2: Food Safety News

4. Germany plans to introduce Nutriscore: 'This is a milestone in nutrition policy'

01.10.2019. Germany. Labelling

Germany's food minister Julia Klochner has backed the controversial NutrsiScore system as Germany plans to establish a national voluntary food labelling scheme in the coming year. 

Source: Food Navigator

5. Fake meat or false label?

01.10.2019. UK. Food Fraud

UK Technical Manager at Lloyd’s Register explains how specific controls introduced in the wake of the 2013 horsemeat scandal, can mitigate against the risk of food fraud, as consumers are concerned ‘fake meat’ products actually contain animal products.

Source: New Food Magazine

6. Scientists pinpoint antimicrobial resistance hotspots

01.10.2019. Global. Antimicrobial Resistance 

The proportion of bacteria resistant to antimicrobials is rapidly increasing around the world, according to a new study

Source: Meating Place

7. CDC logs 241 confirmed victims in Cyclospora outbreak traced to basil

02.10.2019. USA. Cyclospora

Although the most recent confirmed illness onset date was July 26, the CDC waited until Monday to declare the end to a cyclosporiasis outbreak traced to basil from Mexico.

Source: Food Safety News

8. Review finds risk of illness from raw milk has increased

02.10.2019. UK. Raw Milk

During a 15-year period a total of 26 foodborne outbreaks were due to consumption of raw, unpasteurized milk in England and Wales, according to results of a study.

Source: Food Safety News

9. Rice 'fingerprinting' to fight fraud: '20-50% of all premium rice is adulterated'

01.10.2019. Global. Food Fraud

Fraud is a big problem for rice brands. The commodity is susceptible to various scams, from passing off low-grade rice as premium to mixing it with bleached moldy rice, paper or even plastic. New research has developed a novel approach to detect food fraud. 

Source: Food Navigator

10. Legislation limiting the fight against dangerous pathogens

03.10.2019. Europe. Food Safety

Food and drink manufacturers are not only faced with the challenge of removing the threat of dangerous pathogens, they also have to fight new rules restricting the armoury of weapons at their disposal. 

Source: Food Manufacture