Kazakhstan: 175 tons of plant products from Russia and Vietnam not allowed into the country

Phytosanitary control state inspectors have turned away 175 tons of plant products from Russia and Vietnam, the Kazakh Agriculture Ministry’s press service reports. Since February 24 to March 3, 2020 the state inspectors of Atyrau, Almaty, East Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan, Kostanay, Mangistau regions curbed illicit import…

EWG calls for consumer and farmworker protection from pathogens and pesticides

EWG calls on the members of the board of directors of the agribusiness front group Alliance for Food and Farming as well as the entire industry to step up and do a much better…

Kenya Bureau of Standards

Kenyan retailers to face stricter pesticide residue regulations

Starting on May 1, supermarkets will be required to comply with new regulations that require them to ensure fresh produce, which they buy is tested for higher pesticide…

California company recalls enoki mushrooms due to possible Listeria contamination

Guan’s Mushroom Co of Commerce, CA, is recalling all cases of its 200g/7.05 ounce packages of Enoki Mushroom (product of Korea) because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The recalled products were distributed from CA, NY, and PA, in retail stores through produce distributors…

Series of salad recalls in Australia due to Salmonella

In Western Australia, a number of salad products have been recalled because of Salmonella contamination. These recalls involve the Loose Leaf Lettuce Co., Supreme Salads, Fresh Frontier and Quality Produce International. There have been no reports of illness associated with the products. The Loose Leaf…

Australian and New Zealand governments strengthen COVID-19 response

Australia and New Zealand have significantly stepped up measures to try and contain the rapid spread of the global Coronavirus pandemic. Australia has enforced new Stage 1 restrictions on social gatherings, with the closures of non-essential services, such as restaurants, bars, cafes, gyms and libraries…

Prompted by 2018 New South Wales listeria detection

Australian rock melon growers get best practice guide regarding food safety

Australian melon growers have been given an extra resource to help ensure the safety of their products as the NSW Department of Primary Industries has released a best practice…

Chicago Indoor Garden sprout recall update

Number of people infected with E.coli O103 rises to 39

The FDA identified the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 in samples of Chicago Indoor Garden products that contain sprouts. On March 16, 2020, Chicago Indoor Garden recalled all products containing red clover sprouts. FDA’s traceback investigation has shown that a common seed lot was used to grow the sprouts…

Aptar presents anti-pathogenic food packaging solution

US-based Aptar Food and Beverage, a part of AptarGroup, has unveiled an anti-pathogenic packaging solution to protect fresh cut produce. The InvisiShield platform can be…

Canada: Sobeys recalls vegetable mix due to possible salmonella contamination

Sobeys Inc. has recalled Sobeys and Foodland brand Asian Vegetable Mix due to possible salmonella contamination. Ctvnews.ca reported that, according to a notice from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the recall affects products with an expiration date of March 15 that were distributed in…

Products may have been contaminated with E. coli 0103

Chicago Indoor Garden recalls all products containing Red Clover sprouts

Due to an abundance of caution, Chicago Indoor Garden is issuing a voluntary recall of all products that contain Red Clover sprouts per recommendation by the FDA. The recall includes the following products: Red Clover 4oz. clamshell Red Clover 2lb. boxes Sprouts Salad 6oz. clamshell Mixed Greens 4oz. clamshell…

Rick Briston: "Hygiene is only one of the factors"

"There are good reasons to package produce"

Now more than ever we are reminded of the importance of food security. All around the globe consumers are preparing for the threat of the Corona virus and in many places panic purchases have ensued. A picture that can be seen in many places are empty shelves in fruit and vegetable sections of…

Initiative under auspices of HortiFresh, supported by Dutch Embassy

Ghana: Taskforce to ensure food safety inaugurated

A Food Safety and Certification Taskforce to ensure food security in Ghana has been inaugurated in Accra. The initiative was set up under the auspices of HortiFresh, a programme supported by the Netherlands Embassy, that is aimed at developing strategies and activities to address current and emerging…

Potential contamination with Norovirus

Frozen blackberries and berry medley recalled

WinCo Foods, LLC. of Boise, ID is recalling frozen Blackberries in a 16 oz. bag and frozen Berry Medley in 16 oz. and 32 oz. bags, manufactured by Rader Farms of Lynden, WA, because both products have the potential to be contaminated with Norovirus. WinCo Foods has removed the recalled products from…

US: Listeria fatalities reportedly traced to imported Korean mushrooms

Four people are dead and at least 36 people across 17 US states have been sickened in a three-year Listeria outbreak linked to mushrooms imported from Korea. The virulent strain has hospitalized at least 30 of the patients. In the outbreak announcement, the FDA reported that Sun Hong Foods Inc. has…

Recall on enoki mushrooms due to possible listeria contamination

Sun Hong Foods, Inc 1105 W Olympic Blvd, Montebello, CA 90640 is recalling All Cases Enoki Mushroom (Product of Korea) Net Wt 7.05/200g because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium which can cause life-threatening illness or death. The product was distributed…

Department of Pesticide Regulation hands out $15,000 fine

DPR takes action on Santa Barbara county grower

The US Department of Pesticide Regulation has fined a small Central Coast grower $15,000, destroyed four tons of fruit, and shutdown the grower’s production for three months.…

Strophanthus fruit in Cincinnati, Ohio

More than 20 tons of illegally-shipped fruit seized and destroyed

Cincinnati officials have confiscated and destroyed 4,248 pounds of Strophanthus fruit in the past two months. Fresh fruit flying into the US has to have specific documentation; there was no paperwork with these shipments. The fruit is regulated because it might introduce foreign pests and diseases.…

Northern Italy goes into "lock down" but fresh produce sector continues with caution

After the 5000 cases of contagion, in Italy the Lombardy region and 14 other provinces (Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Vercelli, Padua, Treviso and Venice) were put in the red zone for the Coronavirus alarm. The…

Maltese to help set up phytosanitary labs in Ghana

Yofi Grant is the Chief executive officer of the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority (GIPC). He recently hinted of plans to establish phytosanitary lab in Ghana, aided by…

Catalytic Generators supports PMA's Gold Circle food safety campaign

Catalytic Generators is reinforcing their commitment to food safety through the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Gold Circle Campaign for Food Safety. By participating in the…

UK survey shows slight rise in concern about British food safety

The concern of consumers about food safety in the United Kingdom has gone up based on results of a survey by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Findings from late last year show that 45 percent of respondents had concern about food safety in U.K. restaurants, pubs, cafes and takeaways and 40 percent were concerned about…

IGF enables it:

New method for defence against noroviruses on fruit & veg

A research team led by Prof. Dr. Barbara Becker at the Technical University of East Westphalia-Lippe in Lemgo has been working on an innovative possibility: As part of a project funded by the German Federation of Industrial Research Associations (IGF), the team investigated whether and to what extent noroviruses…

USDA national shipping point trends

This week's shipping Point trends in shipments of berries, citrus, melons and other fruit. Blackberries from Mexico crossings; movement expected to increase, at slightly lower…

FDA warns Jimmy John's and Sprouts Unlimited after outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted a warning letter issued to Jimmy John’s Franchise LLC for engaging in a pattern of receiving and offering for sale adulterated…

Canada

Recall issued on fresh bean sprouts due to possible Salmonella contamination

Fresh Sprout International is recalling Fresh Sprouts brand Fresh Bean Sprouts from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. This recall was issued on February 21st, 2020, and has a Class 2 hazard classification. The product has been distributed in Ontario. The recall concerns Fresh Bean…

Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique

Canadian researchers use cranberries and citrus fruit to eliminate noroviruses

A team of Canadian researchers have developed a treatment combining fruit extracts and irradiation to prevent outbreaks of foodborne infections. Fresh produce is a major vehicle for noroviruses, a group of viruses that are the most common cause of gastroenteritis in developed countries. However, the…

Detecting Salmonella in less than eight hours

Germany: Researchers developing rapid Salmonella detection tester

A team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Branch Bioanalytics and Bioprocesses are working with the German microbiology and food analysis…

Hepatitis A virus dangerous in frozen fruit

Blackberry warning remains in place as outbreak declared over

US Federal officials still can’t say for sure where the blackberries came from, but today they repeated their public warning about fresh berries that were sold in the fall of…

Salmonella outbreak linked to cut fruit now appears to be over

Between November 7th, 2019, and January 11th, 2020, 165 people were infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Javiana according to reports from 14 states. 73…

How did a frog end up in a pepper?

A Canadian couple got quite a shock when they wanted to enjoy a fresh green pepper they had just bought, CBC News reports. Inside, they found a frog... alive. It's not the first time live animals have ended up in food, but an amphibian growing inside a vegetable and surviving is quite a feat. If you're…

Michigan State University looks at Honeycrisp, Gala and Granny Smith

Project gauges Listeria survival on apples in storage

Research that examines Listeria survival on whole apples in storage and after waxing could fill data gaps and help the industry target risk-reduction measures in…

FDA samples fresh herbs, guacamole, and processes avocado for food safety

As of September 30, 2019, the FDA has tested 1,214 fresh herb samples (746 domestic, 468 import). As of October 15, 2019, the FDA has tested 887 processed avocado or guacamole…

Officials stress: More checks necessary

Nepal-India border sees imports of pesticide-contaminated foodstuffs

Sources claim that the import of pesticide-contaminated vegetables and other food items continues unabated through the Nepal-India border in Parsa district. A lack of…

Food Standards Australia New Zealand

FSANZ: "There is a need to reassess food safety risk management"

A Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)’s proposal will consider the development of a primary production and processing (PPP) standard for high-risk horticulture as…

Ricardo Kotze, BothaRoodt

Tight avo market but Fuertes from Tzaneen will start picking up

Avocado volumes are surprisingly low on the market, says Ricardo Kotze, avocado specialist at BothaRoodt market agency at the Johannesburg fresh produce market. “We’ve received the first Fuerte, mostly from Tzaneen. There was a little bit from Kenya, just a handful of pallets, at the beginning of…

Moroccan raspberries gain access to US market

Moroccan raspberry producers have received the green light from the US health and agricultural authorities to export their output to the American market which has grown…

Feedback being sought on potential changes to Food Standards Code

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is reassessing the need to amend the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, to enact a primary production and processing standard to manage food safety for high-risk horticulture. FSANZ has now published a preliminary position paper and is seeking input to…

Purdue University

University creates portable device for on-site E. coli testing

Foodborne illness hits about one in six people in the United States every year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million people in the US get sick due to one or more of 31 recognized pathogens, including E. coli O157:H7, a particularly harsh strain of E. coli. Researchers…

Hong Kong lifts ban on romaine lettuce from Salinas

Effective January 24, 2020, Hong Kong lifted its ban on the importation and sale of romaine lettuce from Salinas, California. The Hong Kong government (HKG) agreed to resume…

20 participants on the premises of the C.I.C.O. Soc. Coop. a R.L.

Successful sampling training in Italy

On 22 January 2020, QS -in cooperation with CSO Italy- conducted a sampling training course in Italy on QS residue monitoring. The training, which was aimed at wholesalers, bundlers and laboratories active in the QS system, was attended by 20 participants. The sampling training course, which was fully booked…

Ban on pesticides means Kenya could lose out on fresh produce market

Growers all over Kenya might start losing out key markets for fresh produce as the protracted push by the Agro-Chemical Association of Kenya to reverse the proposed ban on 262…

Michigan State University research

US: Lettuce research and pathogen control are paramount

American leafy greens growers, including romaine growers, are exploring food safety mitigation for lettuce and other greens grown in open fields. However, the USDA has also…

How to guarantee Zero Residue

Everybody is talking about Zero Residue nowadays. Many companies offer it as an added value, but many big retail chains - both in Italy and abroad - require it with growing insistence. To do things properly, however, one needs to be followed by a licensed laboratory with experience. Sicural performs these kinds of analyses…

Too high MRL's stagnate Taiwanese imports of American blueberries

In 2019, Taiwan rejected or destroyed 53 shipments of US horticultural products that did not meet the food safety standards of the Taiwanese Food and Drug Administration…

US state officials are reacting differently to outbreak investigations

Officials in two states have confirmed they are working with federal officials on an investigation into E. coli illnesses linked to lettuce served by a national restaurant…

China's coronavirus impact on Australia's fruit exports

The coronavirus is spreading quickly in China and is now also reaching other countries. In China, the wholesale markets for fruit and vegetables are still open following the Chinese New Year Day, but they are much quieter than expected. “Generally during the Chinese New Year, most people are on holidays…

People extra cautious because of Coronavirus

Wuhan fruit and vegetable wholesale market still open

At the end of December 2019, the Chinese government announced the outbreak of the Wuhan Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Health officials believe the virus outbreak originated in a…

Russia blocks 211 tons of Moroccan tomatoes following discovery of tomato moth

Phytosanitary officers at the Saint Petersburg port refused entry for the tomatoes after the discovery of a dangerous insect. Russian phytosanitary officers at Saint Petersburg port blocked 211 tonnes of infected Moroccan tomatoes from import into the country in 2019. The tomatoes had to be disinfected…

Canada: New federal food safety requirements in force for fresh fruits & vegetables

New requirements of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) come into force for most businesses in the fresh fruits or vegetables (FFV) sector that import, export or…

India: Telangana High Court criticizes state govt for failed curbing of carbide use

Last Saturday, the Telangana High Court criticized the state government, pointing out that it has not been able to meet the minimum standards of food safety, even failing to curb the use of calcium carbide among fruit traders, which is used to artificially ripen fruits like mangoes. A division bench,…

USApple responds to Dirty Dozen list

Many, many periodicals regularly present their own 'Dirty Dozen of Fruit and Veg' (these are fruits or vegetables that contain the highest amounts of pesticides). But why are…

El Paso County - Colorado

US: First foodborne botulism death in more than decade

The death of an El Paso County woman this past September has since been officially blamed on foodborne botulism, the first death of its kind in a decade. Foodborne botulism is…

Government survey okays Brazilian produce for pesticide residues

According to a four-year government survey, the vast majority (92%) of fruit and vegetables sold in Brazil are within national safe levels for pesticide contamination. The survey, conducted by the National Plan for Control of Waste and Contaminants in Vegetable Products (PNCRC) between 2015 and 2018 on…

Sprouts Unlimited issues recall

Clover sprouts recalled due to possible E.coli contamination

Sprouts Unlimited of Marion IA is recalling clover spouts in 4 oz packages because it may be contaminated with Escherichia coli O103 bacteria (E. coli O103). E. coli O103…

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