Change in the maximum residue limits (MRL) of Procloraz

Over the past twenty years, the focus on environmental policies and the health of citizens has led to an extension of the list of harmful fungicides, with the European Commissions reviewing the MRL (maximum residue limits). In the photo, Salvatore Imbesi. "On September 4th, 2020, the maximum residue…

USDA revises fig import requirements - combating Mediterranean black fig fly

Effective September 15th, APHIS implemented the following restrictions on all commercial consignments of fresh fig fruits imported from Mexico to prevent the introduction of…

FDA issues first injunction under Produce Safety Rule to Illinois-based food manufacturer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that Fortune Food Product, Inc., an Illinois-based processor of sprouts and soy products, has agreed to stop production…

The OCU warns of the potential danger of consuming sprouted potatoes

The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) has issued a warning of the possible toxicity of potatoes with green sprouts or spots due to the presence of solanine. The OCU…

Dubai launches new laboratory to check pesticide residues in fruit and veg

Dubai has recently launched a new food testing laboratory at the Vegetable and Fruit Market in Warsan. His Excellency Eng. Dawood Al-Hajri, Director General of Dubai…

Possible Listeria contamination prompts recall of squash noodle medley

Giant Food is recalling Giant Food brand squash noodle medley because of possible Listeria contamination. The product was sold in stores from Aug. 8 – 19. Giant Food officials…

Blueberry growers oppose proposal for glyphosate ban

The Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick (AANB) and Bleuets NB Blueberries (BNBB), which represents and serves the province’s blueberry growers, are opposing plans by the…

Brazilian fruit advances in traceability

"The characteristics of the production processes, combined with tenure for growers is making the Brazilian fruit sector stand out in traceability in terms of controls of origin and food safety," says Giampaolo Buso, director of PariPassu, a technology and solution company for food traceability and…

Ex-farm supervisor accused of contaminating strawberries is committed to stand trial

A former farm supervisor who allegedly put needles in strawberries has been committed to stand trial in a Queensland court. My Ut Trinh has been charged with six counts of…

Outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to red onions imported from the United States

The outbreak investigation is ongoing as illnesses continue to be reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Since August 21, there have been 78 additional illnesses…

Picoudi micogreens recalled due to possible Salmonella contamination

Les Jardins Picoudi is recalling Picoudi brand microgreens from the marketplace due to possible Salmonella contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled products…

Spain and France agree on the need to guarantee food safety in the EU

The Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, and his French counterpart, Julien Denormandie, held a virtual meeting in which they agreed on the need to guarantee food security in the European Union, support community agri-food strategies, and defend competitive and sustainable…

Peach recall expanding over possible salmonella contamination

A peach recall has expanded to include loose peaches and peach products after 78 people were sickened in 12 states by salmonella poisoning linked to the fruit, the US Centers…

New Zealand: Peaches from US recalled over Salmonella concerns

In New Zealand, peaches imported from the United States are being recalled due to potential contamination with Salmonella bacteria. The Ministry of Primary Industries is…

Chile to follow new rules for export of apples to Brazil

The Secretariat for Agricultural Defense of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), has released a statement that -as of January 1, 2021- fresh apples…

Dry produce cleaning treatment extends shelf-life while killing bacteria and viruses

The Moyer family settled in Ontario in 1799 and have been farming in the Niagara Peninsula ever since. In keeping with tradition, Paul Moyer is the 9th generation of Moyer farmers, but he went far beyond the tradition when he became the co-founder of Clēan Works Corporation: a produce cleaning technology…

Vietnam to resume fruit exports to the US

This week, the export of Vietnamese fresh fruit to the US will resume, following the interruption since early August due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the pandemic,…

California LGMA updates food safety practices

The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement Advisory Board has voted to accept several updates to required food safety practices for the farming of leafy greens. Over 50…

Fresh imported peaches recalled by Prima Wawona

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume and retailers, distributors, manufacturers, and food service establishments such as hotels,…

Vietnamese agri exports still face difficulties due to quarantine regulations

Since the beginning of the recent crop, the Hanoi Irradiation Centre -one of two facilities in Vietnam meeting standards on the irradiation of fresh fruit for export to the US and Australia- has received just one request to irradiate 10 tons of longan for export to Australia. Generally, the longan output…

Wawona recalls packed and loose peaches due to possible salmonella risk

Prima® Wawona of Fresno, California is voluntarily recalling all of its bulk/loose peaches distributed and sold from June 1 through August 3 and its bagged Wawona and Wawona Organic peaches distributed and sold from June 1 through August 19th because the products could possibly be contaminated with…

Target recalls peaches, linking them to Salmonella outbreak

Minnesota state health and food safety officials are warning Minnesota consumers not to eat fresh, whole peaches supplied by Wawona Packing Company and purchased at retail…

Fruit and vegetables still most non-compliant import categories

Imported fruit and vegetables are still the foodstuff with the most non-compliances. This was shown in the latest round of testing by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). As food…

HelloFresh recalls onions

HelloFresh has been informed by one of its ingredient suppliers that it is conducting a voluntary recall of its onions due to the potential presence of salmonella bacteria. Please discard all onions…

Aldi voluntarily recalls assorted peaches from Wawona Packing Company LLC

As a precautionary measure, ALDI is voluntarily recalling assorted peaches received from its supplier, Wawona Packing Company, due to possible Salmonella contamination. Aldi…

US salmonella outbreak linked to onions expanding

A salmonella outbreak in the US, linked to recalled onions, has spread to 47 states. Cases and hospitalizations have increased. On Tuesday, the Food & Drug Administration said…

'Building food safety management capacity'

Growers and packers focus on food safety management individually because every packhouse system is different. Flexibility in ensuring food safety through the application of practices within the context of business operations is important. To prevent contamination and maintain low contamination rates on…

Another 100 Canadians struck down by Salmonella after eating US-grown onions

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, 100 more people have become ill from Salmonella contamination linked to a recall of US-grown onions. This would bring the…

FDA and CDC use technological advancements to investigate Cyclospora illnesses linked to bagged salads

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided an update on the status of the investigation of Cyclospora cayetanensis illnesses tied to the consumption of bagged…

Kazakhstan introduces temporary ban on the import of plums from Uzbekistan

On August 6, 2020, the State Inspection Committee for Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan introduced temporary quarantine phytosanitary measures in the…

Europe sets new limits for perchlorate in some vegetables and fruits

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has established via Regulation (UE) 2020/685 new limits for perchlorate in some foods. This compound derived from chlorine is a…

ScoringAg

Maintaining the integrity of the sanitation

“You have to sanitize everything,” says William Kanitz with ScoringAg. “If you don’t protect your product, the consumer gets sick.” The company sells and produces sanitizing equipment for fresh produce and its packaging. Due to the Coronavirus, things have changed. It’s increasingly important to reduce…

Progressive Produce voluntarily recalls red and yellow onions because of possible health risk

Progressive Produce LLC is voluntarily recalling a very limited quantity of red and yellow onions as a result of a recall initiated by Thomson International, Inc., which…

AgTech solutions boost South Australia’s food provenance

AgTech startup co-founder Andrew Grant has stated that South Australia’s primary industries can lead in the food traceability space, further capitalising on the state’s best…

Freshouse Produce recalls specific production lots of Valencia oranges, lemons, limes, organic limes, and red B potatoes

Freshouse II, LLC of Salisbury, NC is recalling the following specific production lots, brands and weights of Valencia Oranges, Lemons, Limes, Organic Limes, and Red B…

Updated real-time wash line data available with online tool

SmartWash Solutions announced the release of PPDL 2020, providing enhancements to Process Pro Data Live, the online tool for produce processing plant managers to monitor real-time performance of their wash lines’ water chemistry and quickly locate potential problems to improve efficiency and food safety.…

US Health Officials investigate Cyclosporiasis outbreak in Travis County

Apparently, 82 cases of Cyclosporiasis have been reported in Travis County by Austin Public Health officials. The APH is investigating the outbreak. As of August 5, with the…

“This fungicide is a game-changer in the US”

The first-ever hybrid fungicide was recently approved by the EPA in the United States. It has been used successfully in 14 countries around the world outside of the USA already. STK Bio-ag Technologies is now rolling out this product in America with the help of its partner in that country, Summit Agro…

Giant Eagle voluntarily issued August 1st recall of onions and prepared foods using onions as an ingredient

After receiving notification from onion supplier, Onion 52, that the vendor had sourced onions affected by the recent salmonella-related Thomson International, Inc. onion…

New Zealand’s $6 billion produce industry aligning and improving its traceability systems

A consultation document seeking the input of New Zealand’s fresh produce industry has been released this month as part of a significant project to assess and improve…

Salmonella becomes a Trojan horse for leafy vegetables

Salmonella is one of the microorganisms responsible for food poisoning in summer, since it can be ingested through some foods, such as leafy vegetables, if they are not washed…

Singapore: Five importers fined for bringing in fruit and vegetables illegally

In Singapore, five importers were fined a total of $28,000 for bringing in food products that did not conform to import permit requirements. This was made clear by the…

David Moreno

Thai FDA issues revised pesticide residues monitoring measures on fresh produce

On July 15, the Thai FDA issues its revised pesticide residues monitoring measures on fresh produce that will be implemented on August 1, 2020. The revised monitoring measures will supersede any previous measures they officially published on the Thai FDA web site. The Office of Agricultural Affairs at…

Papaya industry works towards improving food safety practices

Supplies of papaya are steady currently as the fruit comes out of a peak production cycle. “I think it’s going to get tighter for supplies as we go into the next couple of weeks,” says Edgar Millan of Caraveo Papayas in the Bronx, NY. He notes that the majority of supplies come out of Colima, Mexico.…

Russia strengthens controls over tomato and pepper imports

From July 20, the Rosselkhoznadzor has strengthened its controls over imported tomatoes and peppers. The shipments arriving in Russia will undergo additional laboratory tests,…

Pakistan: Shortage of hot water treatment facilities hurts mango exports to Iran

A delay in the approval of six additional hot water treatment facilities (HWTPs) by the Department of Plant Protection has hit the export potential of Pakistani mangoes to…

Cambodia: Memorandum of Understanding on ‘safe vegetables’ inked with Japanese firm

This week, the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Japan’s Yamato Green Co Ltd on the cooperation,…

Cyclospora salad lawsuit filed against Fresh Express in Illinois

National food safety law firm Pritzker Hageman, P.A. has filed a Cyclospora lawsuit in conjunction with local counsel Tim Whiting, against Fresh Express in Illinois in…

FDA releases blueprint and pilot study for announced Smarter Food Safety Initiative

"It is my great privilege to announce FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint. We were originally going to make this announcement in March, but as you all are well…

Imported fruit and vegetables are the main problem in Singaporean sampling

According to Singapore authorities, imported fruit and vegetables was the category with the highest percentage of non-compliances during food safety testing in 2019. A total…

Outbreak of Cyclospora Infections Linked to Bagged Salad Mix

CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration external icon (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of…

New Zealand imposes temporary ban on mangoes from an Indian facility

Mango imports from a treatment facility in Mumbai has been temporarily suspended, while Biosecurity NZ investigates a fruit fly discovery. "The suspension follows the…

"Continuing to market fruit and veg safely in compliance with the new MRLs"

On 04.06.2020, the European Commission published Regulation (EU) 2020/749 amending Annex III of Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005. According to this regulation, new maximum residue levels for chlorate and perchlorate in foodstuffs will apply from 28.06.2020, without any transitional arrangements.…

Fast detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis in berries

The consumption of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries has increased worldwide in recent years because these fruits are considered an important source of antioxidant compounds. Unfortunately, consumption of berries is associated with a risk of foodborne parasites, such as Cyclospora cayetanensis.…

Norwegian Yersinia outbreak: Spinach is suspect

The recent Yersinia outbreak in Norway, that affected 23 people, is believed to have its source in a salad with spinach or baby spinach in it. Luckily, the Norwegian Institute…

China to aid with installation of phytosanitary system in Pakistan

In a meeting between Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam and Yao Jing, Ambassador of China, it had been decided that China will help in…

Food safety comes from extended vegetable disinfection time

Food safety has always been a concern in the fresh-cut industry. For ready-to-eat vegetables such as lettuce, the entire cleaning process usually takes 2 to 3 minutes, which is too long for conventional cleaning lines. Therefore, a cleaning line with an extended launder is necessary to ensure the…