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PulseNet International23 Nov 2009INFOSAN [edited][FSNet]• To address the growing concern of responding to foodborne disease (FBD) threats, other emerging infectious diseases, or acts of bioterrorism in a timely and effective manner, the PulseNet International network was established.• PulseNet International is a network of networks dedicated to detecting and tracing foodborne infections worldwide. There are currently six independent networks within PulseNet International, with a total of 81 Member countries.• PulseNet International can contribute to increased efficient information flow between laboratories and food safety officials to quicker identify food safety events and the establishment of an effective global early warning system through its laboratory network.• PulseNet International and INFOSAN are working to improve information sharing between the two networks to strengthen FBD surveillance and control globally.IntroductionINFOSAN serves as a vehicle for food safety authorities and other relevant agencies to exchange food safety information and to improve collaboration among food safety authorities at both the national and international level.INFOSAN Emergency, embedded in INFOSAN, links official national contact points to address outbreaks and emergencies of international importance and allows for the rapid exchange of information. INFOSAN Emergency is intended to complement and support the existing WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN).INFOSAN is operated/managed by WHO, Geneva Pesticide endosulfan considered for global ban16.oct.09Reuters [edited][FSNet]Scientists took a step closer to banning the pesticide endosulfan, widely used on crops like cocoa and cotton, despite objections from India which is a major producer and consumer of the toxic chemical.Endosulfan is under consideration for inclusion on the list of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the 166-member Stockholm Convention -- a treaty to protect human health and the environment from chemicals.The Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee decided to draw up a risk management evaluation for endosulfan, the penultimate step to putting it on the banned list, the convention secretariat said in a statement.Once the committee has produced the evaluation it can propose to the next meeting of the convention in May 2011 that endosulfan should be banned. Listeria and zero tolerance02 Oct 2009Chilled Food Association [edited][FSNet]After several years of campaigning, CFA has secured agreement at a recent meeting of the United Nations FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Food Hygiene Committee to reject zero tolerance as the sole regulatory approach for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm).For the average healthy person the risk of becoming ill with listeriosis from food is very small and scientific evidence has shown that Listeria are consumed commonly with no ill effects. Because of this, EU legislation supports a risk-based policy allowing up to 100 colony-forming units of Lm/g (with certain exceptions) present in food at the end of its shelf life. In contrast, the US, traditionally, has favoured a zero tolerance approach for Lm for all foods. This means that the presence of any amount of the bacteria is not permitted.But this target is impossible to achieve consistently as Lm is ubiquitous in the environment. In addition, the US chilled food market is very different from the UK where manufacturers apply shorter shelf lives than elsewhere in the world. In the US, as a result of the zero tolerance policy, there is relatively little testing for Lm in foods.CFA has consistently argued that the best way to control Lm is through monitored preventative measures and appropriate controls and, in December 2008, the United Nations FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Committee on Food Hygiene, at its meeting in Guatemala, adopted this approach with the US finally agreeing to abandon its rigid adherence to the zero tolerance policy. The agreement is due to be ratified this summer (2009) and will prevent, potentially, many hundreds of unnecessary product recalls every year in the UK alone saving hundreds of millions of pounds Sterling, protecting reputations, the continued risk basis of EU regulation and food safety.CFA played an instrumental role in bringing about this agreement by providing the European Commission (EC) and FSA with scientific and practical data supporting the demonstrable validity of the 100cfu/g limit within a controlled shelf life. As part of this work CFA made extensive input into two EU-level shelf life guidance documents which were agreed by the EC in November in support of the EU position at the UN. More than 30 new food safety standards adopted06 Jul 2009WHO [edited][FSNet]The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) concluded a week-long meeting and adopted more than 30 new international standards, codes of practice and guidelines to improve worldwide food safety and protect the health of consumers.New standards adopted by the Commission include:The Commission approved measures for reducing the formation of acrylamide in food. The Commission adopted the first guidelines for reducing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) intake through final food preparation. The Commission adopted criteria for Salmonella and other bacteria in powdered follow-up formulae for children six months of age or older and for special medical purposes for young children. A bacterium of special concern is E. sakazakii, for which Codex adopted specific criteria for powdered formula for infants (0 to 6 months) in 2008. The Commission decided that in countries with particular risk for E. sakazakii from consumption of follow-up formulae (i.e. countries with substantial populations of immunocompromised babies) similar criteria for E. sakazakii could be introduced for follow-up formula as for powdered formula for infants.The Commission adopted parameters for microbiological testing and environmental monitoring for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat food. A maximum level was set for certain food products where the bacteria cannot grow, while in ready-to-eat products where growth is possible, no Listeria monocytogenes will be allowed. The Commission also adopted regional standards for ginseng products, fermented soybean paste and gochujang.The Commission also launched new work projects, among them establishing maximum levels for melamine in food and feed. Setting maximum limits will help governments differentiate between unavoidable melamine occurrence and the deliberate adulteration of food and feed.* principles and guidelines to assist governments in the development and operation of comprehensive national food control systems that protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade;* practices to control viruses in food, especially noroviruses (NoV) and hepatitis A (HAV) in fresh produce, mulluscan shell fish and ready-to-eat food;* prevention of aflatoxin (toxic substances produced by moulds and known to cause cancer in animals) contamination of Brazil nuts; and* setting maximum levels and defining sampling plans for Fumonisins, (toxic substances produced by fungi) in maize and maize products.Approximately 500 people, representing 125 countries, participated in the Commission meetings. Karen Hulebak of the United States of America was re-elected Chairperson; Knud Østergaard of Denmark, Sanjay Dave of India and Ben Manyindo of Nigeria were re-elected Vice-Chairpersons.The Codex Alimentarius Commission, jointly established in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and WHO, develops international food standards that protect the health of consumers and ensure fair trade practices in the food trade. The Commission has 181 Member States and one member organization, the European Community.
Related stories06 July 2009- World Health Organization06 July 2009- FAO Hotels must "embrace" HACCP standards10 Jun 2009Hotelier News [edited] [FSNet]Swiss hospitality group Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts has been awarded the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certificate for seven of its Middle East hotels.Mövenpick hotels in Dubai, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon achieved HACCP certification — an internationally-recognized standard in food safety and hygiene — with other properties around the region to follow later this year, according to the group’s vice president culinary for the Middle East and Asia. Sources and Terms of Use