Last News

  • Listeria Outbreak: 26 Infected Across 11 States in the US, with 2 Fatalities

    Categories: NewsPublished On: February 13th, 2024

    As of February 6, 2024, a total of 26 individuals have been reported infected with Listeria outbreak across 11 states in America: Arizona 4, California 8, Colorado 4, Florida 1, Georgia 1, Nevada 1, North Carolina 1, Oregon 1, Tennessee 2, Texas 2, Washington 1. Two fatalities have been reported, one from California and one from Texas.

  • The establishment of a new platform for the collection of data on the sales and usage of antimicrobials in animals is crucial in combating antimicrobial resistance.

    Categories: NewsPublished On: February 12th, 2024

    Monitoring the sales and usage of antimicrobials in animals has always been of critical importance in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. The European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC) project, conducted between 2009 and 2023 as a voluntary initiative by the European Medicines Agency and European countries, aimed to monitor veterinary antimicrobial sales across Europe. The Antimicrobial Sales and Usage Platform requires all Member States to present data on the sales of veterinary antimicrobials and the usage of antimicrobials in animals in a standardized format, improving the collection of data and its integration into a robust system.

  • EFSA has published guidelines for the reporting of zoonotic diseases, foodborne outbreaks, and antimicrobial resistance concerning the data from 2023.

    Categories: NewsPublished On: February 12th, 2024

    EFSA is providing guidance to reporting countries on how to present isolate-based quantitative antimicrobial resistance data. It has compiled data on the prevalence of zoonoses, microbiological agents, and contaminants in food, as well as information on foodborne outbreaks, animal populations, and disease status. Additionally, EFSA has developed the Data Collection Framework (DCF) application for collecting this data.

  • EFSA has initiated a new research project on Novel Proteins.

    Categories: NewsPublished On: February 11th, 2024

    EFSA routinely assesses the safety of new proteins in the areas of GMOs and novel foods. To address potential gaps and support future risk assessments, EFSA recently announced the launch of a project to map protein-rich food and feed product types and related processing technologies. The aim is to assess whether processing affects the proteins present in the raw material and how it does so.

  • The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have reached an agreement aimed at increasing transparency in the honey sector and helping reduce adulteration.

    Categories: NewsPublished On: February 11th, 2024

    The agreement includes plans to improve traceability systems, particularly for honey but also for breakfast products. It was also agreed to establish an EU expert platform to collect data for enhancing controls in the honey sector, detecting adulteration in honey, and providing recommendations for an EU traceability system that allows tracing honey back to the producer or importer.

    Additionally, the Commission will prepare a report evaluating the mandatory labeling of the origin country of the fruits used in fruit juices, jams, and marmalades.

  • EFSA has released OpenFoodTox 2.0 to update and further enhance chemical hazard assessment.

    Categories: NewsPublished On: February 11th, 2024

    OpenFoodTox is developed to map hazard data published in EFSA documents on food and feed risk assessment. The current document provides a summary of activities carried out during the framework contract OC/EFSA/SCER/2018/01 for the maintenance, update, and further development of the OpenFoodTox database (“OpenFodTox 2.0”).

  • US Senator Passes Law Banning Lab-Grown Meat from National School Lunch Program Menu

    Categories: NewsPublished On: February 11th, 2024

    A US senator has passed a law banning lab-grown meat products from being included in the menu of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)

  • Amount of Nanoplastics in Bottled Waters Found to be 100 Times Higher

    Categories: NewsPublished On: January 26th, 2024

    According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, popular bottled water brands contain an average of 240,000 detectable plastic particles per liter. The presence of nanoplastics is highlighted as a significant health concern, and this new discovery indicates that plastic pollution in drinking water may be 10-100 times higher than previous estimates.

  • Metsä Board Wins 2024 WorldStar Award with Ultra-Light Pizza Box Developed in Collaboration with Adara Pakkaus

    Categories: NewsPublished On: January 26th, 2024

    Metsä Board has secured the first place at the 2024 WorldStar Awards with its concept of an ultra-light pizza box developed in collaboration with Adara Pakkaus and other industry experts. This solution offers a lower environmental footprint by using fewer materials compared to traditional alternatives. Metsä Board’s pizza box concept had previously won the ScanStar Award in a prior competition.

  • Innovation in Solar-Powered Sterilization of Dairy Products: Collaboration between Tetra Pak and Absolicon

    Categories: NewsPublished On: January 26th, 2024

    Tetra Pak is collaborating with Absolicon to harness solar energy for high-temperature sterilization in the production of dairy products. This environmentally friendly initiative aims to benefit the dairy industry by incorporating the use of renewable thermal energy. The installation of the first module is scheduled for this year, and Tetra Pak expects that this sustainable transition will contribute to achieving its net-zero Scope 3 emissions target by 2050.