Category Archives: EFSA

Research -EFSA – Persistence of microbiological hazards in food and feed production and processing environments

Posted on January 31, 2024 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

Listeria monocytogenes (in the meat, fish and seafood, dairy and fruit and vegetable sectors), Salmonella enterica (in the feed, meat, egg and low moisture food sectors) and Cronobacter sakazakii (in the low moisture food sector) were identified as the bacterial food safety hazards most relevant to public health that are associated with persistence in the food and feed processing environment (FFPE). There is a wide range of subtypes of these hazards involved in persistence in the FFPE. While some specific subtypes are more commonly reported as persistent, it is currently not possible to identify universal markers (i.e. genetic determinants) for this trait. Common risk factors for persistence in the FFPE are inadequate zoning and hygiene barriers; lack of hygienic design of equipment and machines; and inadequate cleaning and disinfection. A well‐designed environmental sampling and testing programme is the most effective strategy to identify contamination sources and detect potentially persistent hazards. The establishment of hygienic barriers and measures within the food safety management system, during implementation of hazard analysis and critical control points, is key to prevent and/or control bacterial persistence in the FFPE. Once persistence is suspected in a plant, a ‘seek‐and‐destroy’ approach is frequently recommended, including intensified monitoring, the introduction of control measures and the continuation of the intensified monitoring. Successful actions triggered by persistence of L. monocytogenes are described, as well as interventions with direct bactericidal activity. These interventions could be efficient if properly validated, correctly applied and verified under industrial conditions. Perspectives are provided for performing a risk assessment for relevant combinations of hazard and food sector to assess the relative public health risk that can be associated with persistence, based on bottom‐up and top‐down approaches. Knowledge gaps related to bacterial food safety hazards associated with persistence in the FFPE and priorities for future research are provided.

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Posted in Cronobacter sakazakii, EFSA, Food Microbiology Research, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, Research, Salmonella

EU – Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis in chicken meat and chicken meat products

Posted on October 30, 2023 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

Between January and October 2023, 14 EU/EEA countries, the UK and the US reported 335 cases related to this outbreak.

Chicken meat and chicken meat products (kebab) are the likely source of a multi-country outbreak caused by three types of Salmonella Enteritidis, according to EFSA and ECDC’s latest Rapid Outbreak Assessment.

Bacteria similar to those causing the outbreak have been detected in samples of chicken meat and chicken kebab. While food traceability data points to producers located in Poland (7 producers) and Austria (1 producer), no microbiological evidence of a contamination at their facilities has been found.

Scientists expect that new cases are likely to occur in this multi-country outbreak as the source has not yet been identified. EFSA and ECDC experts recommend further investigations to identify the potential locations within the chicken meat production chain where the contamination may have occurred.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, ECDC, EFSA, food bourne outbreak, Food Illness, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Foodborne Illness, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, Illness, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak, Polish Chicken Salmonella, Salmonella, Salmonella in Chicken, Salmonella Poland

Research – Aged meat not riskier than fresh meat

Posted on March 21, 2023 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

Aged meat does not pose any additional risks compared to fresh meat if it is aged under controlled conditions, EFSA experts concluded in a scientific opinion released today.

Meat ageing is a process during which microbes and enzymes act upon the meat to break down the connective tissue, thereby tenderising the meat and giving it a richer flavour. This can be done through two main methods: wet ageing and dry ageing. Wet ageing is used for beef, pork and lamb that is stored and refrigerated in a vacuum package, while dry aged beef is refrigerated without packaging which results in a dry surface that is cut off before preparation.

“Aged meat has risen in popularity in recent years among the food industry and restaurants yet until now there has been a lack of knowledge about its safety. EFSA’s advice contributes to fill that gap and provides a solid scientific basis for food business operators to produce aged meat that is safe,” said the Chair of EFSA’s Panel on Biological Hazards, Prof Kostas Koutsoumanis.

There are no additional risks involved provided that the specific combination of time and temperature identified in the scientific opinion are observed during the ageing process, said EFSA’s experts. For example, dry aged beef can be considered as safe as fresh beef if ageing is done for up to 35 days at a temperature of 3°C or lower.

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Posted in EFSA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

Research – EFSA – Crunch time for insects?

Posted on March 21, 2023 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

What’s your idea of a tasty snack? Fruit, biscuits, bread and jam perhaps? What would you say if you were offered something more adventurous – fried crickets or grasshoppers? Popular in some countries such as Thailand and Mexico, they are often eaten with chili and lime. In Europe, reactions are mixed! Our expert Ermolaos Ververis explains how EFSA’s novel foods team assesses whether foods such as insects are safe, and he makes us rethink what we know as staple foods in Europe. Come join us for this episode of Science on the Menu, where we even put these questions to the test.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

Research – EFSA – FOODSAFETY4EU: paving the way for the food safety system of the future

Posted on December 17, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

Abstract

Food safety is a top priority for the European Commission, which policies aim at sustaining a high level of protection of human health and consumers’ interests, while ensuring an effective functioning of the internal EU market. Under the New Transparency Regulation (EU/2019/138), the 3-year EU-fundedFOODSAFETY4EUproject (FS4EU) kicked off in January 2021, represents a significant step for the European Union (EU) food safety system (FSS), towards more transparency, better engagement, and closer cooperation.

This Horizon 2020 Project, coordinated by CNR-ISPA (Italy), focuses on building a multi-stakeholder platform for the future EU FSS. The FOODSAFETY4EU Network currently consists of 23 consortium partners and around 50 stakeholders: Food Safety Authorities (FSA), consumer associations, academia, research centres and networks, food industries and sector associations, thinktanks, etc. Through a structured, digitally supported, participatory process, the platform hosts the co-design of future strategic research and innovation agenda (SRIA), as well as risk communication models tailored to the specificities of various target groups. Among the goals: providing scientific advice and technical support for EU food safety policies, by enabling actors to access, share and exchange scientific knowledge, resources, and data more efficiently, to better synchronise food safety research and policies, and to contribute to a more transparent communication through the FSS.

Overall, the FS4EU project underpins the EFSA missions in risk assessment, including risk communication, with the ambition to be a basis for a Knowledge Centre for Food Safety in Europe. Accordingly, the EU-FORA 2021–2022 fellow (based in CNR-ISPA under the Work Programme RECIPE: Risk AssEssment/Risk CommunIcation: understanding the context and addressing Priorities of the futurE–a learning-by-doing approach) committed to multiple Work Packages, actively participated to various activities, thus successfully contributing to the FS4EU project meeting its objectives by the end of 2023

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Research

EFSA- Campylobacter Story Map

Posted on December 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

The most clinically relevant  species  are Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) and C. coli, which are responsible for almost 95% of Campylobacter-associated diarrheal diseases. Other emerging species have been recently identified as human or animal pathogens. The involvement of some of these species in human disease is still unclear.

Campylobacter are a group of small, curved, gram-negative, non-spore-forming, motile bacteria with a single polar flagellum or bipolar flagella.

Thermotolerant Campylobacter species (e.g. C. jejuni, C. coli) are able to grow at temperatures between 37° and 42˚C but not below 30˚C, while strains of non-thermotolerant Campylobacter species (e.g. C. fetus subsp. venerealis, C. fetus subsp. fetus) may not grow at 42˚C. Generally, they are highly sensitive to oxygen, desiccation, osmotic stress, and low  pH , and they cannot grow in foods during handling or storage at room temperature in moderate climates. Freezing reduces the number of viable Campylobacter, but it must nevertheless be stressed that the bacteria can survive extended periods of refrigeration and freezing.

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Posted in Campylobacter, Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

EFSA – Campylobacter Dashboard

Posted on December 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

The EFSA dashboard on Campylobacter is a graphical user interface for searching and querying the large amount of data collected each year by EFSA from EU Member States and other reporting countries based on Zoonoses Directive 2003/99/EC. The Campylobacter dashboard shows summary statistics for the monitoring results of the pathogen with regard to major food categories, Campylobacter-positive official samples exceeding the Process Hygiene Criterion limit of 1,000 CFU/g for chilled broiler carcases and the occurrence of Campylobacter in major food categories. The Campylobacter data and related statistics can be displayed interactively using charts, graphs and maps in the online EFSA dashboard. The main statistics can also be viewed and downloaded in tabular format. Detailed information on the use and features of the Campylobacter dashboard can be found in the present user guide that can also be downloaded from the online tool.

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Posted in Campylobacter, campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk

EFSA – Listeria monocytogenes Dashboard

Posted on December 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

The EFSA dashboard on Listeria monocytogenes is a graphical user interface for searching and querying the large amount of data collected each year by EFSA from EU Member States and other reporting countries based on Zoonoses Directive 2003/99/EC. The Listeria monocytogenes dashboard shows summary statistics for the monitoring results of the pathogen with regard to major ready-to-eat food categories, Listeria monocytogenes-positive official samples in the context of food safety criteria in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 and official samples exceeding the food safety criteria limit of 100 CFU/g for specified food matrices. Other monitoring statistics for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods are also displayed. The Listeria monocytogenes data and related statistics can be displayed interactively using charts, graphs and maps in the online EFSA dashboard. The main statistics can also be viewed and downloaded in tabular format. Detailed information on the use and features of the Listeria monocytogenes dashboard can be found in the present user guide that can also be downloaded from the online tool.

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Listeria, Listeria monocytogenes, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Pathogen

EFSA – Foodborne Outbreaks – Dashboard

Posted on December 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

The EFSA dashboard on foodborne outbreaks is a graphical user interface that allows for searching and querying the large amount of data on foodborne outbreaks collected by EFSA from the European Union Member States and other reporting countries based on the Zoonoses Directive 2003/99/EC. In the online EFSA dashboard, the foodborne outbreak data (since 2015) and related statistics can be displayed interactively using charts, graphs, and maps. The main statistics can also be visualised (and downloaded) in a tabular format. The present user guide describes the content and functionalities of the dashboard on foodborne outbreaks and provides detailed indications to make full use of this visualisation tool.

Updates on versioning

Version 1 includes the user guide of the foodborne outbreaks dashboard

Version 2 includes user guides both on foodborne outbreaks as well as on zoonotic agents.

Consequently the title of the records has been updated to match the content.

 

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Posted in Decontamination Microbial, EFSA, food bourne outbreak, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, foodborne outbreak, foodbourne outbreak, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, outbreak

EFSA – Salmonella Dashboard

Posted on December 13, 2022 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

The EFSA dashboard on Salmonella is a graphical user interface for searching and querying the large amount of data collected each year by EFSA from EU Member States and other reporting countries based on Zoonoses Directive 2003/99/EC. The Salmonella dashboard shows summary statistics for the monitoring results of the pathogen with regard to major food categories and animal species, Salmonella-positive official samples in the context of food safety criteria and process hygiene criteria, the occurrence of Salmonella in major food categories and the achievement of Salmonella reduction targets in poultry populations. The Salmonella data and related statistics can be displayed interactively using charts, graphs and maps in the online EFSA dashboard. The main statistics can also be viewed and downloaded in tabular format. Detailed information on the use and features of the Salmonella dashboard can be found in the present user guide that can also be downloaded from the online tool.

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Posted in EFSA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Pathogen, Salmonella