Tag Archives: efsa

EFSA – World Health Day – How Safe is Your Food?

Posted on April 2, 2015 by | Leave a comment

EFSA efsa

Food safety is the topical theme of this year’s World Health Day on 7 April. The day marks the founding of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1948.

By choosing food safety as its main theme, the WHO raises awareness of a public health issue of global relevance and invites food producers, policy-makers and the public to promote food safety.

Food safety is at the heart of the work of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Its mission is to protect the 500 million European consumers and ensure that their food is safe.

The Authority provides impartial scientific advice on potential risks to food safety along the entire food chain. This includes: plant protection; animal health and welfare; the impact of the food chain on the environment; transportation and storage of food; food production and innovation; and health claims. EFSA’s scientific advice is used by European decision makers, national authorities, academia, consumer organisations and the public at large.

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Europe – EFSA – Foods of Non-Animal Origin: What are the Risks?

Posted on March 20, 2015 by | Leave a comment

EFSA – Full Report at this link efsa

Foods of non-animal origin – such as fruit, vegetables, cereals, and spices – are an important part of our daily diet. Usually these types of food are associated with healthy eating and do not pose any health concerns. However, sometimes their consumption causes mild to severe illnesses.

Over the past 4 years, EFSA has looked closely at the risks posed by foods of non-animal origin. EFSA’s Panel on Biological Hazard, with the support of the working group on foods of non-animal origin, assessed the public health risks posed by pathogens (disease-causing bacteria, viruses and parasites) that may contaminate these foods. The Chair of the Working Group, Jim McLauchlin, guides us through the main findings of this significant piece of work.

What are the risks posed by these foods?

A wide range of hazards are associated with different foods. In our work, we have identified and ranked combinations of foods and pathogens.

The top-ranking combinations of foods and pathogens are Salmonella and leafy greens eaten raw, followed by Salmonella and bulb and stem vegetables; Salmonella and tomatoes; Salmonella and melons; and pathogenic E. coli and fresh pods, legumes or grains.

Other pathogens that can be transmitted are norovirus, Shigella, Bacillus, and Yersinia as well as the hepatitis A virus.

Which foods pose the highest risks?

Amongst raw and minimally processed foods of non-animal origin, those that pose the highest risks in the EU are leafy greens, bulb and stem vegetables, tomatoes, melons, fresh pods, legumes or grains, sprouted seeds and berries.

These foods can be consumed in a variety of ways – from raw to highly processed and are generally free from noxious substances, such as poisonous chemicals, toxins and pathogenic organisms. Occasionally though, their consumption causes serious illnesses, which can be fatal. For example the 2011 sprouted seed-associated outbreak of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli in Germany caused 53 deaths and more than 2,300 hospitalisations.

 

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Europe – EFSA Comment on Ebola Risk in Food

Posted on March 20, 2015 by | Leave a comment

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There is no evidence that the Ebola virus can be transmitted through food in the European Union, according to EFSA scientists.

The report published today assesses the risk of Ebola transmission from the consumption of raw foods – such as plants, fruits and vegetables – legally imported into the EU from African countries.

To date there have been no reported human cases of Ebola infection from the consumption of these foods.

For the virus to be transmitted though food, several steps are necessary; none of these has ever been reported. The exported food should be contaminated at the point of origin; the food would need to contain a viable virus (“capable of surviving”) when it arrives into the EU; the person has to be infected following foodborne exposure.

In their risk assessment, EFSA experts identify several knowledge and data gaps – for example for how long the virus could survive in food.

This report has been developed by EFSA scientists and external experts, including two from the World Health Organization.

In a previous report EFSA scientists assessed the risk of transmission of Ebola through bushmeat illegally imported into Europe from Western and Central Africa, concluding that this was low.

Notes to editors:

  • Outbreaks of Zaire Ebola virus disease have been reported in nine countries so far – Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Senegal. All these countries can export fruits and vegetables into the EU, with the exception of potatoes.

For media enquiries please contact:
EFSA Media Relations Office
Tel. +39 0521 036 149
E-mail: Press@efsa.europa.eu

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Research – EFSA – Salmonella and Campylobacter show significant levels of resistance to common antimicrobials in humans and animals

Posted on February 27, 2015 by | Leave a comment

EFSA

Treatment options for some of the most common food-borne infections are decreasing, as types of bacteria (called ‘isolates’) continue to show resistance to antimicrobial drugs. For example, multi-drug resistant isolates of Salmonella continue to spread across Europe. Also, high resistance to the antimicrobial ciprofloxacin in Campylobacter isolates in both humans and animals has been reported in some Member States. Encouragingly, co-resistance to critically important antimicrobials for both bacteria remains low. These are some the findings of the latest EFSA-ECDC European Union Summary Report on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in zoonotic and indicator bacteria from humans, animals and food, which analyses data from 2013.

For the first time, EFSA and ECDC have used similar criteria to interpret data. “Findings in antimicrobial resistance in humans, animals and foods are now more comparable. This is a step forward in the fight against antimicrobial resistance”, said Marta Hugas, Acting Head of EFSA’s Risk Assessment and Scientific Assistance Department.

“The high levels of resistance to fluoroquinolones observed in Campylobacter isolates from both humans and broilers are of concern considering that a large proportion of human Campylobacter infections come from handling, preparation and consumption of broiler meat. Such high resistance levels reduce the effective treatment options for severe human Campylobacter infections”, said Mike Catchpole, Chief Scientist at ECDC.

 

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Research – EFSA – Raw Milk Risks

Posted on January 14, 2015 by | Leave a comment

EFSA efsa

Raw milk can carry harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness. Implementing current good hygiene practices at farms is essential to reduce raw milk contamination, while maintaining the cold chain is also important to prevent or slow the growth of bacteria in raw milk. However, these practices alone do not eliminate these risks. Boiling raw milk before consumption is the best way to kill many of the bacteria that can make people sick.

Consumer interest in drinking raw milk has been growing in the European Union (EU) as many people believe it has health benefits. Under EU hygiene rules, Member States can prohibit or restrict the placing on the market of raw milk intended for human consumption. Sale of raw drinking milk through vending machines is permitted in some Member States, but consumers are usually instructed to boil the milk before consumption.

In their scientific opinion on public health risks associated with raw milk in the EU, experts from EFSA’s Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) conclude that raw milk can be a source of harmful bacteria – mainly Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC).

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Research – Hepatitis A Outbreak May 2013 – Pathogen Survival on Stainless Steel

Posted on September 9, 2014 by | Leave a comment

EFSA – Tracing of food items in connection to the multinational hepatitis A virus outbreak in Europe in May 2103

Science Direct – Effect of quantity of food residues on resistance to desiccation of food-related pathogens adhered to a stainless steel surface

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Europe EFSA – Updates Salmonella in Eggs

Posted on September 8, 2014 by | Leave a comment

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Sporadic or outbreak cases of Salmonella Enteritidis reported by Austria, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, in addition to one case reported in Luxembourg in a patient residing in France, appear to be linked by time of symptom onset and microbiological characteristics of isolates. Cases in Austria, France and Germany share an epidemiological link to the same egg packaging centre in southern Germany. Isolates from contaminated eggs identified in France originating from the implicated German egg packaging centre share similar molecular characteristics to the human cases. Isolates from a sample of a Salmonella-contaminated strawberry cake, identified in Germany through an investigation unrelated to this outbreak, also share similar molecular characteristics to the human cases. Additional microbiological and environmental investigations could further strengthen evidence to support or discard the hypothesis of all cases being part of the same outbreak, and being infected after consumption of the same food (i.e. contaminated eggs produced in southern Germany). This is particularly unclear with regard to the outbreak cases in the United Kingdom. Investigations and actions taken by the food sector have supposedly stopped the distribution of the suspected contaminated food to the market. However, due to the delay in case reporting, it is still possible that more cases will be notified. ECDC will continue to closely monitor the occurrence of human cases through EPIS-FWD and Member States could consider enhancing their surveillance activities for this Salmonella serovar and specifically for the phage type 14b. It is noticeable that Salmonella Enteritidis-contaminated eggs have been able to reach the market, in spite of the strict regulations applying to table eggs for human consumption, and the success in reducing human and animal infections in recent years within the EU. EPIS-FWD and RASFF have been confirmed to be excellent tools for sharing information, identifying potential cross-border threats and linking independent investigations simultaneously occurring in different Member States.

EFSA

The 38 human cases of monophasic Salmonella Typhimurium detected recently in six Member States are likely to be part of the same cluster, a joint EFSA/ECDC report has found. Based on limited available information from food investigations, meat is the suspected vehicle of infection.

A previous rapid outbreak assessment published by EFSA and ECDC at the end of August found that outbreaks and sporadic cases of Salmonella Enteritidis in Austria, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as one case reported in Luxembourg, appear to be connected. The cases in Austria, France and Germany share an epidemiological link to the same egg packaging centre in southern Germany, the report found.

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Europe EFSA – EFSA Evaluates Molecular Typing Methods for Food-Borne Pathogens

Posted on December 18, 2013 by | Leave a comment

EFSAimagesCAUH2MPP

Molecular typing methods are  laboratory techniques, such as whole genome sequencing, that enable the  classification and comparison of strains of disease-causing bacteria. EFSA’s  Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) has reviewed the methods for typing the  food-borne pathogens Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Listeria and Campylobacter, and has evaluated the effectiveness of these methods for:

  • Detecting and  identifying food-borne outbreaks;
  • Estimating the  contribution of various sources to food-borne illnesses;
  • Predicting which  strains of food-borne pathogens may potentially cause epidemics.

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Posted in Bacteria, EFSA, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Testing, Microbiology, Pathogen, Rapid Micro Methods, Research

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EFSA – Helps to Investigate Hepatitis A Outbreaks

Posted on November 14, 2013 by | Leave a comment

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EFSA is working closely with the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Consumers, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and Member States to help identify the origin of the recent outbreaks of Hepatitis A virus infection in humans. The outbreaks occurred in Italy, Ireland, and the Netherlands. In particular, EFSA will analyse information on the outbreaks provided by Member States. Hepatitis A is an infectious disease that can be transmitted through consumption of contaminated food or water or direct contact with an infectious person.

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Posted in EFSA, Food Hygiene, Food Illness, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Poisoning, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Hepatitis A, Microbiology, outbreak, Pathogen, Virus

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RASFF Alerts – Hepatitis A – Frozen Berries

Posted on May 31, 2013 by | Leave a comment

RASFF – Hepatitis A virus in frozen berries mix from Italy, with raw material from Canada, Serbia, Bulgaria and Poland, via Switzerland in Italy

RASFF – Hepatitis A virus (presence) in frozen berries mix from Italy, with raw material from Romania, Poland and Bulgaria

EFSA – Hepatitis A

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Posted in ECDC, EFSA, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Testing, Food Virus, Hepatitis A, Hygiene, Microbiology, Pathogen, RASFF, Recall, Virus

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