Food Safety Policy Research Articles

Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals Bioaccumulation In Fish and Mussels from Jakarta Bay

Aquatic environment of Jakarta Bay have already been highlighted due to its heavy metals contamination which may lead into food safety concern of fisheries products derived from this region. This research aimed to investigate bioaccumulation level of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, and As) in fish and mussels from Jakarta Bay, as a human risk assessment of seafood consumption. Samples of mussels and fish were taken from Penjaringan, Tarumanegara, Cilincing, and Tanjung Pasir district. Bioaccumulation of heavy metals was analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma -Mass Spectrometry technique. Results of the study revealed that metals bioaccumulation in fisheries products were varied, with As (Arsenic) as the highest metal contaminant (0.68 mg/kg, dry weight). Furthermore, estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), total target hazard quotient (TTHQ), and safety limits prescribed by various agencies, showed that consumption of fisheries products from Jakarta Bay considered as relatively safe for human health in total of food ingestion rate of fish 57.34 g/day. These results are expected to serve as a baseline to construct preventive and palliative policies for food safety of fisheries products from Jakarta Bay.

Web information for food operators: is it enough to comply with the food safety and public heath policy?

The work was supported by the strategic research project UID/CVT/00772/2013 of the Foundation for Science and Technology(FCT).

FOOD SAFETY POLICY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF AUSTRIAN SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

The aim of the article is the economic evaluation of the effects of food safety policy in the light of the Austrian school of economics theories. Food safety policy imposes stringent requirements for food production and consumption, what deprives the food of natural character. This kind of policy ignores the diversified consumers needs. Sanitary, veterinary and technical requirements limit the possibilities of the food production by fragmented farms. The function of food producers takes concentrated food industry. The transfer of added value from agriculture to industry and commerce occurs.

Food safety recall effects across meat products and regions

Food safety is one of the key issues for the international meat market. As a major meat exporter, few things facing the U.S. meat industry in recent years have garnered more attention than food safety events and policies. The impacts of Food Safety Inspection Services (FSIS) recalls on United States consumer meat demand are estimated using monthly grocery-scanner data identifying effects across products, geographic regions, and recall type. Results suggest beef E. coli recalls significantly reduce the demand for recalled ground beef contemporaneously among most, but not all, regions in the United States. Evidence of heterogeneity in demand impacts across regions and products is provided for the first time. Domestic and international implications for policy makers, industry leaders, and researchers are discussed.

The food safety culture in a large South African food service complex

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess elements of food safety management and food safety culture within a prominent South African entertainment, hotel and food service complex.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper a qualitative case study approach was used. Following a comprehensive literature review, based on factors known to be important in developing a food safety culture, in combination with national and international food safety standards, an interview guide was constructed and utilised in a series of semi-structured interviews. The interviewees represented different management levels involved in food delivery but did not include board level managers.FindingsMany of the factors considered important in good food safety management, including the presence of a formal food safety policy and the creation and maintenance of a positive food safety culture, were absent. Although a formal system of internal hygiene auditing existed and food safety training was provided to food handlers they were not integrated into a comprehensive approach to food safety management. Food safety leadership, communication and support were considered deficient with little motivation for staff to practise good hygiene.Originality/valueFood safety culture is increasingly recognised as a contributory factor in foodborne disease outbreaks and is the focus of increasing research. However, although every food business has a unique food safety culture there are relatively few published papers concerning its analysis, application and use within specific businesses. This case study has identified food safety culture shortcomings within a large food service facility suggesting there was a potentially significant food safety risk and indicates ways in which food safety could be improved and the risk reduced. The results also suggest further work is needed in the subject of food safety culture and its potential for reducing foodborne disease.

Policies for Reintegrating Crop and Livestock Systems: A Comparative Analysis

The reintegration of crop and livestock systems within the same land area has the potential to improve soil quality and reduce water and air pollution, while maintaining high yields and reducing risk. In this study, we characterize the degree to which federal policies in three major global food production regions that span a range of socioeconomic contexts, Brazil, New Zealand, and the United States, incentivize or disincentivize the use of integrated crop and livestock practices (ICLS). Our analysis indicates that Brazil and New Zealand have the most favorable policy environment for ICLS, while the United States provides the least favorable environment. The balance of policy incentives and disincentives across our three cases studies mirrors current patterns of ICLS usage. Brazil and New Zealand have both undergone a trend toward mixed crop livestock systems in recent years, while the United States has transitioned rapidly toward continuous crop and livestock production. If transitions to ICLS are desired, particularly in the United States, it will be necessary to change agricultural, trade, environmental, biofuels, and food safety policies that currently buffer farmers from risk, provide too few incentives for pollution reduction, and restrict the presence of animals in crop areas. It will also be necessary to invest more in research and development in all countries to identify the most profitable ICLS technologies in each region.

Lessons From a 2016 Large-Scale Contamination of Cereals With Salmonella altona in Israel.

The authors reflect on the large-scale Salmonella altona contamination of cereals in Israel in 2016 and its impact on national food safety policy and laws. It states after a delayed announcement by the the multinational consumer goods manufacturer, a public health warning was issued by the Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians of the Israel Medical Association concerning potentially contaminated food products. It comments on the communication of risk, self-regulation, and public trust.

Food safety and quality policy in the Republic of Serbia

Food safety and quality have a decisive impact on the placement of agro-food products on the domestic and world market. In the sector of agriculture and food industry in Serbia a range of public and private standards, mandatory and voluntary is applied, covering the different stages of the supply chain and different levels of communication (with business partners or consumers). However, still a small number of primary agricultural producers are certifed to Global G.A.P., organic production and products with a geographical indication. A better situation is in food processing industry and export. Many of food processors, especially suppliers of global retail chains are, in addition to HACCP, certified to ISO (9001, 22000) and exporters to BRC and IFS standards. The loss of the market due to failure to respect the safety standards and product quality is a real danger, which mustbe averted by an active state support policy.

Comparative analysis of hospital food safety and hygiene policies in England, UK and Saudi Arabia state hospitals

Comparative analysis of hospital food safety and hygiene policies in England, UK and Saudi Arabia state hospitals

今後の国際化に対応した食品安全行政

今後の国際化に対応した食品安全行政

Evidence for the benefits of food chain interventions on E. coli O157:H7/NM prevalence in retail ground beef and human disease incidence: A success story.

Human infection with Escherichia coli O157:H7/NM has historically been associated with consumption of undercooked ground beef. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the correlation of the decline in E. coli O157:H7/NM infections in Canada with the introduction of control efforts in ground beef by industry. The human incidence of E. coli O157:H7/NM, prevalence in ground beef and interventions from 1996 to 2014 were analyzed. Pathogen prevalence data were obtained from federal government and industry surveillance and inspection/compliance programs. A survey of the largest ground beef producers in Canada was conducted to identify when interventions were implemented. The incidence of E. coli O157:H7/NM infections in Canada declined from ≈4 cases/100 000 to ≈1 case/100000 from 2000 to 2010. Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) prevalence in ground beef sold at retail declined from about 30% around the year 2000 to <2% since 2012. Other measures of the prevalence of E. coli, VTEC, and E. coli O157:H7/NM in beef and ground beef also declined. The number and types of interventions implemented in the major beef processing establishments in Canada increased from 1996 to 2016. The observed decline in human illnesses and pathogen levels in relation to retail meats was associated with the introduction of control efforts by industry, federal and provincial/territorial governments, and the general population. Industry-led changes in beef processing along with the introduction of food safety policies, regulations, and public education have led to improved food safety in Canada.

Australian Food Safety Policy Changes from a "Command and Control" to an "Outcomes-Based" Approach: Reflection on the Effectiveness of Its Implementation.

Foodborne illness is a global public health burden. Over the past decade in Australia, despite advances in microbiological detection and control methods, there has been an increase in the incidence of foodborne illness. Therefore improvements in the regulation and implementation of food safety policy are crucial for protecting public health. In 2000, Australia established a national food safety regulatory system, which included the adoption of a mandatory set of food safety standards. These were in line with international standards and moved away from a “command and control” regulatory approach to an “outcomes-based” approach using risk assessment. The aim was to achieve national consistency and reduce foodborne illness without unnecessarily burdening businesses. Evidence demonstrates that a risk based approach provides better protection for consumers; however, sixteen years after the adoption of the new approach, the rates of food borne illness are still increasing. Currently, food businesses are responsible for producing safe food and regulatory bodies are responsible for ensuring legislative controls are met. Therefore there is co-regulatory responsibility and liability and implementation strategies need to reflect this. This analysis explores the challenges facing food regulation in Australia and explores the rationale and evidence in support of this new regulatory approach.

Stakeholder perspectives on the use of pig meat inspection as a health and welfare diagnostic tool in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland; a SWOT analysis.

BackgroundA SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis is a strategic management tool applied to policy planning and decision-making. This short report presents the results of a SWOT analysis, carried out with n = 16 stakeholders i) involved in the pig industry in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and ii) in general animal welfare and food safety policy areas. As part of a larger study called PIGWELFIND, the analysis sought to explore the potential development of pig meat inspection as an animal welfare and diagnostic tool.FindingsThe final SWOT framework comprised two strengths, three opportunities, six weaknesses, and five threats. Issues around relationships and communication between producers and their veterinary practitioner, processors and producers were common to both the strengths and weakness clusters. Practical challenges within the processing plant were also named. Overall, the SWOT framework complements results reported in Devitt et al. (Ir Vet J 69:2, 2016) regarding problematic issues within the current system of information feedback on meat inspection especially within the Republic of Ireland, and the wider challenges of communication and problems of distrust.ConclusionThe results of the SWOT analysis support the conclusions from Devitt et al. (Ir Vet J 69:2, 2016), that trust between all stakeholders across the supply chain will be essential for the development of an effective environment in which to realise the full diagnostic potential of MI data. Further stakeholder engagement could seek to apply the findings of the SWOT analysis to a policy Delphi methodology, as used elsewhere.

National Outbreak of Multidrug Resistant Salmonella Heidelberg Infections Linked to a Single Poultry Company.

ImportanceThis large outbreak of foodborne salmonellosis demonstrated the complexity of investigating outbreaks linked to poultry products. The outbreak also highlighted the importance of efforts to strengthen food safety policies related to Salmonella in chicken parts and has implications for future changes within the poultry industry.ObjectiveTo investigate a large multistate outbreak of multidrug resistant Salmonella Heidelberg infections.DesignEpidemiologic and laboratory investigations of patients infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella Heidelberg and traceback of possible food exposures.SettingUnited States. Outbreak period was March 1, 2013 through July 11, 2014PatientsA case was defined as illness in a person infected with a laboratory-confirmed Salmonella Heidelberg with 1 of 7 outbreak pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) XbaI patterns with illness onset from March 1, 2013 through July 11, 2014. A total of 634 case-patients were identified through passive surveillance; 200/528 (38%) were hospitalized, none died.ResultsInterviews were conducted with 435 case-patients: 371 (85%) reported eating any chicken in the 7 days before becoming ill. Of 273 case-patients interviewed with a focused questionnaire, 201 (74%) reported eating chicken prepared at home. Among case-patients with available brand information, 152 (87%) of 175 patients reported consuming Company A brand chicken. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was completed on 69 clinical isolates collected from case-patients; 67% were drug resistant, including 24 isolates (35%) that were multidrug resistant. The source of Company A brand chicken consumed by case-patients was traced back to 3 California production establishments from which 6 of 7 outbreak strains were isolated.ConclusionsEpidemiologic, laboratory, traceback, and environmental investigations conducted by local, state, and federal public health and regulatory officials indicated that consumption of Company A chicken was the cause of this outbreak. The outbreak involved multiple PFGE patterns, a variety of chicken products, and 3 production establishments, suggesting a reservoir for contamination upstream from the production establishments. Sources of bacteria and genes responsible for resistance, such as farms providing birds for slaughter or environmental reservoir on farms that raise chickens, might explain how multiple PFGE patterns were linked to chicken from 3 separate production establishments and many different poultry products.

In Food We Trust: The Politics of Purity in American Food RegulationCourtney I. P.Thomas. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2014.

In Food We Trust: The Politics of Purity in American Food Regulation Courtney I. P. Thomas. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2014.In recent decades, outbreaks of foodborne illness- linked to a variety of consumables from ground meat to peanut butter and fresh produce-have made national headlines. Each year, twenty-five percent of Americans suffer from a foodborne illness, with hundreds requiring hospitalization while a small, yet significant, number of cases result in death. Despite such large-scale compromises in national food supply, Americans generally believe that food is and is well regulated by government. This very idea that the food we eat is and that government has ability and authority to make sure it is safe is, according to scholar Courtney I. P. Thomas, one of great myths in US culture (12). Thomas's In Food We Trust: The Politics of Purity in American Food Regulation examines this dis juncture between what Americans want to believe about their food and realities of national food regulatory system. For more than a hundred years, Thomas argues, government food regulation remained virtually unchanged, based on early-twentieth century understandings of purity and wholesomeness. Advances in scientific understanding of and foodborne illness were pushed aside by food production companies wielding considerable influence over how food safety policies were written and executed, putting their economic self-interest before consumer safety. The food regulatory regime thus failed because it was crippled by its century-old mandate.. .that makes transparency, answerability, compliance, enforcement, and sanctions virtually impossible (5). The solution for twenty-first century, Thomas argues, lies in a regulatory process driven by science that represents interests of (4).In Food We Trust uses a series of case studies to trace course of American food safety system from its formative years in progressive era through revolutionary changes proposed by 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Thomas's analysis is rooted in country's first national food safety legislation, passed in 1906: Pure Food and Drug Act and Federal Meat Inspection Act, which prohibited adulteration or misbranding of food. Though these laws instituted important regulations, they morphed into a regulatory environment that would remain unchanged for nearly a century. Such laws focused on adulteration, Thomas argues, cannot adequately address modern food safety concerns such as microbiological and chemical contamination (33). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have since been limited to either consumer education (such as instructs on proper temperatures for cooking meat) or civil liability (suing companies for damages after consumers are harmed by tainted food). Though food regulators have attempted to correct these shortcomings, results are often voluntary guidelines rather than binding standards, a result of legal limitations that do not allow for greater inspection or mandatory recalls (136). …

Toxoplasma gondii detection in cattle: A slaughterhouse survey

Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Ingestion of raw or undercooked meat containing viable cysts has been suggested to be a major source of T. gondii infection in humans. Suboptimal performance of serological assays in cattle has traditionally precluded accurate quantification of the extent to which cattle populations are infected and their meat harbour tissue cysts. In the absence of accurate estimates of the level of infection in the animal population, assessments of likely human exposure through the consumption of cattle meat remain highly speculative. Following the development of novel and sensitive molecular methods that can be applied to the relatively large numbers of samples required in observational studies, the first quantitative estimates of the frequency of T. gondii in meat samples from naturally infected cattle have become available recently. Such estimates are critical for the development of quantitative risk assessment models that could be used to inform food safety policies. The aim of this study was to generate the first estimates of the prevalence of T. gondii infection in a sample of cattle exposed to natural levels of infection and slaughtered for human consumption in the UK under commercial conditions. Such estimates provide great value to the global assessment of T. gondii burden given the scarcity of data available on the frequency of natural infection in cattle populations worldwide.Between October 2015 and January 2016 diaphragm samples were collected from 305 animals, slaughtered in ten commercial slaughterhouses across the UK. Movement histories showed that the animals sampled (41.6% females and 58.4% males) had passed through a total of 614 farms and 40 livestock markets across the country. Five animals (1.6%) were deemed positive for T. gondii following magnetic capture real-time PCR, confirmed by amplicon sequencing. The true prevalence of infection was estimated to be 1.79%. All positive animals were male, none of whom had been on the same farm and/or livestock market before slaughter and there was no apparent geographic pattern. The results from this study suggest a low level of infection in cattle raised and slaughtered in the UK and can be used to populate the first stages of formal risk assessments to quantify the likely extent of human exposure to T. gondii through the consumption of beef with relevance to the UK, EU and rest of the world.

Ontology of Food Safety for the Social Big Data Analysis

Objectives Anxiety of citizens on food safety is relatively high. Groundless anxiety on food could build mistaken dietary culture. Therefore, there needs to be risk communication based on verification for recognition of citizens on food safety. As existing questionnaire method or recognition survey via FGI have various limits, recognition survey through internet big data is certainly necessary. Object of this study is to develop food safety ontology which is surely necessary for big data analysis on food safety. Methods In this study, all keywords of accidents relevant to food safety were derived from 62 precedent studies in 5 sectors such as food safety policies, food hygiene, recognition on food safety, activities relevant to food safety, the media as well as food gadgets(Food Journal) from 2011 to 2014. Those keywords were categorized and classified according to 5 phases which were modified and supplemented from its original development methodology named ‘Ontology Development 101’ in order to develop ontology. Results Keywords related to food safety were classified into high classes including ‘Preventive factors’, ‘Generating factors’, ‘Consequence factors’, ‘Social relationship factors’ after classification for subjects with their common attributes. These high classes were categorized into middle class 1, middle class 2 and small class in order to develop final ontology. Conclusions As food safety is directly connected with health of citizens, both big data research on it and development of ontology which is a research tool necessary for big data analysis is essential. Therefore, this research was significant thanks to development of ontology for food safety necessary for further various big data analysis on food safety at the first time. Key words: Food safety, Ontology, Big data, Food risk communication, Ontology development 101

German and British Consumer Willingness to Pay for Beef Labeled with Food Safety Attributes

AbstractThe European Union has implemented some of the most stringent food safety policies for beef globally, ranging from banning growth hormones to mandating country of origin labeling. Using choice experiments and random parameter logit models, we examine German and British consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for American, Canadian, Argentinian, French, German and British beef, quality assurance seals, hormone‐free beef production and a gourmet label. We also determine how consumer WTP for these food safety and quality attributes is affected by the extent to which consumers consider food safety issues (FSI). Results indicate that British consumers had the lowest WTP for beef from Argentina and German consumers had the lowest WTP for beef from Great Britain. The hormone‐free label was the relatively most preferred label by consumers in both countries, and by those who considered FSI to affect their meat consumption patterns.

Estimating the health impacts of food safety interventions: Optimal counterfactual selections via information criteria in small samples

This paper provides a case study to show how researchers can apply an innovative counterfactual approach for food safety policy evaluations, particularly in small samples. As an extension to prior studies, I utilize comprehensive variable selection algorithms and generate the optimal combination of counterfactuals. To illustrate the method, I measured public health impacts of a historical food safety intervention. Significant health benefit was found associated with implementation of large-scale milk safety regulation in Chicago.

Protocol of the Belgian food consumption survey 2014: objectives, design and methods.

BackgroundDietary patterns are one of the major determinants as far as health and burden of disease is concerned. Food consumption data are essential to evaluate and develop nutrition and food safety policies. The last national food consumption survey in Belgium took place in 2004 among the Belgian population aged 15 years and older. Since dietary habits are prone to change over time a new Belgian National Food Consumption Survey (BNFCS2014) was conducted in 2014–2015.MethodsThe BNFCS2014 is a cross-sectional study. A representative sample (n = 3200) of the Belgian population aged 3 to 64 years old was randomly selected from the National Population Register following a multistage stratified sampling procedure. Data collection was divided equally over the four seasons and days of the week in order to incorporate seasonal effects and day-to-day variation in food intake. Information on food intake was collected in adults with two non-consecutive 24-h dietary recalls (using the GloboDiet® software). In children food intake was collected with two non-consecutive one-day food diaries followed by a completion interview with GloboDiet. Additional data on socio-demographic characteristics, eating habits, lifestyle, food safety (at household level), physical activity and sedentary behaviour were collected with a face-to-face questionnaire using a computer-assisted personal interviewing technique. In the time between the two visits, participants were asked to complete a self-administered food frequency questionnaire and health questionnaire. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured. In addition, children and adolescents were asked to wear an accelerometer and keep a logbook for seven consecutive days to objectively measure physical activity and sedentary behaviour.ConclusionThe main objective of the BNFCS2014 is to evaluate the habitual food, energy and nutrient intake in the Belgian population and to compare these with recommendations from the national dietary guidelines. A second objective is to monitor eating habits and food safety aspects of the food consumption in Belgium. The results of this dietary monitoring survey, together with the information on the level of physical activity, may underpin future nutrition, food safety and physical activity policies at national and European level.