Congrats to Dr. Martin Wiedmann, Professor of Food Safety, Cornell University and co-director at the New York Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence, for the 2022 Borlaug CAST Communication Award. His outstanding work has focused on raising our understanding of the pathogenesis, ecology, evolution, and transmission of bacterial foodborne and zoonotic disease—all top priorities.
Chris Eliot comments in New Food on 5 challenges to food safety: 1. Climate change; 2. Foodborne viruses of animal origin; 3. Antimicrobial resistance; 4. The economic crisis; and, 5. Unintended consequences of rushing the sustainability agenda. We’d add: 6. The right surveillance technology and regs.
A counter-intuitive to kick off the week. UK Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has expressed concern that the UK Government is entering into Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) which will result in lowering food standards in the UK. And here we thought the nub of the problem was BREXIT.
Logistics Management study on supply chain disruptions. A few takeaways: 1) bringing operations “closer to home;” 2) “global disruptions” increased shipper freight rates up to 71%; 3) very long lead times required; and 4) 83% re-thinking global supply chain operations.
New Food Magazine: “Changes in weather patterns, such as severe drought or flooding, can adversely affect grain production, whether it be on crop yield, quality, or risk of mycotoxin contamination.”
Another irony — global surge in energy prices linked to grower cutback in fertilizer applications. Good for food safety? Bad for higher yields and food security?
Food Safety Magazine: “If or when adversaries carry out an attack of large magnitude, the result could be a massive compromise of food safety, food defenses, and food security.” Food for thought!
The Significance of China’s Latest National Food Safety Standard Plan by Mingyi Liu, Analyst/ GIC Group China’s latest plan for the development of its Safety Standard (食品安全国家标准) was released by the National Health Commission (国家卫生健康委员会/ NHC) in early June to solicit public comments. A total of 41 entries covering standards for food additives, products, …
The Food Safety Administration Act draft legislation in the US reflects concerns over food safety surveillance capabilities. Concerns mount in the face of global supply chain, food security issues, and trade restrictions. And then there’s COVID! Huge challenges ahead.