Food safety

Question

This piglix contains articles or sub-piglix about Food safety

Answer 1

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety

Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety is an online peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Institute of Food Technologists (Chicago, Illinois) that was established in 2002. Its main focus is food science and food safety. This includes nutrition, genetics, food microbiology, food chemistry, history, and food engineering.

Its first editor was David R. Lineback (University of Maryland, College Park), who held the position from 2002 to 2004. From 2004 to 2006, R. Paul Singh (University of California, Davis) served as editor. The journal has been edited by Manfred Kroger (Pennsylvania State University) since 2006.

...

Wikipedia

Answer 2

Cool Chain Quality Indicator

The Cool Chain Quality Indicator (abbreviated as "CCQI") – established by the Cool Chain Association (CCA) and Germanischer Lloyd (GL) – is an industry standard which measures reliability, quality and skills in temperature-critical logistics like food, flowers and plants, some chemicals, pharmaceuticals and human blood. It uses a benchmarking system to assess transparent and comparable quality measures.

The aim of the CCQI is to improve the consistency of cool chains across the globe, that includes Perishables and Temperature Sensitive Products (PTSP) carriers (airlines, road haulers), handling agents, forwarders, perishable centres, airports, warehouses (long- and short-term cold stores) and containerized and conventional ocean transport. The CCQI has very similar requirements close to any other quality management system of the ISO 9000 type. The organization that attempts the certification must identify each operation in which it handles temperature sensitive products. For each of these operations, their processes are compared against the standard’s Master Tables. The standard is created in a manner which endorses the qualitative assessment of technical installations, processes and staff qualifications and makes it possible for a company to compare itself with competitors but also to improve its own performance The Master Tables for each part of the supply cold chain represent guidelines that shall make sure that the temperature sensitive product will be delivered at the right temperature starting at the field and finishing at consumption. This standard seeks to allow operators to carry out a check for conformity with state-of-the-art practice and provides a quantitative evaluation for cool chain quality

...

Wikipedia

Answer 3

Critical control point

Food safety

Critical control point (CCP) is the point where failure of standard operation procedure (SOP) could cause harm to customers and to the business, or even loss of the business itself. It is a point, step or procedure at which controls can be applied and a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable (critical) levels. The most common CCP is cooking, where food safety managers designate critical limits.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establishes minimum internal temperatures for cooked foods. It is important to remember that these values can be superseded by state or local health code requirements, but they cannot be below the FDA limits. Temperatures should be measured with a probe thermometer in the thickest part of meats, or the center of other dishes, avoiding bones and container sides. Minimum internal temperatures are set as follows:

165°F (74°C) for 15 seconds

155°F (68°C) for 15 seconds

145°F (63°C) for 15 seconds

145°F (63°C) for 4 minutes

135°F (57°C) for 15 seconds

In addition, hot food must be held at a minimum internal of 135°F (57°C) if it is not immediately consumed. The temperature must be checked every 4 hours or else labeled with a discard time. Although monitored hot food can be held indefinitely in this way without a food safety concern, the nutritional value, flavor, and quality can suffer over long periods.

Fruits and vegetables are liable to have microbiological contamination, such as with the bacteria of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes, perhaps due to a post harvest mishandling. There are several methods and protocols which are able to reduce or even eliminate the pathogens and these include

...

Wikipedia

Answer 4

Danger zone (food safety)

Food safety

The temperature range in which food-borne bacteria can grow is known as the danger zone. Food safety agencies, such as the United States' Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), define the danger zone as roughly 4 to 60 °C (39 to 140 °F). The FSIS stipulates that potentially hazardous food should not be stored at temperatures in this range in order to prevent foodborne illness (for example, a refrigerator's temperature must be kept below 4 °C (40 °F)), and that food that remains in this zone for more than two hours should not be consumed. Foodborne microorganisms grow much faster in the middle of the zone, at temperatures between 21 and 47 °C (70 and 117 °F).

Food-borne bacteria, in large enough numbers, may cause food poisoning, symptoms similar to gastroenteritis or "stomach flu" (a misnomer, as true influenza primarily affects the respiratory system). Some of the symptoms include stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Food-borne illness becomes more dangerous in certain populations, such as people with weakened immune systems, young children, the elderly, and pregnant women. In Canada, there are approximately 11 million cases of food-borne disease per year. These symptoms can begin as early as shortly after and as late as weeks after consumption of the contaminated food.

Time and temperature control plays a critical role in food safety. To prevent time-temperature abuse, the amount of time food spends in the danger zone must be minimized. A logarithmic relationship exists between microbial cell death and temperature: a significantly large number of cells may survive slightly lower temperatures. In addition to reducing the time spent in the danger zone, foods should be moved through the danger zone as few times as possible when reheating or cooling.

Foods that are potentially hazardous inside the danger zone:

...

Wikipedia

Answer 5

Excitotoxicity

Excitotoxicity is the pathological process by which nerve cells are damaged or killed by excessive stimulation by neurotransmitters such as glutamate and similar substances. This occurs when receptors for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate (glutamate receptors) such as the NMDA receptor and AMPA receptor are overactivated by glutamatergic storm. Excitotoxins like NMDA and kainic acid which bind to these receptors, as well as pathologically high levels of glutamate, can cause excitotoxicity by allowing high levels of calcium ions (Ca²⁺) to enter the cell. Ca²⁺ influx into cells activates a number of enzymes, including phospholipases, endonucleases, and proteases such as calpain. These enzymes go on to damage cell structures such as components of the cytoskeleton, membrane, and DNA.

Excitotoxicity may be involved in spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, hearing loss (through noise overexposure or ototoxicity), and in neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease, alcoholism or alcohol withdrawal and especially over-rapid benzodiazepine withdrawal, and also Huntington's disease. Other common conditions that cause excessive glutamate concentrations around neurons are hypoglycemia. Blood sugars are the primary glutamate removal method from inter-synaptic spaces at the NMDA and AMPA receptor site. Persons in excitotoxic shock must never fall into hypoglycemia. Patients should be given 5% glucose (dextrose) IV drip during excitotoxic shock to avoid a dangerous build up of glutamate around NMDA and AMPA neurons. When 5% glucose (dextrose) IV drip is not available high levels of fructose are given orally. Treatment is administered during the acute stages of excitotoxic shock along with glutamate antagonists. Dehydration should be avoided as this also contributes to the concentrations of glutamate in the inter-synaptic cleft and "status epilepticus can also be triggered by a build up of glutamate around inter-synaptic neurons".

...

Wikipedia

Answer 6

Dubai International Food Safety Conference

The Dubai International Food Safety Conference (DIFSC) is an annual conference organized by the Dubai Municipality, in conjunction with the Gulfood Exhibition, held at the Dubai International Convention Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The conference aims at providing delegates with a good understanding of current food safety issues, Food Safety Management Techniques and the best practices followed in the food industry. The main objective of the conference is to act as a platform to resolve food safety issues in the Gulf Co-operation Council region and provide opportunities for students to learn about food safety.

The 1st Dubai International Food Safety Conference was introduced during the Gulfood Exhibition 2006, as part of the Dubai Municipality’s Strategic Plan, which called for enhancing the public’s health through ensuring food safety. As food safety requires inputs from all concerned parties, the Food Control Section of Dubai Municipality teamed up with many international, regional, and local bodies in order to organize a conference that would serve as a forum for discussing issues related to the safety of food.

The three-day conference attracted more than 250 delegates from different sectors of the food industry as well as international, regional and local food control entities.

The second conference was held during February 20–22, 2007 and was themed "Latest Trends in Food Safety and Risk Assessment".

The conference featured speakers representing food control authorities, International Organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Codex Alimentarius Commission, academic and scientific circles, food manufacturing and trading companies and many other entities which are concerned with the safety of food.

Food Risk Assessment was discussed in light of the following elements:

The 3rd conference was held from February 24–27, 2008.

A unique feature of the conference was the Tackle the Issue program, which aimed to bring the food industry personnel and food regulatory authorities from all the GCC countries together on one platform to look at possible solutions for problems faced by the food industry.

...

Wikipedia

Answer 7

Double-dead meat

Double-dead meat is the Filipino appellation for meat taken from an animal that has died of disease. The appropriate method of dealing with diseased hog carcasses is disposal by burial or burning. Illegally slaughtered meat is also referred to as hot meat or botcha.

Double-dead meat comes from pigs that died from disease which are illegally cut up for sale. This meat has a dark hide and the hairs of the skin remains stuck to the fat even if it is dipped in boiling water. Hot meat on the other hand can be fit for human consumption but did not pass the necessary sanitary standards. The sale of double-dead meat is against the law in the Philippines, where under the Republic Act 9296 also known as the Meat Inspection Code and specifically the Consumer Act of the Philippines, a violator faces the penalty of a fine amounting to between Php 1,000.00 and Php 10,000.00 plus not less than six months but not more than five years imprisonment. The National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) is tasked to monitor the meat industry process from the slaughterhouse to the markets. They are also able to confiscate meat products that were unable to pass their standards. Any person who is caught violating RA 9296 will face a cease and desist order. Their meat products are seized and buried to prevent it from being recovered and re-entering the market. The government of Quezon City is also planning on raising harsher penalties for trading illegal meat such as the immediate revocation of the business permit of the offending sellers.

Double-dead meat is usually pale in color with a greenish-gray tint, a sticky consistency, foul-smelling and cold, a sign that the meat has been frozen. It also commands a lower price when compared to fresh meat. Consumption of hot meat is a health hazard and may result in diarrhea and food poisoning. There is an increase in the monitoring for double-dead meat during December 2008 due the reported incidence of Reston ebolavirus in four farms in Bulacan. There was a high demand for meat at that time due to it being Christmas.

An episode of Bitag, an investigative television program hosted by Ben Tulfo investigated a case of hot meat commerce in Bulacan. The suspected slaughterhouse was promptly raided by the authorities.

...

Wikipedia

Answer 8

Directive 1999/34/EC

...

Wikipedia

Answer 9

FAO GM Foods Platform

The FAO GM Foods Platform is a web platform where participating countries can share information on their assessments of the safety of genetically modified (recombinant-DNA) foods and feeds based on the Codex Alimentarius. It also allows for sharing of assessments of low-level GMO contamination (LLP, low-level presence).

The platform was set up by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and was launched at the FAO headquarters in Rome on 1 July 2013. The information uploaded to the platform is freely available to be read.

...

Wikipedia

Answer 10

FAT TOM

...

Wikipedia