The UK has introduced new sentencing guidelines, which has a much more stringent and dramatic range of sentences for breaches of food safety
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In a game changing case, the owner of a indian restaurant in the United Kingdom has been charged with manslaughter by negligence, after a customer with a peanut allergy died,after eating food prepared at the premises. The laws in the UK now require allergy information on unpackaged foods such as takeaway food.
The UK has introduced new sentencing guidelines, which has a much more stringent and dramatic range of sentences for breaches of food safety Read more.... It's been five years since NSW introduced the need for some food service businesses to have a qualified Food Safety Supervisor. The green NSW Food authority certificates is valid for five years. The NSW Food Authority has just announced that individuals needing to refresh their FSS certificate will be able to do this in the second half of the year. The NSW Food Authority is finalising the materials and program that RTO's will need to use to deliver the refresher training. Correct Training Systems is an approved RTO who can deliver Food Safety Supervisor training and issue the NSW Food Authority FSS certificates. We look forward to being able to deliver the refresher training, as it is made available by the Authority later in 2015. We will alert our clients when this option becomes available, and customise the program to each clients operation and also schedule public courses that will run regularly in our conveniently located training rooms. Refer to the press release for further information. Exporting food continues to be a real opportunity for Australia.
Asia Insight forum in WA confirmed that the Free Trade Agreement with China should see a reduction in tarriffs and simplified regulatory procedures. As Asia's consumers and middle class become more discerning, they are embracing a premium for clean,safe, high-quality produce from Australia, following a raft of food safety scares. China is still one of the fastest growing economies in the world with GDP ballooning at 7.4 per cent. This means the opportunity to export food to China is still looking promising. Further discussion of food export opportunities can be found in the article here To take advantage of this potential opportunity, Correct Food Systems can assist you with the export approved arrangements. With the demand for timely and detailed information about food products increasing, the answer may lay within our smart phone apps, rather than waiting for legislative changes. A new wave of barcode-scanning apps are giving consumers increasing power and product information and intensifying pressure on companies to provide information that consumers require, at the purchasing point, in a tailored easy format. The Sydney Morning Herald article on March 22, named several new apps that provide immediate additional information on food products (termed extended labelling), such as current recall information, an alert for anyone with any special dietary problems or concerns or food allergies, nutritional data, country of origin, GMO labelling, environmental management and halal or kosher certification. The article lists five food scanning information apps as: Read more on the SMH article here All of these apps are being developing and being used to deliver different information about a product on different platforms. Correct Food Systems can assist with ensuring your product specifications and PIF's can provide consumers with the extended information that may be used in hand at a click! The NSW Food Authority is Australia's only integrated food regulatory agency. The NSW Government Food Safety Strategy paper provides a good snapshot of information about food businesses in NSW.
Correct Food Systems can assist you with these campaigns, working with you to develop your health star rating, compliance and food export arrangements. A copy of the strategy document is available here or from the NSW Food Authority.
Food manufacturers and retailers will no longer have to report food-related deaths or illnesses to the consumer watchdog.
Changes to legislation will mean that state and territory public health laws require hospitals and doctors to report food-related illnesses or deaths. Businesses will be able to remove the requirement to report a complaint about food safety illness to the ACCC, from their food safety program or manual. The press release from the Minister of Small Business can be found here. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/manufacturers-retailers-no-longer-need-to-report-poisonous-food-to-accc-20150318-1m21jw.html#ixzz3UmAtkd6j Fonterra and New Zealand farmer group Federated Farmers received anonymous letters in November 2014 threatening to contaminate infant and other formula with 1080 unless New Zealand stopped using 1080 for pest control by the end of March 2015.
This threat to poison infant formula in an act of "eco-terrorism" in New Zealand has plunged dairy giant Fonterra into its third food safety crisis since 2008. New Zealand Stock Exchange has taken the unprecedented step of requesting a halt to trading of shares in New Zealand based dairy companies including Fonterra, a2 and Synlait. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/business/new-zealand-dairy-industry-blackmailed-in-poisoning-threat-20150310-1401ej.html#ixzz3Uh5U24y5 Queensland Health has issued an alert to businesses involved in food preparation, and the community as a whole as a result of a spike in the reported cases of Salmonella in Queensland in 2015.
1895 cases of salmonella have been reported in Queensland in 2015 already -double what "the normal" incidence rates. "Salmonella Typhimurium has caused 13 outbreaks of foodborne disease in South East Queensland this year to date, 10 of which have been confirmed or suspected to have involved foodborne transmission." “These figures show the vital need for food handlers to be aware of food safety procedures" The main issues observed during investigations into recent food borne illness outbreaks were:
For advice on salmonella and safe food handling, visit the Queensland Health website: Further detail on the Queensland health alert can be found here The top five tips from Queensland Health on ensuring food safety are:
Leading Food Safety advocate Doug Powell has compiled and published a table listing all the reported incidences of Salmonella food poisoning, relating to eggs, in Australia, since 1991.
Thanks Doug, this is a great list! See Dougs barf blog at http://barfblog.com/. Australia's egg related Salmonella food safety incidences listing. Restaurants and caterers feature, serving raw egg menu items. Infection with Salmonella species causes salmonellosis, with symptoms including gastric, fever, and cramping. Salmonellosis can be contracted from a variety of sources,not only egg and poultry. ( peanut butter, rockmelon, chocolate, mangoes, dried spices etc etc) However in Australia, the preparation of raw egg products seems to dominate the headlines. Cafes, Restaurants and Caterers need to recognise that egg is a potentially hazardous food and needs correct temperature control,( keep it cold, or cook it thoroughly) or other controls such as lowering pH, use pasteurised egg products, to ensure it is safe to serve. Basic food safety principles and processes need to be applied. Correct Food Systems can assist with education of staff, and implementation of a food safety program to ensure the risks involved with menu items is understood and controlled. Menora food distribution company has been sold to Asian privately owned Monde Nissin. Monde Nissin already own Black Swan and Nudie brands. They will add Menora's Peckish and Wattle Valley brands to their collection, with the sale expected to be finalised by April. Australia's food safety response mechanisms have been targeted since frozen imported berries were linked to a series of hepatitis A cases in February 2015.
The Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce continues to be actively concerned regarding Australia's food safety responsibilities to consumers. Jurisdiction for making decisions related to blocking or testing imported foods is shared by FSANZ and the departments of Agriculture and Health, as well as state departments and food safety authorities. Canned and preserved fruit is classed as a "surveillance food import", which means 5 per cent of consignments are screened by the Department of Agriculture This will remain unchanged, but lead and tin testing will now be added to existing labelling checks undertaken at the border. Imported peaches would be subject to additional screening. The Department of Agriculture increased the inspection rate back up to 100 per cent of consignments for tinned Tuna in late February 2015. The Australian Government said all tuna imported from the factory linked to the latest scombroid poisoning scare will be inspected and tested for histamine and held at the border until results of the laboratory analysis confirm, showing that the food is safe for human consumption. Full story at ABC Rural. The Age newspaper has reported a number of objects found in a range of food products reportedly purchased at Aldi supermarkets. Complaints range from life larvae in chocolates, a fingernail in icecream, starfish mixed in a tin of smoked oysters. A spokeperson from Aldi has said that Aldi is investigating the issues thoroughly with the suppliers and we will implement any further action if required. The full article in The Age can be viewed here. Correct Food Systems can assist with investigating customer complaints in an professional independent manner and work with client to ensure best practice foreign object controls are in place. In the wake of the Nanna's frozen berries food safety incident, Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has called for a revision of the country of origin labelling. Joyce will be presenting a White Paper with proposed changes soon. It is believed to recommend a statement identifying the country where the produce was grown. CHOICE has also called on the Government to take action on country of origin labelling, launching a petition in mid February.
Correct Food Systems will continue to keep you informed of any changes to food safety regulations and keep you abreast of the labelling requirements for food. |
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Gary KennedyIndustry expert Lisa OwensFood Safety educator. Stay up to date!Correct Training Systems can deliver a update of industry news to your team, train you on the latest changes in standards or deliver a "HACCP Recharge" training course at your site".
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