The draft of a new guide for controlling and preventing cross contamination of, and by, E.coli has just been released in the UK by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

It is intended to specifically help those businesses that have both raw and ready to eat (RTE) foods in the same space. It has been well recognised that this situation has a great likelihood of cross contamination causing potentially food poisoning issues.

The guidance document shows clearly that having raw foods and RTE in the same space without specific cleaning protocols has a significant risk of cross contamination. The Guide then describes the recommended cleaning and sanitation methods that will address this situation.

The new Guide is less prescriptive than it’s previous version, which gives each business the opportunity to establish methods that meet the requirements. The disadvantage of it being less prescriptive is that the Guide is open to interpretation and potential legal argument in the event of a perceived breach of the law.

The draft is up for review until 29 August.

For more information here is the FSA link for the Guide –  http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/guidancenotes/hygguid/ecoliguide#.U84BJ8KKDIU

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

Halal is a requirement for food to be eaten by those of the Islamic faith.

It means that the food has been prepared, processed, handled and packaged according to strict requirements.

One of these requirements is that there be no pig meat in any halal certified product.

Until now ensuring this requirement has been met has been done by checking that no pig meat or products are in any contact at all with the halal products. This has been done through checking records and ensuring that procedures are followed correctly.

Now a new test method will potentially make this checking of process and documents, a thing of the past.

The University of Selangor in Malaysia has developed a brilliant test kit that will allow Muslims to very quickly test for the presence of non-halal ingredients in their food. Tests like this have been around for some time, but this new version will not only detect pig DNA but other materials as well. This makes it probably the most advanced Halal test kit available.

The new kit uses nano-sensor technology to a detectable level of  0.001 percent, in a small pack which will allow people at home to use it easily and within only 10 seconds.

The University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Doctor Anuar Ahmad, said “Although it is small, it can save costs compared to laboratory tests”.

The kit will be relatively cheap to be accessible to the public, but as with all test kits it is the repeatability, effectiveness and accuracy that will need to be tested to ensure it is still applicable.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

A food allergen has the potential to kill someone within only a few minutes if treatment is not given to them immediately. This is the reason that food businesses all over the world must do everything to prevent unintended allergens being in any of their products.

If an intended allergen is present in a food, according to all food laws worldwide the packaging must contain accepted information about it. This is to give the purchasers and consumers an informed choice.

It is the unintended food allergens that are the big problem. These are the ones that get into the food, primarily through cross contamination, and should not be there as they are not in the recipe or ingredient list.

Having various controls in place, like cleaning, training, separation etc, will go a long way to preventing these unintended allergens from being a problem.

However confirmation can only really be done of the effectiveness of these controls by testing the food and the contact surfaces.

So food allergen testing is a major issue for all manufacturers and most other food businesses.

The original testing method was using a special method known as ELISA. However it did not provide an immediate result, so much work has been ongoing around the world to produce a rapid read test that is accurate and effective at all concentrations.

A new method has been developed that is a twist on the testing of foods. In this method, the actual proteins that cause individual allergic reactions in people can be identified. This will allow these people to know exactly which foods that must avoid. If the manufacturers then have good controls in place with regular testing, these people will most likely avoid having an allergic reaction in future.

The huge potential of this new method is that once the exact proteins that cause an individual’s allergic reaction are known, a program of de-sensitising them can be attempted.

This new method was published recently in the journal Analytical Chemistry Researchers at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland used a well-established technique called immunoaffinity capillary electrophoresis (IACE) to test the blood of a sample of people allergic to cow’s milk.

The results showed that the method can accurately and rapidly identify the specific proteins that caused the allergic reaction to cow’s milk in those tested. The conclusion from this research is that the same method can be used to identify the exact proteins in the other food allergens that cause allergic reactions in specific people. Effectively it seems that it will be able to provide a map of the exact proteins that a person is allergic to.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

The Health Star Rating shows a series of up to five stars that show how healthy a food is based on a set of test results. It was designed to be shown on packaged foods in Australia. The intent is to give customers and consumers information about the nutritional value of a packaged food.

In late June, the Legislative and Governance Forum of Food Regulation signed off on the Rating after literally years of argument and discussion. The Forum is comprised of all food regulation minister around Australia and New Zealand and is chaired by Australian Government Assistant Minister for Health, Senator the Honorable Fiona Nash.

The Rating can now be added to food packaging voluntarily over the next five years, with a review of progress and effectiveness in two years. At this stage the Forum has not made the Health Star Rating mandatory.

An education program for the system is nearly developed and will be implemented to explain to the public what the rating means. The rating system will also apply in New Zealand.

AFGC Chief Executive, Mr Gary Dawson, said; “The improved design of the Health Star Rating scheme, flexibility around its introduction and acknowledgement that it can coexist with existing front of pack schemes such as the Daily Intake Guide and the Heart Foundation Tick, are significant improvements. In addition there is acceptance that it can be expensive for cash strapped companies to adopt major labelling changes and therefore a voluntary approach with an extended five year implementation period has been adopted. Ultimately it will be up to food companies to assess the scheme and determine whether or not they adopt it.”

CHOICE CEO, Alan Kirkland, said;“CHOICE is today calling on food companies to ditch the dodgy Daily Intake Guide and embrace the Health Star Rating to help consumers make informed decisions about what they eat. Now that ministers have given the final sign off to the Health Star Rating Scheme, responsibility shifts to food manufacturers to start rolling out the star ratings on their product ranges. There is a great PR opportunity waiting for the early adopters, as we’ve seen with Monster Health Food Co which rolled out the first star rating in April.”

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

In the last week there have been two very significant product contaminations.

One was a cleaning cloth in a fast food restaurant product and the other was a contamination in another chain’s product. A cleaning cloth was somehow coated and then deep fried before being given to a customer in the UK. The customer who had bought the “chicken” for her stepson, was understandably not very impressed.

The second incident has a slightly unusual twist as the contamination was a small packet of marijuana found tucked in with the fries when a customer ordered a burger and fries. Although some are saying that the customer actually got a bonus and not a contamination, it is certainly not something that should be in a food product. The mother who bought the offending fries and pack, is screaming very loudly about the possibility that her kids could have got it or it may have been a packet containing other types of drugs.

Many food businesses will most likely end up with a contamination that makes it all the way out to the customer. This is immensely embarrassing for the business, as well as causing significant money loss through loss of trade and possible recalls and fines.

The two contaminations described above are not really that rare, but what makes these and all contaminations a major problem now is that everyone has a camera in their pocket and access to social media. This spreads your small contained incident across the world and does almost irreparable damage to your brand internationally.

The old rule that one person tells ten, no longer applies as it really comes down to how many connections or likes or friends they have in the cyber world and where they all are. This absolutely cannot be considered lightly.

Food safety controls and programs are, if possible, even more important now that they ever were, due to this instant ability customers have to complain about your product / service/ quality or contaminations to the whole world.

Contaminations happen because something went wrong and usually it is because staff were not doing what they are supposed to. This means good procedures,training and follow up as the basics. A business that has a public contamination like these two examples, must do everything possible to firstly prevent it happening again, or anything like it, and then market like crazy to show what it has done to prevent it. Hopefully it is enough to gain sales back – at least that is what the owners, directors and managers pray for.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

Gas leakage in a refrigeration unit can have a significant impact on a food business in terms of costs, food safety and sustainability.

Loss of gas will mean that the gas needs to be replaced, which is an extra expense to a business, it may also reduce the efficiency and effectiveness of the refrigeration. This could mean that food safety may be at risk and the gas being lost goes into the environment and reduction of system life which are significant sustainability problems.

Until now the only ways of truly identifying a gas leak and it’s actual site are visually or using gas sniffers after the system has been degassed. The coldrooms and freezers will need to be shutdown during that time. This is a major inconvenience.

Even then, it is almost impossible to identify all the leakage sites.

A new method is now available – thermal imaging cameras.

The cameras can easily identify a leak of any size, whilst the equipment is still operating. This removes the necessity for degassing and shutdown.

The method can identify the leaks as well as any places where insulation is not as good as it should be. It can also be used on pumps, motors and all refrigeration equipment.

The other major advantage of the thermal camera method is that it may not only be used for identifying problems but for ongoing preventative maintenance as well.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

We have all heard in court cases on TV the words” You swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth”. Whether that is exactly what is really asked in actual courts or is just a great sounding statement for TV is beside the point. The basis of the statement is something that very much applies to food labelling.

There are three reasons for the information that must be shown on food labels; legal, customer and business.

Not only is a legal requirement according to both the Food Standards Code and the Trade Practices Act that labelling must tell the truth, it is also essential that it be understood by the average person.

Customers need to be able to make informed decisions about the food they are buying, so having good and understandable labelling is essential. The best example of this is the food allergens, if the label does not clearly and correctly show what allergens are present in a food, a consumer may eat a food that may cause an allergic reaction and even anaphylaxis. Many of the legal requirements for labelling are intended to protect the customer and consumer.

Businesses want to put to put certain information onto their food labels to encourage people to buy that product. This includes pictures, descriptions and recipes.

The actual design and colours used on a label can change the buying patterns of people, so businesses spend a lot of money trying to get it right. Sometimes this means that the legal and customer information may not always be right. This can result in a significant expense to the business in terms of product recalls and the inevitable loss of sales.

If the information on the label is not correct, it can also result in major fines being imposed by courts. This has recently happened with a large supermarket in this country, when bakery products stated that they were “freshly baked”. However, some of the baked goods had been partially baked in another country some months previously. The final baking was done on the day of sale but this is not how most people would interpret the label, and that is the basis for the court findings.

A potential fine of around $ 1 million may be imposed by the court for each of the three breaches to Australian Consumer Law.

So getting a label right is not only essential to encourage sales, but to prevent huge fines, product recall and significant damage to a business’s reputation.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

I loved apples when I was a kid and would eat two or three a day, then one day I heard on the news that apples were not good for you because of some spray that was used on them. I stopped eating apples.

A few years later I heard found out that it was not true and apples were fine after you gave them a wash – which you should do anyway.

Stories, or myths, like the one with the apples are common. We have all heard the classic – it is ok to eat food if it has been on the floor for less than five seconds!!!!! We all know that this myth is not true as it doesn’t matter how long a food is on the floor it is going to pick up some of whatever is there, including; dirt, bacteria, dog/ cat hair, your hair, bits of your skin (as we shed a layer a day and some of that has to get on the floor), bits of the animal skin, bits of insects and the list goes on. So why would we eat anything that has been on the floor at all?

One of the stories in the media for a long time has been that white bread is not good for and nor is butter nor are eggs. A whole industry, margarine, grew out of the idea that butter is not really good for you and you should eat margarine instead. Well, recent studies have now shown that butter is not the baddie it has long been made out to be. There are now stories across the media showing that reasonable consumption of butter is not bad for you and in fact has health benefits. We are not talking about eating huge quantities but reasonable amounts during a week. A recent article on this website, showed all the amazing benefits for most people to be eating eggs several times a week. The whole eggs will raise cholesterol thing is not necessarily true for most people, in fact there are nutrients that are best sourced from eggs and so should be eaten regularly.

The latest of the long term bad foods to be found to be Ok for you is the infamous white bread.

Researchers from the University of Oviedo in Spain have found that white bread may actually encourage the growth of Lactobacillus species in the gut. These bacteria make a major contribution to gut health and if it is healthy, it helps us generally. It is well recognised that a healthy gut has a major role to play in us being healthy as well.

It was only a small study of 38 healthy adults. Each was asked about their diet and samples were collected to determine the bacteria present in their gut.

The findings showed that a good all round diet has the greatest effect on helping us be healthy and that focussing on just one food or nutrient will not be beneficial.

So, I guess it comes down to that old and good piece of advice – a little bit of everything in moderation.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

Australians are not eating enough fruits and vegetables, and there is much research and promotion happening to reduce this potentially huge nutritional problem for our country.

This is one of the motivators and reasons behind the recent launch of the new Fresh Produce Safety Centre.

It’s goals are;

• To call for and manage food safety research projects that are highly relevant to industry
• To provide food safety information, news, education and outreach to the industry
• To engage with regulatory, and other organisations, for effective and efficient food safety management leading to enhanced food safety outcomes.

The new Centre is a jointly funded project by the University of Sydney and the Produce Marketing Association of Australia and New Zealand (PMAANZ), and is located in Sydney. It is also funded by a group of 20 fresh produce related organisations, as well as Horticulture Australia Limited and the Australian Government.

The Centre’s Board of Directors said; “The Fresh Produce Safety Centre has been established to address an important gap in our industry: to promote research, outreach and education on fresh produce safety throughout Australia and New Zealand.”

The Centre will be working with; growers, input suppliers, processors, packers, transport, wholesalers/agents, retailers, through to peak industry bodies, quality assurance, compliance and training organisations, researchers and research institutions, extension and outreach personnel and others, to promote and encourage the safe fresh produce in this country.

The Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment at the University of Sydney, Professor Mark Adams, said; “The University of Sydney is delighted to host the new Fresh Produce Safety Centre: we see the Centre as the embodiment of the University’s desire to reach out to industry, identify research gaps and address research priorities in fresh produce safety.”

The Centre’s Board has seven members from across the industry and country, and it elected Michael Worthington as the interim Chair of the Board.

Written by Rachelle Williams, The Green Food Safety Coach.

So can I sell food after a blackout? Unfortunately the answer is not a simple yes or no.

The answer depends upon what food we are talking about and how long the blackout lasted.

Potentially hazardous foods should be stored below 5C (41F) to achieve the use by date on the labels, and any time over this temperature reduces this shelf life. The Food Standards Code in Australia and New Zealand (and similar law in other counties) requires that any potentially hazardous foods that have been above that critical temperature for four hours must be thrown out. This is because the amount of bacteria present in them is likely to be above the legal allowable amount, and will most likely make people sick.

So if a fridge has not had power for more than four hours, it is essential that the food temperature be checked and if above 5C (41F), the food must not be sold or used. If a fridge is operating well and the door is left closed during a blackout, it may keep food below the critical temperature for four or more hours but it should be checked before sale or use.

This is why after a recent day long power blackout in South Australia, Health Inspectors were surprised to find nearly 40 food businesses either selling, or prepared to sell, potentially hazardous foods.

Health Authority chief executive Michael Livori said; “It’s a combination of lack of appropriate knowledge in relation to what they should do in those sort of circumstances and the economic issue about having to throw that food out if they’ve been without power for an extended period. It seemed incredible to us, there was one particular business where we ended up making four visits before we got all of the food that we thought was suspect removed from the premises.”

Only potentially hazardous foods are the issue when it comes to blackouts, as shelf stable foods do not allow for the growth of the food poisoning bacteria.

Throwing food out is not something that food businesses really want to do as it is an economic issue, but if that food is not going to be safe for sale or use, then it must be disposed of. Food lost in blackouts is usually covered in business insurance, so even if it is a short term cost to throw the food out, it is a long term investment in protecting the business, with insurance usually covering the loss.

Written by Rachelle Williams – the Green Food Safety Coach