Food

  2010 AUG 19 - (VerticalNews.com) -- Data detailed in 'Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in slaughter pigs in Latvia' have been presented. According to a study from Latvia, "The prevalence of Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was determined in slaughter pigs from 47 farms in Latvia. Tonsils from 404 pigs representing farms from four geographical areas (Kurzeme, Latgale, Vidzeme, and Zemgale) were collected at slaughter in 2007 and 2008. ...read more

  2010 JUL 22 - (VerticalNews.com) -- According to a study from the United States, "Globally, foodborne illness affects an estimated 30% of individuals annually. Meals prepared outside of the home are a risk factor for acquiring foodborne illness and have been implicated in up to 70% of traced outbreaks."

  "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called on food safety communicators to design new methods and messages aimed at increasing food safety risk-reduction practices from farm to fork. Food safety infosheets, a novel communication tool designed to appeal to food handlers and compel behavior change, were evaluated. Food safety infosheets were provided weekly to food handlers in working food service operations for 7 weeks. It was hypothesized that through the posting of food safety infosheets in highly visible locations, such as kitchen work areas and hand washing stations, that safe food handling behaviors of food service staff could be positively influenced. Using video observation, food handlers (n = 47) in eight food service operations were observed for a total of 348 11 (pre- and postintervention combined). After the food safety infosheets were introduced, food handlers demonstrated a significant increase (6.7%, P< 0.05, 95% confidence interval) in mean hand washing attempts, and a significant reduction in indirect cross-contamination events (19.6%, P< 0.05, 95% confidence interval)," wrote B. Chapman and colleagues, North Carolina State University ...read more

  2010 JUL 22 - (VerticalNews.com) -- "A method based on solid phase extraction followed by derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was validated for the determination of bisphenol A (BPA) in canned food products. This method was used to analyze 78 canned food products for BPA," scientists in Ottawa, Canada report.

  "Concentrations of BPA in canned food products differed considerably among food types, hut all were below the specific migration limit of 0.6 mg/kg set by the European Commission Directive for BPA in food or food simulants. Canned tuna products had the highest BPA concentrations in general, with mean and maximum values of 137 and 534 ng/g. respectively. BPA concentrations in the condensed soup products were considerably higher than those in the ready-to-serve soup products, with mean and maximum values of 105 and 189 ng/g, respectively, for the condensed soups and 15 and 34 ng/g. respectively, for the ready-to-serve soups. BPA concentrations in canned vegetable products were relatively low; about 60% of the products had BPA concentrations of less than 10 ng/g. Canned tomato paste products had lower BPA concentrations than did canned pure tomato products," wrote X.L. Cao and colleagues ...read more