In the news

The FSA published the revised Food Law Code of Practice (the Code) for England and Northern Ireland, introducing a new model for delivering food standards controls. The changes will help local authorities to take a more risk-based and intelligence-driven approach to inspection, focusing their time and resources on food businesses that pose the greatest risk to consumers. The new model will drive more frequent checks on non-compliant businesses while reducing the checks on businesses demonstrating good sustained compliance. It will increase the use of intelligence to inform understanding of risk in the food chain. The new regulations followed a successful pilot with seven local authorities in England and Northern Ireland last year. The pilot indicated that the new model is more effective at directing officers to businesses where they are more likely to find non-compliance. @ https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/news/updated-code-of-practice-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-northern-ireland-to-focus-inspection-efforts-on-higher-risk-food

The FDA, CDC, and state and local partners investigated a multistate outbreak of  Salmonella  Infantis infections linked to Gold Medal (General Mills Minneapolis, MN)unbleached and bleached flour with “Better if Used by” dates of March 27, 2024, and March 28, 2024.  CDC reports a total of 14 illnesses in 13 states (CA (1), IL (2), IA (1), MN (1), MO (1), NE (1), NJ (1), NY (1), OH (1), OR (1), TN (1), VA (1), and WA (1)). The last illness onset was May 2, 2023. FDA’s investigation is complete. Five of nine cases report exposure to raw Gold Medal brand flour, and seven of eight cases report consuming raw dough or batter. FDA initiated an inspection at the General Mills Kansas City, MO facility and collected retained product samples. One sample was positive for Salmonella, and subsequent analysis by WGS found that the Salmonella in the positive sample matched the strain of Salmonella making people sick in this outbreak. On April 28, 2023, General Mills announced a voluntary nationwide recall of two-, five- and 10-pound bags of its Gold Medal Unbleached and Bleached All Purpose Flour. The CDC announced that the outbreak is over.@ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/outbreak-investigation-salmonella-flour-april-2023?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

CORE update as of June 07, 2023, the CORE list of outbreaks and adverse events includes five active cases; no cases were added this week. The FDA closed its investigation of the outbreak of Salmonella Infantis (ref# 1141) linked to Gold Medal brand flour.@ https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigations-foodborne-illness-outbreaks?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

The USDA / FSIS released a new document entitled “Guideline to Control Salmonella in swine slaughter and pork processing establishments.” FSIS recommends slaughtering and processing swine in a manner designed to prevent, reduce, or eliminate contamination from occurring at every step of the process. The focus of the process of swine slaughter is to prevent and minimize the risk of Salmonella in their operation and finished products. FSIS also recommends establishments use decontamination and antimicrobial intervention treatments, as necessary, to address any contamination that may result from the slaughter process or that otherwise occurs on carcasses. They also recommend a multi-hurdle approach of interventions and controls to reduce Salmonella. FSIS recommends that regulated establishments focus on pre-harvest controls, effective sanitary dressing, and processing controls to prevent microbiological contamination, including Salmonella. The document also provides information on how to prevent, eliminate, or reduce levels of Salmonella on swine at all stages of slaughter and dressing. @ FSIS-GD-2023-0003: FSIS Guideline to Control Salmonella in Swine Slaughter and Pork Processing Establishments (usda.gov)