In the news

The CFIA reported that Le Fromage au Village brand Le Cru du Clocher raw milk cheddar cheese was recalled from the Canadian marketplace due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recalled products have been sold online in Ontario and Quebec and may have been distributed in other provinces and territories. The recall was triggered by findings by CFIA during its investigation into a foodborne illness outbreak. There have been reported illnesses that may be associated with consuming these products. Further lab testing is underway to confirm the link. @ https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/fromage-au-village-brand-cru-du-clocher-raw-milk-cheddar-cheese-recalled-due-listeria?utm_source=gc-notify&utm_medium=email&utm_content=en&utm_campaign=hc-sc-rsa-22-23&

In November 2022, the FDA published its Final Food Traceability Rule, Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods. The Rule requires companies that manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods listed on the Food Traceability List (FTL) to maintain detailed records on their supply chain and suppliers, including “Key Data Elements” (KDEs), about how those supplies handled and processed. Bob Ferguson published the results of a questionnaire on the new Traceability rule in Food Safety and its impact on food processors. They surveyed   ~100 companies in the US, Canada, and 13 other countries. 88% of US companies are aware of the new rules. However, less than 50% of international companies are aware of it. The top concerns are about application and enforcement and how the FDA will approach enforcement for products that appear to be covered under the FTL but are not precisely defined in the text of the Rule. Many questioned the type and intensity of enforcement being expected. Companies, especially small ones, are requesting help to comply. Another concern is getting further clarity on the steps required for compliance. Companies are concerned about the complexity of the programs and recordkeeping needed and important considerations on additional staffing and costs required to comply with the Traceability Rule. Only 5 % of processors said they had “no concerns” about the Rule. 87 % of companies said that a three-year compliance timeframe was reasonable, and 11 % were not sure. @ https://digitaledition.food-safety.com/february-march-2023/column-food-safety-insights/

A new publication describes a novel antibiotic, Albicidin, with bactericidal activity towards fluoroquinolone-resistant Gram-negative pathogens (Michalczyk, E., Hommernick, K., Behroz, I. et al. Molecular mechanism of topoisomerase poisoning by the peptide antibiotic Albicidin. Nat Catal 6, 52–67 (2023)). Albicidin employs a dual binding mechanism where one end of the molecule obstructs the crucial gyrase dimer interface while the other intercalates between the fragments of cleaved DNA substrate. Therefore, Albicidin efficiently locks DNA gyrase, preventing it from religating DNA and completing its catalytic cycle. Two additional structures of this trapped state were determined using synthetic Albicidin analogues, demonstrating improved solubility and activity against various gyrase variants and E. coli topoisomerase IV. The extraordinary promiscuity of the DNA-intercalating region of Albicidin and their excellent performance against fluoroquinolone-resistant bacteria holds great promise for the development of last-resort antibiotics.@ https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-022-00904-1