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On January 10, 2023, the FDA published guidance for industry on the requirements for a foreign supplier verification program (FSVP). in 21 CFR part 1, subpart L, requiring that importers of human or animal food must establish and follow to ensure that each food they import into the United States meets applicable U.S. requirements and is not adulterated or (for human food) misbranded concerning allergen labeling. FDA’s guidance documents do not establish legally enforceable responsibilities. The document describes the FDA’s current thinking. The guidance provides questions and answers to facilitate importers’ understanding of the FSVP requirements. The FSVP rule requires importers to perform risk-based FSVP activities that verify that the food is produced in a way that provides the same level of public health protection as section 418 (concerning hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls) or 419 (concerning standards for the safe production and harvesting of certain fruits and vegetables that are raw agricultural commodities (RACs) of the FD&C Act); The food is not adulterated; and The human food is not misbranded. @ https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-foreign-supplier-verification-programs-importers-food-humans-and-animals?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

A study published in the ASM journal “Microbiology Spectrum” used WGS to provide insights into two species of presumed nonpathogenic Listeria innocua and L. welshimeri and found that they are developing a surprising number of characteristics that are potentially harmful to humans. The study used a comparative genome approach to analyze 41 genome sequences belonging to L. innocua and L. welshimeri isolated from food and food processing facilities. Genetic determinants responsible for disinfectant and stress tolerance were identified, including the efflux cassette bcrABC and Tn6188_qac_1 disinfectant resistance determinant and stress survival islets. These disinfectant-resistant genes were more frequently found in L. innocua (12%) than in L. welshimeri (2%). Several isolates representing the presumed nonpathogenic L. innocua still carried virulence-associated genes absent in all L. welshimeri isolates. The results suggest that the presumed nonpathogenic isolates, especially L. innocua can carry genes relevant to the strain’s virulence and stress tolerance in food processing facilities. The presence of genetic loci previously associated with adaption/survival in stressful conditions was higher in L. innocua, especially L. innocua ST132, than in any of the L. welshimeri strains. Some strains of L. innocua and L. welshimeri examined in the study show three genes for resistance to a widely-used disinfectant from the quaternary ammonium compounds. The study highlights that the low occurrence of important core genes could result from a functional CRISPR-cas system in the Listeria genomes. @ https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.01189-22

The UK authorities published in JFP (January 2023) a study on two foodborne outbreaks caused by contaminated imported melon. Between March and July 2021, there was an outbreak of 113 cases of Salmonella Braenderup in the UK (62% female, median age 61 years, 33% hospitalized). Galia melons from Honduras were identified as the vehicle of infection. Subsequently, the outbreak strain was isolated from two samples of Galia melon imported from Latin America. In July and August 2021, there was an outbreak of 17 cases of STEC O157:H7 in the UK (53% female, median age 21 years, 35% were hospitalized). A questionnaire implicated eating precut watermelon from a retailer as the source of infection. In outbreaks associated with fresh fruit, due to the difficulty in removing pathogens from the fruit’s flesh, efforts should focus on preventing microbial contamination from production to processing to distribution.  @ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362028X22000394