In the news

More traceability is catching up not only in the US but also in Australia. The New South Wales government has announced a new program for fresh melons, using FreshChain traceability technology. The program will use QR codes to connect consumers with fruit growers, help prevent bacteria outbreaks and enhance the traceability systems by providing information on origin, freshness, and safety. Melons were chosen for the pilot program because there was a national listeriosis outbreak in Australia two years ago. The state government partnered with FreshChain, an Australian-owned and operated technology company, to deliver the pilot program. The government asked for farmers, especially melons, berries, and leafy vegetables, to participate in the study. The program places producers at the forefront of the rapidly evolving digital traceability opportunities worldwide. Solutions like this support the National Traceability Framework and strengthen Australian exports’ competitiveness. @ http://www.fruitnet.com/produceplus/article/183881/nsw-tightens-melon-traceability

A study characterizing Listeria diversity in wildlife feces and agricultural water collected from a New York state produce farm over a growing season was published in J Food Prot (2021) 84 (1): 113–121. The data presented indicate that Listeria is prevalent in the New York state preharvest produce environment. Of the 209 samples collected, 41% were positive for Listeria monocytogenes (LM), and 24% were positive for other Listeria species. A considerable diversity at a small spatial scale was observed for both LM, and other Listeria spp. in the farm environment investigated. The results suggest that traceback investigations may be challenging. To traceback finished product or processing facility contamination with specific subtypes to preharvest sources may require the collection of large sample sets and characterization of a considerable number of isolates. Listeria from the preharvest environment is likely to contaminate produce and/or be introduced to the processing environment. @ https://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article/84/1/113/444007/Small-Produce-Farm-Environments-Can-Harbor-Diverse

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced that Monaghan Mushrooms Ltd. recalls Belle Grove brand Whole White Mushrooms from the marketplace because they may permit the growth of Clostridium botulinum. The company triggered the recall. The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation, which may lead to the recall of other products. The mushrooms were sold in Ontario in 227 gram packages with a best before the date of Jan. 15, 2021. There have been no reports of any illness linked to the mushrooms. @ https://www.inspection.gc.ca/food-recall-warnings-and-allergy-alerts/2021-01-08/eng/1610169805106/1610169810071

 The Global Food-source Identifier (GFI) was developed as an international, open, shared, and searchable data catalog of past foodborne disease outbreaks (FBO) (Food Control Volume 121, March 2021, 107623). The system has two objectives: (i) create a collaborative online community of FBO investigators, encouraging the international sharing of data; (ii) to support foodborne outbreak investigation worldwide by providing access to detailed records of past outbreaks, which can convey insight into potential ‘risk foods’ of a detected pathogen. GFI is hosted within a Virtual Research Environment (VRE). The scientists developing the system selected 46 attributes to characterize an outbreak record. The analysis included the relationship between the most frequent causative agents and outbreak food sources. It is envisioned that GFI will contribute to the success of FBO investigations worldwide. The database was populated with records of 102 outbreaks in Denmark from 2005 to 2016, covering the most frequent pathogens and a range of typing methods to demonstrate the system potential. @ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713520305399