- Help Section
- DEFRA news
- EFSA news
- European Commission
- FICCI
- FSA (UK) news
- FSSAI
- GSFA
- JECFA
- NATCOL news
- US FDA (Safety)
- US FDA (Allergy)
This page contains multiple tabs that contain a variety of news items.
Many of the tabs are populated with news feed content from the organisation’s own RSS feed system. NATCOL does not take responsibility for this content as we only supply a conduit to the originating source. Some tabs provide links to relevant organisation’s own websites and these will open a new browser page for you and you can search for relevant content or new articles from their website.
Usage of this page
Click into the tabs on the left of the page to open this central section with that tab’s content.
Feedback
If you have suggestions, find errors or omissions in this section please let us know and we will endeavour to update this page accordingly.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Concordats set out agreed frameworks for co-operation between it and the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive, which have devolved responsibilities for these matters in their respective nations.
DEFRA automated RSS feed
Activity on GOV.UK
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) that provides independent scientific advice and communicates on existing and emerging risks associated with the food chain. EFSA was established in February 2002, is based in Parma, Italy and had a budget for 2008 of €65.9 million.
The work of EFSA covers all matters with a direct or indirect impact on food and feed safety, including animal health and welfare, plant protection and plant health and nutrition. EFSA supports the European Commission, the European Parliament and EU member states in taking effective and timely risk management decisions that ensure the protection of the health of European consumers and the safety of the food and feed chain. EFSA also communicates to the public in an open and transparent way on all matters within its remit.
EFSA automated RSS feed
EFSA | All updates
Latest items
The dynamic field of food safety faces continuous challenges, prompting stakeholders to develop collaborative actions for improved food safety systems. As part of these actions, the EU-FORA fellowship programme was dedicated to a multi-actor collaboration addressing risks of the unregulated mycotoxins T-2 and HT-2 toxins in oats.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is authorised for use as a chemical compound for the production of plastic food contact materials (FCMs) under Regulation (EU) No 10/2011. But according to requirements of the Regulation (EU) No 2018/213, BPA has been banned in the manufacture of polycarbonate drinking cups or feeding bottles intended for infants and young children. Food has been identified as the main source of human exposure to BPA, followed by dermal absorption, air and dust inhalation, revealing ubiquitous and continuous contact with BPA.
In the frame of the European Food Risk Assessment (EU-FORA) fellowship programme, two studies on chemical contaminants in food matrices were carried out in Warsaw, Poland, at the Department of Food Safety and Chemical Analysis, Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology. The first study addressed health concerns about the dietary exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) contamination due to consumption of soft drink by Polish population.
Plastics are ubiquitously, becoming part of our everyday life. Recently, the issue of human exposure to micro- and nanoplastic particles and potentially resulting toxicological consequences has been broached, triggered by the discovery of microplastics in foodstuff and dietary exposure via contaminated food and beverages.
Anisakiosis is a significant zoonotic disease caused by parasitic nematodes of the Anisakis genus. It can be contracted by humans through the consumption of raw or undercooked fish contaminated with the parasite, leading to gastrointestinal and allergic symptoms. While anisakiosis is not frequently documented in Portugal, the presence of allergic reactions to Anisakis in Spain suggests ongoing exposure in the Iberian Peninsula.
Plant Protection Products, also called ‘pesticides’, are intended to protect crops by controlling pests, weeds and diseases. This Technical Report contains a description of the activities within the work programme of the EU-FORA Fellowship on the training in the evaluation of pesticides (active substances and plant protection products) according to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009.
Quantitative microbiological risk assessment (QMRA) methodology aims to estimate and describe the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms from animals and food to humans. In microbiological literature, the availability of whole genome sequencing (WGS) data is rapidly increasing, and incorporating this data into QMRA has the potential to enhance the reliability of risk estimates.
The EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of Lepidosaphes pineti Borchsenius the pine oyster scale, Lepidosaphes pini (Maskell) the Oriental pine scale and Lepidosaphes piniphila Borchsenius (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) for the EU, following a commodity risk assessment of dwarfed Pinus parviflora grafted onto P. thunbergii from China in which the three Lepidosaphes species were identified as pests of possible concern to the EU. All three species are native to Asia. L. pineti is only known from China; L.
The EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of Mimela testaceipes (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), the striated chafer, for the EU, following a commodity risk assessment of dwarfed Pinus parviflora grafted onto P. thunbergii from China in which M. testaceipes was identified as a pest of possible concern to the EU. M. testaceipes occurs in Japan, northeast China, Far East Russia, South Korea and very likely North Korea.
The food enzyme bacillolysin (EC 3.4.24.28) is produced with the non-genetically modified Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain GNP by DSM Food Specialties B.V. The production strain qualifies for the qualified presumption of safety (QPS) approach to safety assessment.
The food enzyme bacillolysin (EC 3.4.24.28) is produced with the non-genetically modified Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain AGS 430 by Kerry Ingredients & Flavours Ltd. The production strain qualifies for the qualified presumption of safety (QPS) approach to safety assessment.
The food and feed sector in Europe is rapidly evolving to address contemporary challenges, striving for fairer, safer, greener and more sustainable food systems. This includes the exploration of new protein sources for human consumption and animal feed such as protein derived from insects, algae or novel plant-derived proteins, and the re-evaluation of existing sources like processed animal protein (PAP).
Human pathogenic Salmonella enterica strains have been infecting people since historical times. The original human pathogens, typhoid Salmonella strains (e.g. S. Typhi) played a huge role in the previous centuries but nowadays in the developed world the number of cases or outbreaks caused by these serotypes deceased due to the development of personal and public hygiene. Nowadays in these regions the animal-borne zoonotic serotypes (e.g. S. Enteritidis) became more important because of their high prevalence in intensive animal husbandry.
On-going projects of the team are currently dealing with microbiota, xenobiotics, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), obesity, inflammation and probiotics. The combination of diet, lifestyle and the exposure to dietary xenobiotics categorised into microbiota-disrupting chemicals (MDCs) could determine obesogenic-related dysbiosis. This modification of the microbiota diversity impacts on individual health–disease balance, inducing altered phenotypes.
The prevention and control of bacterial contamination on ready-to-eat (RTE) fresh produce is an essential task to ensure food safety. Therefore, the development of novel and effective decontamination technologies to ensure microbiological safety of fruits and vegetables has gained considerable attention and new sanitisation methods are needed. The antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EOs) is well documented, but their application in fresh produce remains a challenge due to their hydrophobic nature.
DIRECTORATE-GENERALSANTE
Health and Food Safety
This Commission department is responsible for EU policy on food safety and health and for monitoring the implementation of related laws.
FICCI is the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Established in 1927, FICCI is the largest and oldest apex business organisation in India. Its history is closely interwoven with India’s struggle for independence, its industrialization, and its emergence as one of the most rapidly growing global economies.
A non-government, not-for-profit organisation, FICCI is the voice of India’s business and industry. From influencing policy to encouraging debate, engaging with policy makers and civil society, FICCI articulates the views and concerns of industry. It serves its members from the Indian private and public corporate sectors and multinational companies, drawing its strength from diverse regional chambers of commerce and industry across states, reaching out to over 2,50,000 companies.
FICCI provides a platform for networking and consensus building within and across sectors and is the first port of call for Indian industry, policy makers and the international business community.
Established in 2000 following several high-profile outbreaks of foodborne illness, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the independent government department working to protect public health and consumers’ wider interests in relation to food in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
FSA automated RSS feed
Food Allergies
FSSAI sets globally benchmarked standards and practices; ensures consistent and transparent enforcement and credible food testing; facilitates hassle free food imports; improves compliance through training and capacity building of regulatory staff and food businesses, educates citizens by nudging social and behavioural change. FSSAI performs these functions through its several divisions.
Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA) Online Database
The “Codex General Standard for Food Additives” (GSFA, Codex STAN 192-1995) sets forth the conditions under which permitted food additives may be used in all foods, whether or not they have previously been standardized by Codex. The Preamble of the GSFA contains additional information for interpreting the data. Users are encouraged to consult the Preamble when using this database.
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) is an international expert scientific committee that is administered jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The latest news stories from NATCOL
FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
FDA automated RSS feed
FDA Food Safety Recalls RSS Feed
FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.