Food Protection Trends - May 2010 - 290

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN FOOD SAFETY
tious choices. The FDA soon will propose guidance regarding calorie and nutrient labeling on the front of food packages and plans to work collaboratively with the food industry to design and implement innovative approaches to front-of-package labeling that can help consumers choose healthy diets.

USDA and FDA Coordinating Efforts to Ensure Safety of Produce

T

Auburn’s Food Science Program Moves to Department of Poultry Science

I

n a strategic move to consolidate food safety efforts at Auburn University, a proposal is in process to transfer the university’s food science program from the College of Human Sciences back into the College of Agriculture, its original academic home. Pending required approvals, the food science program will become a formal part of the Department of Poultry Science. Three current food science faculty members will join the department, and the food science teaching program will become an option within the poultry science curriculum. “Given that the Alabama poultry industry represents a modern global food industry, moving the food science program will allow the department and the College of Agriculture to better serve the poultry industry’s needs,” said Don Conner, head of the poultry science department. “We will continue to have strong efforts devoted to live production, and adding strength in the food science discipline will uniquely position our department to truly address critical issues from the farm to the fork,” he added. Auburn University is developing a comprehensive Food Safety Initiative to address critical food safety issues facing our state and nation, and the Department of Poultry Science will play a key role in this university-wide initiative.

he US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration are working together to achieve the goals of enhancing the safety and quality of fresh produce in ways that take into account the wide diversity of farming operations. We are committed to leveraging the expertise of our partner agencies and working together to ensure that our current produce safety and quality activities are complementary and consistent. While USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is in the midst of evaluating a proposed marketing agreement for the leafy green industry, the FDA is currently developing a proposed produce safety regulation. It is our expectation that these products will take into account the diverse nature of farming operations and that any marketing agreement would conform to any regulations that may be promulgated by FDA. The success of these efforts depends on the feedback and comments we receive from growers and other produce safety stakeholders. AMS will continue to review the comments that have been submitted to USDA on the proposed marketing agreement. To further inform its planned rulemaking, the FDA is announcing the establishment of a docket to receive information about current practices and conditions for the production and packing of fresh produce and practical approaches to improving produce safety. The FDA will work with AMS to have the testimony from the AMS hearings placed in the FDA docket for consideration by the FDA. The FDA encourages all interested persons to submit information they believe will inform the development of safety standards for fresh produce at the farm and packing house, as well as strategies and cooperative efforts to ensure compliance with those standards.

Enviro Tech Chemical Services Awarded FDA Food Contact Notification 944 for New Bromine-based Antimicrobial Developed for Meat and Poultry Industry
nviro Tech Chemical Services, Inc., a company in bromine chemistry, was awarded FDA Food Contact Notification (FCN) 944 for a newly developed brominebased, liquid antimicrobial that the company will market as “HB2.” FCN 944 allows for the use of HB2 in the meat and poultry industry, giving food processors a powerful preventive weapon in the battle against foodborne illnesses spread by outbreaks of Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter, and other bacterial and spoilage-causing microorganisms. HB2’s patent pending technology offers antimicrobial benefits comparable to chlorine-based products, but with significant advantages, including increased stability at the higher pH levels encountered in most food processing applications. While HB2 may be used in higher concentrations than chlorine, enhancing its efficacy, its toxicology profile is more benign than chlorinebased antimicrobials. “In the field of bromine-based antimicrobials, HB2 is unsurpassed in terms of efficacy, cost effectiveness, ease of use, and worker safety,” said Jonathan Howarth, Ph.D., Enviro Tech’s vice president of technology. Bromine-based antimicrobials have proven efficacious in combating pathogen-causing bacteria. As the regulatory environment and public scrutiny requires heightened vigilance in preventing outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, HB2 should help meat and poultry processors in their efforts to adhere to the highest standards for food safety.

E

290 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | MAY 2010
Food Protection Trends - May 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - May 2010
