Laurent Oger’s Post

Today, on World Food Safety Day, we emphasise the importance of safe food for sustaining life and promoting good health. Low/no calorie sweeteners (LNCS) support this goal by providing sweet options with reduced sugar content. To ensure their safety for market use, low/no calorie sweeteners undergo rigorous safety assessments by food safety authorities. Experts review extensive research on their chemistry, metabolism, uses, exposure, and toxicology. Only when there is no safety concern, LNCS are permitted for use in foods and beverages. Learn more about safety control in our latest factsheet. https://lnkd.in/eV2WUkKM #WorldFoodSafetyDay

Before I started my career as a food Microbiologist, whenever I saw NAFDAC registration number,SON approved and others,I only thought it was a number given to products that have been registered ® ️. I never knew that there was a lot of work and processes to be followed before these products can be certified. Not until I started working with a Quality Assurance laboratory where clients bring their products for regulatory analysis as a requirement for their product to be certified. This was when I learnt that before a product is certified it has to pass the microbiological,chemical, physical, composition test in which they will be given a Certificate of Analysis (COA)to be tendered to the regulatory authority. Regulatory authorities like ISO,CODEX, SON help to set permissible levels of microorganisms, chemicals, and other contaminants in our food. This minimizes the risk of foodborne illnesses caused by pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which can have severe consequences on public health. Regulations go beyond safety; they also focus on quality. They set criteria for food composition, nutritional value, and freshness, which help maintain the integrity and quality of food products. For instance, regulations on food additives and preservatives help balance the need for shelf stability with consumer safety. Compliance with regulations helps to minimize the risk of contamination from pathogens, chemicals, and physical hazards, ensuring that food is safe for consumption. Compliance with labeling and transparency regulations ensures that consumers receive accurate information about the food they purchase, including ingredients, nutritional content, and allergen information. This builds trust and confidence in the brand and the food industry as a whole. Companies can significantly reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses, which not only protects consumers but also enhances the reputation of compliant brands when they adhere to regulations. Food safety is everyone’s responsibility. Share your experiences or insights on the importance of regulations, and let’s work together towards a safer food industry! #Microbiologyandfoodscience #Regulations #Foodsafety #Complaince #Day18of25

“In a complex world where consumer groups, state-level legislations, and the FDA all seek to identify, review, and prioritize food additive safety, it is essential...to understand the concerns, science, and implications of the resulting actions," shared IFT Chief Science and Technology Officer Bryan Hitchcock. Starting in 2027, the California Food Safety Act will prohibit four commonly used food additives––brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red dye 3. As other states consider similar legislation, join IFT’s Concierge Service this Friday, February 16, for a FREE webinar to learn what stakeholders should be considering in the days ahead: https://hubs.la/Q02kHxZJ0 #FoodAndBeverage #FoodSafety #FDA

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A consumer group has urged EU regulators to hurry up and set long-awaited maximum limits for #acrylamide in foods like coffee, crisps, biscuits and breakfast cereals. 🚫 > Safe Food Advocacy Europe (SAFE) has published a position paper calling for the European Commission - which accepted the need for maximum limits back in 2017 - to act. > The EU’s scientific adviser, the European Food Safety Authority, has also linked acrylamide with neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and adverse effects on reproduction and development. > SAFE said it was “very disappointed” by the lack of progress on the issue, particularly as there was also a lack of awareness among consumers about acrylamide’s dangers. 🔬 Check out LGC Standards' wide range of reference materials and research chemicals to support your laboratory’s acrylamide studies: https://okt.to/WP4Ab6 #FoodSafety #FoodAnalysis

FSSAI Notification Alert!! 🚨 🚨 FSSAI Issued a draft of FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations, 2024 related to standards for ultra pasteurization, and pasteurization of various products. Read here in detail https://lnkd.in/gr-Em75p #fssai #fssainotificaton #foodsafety #pasteurization #processedfood #wheyprotein #soyprotein #draftregulation #foodprocessing #foodmanufacturing #foodsafetyworks #stayupdated

When the 'we attitude' is not flourishing, rest assured the slightest product non-conformance becomes an echo chamber of finger-pointing. If 'we' cannot own our internal issues, how can 'we' even begin looking to address underlying causes of those issues? It's a big challenge in many organisations. Why not encourage a collaborative and blame-free environment to promote open communication? Why not focus on solutions instead of dwelling on who is at fault? Shift the focus to finding effective solutions and preventing future occurrences. Implement changes based on thorough investigation and use effective tools such as root cause analysis findings to continuously improve processes and systems. Thank you Frank for raising awareness again. We do have real work to do at consumer consciousness in Food Safety and Food manufacturing.

If you consume cereal-based foods and breakfast cereals, this post is for you! Recently, there has been a significant surge in the consumption of cereal grains, including durum wheat grains and unprocessed maize grains, as well as cereal-based foods, snacks, and breakfast cereals. How about food safety (toxicology) regulations!? Concurrently, there have been updates to food safety regulations. EU is set to enforce new or adjusted maximum levels for mycotoxins like deoxynivalenol (DON) and T-2/HT-2 toxin. These revised maximum levels will be incorporated into the  European Contaminants Regulation (EU) 2023/915 https://lnkd.in/gr4i8pit through amending regulations. Final drafts for both regulations, D092049/02 https://lnkd.in/gKsD35MM (deoxynivalenol) and D092050/02 https://lnkd.in/gtcXVwab (T-2/HT-2 Toxin), have already been adopted. #foodsafety #foodmicrobiology #toxicology

🍏 The FDA is ramping up its vigilance on chemical risks, allergen thresholds, and enforcing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) more rigorously in 2024. Recent concerns about lead in applesauce and a crackdown on chemical additives highlight the urgent need for stricter food safety measures. Stay informed on how these changes impact the industry in our latest Week-In-Brief.    Read more: https://lnkd.in/gxbepJ_M     #FoodSafety #FDA #FSMA #ChemicalRisks #AllergenThresholds #RegulatoryNews 

Lots of finger pointing as to where the contamination may have originated from, but the producer and importer of the apple sauce pouches had legal responsibilities too to do a competent hazard analysis, identify lead in cinnamon as a “reasonably foreseeable hazard”, and implement appropriate controls. Let’s not get lost in all of the finger pointing. Food safety is a “shared responsibility” and there were numerous layers of protection missed. And while I wish the spice wouldn’t have been contaminated, 1) the producer of the applesauce had a responsibility to ensure they were not using adulterated ingredients, 2) the importer had a responsibility to to ensure the food met US food safety standards, and 3) I’m told the the manufacturer had passed both regulatory and private sector audits, where auditors may have missed that lead was not identified as a potential hazard needing controls. Let’s demystify the many hurdles that were missed and ensure everyone is doing their part in a more “competent manner.” Redundancy in safety models are good for a reason. Hopefully, one of the numerous hurdles would have worked.