Organic food is promoted as “better” food. But what does “better” mean? And do industrialised processes mean organic production encounters the same pitfalls as conventional agriculture?     Introduction Consumer cotestncern over the quality and safety of conventional food is one of the drivers of the increasing dem [...]

European consumers spent years unknowingly eating eggs contaminated by a banned pesticide. Was it really unpredictable? Could it happen again?A brief history On 22 July 2017, Dutch consumers read in their newspapers that the eggs in their markets may be contaminated by a pesticide. In a few days, the alarm spread and became a European crisis, [...]

Dietary supplements: how natural contaminants may turn botanical remedies into a Pandora’s box.     Food supplements: a growing market trend  According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA 2009), food supplements are “concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances with a nutritional or physiological effect that are marketed in [...]

A mandatory, unique, standardized register for all EU member States is necessary, despite the difficulties of implementation. However, such a register is still a long way off.    Introduction  While most people around the world can enjoy their meals without a second thought, for an unlucky few, what is on their plate could be a death sentence. A [...]

A perfect tool for implementing the allergen analysis as part of the food safety quality control assessment.It is well known that food allergies are an immune system reaction to a food or a substance in food. Even a tiny amount of allergy-causing food can trigger signs and symptoms such as digestive problems, hives or swollen airways. In some peopl [...]

New assay for measurement of gluten in oats and avoiding false negatives in the analysis of milk substitutes.  While there are many kits available for the detection of gluten from wheat, barley and rye, there has not been a reliable kit for the detection of oat prolamins until now.  ELISA Systems has recently released a kit for the detection of o [...]

An International Standard based Real-Time PCR detection portfolio.DNA based technology is a relatively new approach for the detection of food allergens, a field traditionally dominated by immunoassays. DNA methods are indirect methods to detect food allergens as they do not detect the allergenic protein itself, but the DNA sequences from the allerg [...]

Russian scientists and environmentalists have raised concerns that some food on the grocery shelves could be contaminated with agricultural chemicals. Abnormal bee mortality in Central Russia caused losses close to 1 trillion rubles (USD 5 billion) for farmers over the past few years according to official estimates from the Russian National Union o [...]

Introducing alternative and sustainable sources of proteins in the human diet is crucial to guarantee nutrition security while reducing the impact on the environment. Allergenicity assessment of novel ingredients aims to provide safe food to consumers.    Introduction    The world population is increasing by 1% every year. From [...]

Agrochemicals and pesticides as indirect actuators of antimicrobial resistance.Introduction  Agriculture is important for a country’s economy. With increasing industrialisation and growing populations, land resources for cultivation are decreasing. Large amounts of chemicals are used worldwide to control pests and weeds and to increase crop yiel [...]

Since early 2021, we have stopped seeing the numerous recalls triggered by the presence of ethylene oxide (EO) in ingredients and food products. Quite “surprisingly”, a lot of certified organic food products were implicated in these recalls, and so-called locally-made foods have turned out to contain very non-local ingredients. But is it really [...]

Laboratory managers can choose between plate-based reference methods or proprietary methods. Faster but often more expensive, how can we be sure proprietary methods meet or exceed reference method performance?IntroductionAnalytical methods and their performance parameters have been defined as one of the components of a microbiological criterion for [...]

A complex interrelationship of global, regional, national, and private trade and analytical standards for olive oil and olive oil grading provides assurance at every step from tree to consumer. Introduction Olive oil is an ancient food oil with a long history and current prominence in dietary approaches based on traditional Mediterranean eating h [...]

The list of regulated chemical substances is different, the maxium allowed concentrations are sometimes different and in each country or Federation there are often changes in the regulation. In a few cases such differences can represent a trade barrier.Abbreviations:Codex • Codex Alimentarius CommissionCU • Customs UnionML • Maximum LevelMRL [...]

Digital communication technologies have tremendous potential to facilitate effective risk communication about existing and emerging food safety threats. However, some caution regarding social exclusion and ethical issues is needed. The need for effective risk benefit communication Effective risk communication about food issues is important from t [...]