FDA receives criticism related to draft policy on food allergen labeling
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently released a draft guidance updating its enforcement policy regarding major food allergen labeling and cross-contact controls. While the draft guidance addresses requirements and [...]
Allergen-related issues persist in Australian product recalls
Recent data released by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) indicates that allergens were the cause of nearly half of all food recalls in Australia in 2022. FSANZ collaborates with state enforcement agencies and [...]
US: new study assesses economic cost of flour-related foodborne illnesses
A recent study funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) discovered that from 2001 to 2021, flour and flour-based food products contributed to foodborne illnesses in the Un [...]
EU Commission pushes ahead with deregulation of New Genetically Engineered organisms
The EU Commission has announced plans to speed up the deregulation of plants derived from new genomic techniques (NGTs or New GE). In a letter to the non-profit organization Testbiotech, the Commission [...]
China approves first gene-edited soybean to boost food production
China has granted its first-ever approval for a gene-edited crop, signaling a growing reliance on scientific advancements to enhance food production. The soybean, created by Shandong Shunfeng Biotechnology Co., Ltd, a privately-owned c [...]
California: 40% of tested agricultural pesticides contain PFAS
Widely used insecticides and pesticides in California, US, have been found to contain high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), according to a study by the Center for Biological Diversity and Public Employees for Environm [...]
Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL) - eHandbook
“Education of consumers, healthcare providers, food business operators, risk assessors and risk managers is critical to PAL management” (FAO/WHO 2021) Introduction What is PA [...]
Risk assessment of exposure to acrylamide using human biomonitoring studies: a complementary tool to environmental monitoring
Nowadays, we are exposed to thousands of chemicals in our daily lifes by many pathways of exposure, for example, by ingestion of food and water, inhalation of air and dust, de [...]
Acrylamide mitigation methods at the factory level
How to apply and adjust processes to achieve levels of acrylamide as low as reasonably achievable below the benchmark level. Cooking is an ancient practice that improves organoleptic properties of foods, nutrient bioavailability, [...]
Foreword Vol.4 Nr.1/2
Affidia is now in its third year of activity. We started just a few months before the Covid-19 pandemic shook the world. One of the consequences of this global disaster was the cancellation of scientific conferences in 2020-2021. Even at the beginning of 2022, some conferences a [...]
Your PAL, my PAL
Why doing Precautionary Allergen Labelling right matters. Let’s take a short walk through history. Back in 1985, the Codex Alimentarius published its ground-breaking labelling standard (FAO/WHO 1985) for the labelling of pre-packaged foods. It was meant to be a better, m [...]
Aflatoxin M1: is it time for a change? (Part 2)
In the last 20 years, aflatoxin M1 has been found in milk at unprecedented levels in southern Europe on several occasions. Is it the result of climate change? What do experts think about the risk to consumers, both now and in the future? Is the best app [...]
