A protocol for the collection of honey reference samples for the creation of authenticity databases has been developed by the UK Government. Honey is one of the food commodities most subject to food fraud.

On November 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) will begin a one-year sampling program of domestic beef, pork, and Siluriformes fish (commonly referred to as catfish) to determine levels of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has released a notice informing agency inspection program personnel about the continuation of and changes to the Raw Pork Products Sampling Program.

The vast majority of food on the market in Canada meets standards for chemical residues, according to a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) report summarizing sampling activities conducted in 2020–2021.

Hygiena’s Innovate RapiScreen Dairy and Beverage Kits are the first methods to be awarded the AOAC RI Performance-Tested MethodsSM (PTM) Certification for the entire product testing workflow.

The International Dairy Federation (IDF) recently published a new document to help the dairy industry conduct in-process product sampling that produces accurate and actionable microbiological data. 

The establishment of a comprehensive surveillance program that harnesses the benefits of whole genome sequencing (WGS) requires a coordinated approach involving multiple stakeholders at multiple levels within the framework of One Health. EFSA is actively collaborating with the network of EU experts to foster cooperation and promote equitable data-sharing practices, and is also committed to ensuring a more balanced contribution from all European countries and providing effective support and resources when necessary.

In this Food Safety Insights column, we continue to explore processors' near-term priorities for food safety programs, as well as the regulations and issues they are watching that will have the most impact on their programs in the future. Food safety culture, microbiological control (including environmental monitoring), and sanitation and hygiene are three of processors' indicated top priorities for the near term.

Non-cultivable foodborne pathogens, such as enteric viruses and protozoan parasites like Cyclospora, present unique challenges in our food system due to significant limitations in sampling and detection. This article covers the methodological drawbacks of current methods related to interpretation of results and public health risk, while offering alternative food safety management principles to address the prevalence of these pathogens in food.

After reviewing its sampling and testing programs, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will implement changes to its sampling programs for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. The agency also explained its sampling and testing priorities.