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Abstract by the authors: Washington State University Extension conducted a statewide consumer food safety assessment, to evaluate consumer food safety practices within Washington State, with the intent of creating and delivering new and effective food safety programming. The results of this study showed a lack of consumer knowledge across a broad spectrum. Moreover, the results showed that Extension needs to play a greater role in educating consumers about food safety. Social media and websites are more likely to drive consumer education. Statewide data was sometimes inconsistent with nationwide data, and geographical and demographic differences may play a role in local food safety knowledge. Practical applications: Extension plays a major role in food safety education across the United States. Classical extension programming and access has a far lesser reach in today’s internet‐based society. The information presented below can help direct new methods of education and outreach, by focusing efforts on behavior change and consumer access through web‐based resources..
Abstract by the authors: This review discusses food safety aspects of importance from a One Health perspective, focusing on Europe. Using examples of food pathogen/food commodity combinations, spread of antimicrobial resistance in the food web and the risk of transmission of zoonotic pathogens in a circular system, it demonstrates how different perspectives are interconnected. The chosen examples all show the complexity of the food system and the necessity of using a One Health approach. Food safety resources should be allocated where they contribute most One Health benefits. Data on occurrence and disease burden and knowledge of source attribution are crucial in assessing costs and benefits of control measures. Future achievements in food safety, public health and welfare will largely be based on how well politicians, researchers, industry, national agencies and other stakeholders manage to collaborate using the One Health approach. It can be concluded that closer cooperation between different disciplines is necessary to avoid silo thinking when addressing important food safety challenges. The importance of this is often mentioned, but more proof of concept is needed by the research community.
Abstract by the author: The volume of pork meat production is continuously growing in the EU over previous years due to lower food prices, higher number of reproduction sows and increased volume of pork exports to China. Consumer choices toward pork meat depend on culture, place of residence and social opportunities, as well as their perception regarding safety and quality of pork meat/ meat products. The main biological hazards associated with pork meat/meat products important from the public health perspective are zoonotic food borne pathogens, bacteria and/or parasites, e.g. Salmonella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes, Trichinella spp., Toxoplasma gondii and Verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC), by decreasing order, including associated antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Pathways of infection and contamination of pork meat differ, taking into consideration the multiple entry routes for zoonotic biological hazards along the pork meat chain, from farm to the final product. Therefore, the defined level of safety of pork meat/meat products should be achieved by synergistic action of control measures effectively applied at different points along the pork meat chain and supported by the integrated risk-based food (meat) safety management system in major modules of the meat chain: pre-harvest (farm), harvest (slaughterhouse), post-harvest (meat processing, distribution, retail, consumers), as well as identification and traceability. The integrated meat safety management system should be based on good hygienic practices (GHP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) encompassing the science based hazard analysis and risk characterization, as well as identifying the most effective control options and risk mitigation strategies in the pork meat chain continuum.
Abstract by the authors: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical public health issue that involves interrelationships between people, animals, and the environment. Traditionally, interdisciplinary efforts to mitigate AMR in the food chain have involved public health, human and veterinary medicine, and agriculture stakeholders. Our objective was to identify a more diverse range of stakeholders, beyond those traditionally engaged in AMR mitigation efforts, via diagramming both proximal and distal factors impacting, or impacted by, use and resistance along the Canadian food chain. Results: We identified multiple stakeholders that are not traditionally engaged by public health when working to mitigate AMR in the food chain, including those working broadly in the area of food (e.g., nutrition, food security, international market economists) and health (e.g., health communication, program evaluation), as well as in domains as diverse as law, politics, demography, education, and social innovation. These findings can help researchers and policymakers who work on issues related to AMR in the food chain to move beyond engaging the ‘traditional’ agri-food stakeholders (e.g., veterinarians, farmers), to also engage those from the wider domains identified here, as potential stakeholders in their AMR mitigation efforts.
Abstract by the authors: Antimicrobial use in food-producing animals selects for antimicrobial resistance that can be transmitted to humans via food or other transmission routes. The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2005 ranked the medical importance of antimicrobials used in humans. In late 2017, to preserve the effectiveness of medically important antimicrobials for humans, WHO released guidelines on use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals that incorporated the latest WHO rankings. Methods: WHO commissioned systematic reviews and literature reviews, and convened a Guideline Development Group (GDG) of external experts free of unacceptable conflicts-of-interest. The GDG assessed the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, and formulated recommendations using a structured evidence-to-decision approach that considered the balance of benefits and harms, feasibility, resource implications, and impact on equity. The resulting guidelines were peer-reviewed by an independent External Review Group and approved by the WHO Guidelines Review Committee. Results: These guidelines recommend reductions in the overall use of medically important antimicrobials in food-producing animals, including complete restriction of use of antimicrobials for growth promotion and for disease prevention (i.e., in healthy animals considered at risk of infection). These guidelines also recommend that antimicrobials identified as critically important for humans not be used in food-producing animals for treatment or disease control unless susceptibility testing demonstrates the drug to be the only treatment option. Conclusions: To preserve the effectiveness of medically important antimicrobials, veterinarians, farmers, regulatory agencies, and all other stakeholders are urged to adopt these recommendations and work towards implementation of these guidelines.
Abstract by the authors: Novel foods could represent a sustainable alternative to traditional farming and conventional foodstuffs. Starting in 2018, Regulation (EU) 2283/2015 entered into force, laying down provisions for the approval of novel foods in Europe, including insects. This Approved Regulation establishes the requirements that enable Food Business Operators to bring new foods into the EU market, while ensuring high levels of food safety for European consumers. The present risk profile tackles the hazards for one of the most promising novel food insects, the house cricket (Acheta domesticus). The risk profile envisages a closed A. domesticus crickets rearing system, under Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and good farming practices (GFP), in contrast with open cricket farms. The methodology used involves screening the literature and identifying possible hazards, followed by adding relevant inclusion criteria for the evidence obtained. These criteria include animal health and food safety aspects, for the entire lifespan of crickets, based on the farm to fork One Health principle. When data were scarce, comparative evidence from close relatives of the Orthoptera genus was used (e.g. grasshoppers, locusts and other cricket species). Nevertheless, significant data gaps in animal health and food safety are present. Even if HACCP‐type systems are implemented, the risk profile identifies the following considerable concerns: (1) high total aerobic bacterial counts; (2) survival of spore‐forming bacteria following thermal processing; (3) allergenicity of insects and insect‐derived products; and (4) the bioaccumulation of heavy metals (e.g. cadmium). Other hazards like parasites, fungi, viruses, prions, antimicrobial resistance and toxins are ranked as low risk. For some hazards, a need for additional evidence is highlighted.
Abstract by the authors: This study tested a mediation model of the relationships among new types of media used to obtain news, attributions of responsibility to individuals or the government, risk perceptions, and behavioral intentions for four food safety concerns: genetically modified organisms, food additives, agrochemical residues, and pesticides in dairy products. A sample from a nationwide online panel survey (N = 1,000) found that use of Internet news services (INS) increased attribution of responsibility to the government, whereas social media use positively related to attributions of responsibility to individuals and to the government. Additionally, attribution of responsibility to the government predicted risk perceptions, which, in turn, positively related to behavioral intentions. Regarding mediation effects, use of INS positively and indirectly influenced behavioral intentions when mediated by attribution of responsibility to the government and risk perceptions. Social media had significant indirect effects on behavioral intentions through attribution of responsibility to individuals and attribution of responsibility to the government; through risk perception; and through attribution of responsibility to the government and risk perception. Thus, attribution of responsibility to the government was important to behavioral intentions, and several unique theoretical and practical contributions to health communication research and practice are discussed. Practical applications: This study found that attribution of responsibility to the government was a key mediator between INS or social media and behavioral intentions. Thus, journalists should accurately and sufficiently reveal the causes of and solutions to food safety problems. Also, this study showed that the indirect effect of social media on behavioral intentions was stronger than that of INS. Health communication practitioners and policymakers should pay more attention to the influence of social media when they want to change public perceptions and increase perceived risks to prevent risky behaviors. This approach applies to all public health problems, not only those regarding food safety. Indeed, public health officials and agencies usually have SNS accounts, with which they might directly and actively communicate with the public when food safety is at risk and from which they might launch various public health campaigns.
Abstract by the author: In this study, effect of chitosan (CH) film enriched with cellulose nanoparticle (CN) separately and in combination with ethanolic propolis extract (EPE) on chemical (total volatile base nitrogen content, pH, protein carbonyl content, and peroxide value), microbial (total viable count, psychrotrophic bacteria, Pseudomonas spp., lactic acid bacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae) and sensory (odor, color, and overall acceptability) properties of minced beef meat during refrigerated storage for 14 days was evaluated. Final microbial population decreased approximately 1–5.5 log CFU/g in treated samples compared to control (p < .05). Films containing EPE 2%, EPE 2% + CN 2%, and EPE 2% + CN 1% showed a promising approach for delaying microbial growth as well as lipid and protein oxidation of minced beef meat. There were no negative impacts on sensory properties of samples packed with EPE 2%, EPE 2% + CN 2%, and EPE 2% + CN 1%. Practical applications: Meat is an important source of essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. It is extremely perishable due to high water content, pH, and availability of nutrients. The results of this study showed that minced beef meat's shelf life can be extended by 14 days using chitosan film containing ethanolic propolis extract (1 and 2%) separately and in combination with cellulose nanoparticle (1 and 2%). The synthesized designated films in our study are biodegradable, thus potential in modern active food packaging for the concern of food protection and environmental problems.
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