Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety最新文献

To safeguard the health of users when handling plant protection products, risk mitigation measures are prescribed as safety instructions in Germany. The safety instructions are part of the registration certificate and must be followed by operators and workers. Mitigation measures, such as using personal protective equipment, are determined in a tiered approach. They are the result of a quantitative exposure assessment in order to comply with the relevant health-based limit values. In addition, personal protective equipment is selected based on the classification and labelling of plant protection products according to the European CLP-Regulation, which is addressed in the present report.

The Working Group on Method Performance Requirements (WG-MPR) of the European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL) and the EU Reference Laboratory for Genetically Modified Food and Feed (EURL GMFF) have extended the scope of its guidance document on the “Definition of minimum performance requirements for analytical methods of GMO testing”. This document establishes criteria for the development and validation of methods for GMO analysis, both for EU market authorization applications and for official food and feed control. The guidance outlines definitions and performance requirements for methods used to detect and quantify GMOs and has recently been expanded to include digital PCR methods, the detection of genetically modified animals, and the analysis of products developed using new mutagenesis techniques. The guidance document is freely available on the EURL GMFF website (https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC125975 accessed 25.02.2025).

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) constitute a group of anthropogenic compounds that are ubiquitously distributed in the environment due to their widespread use in various industrial processes and consumer products. Among foodstuffs of animal origin, wild boar (Sus scrofa) livers may contain particularly high levels of PFAS. Additionally, wild boars have been identified as suitable bioindicators and are used by German national authorities for monitoring purposes. In the context of consumer health risk assessment, information on influencing environmental factors is crucial for the risk analysis process. The objective of this study was to systematically analyze reports from the national monitoring program on PFAS concentrations in wild boar livers from 3 German federal states (n = 217). The analysis was based on publicly available data on land use characteristics, including urbanization, industry, agriculture, and forest areas in the sampled regions. Overall, data on sample characteristics (e.g., age, sex, body weight) varied between and within Federal States and counties. Despite these inconsistencies, statistical analyses revealed significant differences in the average PFAS concentrations between counties within the Federal States. Additionally, significant correlations were observed between land use features and PFAS concentrations, varying by Federal State and substance. In conclusion, land-use-based evaluations of food monitoring data may prove valuable for characterizing PFAS levels in wild boar liver. Harmonizing sampling protocols, data collection, and analytical methods among state laboratories will improve the comparability and interpretation of official monitoring data in future assessments.

Integrated livestock system (ILS) is a holistic and sustainable farming practice aimed at optimizing the productivity and efficiency of agriculture through the combination of different agricultural components including crops, livestock, aquaculture and forestry. In order to create a balanced ecosystem, reduce waste and increase the efficiency of resource use, as well as contribute to food security, this approach emphasises the interactions between these components. As the ILS has re-emerged due to its potential to maximize production and sustainability, this article provides a systematic literature review on ILS using machine learning. In particular, text mining (TM) and topic analysis (TA) reveal trends, challenges and opportunities in ILS, paving the way for informed decision-making. Descriptive statistics, TM, and TA were carried out on a total of 19 articles retrieved from Scopus^®. The findings revealed an increase in publications in 2023, with TM highlighting the terms that exhibited the highest weighted frequency. Particularly, ‘antimicrobial’ and ‘resist’ emerged as the most prominent topics of interest. TA identified the main research areas in the following order: “ILS in aquaculture,” “economic models for ILS,” “geographical distribution of ILS,” “ILS and antimicrobial resistance,” and “sustainability in ILS”. The analysis suggests that growing awareness of the necessity for sustainable production systems has increased interest in ILS, positioning it as a promising strategy for minimizing environmental impact and increasing resource efficiency.

Food safety concerns in Afghanistan are intricate, resulting from an intersection of inadequate infrastructure, widespread food insecurity, and the prevalent presence of foodborne pathogens including coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, which have led to associated illnesses. These obstacles pose significant risks to public health and mandatory food safety training and certification programs should be introduced to improve hygiene standards among meat handlers in Kandahar City. A cross-sectional study was conducted engaging 95 meat handlers during the timeframe extending from July to August 2024. Data collection was executed through in-person interviews employing a rigorously constructed questionnaire. The questionnaire was organized into three sections: socio-demographic attributes, food safety knowledge assessments, and food safety practices evaluations. Our results indicated that 95.80% of meat handlers exhibited a high level of food safety knowledge; however, 65.3% did not demonstrate adequate understanding of food poisoning, while 69.95% of respondents exhibited awareness regarding infectious diseases. Our analysis revealed a significant correlation between educational attainment and possession of a health certificate with the degree of food safety knowledge. The study advocates for specialized training programs to enhance personal and environmental hygiene to bolster compliance with food safety standards. Consequently, it is advisable to implement the formulation of a comprehensive food safety policy within the context of a One Health framework, alongside fostering collaborative initiatives aimed at enhancing awareness among various stakeholders involved in food safety.

The study used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to characterize 12 isolates of L. welshimeri recovered from the beef production chain in Gauteng province, South Africa. Two sequence types (STs) were identified, with ST3294 accounting for 75% (9/12) and ST1084 for 16.7% (2/12) of the isolates. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) plasmids detected included conjugative plasmid (MOBP2; T_virB11; virb4) in 58.3% and AMR plasmid (NFO33156) in 41.7% of the isolates. Two AMR genes, fosX (25%) and vga (G) (100%), along with 11 virulence factors, were present in all 12 isolates of L. welshimeri. The phylogenomic tree of L. welshimeri clustering based on the ST according to the source, type, and class of beef and beef products revealed three groups: ST3294 (n = 9), ST1084 (n = 2), and unassigned ST (n = 1). The findings of this study demonstrate the potential for transferring genetic materials from non-pathogenic L. welshimeri to pathogenic L. monocytogenes within the same ecological niche.

Fish and seafood can harbor pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria, posing health risks to consumers. These bacteria, known for causing severe gastrointestinal diseases, may also carry antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. This study investigated the occurrence and AMR patterns of Gram-negative bacteria in raw fish fillets from a Brazilian seafood market, based on a limited sample of species commonly consumed raw, including trout, tilapia, and pangasius. Muscle samples were analyzed using microbiological methods, including isolation on selective media supplemented with antimicrobials. Bacterial species identification was conducted using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), while antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method. A diverse array of bacterial species was detected in 28 colonies selected for identification, including Aeromonas veronii (60.71%), Morganella morganii (17.85%) Pseudomonas otitidis (7.14%), Acinetobacter baumannii (3.57%), Aeromonas jandaei (3.57%), and Citrobacter braakii (3.57%). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicated varying resistance profiles. Excluding intrinsic resistance, 50% of the isolates were resistant to amoxicillin + clavulanic acid, 7.14% to ceftriaxone, 7.14% to chloramphenicol, and 3.57% to cefotaxime, with no multidrug resistance detected. All fish originated from aquaculture, contamination may stem from antimicrobial use or mishandling during transportation and storage. These findings highlight the need for strengthened monitoring and management strategies to ensure seafood safety, particularly for raw-consumed species popular in Japanese cuisine.

This study is the first in the Caucasus region to investigate the presence of chloramphenicol (CAP) residues in broiler chicken meat sold in Yerevan, Armenia, and to assess potential health risks. A food frequency questionnaire was distributed among 1,040 adults in Yerevan to determine chicken consumption patterns. Respondents were then classified into 3 clusters using K-means clustering. 30 broiler chicken meat samples, including 18 local and 12 imported products, were collected and analyzed for CAP residues using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Potential health risks were evaluated by calculating Daily Intake (DI) and Margin of Exposure (MOE) for each consumer cluster, using both deterministic and probabilistic approaches. Due to CAP genotoxicity, an MOE below 10,000 was considered indicative of a potential health concern. CAP residues were detected in 60% of the broiler chicken meat samples, with higher detection rates and concentrations in imported products compared to local ones. Both deterministic and probabilistic analyses, including Monte Carlo simulations, indicated that CAP residues in chicken meat is unlikely to pose a health risk to the studied population. While exposure through chicken meat alone does not raise immediate concern, available literature indicates that CAP exposure may also occur through the consumption of other food products, calling for a comprehensive risk assessment. These findings highlight the need of stricter monitoring and regulation of CAP residues from farm to market, especially in countries like Armenia, where chicken meat is a major dietary component. The study also emphasizes the importance of using comprehensive risk assessment approaches for veterinary drug residues, also by combining deterministic and probabilistic methods.