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Abstract: This editorial summarises a set of three new standards developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand, which respectively address food safety requirements for the commodities of berries, leafy vegetables, and melons., (© Commonwealth of Australia CC BY-NC-ND.)

Foodborne disease resulting from food sold at urban informal markets is a major public health challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed the impact of an innovative nine-months multi-media campaign engaging a key influencer, aimed at empowering consumers to choose safer ready-to-eat chicken meat at informal street restaurants in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. A two-wave panel study assessed associations between recall of TV, radio, billboard, and social media advertisements, and self-reported behavior regarding purchasing and consumption of ready-to-eat chicken at outlets, consumer intentions, knowledge, attitudes, norms, and agency. A panel of randomly selected adult consumers (n = 852) were interviewed pre- and post-campaign, 12 months apart. 60% recalled at least one of the campaign channels when prompted. Mixed-effects models showed associations between prompted recall and feeling better informed about food safety (aOR 1.449) and increased knowledge (0.132 unit increase on total score). Social media recall was associated with higher perceived access to information (aOR 1.449) and knowledge. Billboard recall increased odds of higher perceived health benefits of paying attention to food safety behaviors when purchasing chicken (aOR 2.046). TV ad recall was associated with a 0.159 unit decrease in the gap between consumers' intentions and behavior. An engaging consumer food safety multimedia campaign that engages key influencers improved food safety awareness and knowledge, ultimately supporting consumers to choose safer chicken at markets., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The COVID-19 pandemic caused notable changes to the food-related habits of consumers worldwide due to their concerns about the risk of infection and the requirement to follow government mandates. To investigate the impact of the pandemic on Chinese consumers' food safety knowledge, food safety behaviors, and their most recent food poisoning experiences, we compared the results from an online survey (n = 583, Dec 2019) conducted before the pandemic was officially announced with an identical survey (n = 599, Aug 2023) conducted seven months after the Chinese government downgraded restrictions related to COVID-19. Post-pandemic there was a significant decrease in consumers' food safety knowledge and self-reported food safety behaviors and a significant increase in their self-reported experiences of food poisoning. Despite respondents stating that their food safety knowledge and behaviors had improved since the start of the pandemic, the data obtained from the two surveys and the respondents self-reporting of foodborne illness suggest that in fact their safety knowledge and behaviors had decreased. These findings highlight the need to reinforce food safety education and behaviors during times when the food system is disrupted, and consumers are focusing on what they perceive to be more immediate issues., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In recent years, foodborne diseases have posed a serious threat to human health, and rapid detection of foodborne pathogens is particularly crucial for the prevention and control of such diseases. This article offers a detailed overview of the development of detection techniques for foodborne pathogens, transitioning from traditional microbiological culture methods to the current array of techniques, including immunological, molecular biological, and biosensor-based methods. It summarizes the technical principles, advantages, disadvantages, and research progress of these diverse methods. Furthermore, the article demonstrates that the combination of different methods enhances the efficiency and accuracy of pathogens detection. Specifically, the article focuses on the application and advantages of combining CRISPR/Cas systems with other detection methods in the detection of foodborne pathogens. CRISPR/Cas systems, with their high specificity, sensitivity, and ease of operation, show great potential in the field of foodborne pathogens detection. When integrated with other detection techniques such as immunological detection techniques, molecular biology detection techniques, and biosensors, the accuracy and efficiency of detection can be further improved. By fully utilizing these tools, early detection and control of foodborne diseases can be achieved, enhancing public health and preventing disease outbreaks. This article serves as a valuable reference for exploring more convenient, accurate, and sensitive field detection methods for foodborne pathogens, promoting the application of rapid detection techniques, and ensuring food safety and human health., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The recent popularity of home delivery meal kits (HMK) has prompted concerns about its integrity and safety. On the basis of a food safety-related information evaluation of the common US-based HMK vendors' websites, this perspective highlights opportunities for improvement with the adequacy and accessibility of relevant information on HMK websites, an important resource for communicating food safety best practices to consumers. Identified gaps in information and inadequate delivery protocols potentially increase the risk of offering unsafe food to consumers. Suggestions for future research and recommendations for vendors, policymakers, and regulators to help protect consumers from potential foodborne illness risks are also discussed., (Copyright © 2024 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Foodborne illnesses result in a high disease burden worldwide, making food safety control of food business operations (FBOs) an urgent issue. With public agencies and FBOs facing challenges in monitoring the complex food supply chain with limited resources, scientific and objective insights into those factors that are related to food safety at FBOs are needed. These factors can be used as input for risk-based inspection. We conducted a systematic review to identify and analyze risk factors affecting the FBOs' food safety risk. We used a set of predefined search strings in Scopus and Web of Science to search for scientific manuscripts published in the English language between January 1 2003 and February 1 2023. The review identified 53 relevant studies and 43 risk factors. The presence of certified personnel turned out to be the most cited factor. Nearly half of the extracted factors had only been investigated in one study. Additional challenges were identified for developing a universal ready-to-use list of factors for the building of a risk-based inspection method, such as the limitation in the applicability of identified factors in different types of FBOs, and the variability in conclusions between publications for certain factors (e.g., FBO location and inspection history), stressing the need for additional research. Future studies should also prioritize standardizing definitions and measurements, particularly regarding compliance factors. In general, the current list of factors brought forward in our review lays the groundwork for building a transparent, objective, and risk-based method for food safety inspections of FBOs., (© 2024 The Author(s). Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Institute of Food Technologists.)

Foodborne diseases remain a worldwide concern, despite the advances made in sanitation, pathogen surveillance and food safety management systems. The methods routinely applied for detecting pathogens in foods are time consuming, labor intensive and usually require trained and qualified individuals. The objective of this review was to highlight the use of biosensors, with a focus on the electrochemical devices, as promising alternatives for detecting foodborne pathogens. These biosensors present high speed for obtaining results, with the possibility of evaluating foods in real time, at low cost, ease of use, in addition to being compact and portable. These aspects are considered advantageous and suitable for use in food safety management systems. This work also shows some limitations for the application of biosensors, and we present perspectives with the development and use of nanomaterials., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia.)

Food safety encompasses the supply and assurance of safe, high-quality food for consumers. It is a crucial aspect of food security, gaining greater global attention due to the increasing number of widespread foodborne incidents. International trade is expanding as countries increasingly rely on each other to secure a sufficient and diverse food supply. Beyond this, concerns about food safety have become more prevalent due to various factors. Therefore, this review aims to investigate the effects of food safety-associated risks on the international trade of food and related products. A total of 37 published studies retrieved using different search engines were included in this review. This review revealed that because of rapid population growth and rising food demand in developing nations, agricultural intensification is growing. It has been found that foodborne illnesses and associated discrepancies can impede the international trade of food commodities. Trade bans due to the fear of foodborne illnesses are growing. The consequences of foodborne diseases are multifaceted and include financial losses from trade restrictions, medical costs for prevention or control, resource depletion and a decline in food production. The overall effects are increased international trade tensions and livelihood vulnerability to poverty, notably for small-scale livestock producers. Potential food contaminants include microbes, pesticides, pharmaceutical residues, heavy metals and fraudulent such as improper food processing, mislabelling, poor packaging, adulteration and substitution. Hence, countries are encouraged to harmonize the rights and duties set by the World Trade Organization under sanitary and phytosanitarys to maximize their advantages in global markets. Based on this evidence, we recommend that each country develop and integrate regulations that would ensure the safety of both domestic and international food production systems. Furthermore, the global community should either revise the current functioning food regulatory and monitoring body or establish a more genuine collaborative network., (© 2024 The Author(s). Veterinary Medicine and Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Foodborne and waterborne illnesses affect over four million Canadians annually and pose a preventable burden on the nation's healthcare system. Climate change can increase the risk of such illnesses by increasing the likelihood of exposure to contaminants. As climate change progresses, it is imperative to better understand its impact on the dissemination of foodborne and waterborne contaminants throughout the food system. Currently, there is limited, synthesised evidence for how future changes in Canada's climate may affect the risk of contamination of preharvest foods. The aim of this research is to collate and describe available information on effects of climate variables on biological and chemical contamination of preharvest foods in Canada. This information will contribute to improved understanding of climate change impacts and potential adaptation and mitigation strategies to increase climate resiliency in Canada's food system., Methods: A preliminary search of MEDLINE, Web of Science and Google was conducted to verify the absence of existing reviews and to inform the development of this review protocol. Information will be identified by searching four academic databases: MEDLINE via Ovid, AGRICultural OnLine Access (AGRICOLA), CAB International and Web of Science. This search will be supplemented by a targeted grey literature search. The search strategy includes index terms and keywords for Canada-relevant foodborne and waterborne pathogens and chemical contaminants, preharvest foods and climate change. Search results will be managed using Covidence during all phases of the review, conducted by two independent reviewers. Data will be extracted, synthesised and presented using graphical and tabular formats.This scoping review protocol describes the process for retrieving a comprehensive set of evidence for how climate change variables may increase risk of biological or chemical contamination of preharvest foods in Canada. This review will provide decision-makers with a detailed understanding of climate variable-preharvest food-contaminant combinations using the best available evidence., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical considerations are not applicable to this protocol as scoping reviews conduct secondary data analysis that synthesises data from publicly available sources. The results from this review will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentation., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Food safety remains a critical issue with outbreaks of foodborne illness. The knowledge gap of food safety and improper hygienic practices of food handlers are the key factors for the transmission of foodborne diseases. This study was conducted to investigate the level of food safety knowledge and practices among street food vendors in Dhaka City, Bangladesh, and its implications on consumers' health. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 respondents in seven areas of Dhaka City. Trained data collectors gather data by interviewing street vendors using a pretested questionnaire. Most of the vendors (98%) were male, with 48% having secondary education and 85% having no food safety training. Although about 89% of the vendors were found to practice hand washing, only a small proportion of them practised using hand gloves while handling raw products (5.6%), cleaning tables (2.2%), preparing foods (1.3%) or handling garbage (0.9%). The education level of the vendors and their work experience were significantly correlated with their hand washing practice, wearing hand gloves and their knowledge about food-borne illnesses. The study demonstrated that formal education played a significant role in vendors' knowledge and practice of health safety measures for food handlers to prevent foodborne illness. Effective food safety training and monitoring are needed to increase vendors' knowledge and practices, and in reducing foodborne diseases., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Hygienic measures practiced at home are highly related to the occurrence of food-borne diseases during food production, storage, and handling. Contaminated food remains a major cause of several diarrheal diseases, hospitalizations, and spikes in medical expenses. In our current study, we aimed to assess the knowledge of food safety and the food safety and hygiene practices at home among the Lebanese population. A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online questionnaire including two sections. The first section included socio-demographic characteristics of participants, whereas the second section included questions related to practices and knowledge about food safety, divided into five parts; personal hygiene practices, dry and cold storage, sanitizing and cleaning and food intoxication. A total of 1101 Lebanese above 18 years participated and provided their responses to the questionnaire. Overall, the majority of participants had fair knowledge about food safety where 96.8% of the participants answered correctly about preventing microbial growth on food. 77.9% of those participants acquired their knowledge about food safety from articles, workshops, or the internet. Moreover, females, people with children and those who cook for themselves scored significantly higher than others (68.8, 70.6, and 70%, respectively). In comparison to younger participants (67.8%), older participants (50+ and 30-49) scored higher at 69.7% and 68.9%, respectively. Higher scores were obtained for questions related to storing dried foods/meat and poultry products with percentages 91.4 and 87.8%, respectively. However, lower scores were noticed on questions related to washing raw chicken before handling and storing eggs (9.7 and 12.3%, respectively). Altogether, our results revealed the need for directed food safety awareness campaigns at the national level to educate the Lebanese community about domestic food handling practices. We believe these campaigns can significantly reduce related diseases and hospitalizations.

Integration of machine learning (ML) technologies into the realm of smart food safety represents a rapidly evolving field with significant potential to transform the management and assurance of food quality and safety. This chapter will discuss the capabilities of ML across different segments of the food supply chain, encompassing pre-harvest agricultural activities to post-harvest processes and delivery to the consumers. Three specific examples of applying cutting-edge ML to advance food science are detailed in this chapter, including its use to improve beer flavor, using natural language processing to predict food safety incidents, and leveraging social media to detect foodborne disease outbreaks. Despite advances in both theory and practice, application of ML to smart food safety still suffers from issues such as data availability, model reliability, and transparency. Solving these problems can help realize the full potential of ML in food safety. Development of ML in smart food safety is also driven by social and industry impacts. The improvement and implementation of legal policies brings both opportunities and challenges. The future of smart food safety lies in the strategic implementation of ML technologies, navigating social and industry impacts, and adapting to regulatory changes in the AI era., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The detrimental impact of foodborne pathogens on human health makes food safety a major concern at all levels of production. Conventional methods to detect foodborne pathogens, such as live culture, high-performance liquid chromatography, and molecular techniques, are relatively tedious, time-consuming, laborious, and expensive, which hinders their use for on-site applications. Recurrent outbreaks of foodborne illness have heightened the demand for rapid and simple technologies for detection of foodborne pathogens. Recently, Lateral flow assays (LFA) have drawn attention because of their ability to detect pathogens rapidly, cheaply, and on-site. Here, we reviewed the latest developments in LFAs to detect various foodborne pathogens in food samples, giving special attention to how reporters and labels have improved LFA performance. We also discussed different approaches to improve LFA sensitivity and specificity. Most importantly, due to the lack of studies on LFAs for the detection of viral foodborne pathogens in food samples, we summarized our recent research on developing LFAs for the detection of viral foodborne pathogens. Finally, we highlighted the main challenges for further development of LFA platforms. In summary, with continuing improvements, LFAs may soon offer excellent performance at point-of-care that is competitive with laboratory techniques while retaining a rapid format.

Foodborne illness remains a pressing global issue due to the complexities of modern food supply chains and the vast array of potential contaminants that can arise at every stage of food processing from farm to fork. Traditional food safety control systems are increasingly challenged to identify these intricate hazards. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) New Era of Smarter Food Safety represents a revolutionary shift in food safety methodology by leveraging cutting-edge digital technologies. Digital food safety control systems employ modern solutions to monitor food quality by efficiently detecting in real time a wide range of contaminants across diverse food matrices within a short timeframe. These systems also utilize digital tools for data analysis, providing highly predictive assessments of food safety risks. In addition, digital food safety systems can deliver a secure and reliable food supply chain with comprehensive traceability, safeguarding public health through innovative technological approaches. By utilizing new digital food safety methods, food safety authorities and businesses can establish an efficient regulatory framework that genuinely ensures food safety. These cutting-edge approaches, when applied throughout the food chain, enable the delivery of safe, contaminant-free food products to consumers., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Vulnerable populations are a particular group that are not capable of fending for themselves due to a number of limitations. Among many things, of particular concern is the food safety challenges faced by these individuals and the high risk of susceptibility to foodborne diseases. In this paper, an attempt is made to point out the various challenges faced by vulnerable populations that make them more susceptible to foodborne illness than other healthy adults. Also, the paper highlights possible improvement pathways through which these people can have access to safe and nutritious food, and the current interventional steps taken to address the food safety risk associated with food handling activities of food meant for vulnerable groups., (© 2023 The Authors. The FASEB Journal published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.)

Despite being one of the first African countries to prioritize food safety, foodborne diseases are of acute concern in Ethiopia. This review aims to understand food safety-related perspectives and practices among consumers and food vendors in Ethiopia to identify motivations, beliefs, and values that shape and/or drive their practices. A well-defined search and review identified 116 relevant articles. These spanned eight of the ten regional states and two chartered cities, with most work focusing on urban areas and on a sample within one state or chartered city. Ninety-four studies focused on vendors or food handlers; fifteen articles examined both consumers and vendors, but only four assessed interactions between the groups. Meat, dairy products, and ready-to-eat (street) foods were the most studied food groups. Food service establishments were the most examined outlets. Forty-six studies examined generic food safety issues or concerns. Overall, 102 studies assessed food safety practices; 53 studies examined knowledge, and 19 studies assessed attitudes. A gap in vendors' observed practices versus knowledge and attitudes was noted. Consumer deductions of food safety were based on vendor practices. Both groups used physical attributes based on senses to assess quality and safety of animal-source foods, had their own 'coping' strategies to address food safety-related concerns, and had similar views on consumer choice motives. Analysis of food and the food handling environment revealed a high level of contamination. An additional study, included after the original search, identified training to be effective in influencing knowledge, attitudes, and practices - though results for attitudes and practices were not sustained in the long term. Future research should address consumers and consumer-vendor interactions and include the full triad of knowledge-attitudes-practices. It is also recommended to focus on nutrient-rich foods as well as on traditional markets and local eateries. Improving the quality of research will be critical to improve food safety in Ethiopia., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The WHO has declared food safety as a public health concern. Transport hubs such as taxi ranks, bus stations and other transport exchange sites are major food trading/purchasing sites, particularly in Africa. Research evidence is needed to improve food safety policies and ensure consumption of safe food, owing to the increasing burden of foodborne diseases, particularly in the WHO Africa Region. We systematically mapped and described research evidence on food safety at transport stations in Africa., Design: A scoping review guided by the Arksey and O'Malley framework., Data Sources: We searched for original research articles in PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost (Academic search complete, CINAHL with Full-text and Health Source), SCOPUS, and Google Scholar from their inception to 25 October 2020., Eligibility Criteria for Selecting Studies: We included studies that focused on food safety, involved transport stations, involved African countries and were published in English., Data Extraction and Synthesis: Data extraction was performed by two reviewers using a piloted-tested form. Thematic analysis was used to organise the data into themes and subthemes, and a narrative summary of the findings is presented., Results: Of the total 23 852 articles obtained from the database searches, 16 studies published in 6 countries met the inclusion criteria. These 16 studies were published between 1997 and 2019, with the most (5) in 2014. Of the 16 studies, 43.8% (7) were conducted in South Africa, 3 studies in Ghana, 2 in Ethiopia and 1 study each in Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho and Zambia. Most (44.4%) of the included studies focused on microbial safety of food; few studies (22.2%) focused on hygienic practices, and one study investigated the perspective of consumers or buyers. Microbes detected in the foods samples were Salmonella spp, Escherichia coli , Shigella spp, Bacillus sp, Staphylococcus aureus , which resulted mainly from poor hygiene practices., Conclusions: There is limited research that focused on food safety at transport stations in Africa, especially on aspects such as hygiene practices, food storage and occupational health and food safety. Therefore, we recommend more research in these areas, using various primary study designs, to inform and improve food safety policies and practices for transport stations in African countries alongside improving access to clean water/handwashing facilities, and undertaking structural changes to facilitate behaviours and monitoring for unintended consequences such as livelihoods of vulnerable populations., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Millions of foodborne illness cases occur in China annually, causing significant social and economic burdens. Improper food handling has been observed not only among commercial food handlers but also among residential food handlers. It is critical to conduct a comprehensive scoping review of previous efforts to identify food safety knowledge gaps, explore the factors impacting knowledge levels, and synthesize the effectiveness of all types of food safety educational interventions for commercial and residential food handlers in China. This review aims to analyze food safety education studies published over the past 20 years and provide foundations for developing more effective food safety educational interventions in China. A total of 35 studies were included in this review. Most studies reported that Chinese commercial and residential food handlers had insufficient food safety knowledge, especially in the areas of foodborne pathogens and safe food-handling practices. The factors impacting food handlers' knowledge levels included education level, gender, income level, residency (rural vs. urban), the use of WeMedia, college students' major, and food safety training experiences. Food handlers in the following demographic groups tend to have lower levels of food safety knowledge: lower education levels, the elderly, males, lower-income levels, rural residents, those who do not use WeMedia, those without food safety training experience, or college students in nonbiology-focused majors. Many food handlers did not always follow recommended food safety practices, such as proper meat handling practices, handwashing practices, and cleaning and sanitation practices. Thirteen studies evaluated the effectiveness of educational interventions, and knowledge increases were reported after all interventions. The findings of this review provide guidance to researchers, educators, and government agencies in their future efforts to develop education programs emphasizing the importance of microbial food-safety content and behavior change regarding food safety and hygiene practices.

In this study, we investigated the effects of an ultrasonically activated stream (UAS) on the removal of microbial contaminants from spinach leaves. The microbial loads on samples cleaned with and without UAS were enumerated using the cell culture method and compared against unwashed samples on day 0 and day 6 after cleaning. The effects of UAS cleaning on leaf quality were also examined through both macroscopic and microscopic inspection, as well as measurement of the electrolyte leakage rate. Results showed that the microbial load on samples cleaned with UAS for 2 min was significantly lower on day 6 after cleaning than on those treated without ultrasound. Comparison between the cleaning effects of UAS for 40 s versus 2 min indicated that a cleaning duration of 2 min allowed sufficient time for UAS to disaggregate and detach the microbial contamination more effectively. In this case, the induction of bacteria into a viable but non-culturable state does not affect the shelf-life test results as much as it does with a 40 s clean. UAS cleaning for 2 min did not produce significant surface damage, which can affect overall leaf quality. These findings highlight the potential of UAS systems in the salad industry to improve the microbiological quality and shelf life of salads., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest disclosure The principal investigator (T.G.L.) is the inventor of the device used in the experimental work, and is a director and inventor-in-chief of the company (Sloan Water Technology, Ltd) which owns the rights to the technology. However, he has taken no salary or other remuneration for these roles. Another author (C.N.D.) is currently an employee of that company., (Copyright © 2021 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Food safety remains a significant public health issue for the poultry industry. Foodborne pathogens can be in contact at all phases of poultry production, from initial hatch to processing and ultimately to retail and meal preparation. Salmonella and Campylobacter have been considered the primary foodborne pathogens associated with poultry. Both organisms are major causative agents of human foodborne illness. Limiting these pathogens in poultry production requires identifying their sources and routes of transmission. This involves the ability to isolate and precisely identify them using methodologies capable of discernment at the genome level. Interventions to reduce their occurrence in poultry production employ two basic strategies: prevention of establishment and elimination of already-established pathogens. This review provides an overview of current findings and prospects for further research on poultry food safety issues.

Abstract: The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) is a global network of national food safety authorities from 190 countries, managed jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, which facilitates the rapid exchange of information during food safety incidents. Until now, INFOSAN has not been characterized or examined as a functional community of practice, and its value, as understood from the perspective of its members, has not been determined in a systematic or rigorous way. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences and opinions of INFOSAN members to better understand the role of the network in improving food safety and mitigating the burden of foodborne illness globally. There were four main research questions: (i) How is the INFOSAN Community Website being used to support network activities? (ii) What are the barriers to active participation in INFOSAN? (iii) Do INFOSAN members believe that participation in the network prevents foodborne illness and saves lives? and (iv) Does participation in INFOSAN create value for members, and if so, through what mechanisms does this occur? To answer these questions, an online questionnaire was developed and adapted from English into French and Spanish before being disseminated to INFOSAN members. Responses were received from 239 INFOSAN members in 137 countries over a 10-week period between August and October 2019. This study represents the first to explore and describe the experiences of INFOSAN members with respect to their participation in network activities to improve global food safety and prevent foodborne diseases and to describe the characteristics of INFOSAN as a community of practice. The results suggest that INFOSAN is a valued tool, used globally to reduce the burden of foodborne illness and save lives. The INFOSAN Secretariat could use the results to prioritize future activities to further strengthen the network and support participation of members., (Published 2021 by the International Association for Food Protection.)

Poor hygiene when handling food is a major cause of foodborne illness. To investigate whether hygiene practices visible in television cooking shows influence viewers' kitchen hygiene, a study on the adoption of demonstrated hygiene behavior was conducted under controlled, experimental conditions. In a study ostensibly on cooking by following recipes participants (n = 65) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, in which they watched a cooking video that differed only with regard to the hygiene behavior of the chef. In condition 1, the chef engaged in poor hygiene practices while preparing the dish, in condition 2 the chef's hygiene behavior was exemplary and in condition 3, the chef's hygiene behavior was not visible (control condition). After watching the video, participants were instructed to cook the recipe individually in the fully equipped laboratory kitchen. Cooking sessions were videotaped and experimenters blind to condition coded hygiene lapses committed by participants. The level of kitchen hygiene displayed in the cooking video significantly affected hygiene practices of participants cooking the recipe. Participants who had watched the cooking video with correct hygiene practices committed significantly fewer hygiene lapses than those who had watched the video with poor hygiene practices. From a risk communication perspective, TV cooking shows are well placed to convey knowledge of essential hygiene practices during food preparation to a broad audience. To facilitate behavioral change toward safer food-handling practices among viewers, visibly performing correct hygiene practices in cooking shows is a promising strategy., (© 2020 The Authors. Risk Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Risk Analysis.)

Despite increased political attention, foodborne diseases still cause a substantial public health, economic, and social burden worldwide. Children younger than 5 years, people living in developing regions, and in the poorest areas of the world are disproportionally affected, bearing a large proportion of the global burden of foodborne disease. Yet, food safety is a prerequisite to ensuring food security globally: Foods that are responsible for important food safety problems are also crucial to ensure food security in some regions and are essential sources of nutrition. Moreover, together with calls for action to meeting international sustainable development goals, global efforts to promote food security and healthy diets have now highlighted the need to modify food systems globally. This article therefore explores the food safety dimensions of transitions toward food systems that promote sustainable healthy diets. The current body of evidence points to the combined health and environmental benefits of shifting toward a more plant-based diet, including vegetables and fruits, nuts, pulses, and whole grains. As a shift toward more plant-based diets may also lead to higher exposures to chemicals or pathogens present in these foods, an evaluation of food safety implications of such transitions is now imperative. We conclude that several synergies between public health, environmental, and food safety strategies can be identified to support dietary transitions.

Peru has a commodities-based economy where agriculture plays an essential role in the nation's development. Among agricultural products, fruits and vegetables are foundational to Peruvian culture and a healthy and nutritious diet. Produce is also the primary income source for thousands of small-scale farmers and producers throughout the country. Peru has significant potential to export agricultural and value-added products. Nevertheless, the Peruvian food chain has weak food safety and quality standards, limiting access to international markets. The inherent lack of food safety surveillance and management systems negatively affects public health. In the past decade, fresh and raw produce has been associated with several foodborne outbreaks worldwide, resulting in significant health and economic losses. This alarming situation for public health officials and regulators has called for the strengthening of produce safety standards and food safety risk management for safer food and to reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses. This review summarizes the current status of produce safety in Peru and explores opportunities (e.g., policy, university capacity development) toward a safer food system., (© 2020 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Abstract: The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) was launched in 2004 by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Since then, this global network has aimed to halt the international spread of contaminated food, prevent foodborne disease outbreaks, and strengthen food safety systems globally to reduce the burden of foodborne illness. However, INFOSAN has never been examined as a functional community of practice and its value, according to members, has not been determined in a systematic or rigorous way. A three-phased, mixed-method study has explored the experiences of INFOSAN members with respect to their participation in collaborative network activities to improve global food safety and prevent foodborne illness. Results from phase 1 of this study are discussed here and relate to how the INFOSAN Community Website (ICW) is being used to support network activities. Overall, the descriptive analysis indicates that a small number of active INFOSAN members contribute most of information shared on the ICW. A much larger group of members participates passively, logging on to the site, reading content, but not sharing new information. Four hundred eighty-two food safety incidents are documented on the ICW, the majority of which have been caused by bacterial contamination, most commonly Salmonella enterica. The results from phase 1 of this study provide objective, foundational information about engagement of all members and were used to propose new ways to improve the ICW. Integration of these results with results from phases 2 and 3 will help determine whether and how members' reported attitudes and experiences reflect their online behaviors. This information can be used by the INFOSAN Secretariat to increase active participation and improve international information exchange to mitigate the impact of food safety emergencies and prevent foodborne diseases globally., (Published 2020 by the International Association for Food Protection.)

Objective: To determine the accuracy of information about safe food handling posted on online question-and-answer (Q&A) Web sites and forums., Design: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze answers to questions posted on 4 Q&A platforms (Reddit, Yahoo! Answers, Quora, and Stack Exchange) employing a structured coding form. Questions were identified from November 2018 to May 2019 using an iterative search., Participants: Users of online Q&A platforms., Main Outcome Measure: Answer accuracy (incorrect, partially correct, or correct in relation to government guidelines)., Analysis: A multivariable ordinal regression model was developed to identify factors associated (at the P < .01 level) with answer accuracy., Results: Questions (n = 160) were posted from 2006 to 2019. Of 625 answers to these questions, 41% were classified as correct, and 20% as partially correct. Answer accuracy differed among the 4 platforms. Answers to questions about adequate cooking (odds ratio [OR] = 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17-0.49, P < .001) and time-temperature control (OR = 0.33, 95% CI, 0.21-0.51, P < .001) constructs were less likely to be correct than answers to other questions. Top-rated answers were more likely to be correct than other answers (OR = 2.01, 95% CI, 1.40-2.90, P < .001)., Conclusions and Implications: The accuracy of food safety information exchanged on online Q&A platforms is inconsistent. Enhanced food safety promotion and education interventions on these platforms are warranted., (Copyright © 2019 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Milk is a nutrient-rich food that makes an important contribution to diets in several Low and Middle Income Countries such as Senegal. Milk can also harbour several pathogenic microorganisms. As in other low and middle income countries, the dairy industry in Senegal is growing, with an expansion of farms to meet rapidly growing demand in the cities. However, most of the production still happens in the informal sector, and little is known about consumption of milk and milk products, or knowledge, awareness and practices of actors in informal dairy supply chains., Methods: We conducted structured focus group discussions with dairy farmers and milk processors in three selected regions (Dakar, Thies and Fatick) in Senegal to investigate the consumption practices, awareness of milk borne hazards, and practices relevant to the risk of milk contamination to gain a deeper understanding of drivers of milk-borne diseases. Data on the consumption of milk and milk products were also collected using a closed questionnaire., Results: Results indicate that milk is an important part of the diet in the study regionsand raw milk consumption is very common. The most common milk product consumed was fermented milk. Awareness of milk borne hazards was limited. Several farmers and processors reported risky practices, despite being aware of better practices, due to cultural beliefs. In households, children, pregnant women and older people were prioritised when milk and milk products were distributed. Dairy farmers and milk processors were more concerned with the lack of food for animals, low production and seasonality of production than the safety of the milk and milk products., Conclusions: Lack of awareness of milk borne infections and some traditional practices put milk and milk product consumers in the study area at high risk of milk borne diseases.. Prioritising certain sub population at households (Pregnant women and children) makes then vulnerable to milk-borne hazards. It will be challenging to change the risky practices as they are motivated by cultural beliefs hence the best strategy to promote milk safety will be to encourage the boiling of milk by consumers.

The number of foodborne diseases has increased in all continents, and efforts must be made to control this urgent and expressive public health problem. This article aims to present and discuss situations related to the compliance and noncompliance of food safety practices (FSPs) in light of Bourdieu's social theory. This qualitative study was conducted in commercial restaurants in two cities in São Paulo, Brazil. Participant observation was used in the restaurants, and notes referring to the kitchen workers and their bosses' work processes were registered in field journals. Thematic type content analysis was used to determine the meaning cores of field journals. It was found that aspects inherent to convenience and haste at work, deficient infrastructure, lack of employees, negative boss examples, exposure to noise, and body pain experienced by workers can contribute to noncompliance of FSPs and consolidate in the habitus and practical sense some dispositions that can increase the risk of foodborne diseases. This study highlights the necessity of creating environments that address food safety, which means being able to perform a service properly., (© 2020 Society for Risk Analysis.)

Urbanisation is associated with changes in consumption patterns and food production processes. These patterns and processes can increase or decrease the risks of outbreaks of foodborne diseases and are generally accompanied by changes in food safety policies and regulations about food handling. This affects consumers, as well as people economically engaged in the food value chain. This study looks at Tanzania's red meat value chain-which in its totality involves about one third of the population-and focuses on the knowledge, attitudes and reported practices of operators of butcheries and eateries with regards to meat safety in an urban and in a rural environment. We interviewed 64 operators about their experiences with foodborne diseases and their explanations and expectations around meat safety, with a particular emphasis on how they understood their own actions regarding food safety risks vis-à-vis regulations. We found operators of eateries emphasising their own agency in keeping meat safe, whereas operators of butcheries-whose products are more closely inspected-relied more on official inspections. Looking towards meat safety in the future, interviewees in rural areas were, relative to their urban counterparts, more optimistic, which we attribute to rural operators' shorter and relatively unmediated value chains.

Background: Foodborne diseases are of public health importance worldwide. Most of the factors related to their occurrence are the responsibility of food handlers., Aims: This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices of food handlers in Sohag Governorate about food safety and the factors affecting their knowledge, attitudes and practices., Methods: A cross-sectional study was done from May 2016 to March 2017 with food handlers working in cafeterias, restaurants, food establishments and roadside food stands from four randomly selected districts in Sohag Governorate. A questionnaire was used to collect data on their sociodemographic characteristics - age, sex, residence (urban, rural), education (illiterate, primary, preparatory, secondary, university) and job (cook, assistant) - and food safety knowledge, attitudes and practices., Results: Of the 994 food handlers included in the study, 39.2% had good knowledge of food safety, 61.2% had positive attitudes and 56.3% reported good food safety practices. In univariate logistic regression, most of the variables were significantly associated with participants' knowledge. Only residence and education were significantly associated with positive attitudes. None of the variables was significantly associated with participants' practices. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, age, male sex, urban residence, higher education and working as a cook were strongly associated with good knowledge. Residence and education significantly influenced positive attitudes., Conclusion: Food handlers in our sample had poor knowledge of food safety and inadequate compliance with food safety practices. Educational and training programmes should be implemented to improve their knowledge, attitudes and practices., (Copyright © World Health Organization (WHO) 2020. Open Access. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).)

Abstract: Social media offers numerous advantages for personal users and organizations to communicate, socialize, and market their products. When used correctly, social media is an effective tool to communicate and to share food safety news and good practices. However, there have been reports of fake food safety news shared via social media, fueling panic and resulting in a loss of revenue. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the consumers' awareness, trust, and usage of social media in communicating food safety news in Malaysia. A questionnaire divided into five sections-(i) demographics, (ii) reaction to food safety news, (iii) consumers' awareness, (iv) social media truth and level of trust, and (v) social media uses and content creation-was created and shared online. A total of 341 questionnaires were returned of which 339 surveys were valid. This study revealed that less than one-third of the study group (27.1%) knew which of the food safety news were fake. Most respondents (67.8%) were less likely to purchase the affected foods if the foods were featured in social media as problematic, although no differences were made between true and fake news and how that would influence respondents' willingness to purchase affected foods. Overall, 62% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed about the usage of social media and its ability to prevent food poisoning cases, while more than 50% of the respondents were in total agreement that social media allow consumers to act more responsibly by sharing food safety news. Respondents tended to trust information shared by scientists (67.5%) and family members and friends (33%). Respondents would most often share the news after verifying its authenticity (46%). If respondents experienced a personal food safety issue (e.g., discovered a fly in their meal), they seldom or never took photos to post online (56.1%). It is possible that the respondents preferred to inform the food handlers and/or shop owners about the affected products rather than post the photos online. It is suggested that targeted food safety information and media literacy be provided to improve consumers' awareness and to positively influence self-verification of the food safety information before sharing. This study provides crucial insights for a range of stakeholders, particularly public authorities, food bloggers, and the public, in using social media effectively to build consumers' awareness and trust in food safety information., (Copyright ©, International Association for Food Protection.)

Objective: The aim of this article is to examine the relationships among food safety knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported behaviors of young women aged between 20 and 25 years and to investigate the mediating role of food safety attitude between knowledge and behavior. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted with a total of 1,219 young women, with a mean age of 21.3 ± 1.25 years. In order to express the effects of food safety knowledge and attitude on behavior, a structural model was proposed. First, a confirmatory measurement model which reveals how well the observed variables represent the underlying constructs was tested. In the second step, the structural model which allows for analyzing multiple regression equations with multiple dependent variables was analyzed. In order to investigate whether the effect of food safety knowledge on behavior can be mediated by attitude, the mediation analysis was performed. Results: The findings provided support for the hypothesis by clearly indicating that the relationship between food safety knowledge and behavior is mediated by attitude. This implies that encouraging food safety attitude by increasing knowledge rather than simply increasing the level of knowledge might be a more appropriate target for behavior. Although there are direct relationships among knowledge, attitude, and behavior; it is a fact that people's knowledge will not turn into behavior anytime and anywhere. Conclusions: Governments, food producers, food industrialists, and consumers must all be counted as the people who responsible for providing food safety. With this responsibility, the role of the government is to realize effective, widespread, and systematic food control. Consumers are the last point of contact to food; therefore, consumers' knowledge and practice of food safety play significant roles in foodborne disease outbreaks. They need to learn about safe food handling procedures to maintain their health now and in the future.Key teaching pointsWomen have important tasks in the purchase, preparation, and storage of food.This article develops a mediated structural equation model to link food safety knowledge, attitude, and behavior.Food safety attitude has a mediating role between knowledge and behavior.In order to improve food safety behavior, it is necessary to improve attitude by increasing the knowledge.

Evidence-based policy is limited by the perception that randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are expensive and infeasible. We argue that carefully tailored research design can overcome these challenges and enable more widespread randomized evaluations of policy implementation. We demonstrate how a stepped-wedge (randomized rollout) design that adapts synthetic control methods overcame substantial practical, administrative, political, and statistical constraints to evaluating King County's new food safety rating system. The core RCT component of the evaluation came at little financial cost to the government, allowed the entire county to be treated, and resulted in no functional implementation delay. The case of restaurant sanitation grading has played a critical role in the scholarship on information disclosure, and our study provides the first evidence from a randomized trial of the causal effects of grading on health outcomes. We find that the grading system had no appreciable effects on foodborne illness, hospitalization, or food handling practices but that the system may have marginally increased public engagement by encouraging higher reporting.

Background: Food handlers working in retail and food service establishments are a frequent source of foodborne disease outbreaks. Numerous studies have investigated different education and training approaches to improve their safe food handling knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Frequently, these studies use a single group, pre-post design, measuring changes before and after an intervention without a separate control group., Objectives: We conducted a systematic review of these studies to identify their key characteristics and to evaluate possible predictors of between study heterogeneity in their estimates of intervention effect., Methods: the review steps included a comprehensive search; relevance screening; article characterization; risk-of-bias assessment; data extraction; and meta-regression on five outcome categories: attitudes and beliefs, knowledge, behaviours, food premise inspection scores, and aerobic plate counts., Results: Among 85 relevant studies identified, the most commonly investigated intervention type was in-person, group-based training courses (81%). Interventions primarily targeted food handlers in educational institutions and restaurants (32% and 31%, respectively). The most frequently measured outcome was food handler knowledge (66%). Studies mostly (89%) covered multiple food safety content areas, primarily targeting personal hygiene (88%) and avoiding cross-contamination (87%). All studies were rated as 'critical' risk of bias given the lack of an independent control group. Significant intervention effects were found for all outcome categories, but substantial heterogeneity was also identified. Studies that informed their intervention from formative research reported larger effect sizes for attitude and belief outcomes, those that based their intervention on a theory of behaviour change reported larger effect sizes for behaviour outcomes, and those published in grey literature sources reported larger effect sizes for behaviour and knowledge outcomes., Implications: The results of this review have identified food safety training and education research gaps and future opportunities., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

There is world-wide increasing interest in the consumption of unprocessed, natural food commodities including fresh (unpasteurised) milk and milk products. Consumers are actively seeking out raw milk, partly due to health reasons, but also for taste, freshness, closeness to the producer and to support local agriculture. The need for high levels of hygiene and safety in farms producing raw milk for direct consumption has long been recognised and has led to federal and industry-initiated systems for safe raw milk production. Raw milk producers in North America and Europe have demonstrated that raw milk, intended for direct consumption, can be produced safe and hygienic. The aim of this paper is to describe practices that have been developed for safe raw milk production. The German Vorzugsmilch is a federally regulated programme for legal raw milk production that was established already in the 1930s to provide raw milk with high hygienic standards controlled for zoonotic diseases to consumers. The Raw Milk Institute is a non-profit organisation established in California that has developed a voluntary safe raw milk programme in North America. RAWMI has developed a risk analysis and management system for raw milk dairy farmers to assist farmers in making individually tailored solutions for various production systems. In British Colombia, Canada, small herd share farms have employed good manufacturing practices, a risk management approach and performed monthly samples for pathogens and indicator bacteria to demonstrate safety and consistency. The major components of the raw milk systems applied, and the results of regular milk microbial indicator bacteria are presented. For the German system, the results from standard monthly pathogen tests are compared to zoonotic pathogen tests from other milk sources. The overall results indicate that raw milk can be produced with a high level of hygiene and safety in various systems.

Foodborne diseases continue to be a global public health problem with an estimated 600 million people falling ill annually. In return, international standards are becoming stricter which poses challenges to food trade. In light of the increasing burden of foodborne diseases, many countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have upgraded their food laws and undertaken changes to the organizational structure of their regulatory institutions to maintain or expand international export activities, tighten control on local and imported products, and protect consumers' health. However, until this date, the published information on the regional health burdens of foodborne diseases is very limited and it is not clear whether the recent changes will serve towards science-based and effective preventive functions and the adoption of the risk management approach. In this review, we summarize the recent food safety issues and the national food control systems of selected countries in the region although we were challenged with the scarcity of information. To this end, we examined the national food safety systems in the context of the five essential elements of the FAO/WHO Guidelines for Strengthening National Food Control Systems. These five elements-food law and regulations; food control management; inspection services; laboratory services; food monitoring; and epidemiological data, information, education, communication, and training-constitute the building blocks of a national food control system, but could also serve as tools to assess the effectiveness of the systems.

The aim of this study was to assess the risk of occurrence of a foodborne outbreak and point practices determinant to achieve high Good Hygienic Practice level during handling practice from purchase to consumption of chicken meat and eggs. The risk behavior of respondents and the risk of the occurrence of a foodborne outbreak were measured using Weighted Harmonic Outbreak Prevention Index (WHOPI). WHOPI were not correlated to socioeconomic data and perception of risks. Different profiles of handling practices were identified inside each WHOPI level. Chicken meat defrost, time and temperature of egg cooking and the point of yolk were identified as the most important procedures responsible for the WHOPI level upgrades. The consumption of chicken meat and eggs were characterized as discrete distributions. The average consumption of chicken meat was 113.48 g/per day and eggs daily intake distribution was 0.92 units/day. Our results can be applied for future microbiological food safety risk assessments related to the consumption of chicken meat and eggs., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Efficient communication and coordination between countries is needed for prevention, detection and response to international food safety events. While communication tools exist, current evidence suggests that they are only effective within certain contexts and only cover certain geographic areas. There is a need to unpack and explore the mechanisms of how and in what context such communication tools and their components are effective at facilitating international communication and coordination to keep food safe and mitigate the burden of foodborne disease around the globe., Methods and Analysis: A realist synthesis will be undertaken to understand how and why certain processes and structures of communication tools, used during international food safety events, influence their utility and effectiveness according to different contextual factors. The focus of this review is explanatory and aims to develop and refine theory regarding how contextual factors trigger specific processes and mechanisms to produce outcomes. Using the realist context-mechanism-outcome configuration of theory development, a range of sources have been used to develop the initial programme theory, including the author's experience, a scoping review of published papers and grey literature and input from an expert reference committee. To support, expand or refute the initial theory, data will be synthesised from published literature and input from the expert reference committee., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval is not required for this review as it does not involve primary research. However, it will be conducted according to the appropriate ethical standards of accuracy, utility, usefulness, accountability, feasibility and propriety. The RAMESES publication standards will be followed to report the findings of this review. On completion, the final manuscript will be shared with members of the FAO/WHO International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) and published in a peer-reviewed journal., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

This study aimed to (i) compare the food safety knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices (KAP) and observed food safety practices of food truck (FT) food handlers, (ii) evaluate the microbiological quality of food and water samples collected from these vehicles, and (iii) establish a score classification for the KAP instrument according to the food contamination probability assessment. This study was conducted in three stages with 40 food truck food handlers conveniently sampled in the Federal District, Brazil, through structured interviews, application of an observational checklist for the assessment of handlers' practices and the collection of food and water samples for determination of microbiological quality. FTs that are likely to exhibit food contamination and are at a high risk of foodborne diseases if at least one of the following situations occur: (1) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the knowledge section; (2) if a food handler scores ≤5 in the attitudes section; or (3) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the self-reported practices section. On the other hand, FTs in which handlers score higher than the cutoff points in all the sections are unlikely to exhibit food contamination and are at a low risk of foodborne diseases. The findings of this study are the first step to understand food handlers' point of view and the initial diagnosis to guide educational strategies in the FT sector.

Contemporary patterns of global food trade necessitate cross-border communication between government authorities when unsafe food enters international commerce. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN), established in 2004, facilitates urgent communication between >600 members from 188 of the 194 FAO and WHO Member States around the world and supports the strengthening of food safety systems in an effort to mitigate the global burden of foodborne disease. For nearly 15 years, INFOSAN has been operating as a global, virtual community of practice (CoP), fostering knowledge transfer and exchange between members, and enabling crucial international communication during food safety emergencies. During this time, a number of important partnerships have been forged, including with other networks like PulseNet International. Complementarity, and cooperation between global networks like INFOSAN and PulseNet is vital to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of global efforts to curb foodborne illness. Since 2011, detailed data related to the patterns of information exchange during 293 food safety emergencies communicated through INFOSAN have been documented systematically. An analysis of these data reveals that a relatively limited number of active members from a select group of Member States contribute the majority of information exchanged through the network. For example, nine (5%) Member States were each involved in 24 or more food safety events communicated through INFOSAN between 2011 and 2017, whereas 123 (65%) Member States were involved in three events or less, including 36 (19%) involved in none. These data also demonstrate that although the overall responsiveness of members during emergencies has improved in recent years, impediments to rapid and efficient information sharing still persist. A number of potential barriers to active participation in INFOSAN have been hypothesized, but members themselves have not been conferred with on their relative importance. As a member-driven network, future research to investigate the experiences of INFOSAN members in a rigorous and systematic manner is recommended. Such work could illuminate the specific areas in which to introduce operational shifts by the INFOSAN Secretariat, to strengthen the global CoP, increase the value of INFOSAN among members, and have a robust and meaningful impact at country level to reduce the burden of foodborne disease globally.

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has become a significant tool in investigating foodborne disease outbreaks and some countries have incorporated WGS into national food control systems. However, WGS poses technical challenges that deter developing countries from incorporating it into their food safety management system. A rapid scoping review was conducted, followed by a focus group session, to understand the current situation regarding the use of WGS for foodborne disease surveillance and food monitoring at the global level and identify key limiting factors for developing countries in adopting WGS for their food control systems. The results showed that some developed nations routinely use WGS in their food surveillance systems resulting in more precise understanding of the causes of outbreaks. In developing nations, knowledge of WGS exists in the academic/research sectors; however, there is limited understanding at the government level regarding the usefulness of WGS for food safety regulatory activities. Thus, incorporation of WGS is extremely limited in most developing nations. While some countries lack the capacity to collect and analyze the data generated from WGS, the most significant technical gap in most developing countries is in data interpretation using bioinformatics. The gaps in knowledge and capacities between developed and developing nations regarding use of WGS likely introduce an inequality in international food trade, and thus, relevant international organizations, as well as the countries that are already proficient in the use of WGS, have significant roles in assisting developing nations to be able to fully benefit from the technology and its applications in food safety management.

Introduction: The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) is a global network of national food safety authorities from 188 countries, managed jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), which facilitates the rapid exchange of information during food safety related events. The proposed research will interrogate INFOSAN in order to describe and explore the experiences of members and better understand the role of the network in mitigating the burden of foodborne illness around the world., Methods: Examined through a community of practice lens, a three-phase research design will combine quantitative and qualitative methods (including website analytics in phase 1, online survey administration in phase 2 and semistructured interviews in phase 3) to elicit a broad and deep understanding of the network operation and member experiences., Analysis: In phases 1 and 2, quantitative data collected from the INFOSAN Community website and the online questionnaires will be analysed using descriptive summary statistics. In phase 3, interpretative phenomenological analysis will be used to engage in a dialogue with study participants to explore and describe their lived experiences regarding participation in activities related to INFOSAN. An important aspect of the overall analysis will be triangulation of the information collected from each phase, including quantitative indicators and qualitative value stories, in order to provide a robust understanding of member experience., Ethics and Dissemination: This study has undergone ethical review and has received approval from Lancaster University's Faculty of Health and Medicine Research Ethics Committee, as well as the ethics review committee of the WHO. Findings from the study will be disseminated as a PhD thesis submitted to Lancaster University. In addition, results of the research shall be submitted for publication to relevant academic or professional conferences and journals or other media, including books or websites., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

The microbial risk involved with natural food fermentation is largely unknown. Here, we report the prevalence of enteric bacterial pathogens in the traditional fermented foods marketed in Northeast region of India. A total of 682 samples of 39 food types (broadly categorized into fermented soybean, bamboo shoot, fish, milk and pork products) collected over four different seasons from seven states of India were analyzed in this study. Cultivation-independent analysis by MiSeq amplicon sequencing of V4-V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene showed the bacterial community structure in the foods. Among the WHO prioritized foodborne bacterial pathogens, we detected the prevalence of phylotypes related to Clostridium botulinum, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli in these ethnic foods. We also observed the occurrence of other well known human enteric pathogens like Proteus mirabilis, Clostridium difficile, and Yersinia enterocolitica. Further pathogen-specific qPCR assays confirmed a higher population (>10 7  cells/g) of B. cereus, P. mirabilis, and a C. botulinum related phylotype in the fermented soybean, fish, and pork products. We noticed a general trend of higher pathogen occurrence during the colder months without any seasonal variation of total bacterial load in the fermented foods. Further qPCR analysis on toxigenic and pathogenic potential, and toxins production by immunoassays showed that all the soybean samples and the isolated B. cereus cultures were positive for diarrheal toxins (Nhe and Hb1), and nearly half of the samples were positive for emetic toxin (cereulide). Similarly, the food samples and associated swarming P. mirabilis cultures were positive with the pathogenic factors like hemolysin (hpm), urease (ure) and multidrug resistance. However, we could not confirm the presence of botulinum neurotoxin (toxins A, B, E, and F) in the C. botulinum positive food samples. This is the first baseline data of the enteric bacterial pathogens prevalent in the traditional fermented foods of India, which will support the sustained effort of WHO to estimate the global foodborne disease burden. The unusual presence of P. mirabilis in the fermented foods marketed in the Indian region with high incidence of urolithiasis cases is a concern. Our study emphasizes the need of the hour to have a coordinated action to control and prevent the spread of enteric bacterial pathogens through fermented foods marketed in India. Moreover, replacing the indigenous process with a defined starter culture based controlled fermentation will enhance the safety of Indian fermented foods., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to evaluate Brazilian home kitchens' good practices. We elaborated on the preliminary version of the check-list based on the Brazilian resolution for food safety Collegiate Board Resolution 216 (RDC 216), Collegiate Board Resolution 275 (RDC 275), the standard 22000 from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 22000) and Codex Alimentarius. Seven experts with experience in the area participated in the check-list validation and semantic evaluation. The criteria used for the approval of the items, as to their importance for the prevention of food contamination and clarity of the wording, was the achievement of a minimum of five out of seven of agreement among the experts ( W -values ≥ 0.7). Moreover, items should have a mean ≥3 for the evaluation of importance (content validation) and clarity (semantic evaluation) to be maintained in the instrument. After the expert phase, we conducted another semantic evaluation of the check-list with a focus group composed of 13 undergraduate students, one moderator, and one observer of the process, to evaluate each item regarding its clarity, considering their level of understanding of the item. The final version of the check-list was composed of 77 items, divided into four blocks. The check-list developed was validated with respect to content with a W-value of 0.86 and approved in the semantic evaluation.

Although vast amounts of consumer food safety knowledge and self-reported data exist, attitudinal data detailing perceptions of risk, control, and responsibility are lacking. Such data relating to vulnerable groups, including older adults, are particularly scarce. Perception determination is essential in consumer food safety research to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the cognitive factors that may impact behavior. Previous research has indicated a relationship between food safety perceptions and behavior. Perceptual data can inform the development of targeted food safety educational interventions. This study was conducted to ascertain older adult consumers' cognitive perceptions regarding food safety. Older adults (≥60 years, n = 100) participated in a computer-assisted personal interview to determine perceived risk, control, and responsibility associated with food safety. Although the potential severity of foodborne illness may be understood, the association between foodborne illness and domestic food preparation may be underestimated. Significant differences were found between perceived personal risk, control, and responsibility and the risks, control, and responsibilities of others ( P > 0.001). Older adults perceived themselves to have lower levels of risk than other individuals have, suggesting perceptions of optimistic bias and personal invulnerability. Perceived greater levels of personal control and responsibility, compared with those of others, suggest perceptions associated with the illusion of control. Correlations were evaluated between personal perceptions of risk, control, and responsibility ( P < 0.05). Low levels of risk were correlated with high levels of control. Those respondents ≥80 years of age perceived higher levels of risk and lower levels of control and responsibility. Cumulatively, older adult consumers expressed perceptions of invulnerability, optimistic bias, and the illusion of control regarding food safety. Such perceptions may undermine attempts to provide education regarding food safety. Food safety messages for this audience must be tailored to overcome such perceptions.

Restaurant workers, whether aware of this or not, may be responsible for spreading Foodborne Diseases (FBD) to consumers. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the knowledge of the risk of FBD can become a gateway to risk perception and cognitive illusions, and how the habitus acts in guiding work practices. The research uses a mixed-methods design with qualitative approach. A study was conducted in six food services during 42 days, which had participatory observation as central method. A Risk Perception Scale and a Locus of Control Questionnaire were applied, helping to obtain data relative to cognitive illusions. It was identified that in the absence of food safety knowledge, risk was not identified by the workers and the action was conditioned by the habitus or by the constructions of common sense, while in the presence of knowledge, although shallow, risk was perceived and cognitive illusions emerged. A relationship between the many years of work, inefficient training and the protection granted by objects in the presence of cognitive illusions is discussed. Workers who do not possess scientific knowledge need to go through consistent training that, beyond biological and hygiene-related content, encompass concepts interwoven with risk perception and the habitus., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The charitable food assistance system has an influential role in the larger effort to curtail the problem of food insecurity globally. They often play a crucial role in meeting the food security needs of the poor, particularly resource-limited settings where food security is a challenge. The aim of our study is to compare evidence on the safety and general hygiene of charitable food assistance system in Africa and the rest of the world., Methods: This study will be conducted through a systematic scoping review. We will search for literature from the following electronic databases: African Index Medicus, PubMed, Google Scholar, EBSCOhost (MEDLINE with full text, Academic Search Complete, MEDLINE) and open access for unpublished theses and dissertations. Articles will also be searched through the 'Cited by' search as well as citations included in the reference lists of included articles. Websites, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Departments of Health websites, will be searched for policies and guidelines for food charity practice. Studies will be identified by searching literature published in any language between 1967 and 2018. Then, following title screening, eligible studies will be exported to EndNote library where duplicates will be removed before the parallel screening of abstracts and full articles by two independent reviewers. Screening will be guided by the study eligibility criteria. Data from the included studies will be extracted, and the emerging themes will be analysed. The relationship of the emerging themes to the research question will be critically examined. The quality of the included studies will be determined by the use of Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT)-version 2011. The search results will be presented through the use of the adapted PRISMA-P chart., Discussion: We hope to find relevant studies that highlight evidence of charitable organisations' food safety and general hygiene practices, in order to effectively compare their performance to those of formal and informal food establishments. Findings of this study will be disseminated electronically, in print and through peer presentation, conferences and congresses on synergies between efforts to reduce food loss and waste and those practices of public health concern.

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of important foodborne pathogens is a technology under development, but is already employed in routine surveillance by public health agencies and is being increasingly exploited in tracing transmission routes and identifying contamination events (source tracking) that take place in the farm-to-fork continuum. Furthermore, data generated from WGS, complemented by other -omics data, have the potential to be integrated into and strengthen microbiological risk assessment. In this paper, we discuss the contribution of WGS in diverse areas important to food safety and public health. Additionally, an outlook of future WGS applications, which should contribute to our understanding of the ecology and physiology of foodborne microorganisms, is presented., (Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)