Food Safety plays an important role in the reputation of an establishment. The implementation of good, safe practices will ensure you are doing all you can to protect the consumer and avoid a food-borne illness outbreak.
FACTS is excited to announce that in August 2024, the Allergen Bureau launched the new and improved VITAL® 4.0! VITAL® is a science-based risk-assessment tool developed to aid members of the food industry in determining whether their products need to carry allergen precautionary-labelling state...
In the food industry, ensuring the safety and quality of products is of utmost importance. Laboratory testing plays a crucial role in this process, as it allows manufacturers, regulators, retailers and consumers to make informed decisions about the food they produce, distribute and consume. Howev...
Regulatory frameworks across the world focus primarily on allergens that are added intentionally. However, it is well known that allergen cross-contact can cause non-allergen-containing products to become contaminated, to potentially hazardous levels. South Africa’s regulations mandate precauti...
Despite the implementation of food safety management systems, foreign objects still manage to find their way into food products. A physical contaminant may pose a major risk to a consumer’s safety, and threaten a brand’s reputation. Establishing the identity of a foreign object is crucial for ma...
Patulin has been in the spotlight in the last few weeks, with several brands and major retailers recalling apple juice products from supermarket shelves. Patulin is a mycotoxin that is associated with health concerns. But how does patulin get into apple juice, what is considered ‘safe’, and whi...
Yet another USA baby cereal recall has been issued on account of excessive arsenic levels. This follows the shocking findings of an investigation earlier this year which found that arsenic levels in eight brands of US baby foods exceeded the regulatory limit. Arsenic can cause serious health effe...
Arsenic has been shown to be a major contaminant of rice. Compared to other crops, rice has an unusual efficiency to absorb arsenic. Global regulatory authorities have been slow to regulate arsenic levels in rice and rice-based products. It is especially concerning that South African regulati...
The unauthorised presence of ethylene oxide in products containing sesame seeds was first reported in September 2020. Since then, nearly 500 cases of unauthorised use of ethylene oxide have been reported, according to a European food alert system. The European Commission has implemented more stri...
Cleaning validation and verification are fundamental components of effective food allergen control, and both are best supplemented with appropriate analysis. Verification testing should preferably be done on-site, which eliminates the time and financial constraints associated with laboratory-based m...