IFSTL JOINT PROGRAMME

The University of Maryland
and Waters Corporation
have partnered to open a
facility in Maryland to train
foreign food manufacturers
and scientists in methods of
analysis to help them meet
US food safety standards.
The International Food Safety
Training Laboratory (IFSTL) will
be run by the Joint Institute for
Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
(JIFSAN), a new collaboration
between the University of
Maryland and the US Food and
Drug Administration (FDA). The
IFSTL is expected to open next
year.
Imports account for about 15
percent of the total US food
supply, including 60 percent of
fresh fruit and vegetables and
80 percent of seafood. According
to the Government
Accountability Office, there are
about 189,000 registered foreign
sites where food is made for sale
in the United States, but the FDA
only inspects a tiny fraction of
them – just 153 in 2008.
Director of JIFSAN Jianghong
Meng said: "Inspection at the
border is not an option. We
import so much food from other
countries that the FDA can only
inspect about one percent of it.
The answer is to control
contamination at the source."
The establishment of the
International Food Safety
Training Laboratory was
announced at an expert working
group meeting in Washington, DC,
seeking to define best practices
for food safety training in the
Asia-Pacific region.
Boosting food safety
confidence
Dr Robert Brackett, chief science
officer at the Grocery
Manufacturers Association, was
one of several members of the
trade organization represented
in the expert working group.
Dr Brackett said: “Combined with
food safety legislation that
places prevention as the
cornerstone of our food safety
system, this work to address
the critical food safety training
needs in the APEC [Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation] region will
help modernize our food safety
system and bolster consumer
confidence in the safety and
security of the food supply
globally. ”
The IFSTL is intended to train
scientists to detect both
microbiological and chemical
contaminants.
Chairman, president and CEO of
the Waters Corporation Douglas
Berthiaume said: "Waters
Corporation is committed to
bridging the gap between
governments and industry to
ensure the best science and
most innovative technologies are
used to make our food safe. ”
President of the University of
Maryland, Dr C. Dan Mote, said:
“ This collaboration is a superb
example of how the public and
private sectors can maximize
their impact by combining their
strengths. The new programs
have excellent potential for
improving food safety
internationally."
The expert working group found
that the four areas with the
most critical food safety training
needs in the APEC region were:
risk assessment; laboratory
capacity; incident management
and supply chain management.
JIFSAN said that in addition to
training foreign and US scientists
in best food safety practices, it
would also support the APEC
forum ’s goal to establish
laboratory capacity building
measures for the 22 member
countries.

BREAKTHROUGH ON HPP

A design breakthrough on a
new high pressure
processing (HPP) machine
has resulted in a more
compact, affordable and
easy-to-install system for
small and medium-sized
producers, said
manufacturer NC
Hyperbaric.
The Spanish company said its
Wave 6000/120 HPP system,
launched at the recent IFFA
trade show, is the first industrial
system in the world to fully
integrate two independent
intensifiers inside the equipment.
This means the machine has no
external cabinets or modules.
The Burgos-based firm said it
considered a machine with a
processing capability of at least
500kg per hour as an industrial
system.
Innovation
As well as reducing its footprint,
the innovation also means the
system can be integrated more
easily into existing production
lines with less connective wires
and tubing, Francisco Purroy,
technical sales manager at the
company, told
FoodProductionDaily.com.
“Until now, high pressure
equipment needed external
cabinets for the high pressure
intensifiers, and that was
impacting footprint and ease of
installation, ” he added. “This
industrial machine is basically
brought into the factory in one
piece; it has nothing outside its
frame, and can be started up
very quickly. It also has a
reduced footprint. ”
The new system is a combination
the established integrated Wave
6000/55 with an advanced
industrial design. The innovation
gives rise to “highly productive
and reliable” system at a
reduced cost of around
€ 800,000. This represents a
saving of about 20 per cent on
other systems with a comparable
capacity, said Purroy.
HPP potential
The Wave 6000/120 is designed
as a more affordable option for
small and medium-sized
companies for whom space is an
issue. The company said the new
equipment means it is now able
to supply HPP systems across a
full range of capacity needs -
and for industry segments as
diverse as meat, seafood, dairy,
sandwich fillings and salads and
spreads, as well as fruit
preparations and juices.
HPP is a non-thermal, post-
packaging processing
intervention designed to
eliminate foodborne pathogens,
extend shelf-life and reduce the
need for preservatives in food.
Purroy described it as “cold, in-
pack pasteurisation”, adding it
was the “only emerging,
consistent growth non-thermal
technique”.
NC Hyperbaric sold its first HPP
system in 2003 and last year
posted a turnover of €12m. It
has targeted a turnover of
€ 17m for 2010. Its largest
markets are North America and
Europe followed by, Japan,
Australia and New Zealand.
“We feel that markets are
starting to understand the
benefits of HPP technology

Fish consumption

“Concerned” scientists from
both sides of the Atlantic
are urging Margaret
Hamburg for the FDA to
complete its 2009 draft
assessment on fish
consumption for pregnant
women.
In a letter dated May 26, Prof
Tom Brenna from Cornell
University and Prof Michael
Crawford from the Institute of
Brain Chemistry and Human
Nutrition at London Metropolitan
University, UK, urge an “update
[to] the FDA’s 2004 advice about
fish consumption for fertile and
pregnant women”.
The letter, which can be read
here , says that advice issued in
2004 is now out of date and may
now be “inadvertently causing
harm”.
Speaking to NutraIngredients-
USA.com at the Celebration of
DHA event in London, Prof
Brenna explained that the 2004
advice for pregnant and fertile
women was issued to protect
the developing fetus from the
harms of methyl-mercury
pollutants in fish.
“The core problem is that the
benefits of fish could not be
appropriately considered in
2004, ” state the scientists.
“Current science has advanced
to the point where it is no
longer consistent with the
recommendation to limit
consumption of all fish to a
maximum of 12 ounces per week
for pregnant and lactating
women and women who may
become pregnant.
“There is persuasive new
evidence that consumption of
more than 12 ounces per week
of most marketplace species will
actually improve fetal
neurodevelopment. This
improvement occurs in spite of
methyl-mercury in most, if not all
fish.
“We commend FDA for its history
of willingness to modify that
advice when warranted by new
information. The time for the
next update has come, ” states
the letter.
Since the 2004 advice was
issued, however, the science has
moved on considerably, said Prof
Brenna, and the scientists are
now encouraging “FDA to
complete work on this
assessment on a priority basis”.
The letter states: “Over a year
ago, the FDA published its draft
assessment based on this new
approach. It produced estimates
of the benefits and risks of fish
consumption that were generally
consistent with the current
research findings. FDA has said
that it will not consider updates
to the 2004 advice until it has
addressed all the comments on
the published draft and
completed the new assessment.
Consequently, we encourage FDA
to complete work on this
assessment on a priority basis.
Mothers and children worldwide
deserve your best efforts to
provide advice consistent with
the best science available.”

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