The long-awaited UK inspection of European imports and World Food Safety Day are among the highlights of next year.
2024 marks 45 years since the launch of the EU’s Emergency Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and 5 years since the establishment of the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
It has also been 10 years since the EU Food Information Regulation and new rules on allergen labeling began to apply. Since then, Natasha’s Law came into force in 2021, and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) supported calls for Owen’s Law at a meeting in December. This means restaurants and coffee shops may soon be required to provide written allergy information.
At the end of this article, events outside of the United States and Canada are selected by date to help you mark your calendar.
UK import rules and border checks
After several delays, post-Brexit checks on goods imported from the EU are set to come into force. From 31 January, food and drink from the EU will be classified into high-risk, medium-risk and low-risk categories based on the Border Target Operational Model (BTOM).
This day marks the introduction of health certification for the import of medium-risk animal products, plants, plant products and high-risk foods of non-animal origin from the EU. Document and risk-based identification and physical inspections for such products will begin from the end of April.
The EU Residue Law (REUL) Bill also raised a number of concerns, but the removal of so-called sunset clauses has given food companies clarity on regulatory changes. The Bill would abolish the special status of EU law held on the UK statute book, making it easier to amend, cancel and replace such legislation.
legal aspects
The Strauss Group plans to begin mediation proceedings this month as part of the salmonella chocolate scandal and 2022 recall. In September 2023, the Jerusalem District Court ruled that four of the seven motions for class certification be struck out, and that the remaining three were struck out altogether. The case was to be heard jointly based on one petition that had already been filed.
Taito Group is scheduled to go on trial in late 2024 in connection with the 2021 salmonella swine scratch outbreak in the UK. The first case occurred in September 2020, with up to 534 people affected. This is said to be the largest outbreak of Salmonella Infantis. It has been reported in Europe.
Since we haven’t heard anything more, it is believed that Mr. Ferrero is under investigation by the Luxembourg public prosecutor’s office over salmonella infections in chocolate that have sickened more than 450 people, and that a lawsuit against Nestlé is underway in France. . Frozen pizza in 2022 caused 59 cases and 2 deaths. Nestlé France has agreed to a compensation package for some people affected by the outbreak.
Civil cases involving Bakker in Brazil and Magrudis in Spain are progressing, but criminal proceedings are ongoing. The Austrian trial involving Kässelei-Glognitz is also scheduled to continue in 2024. The dairy farm was linked to a multi-year listeria outbreak that resulted in 10 cases and three deaths.
Tiger Brands Enterprises’ Polony Listeria caused 1,065 infections and 218 deaths in South Africa in 2017 and 2018, but has not yet reached the first stage of the trial. I hope that happens in 2024 and the class action lawsuit moves forward.
world food safety day
June 7 marks the 6th World Food Safety Day, promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). According to the 2023 edition of the report, more than 500 events were held in 139 countries.
We are also inching closer to releasing updated estimates of foodborne illnesses, scheduled for 2025. The WHO’s Foodborne Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG) has released its oft-cited 2015 statistics of 600 million illnesses and 420,000 deaths, based on 2010 data.
Has the European listeria regulation been revised?
The European Commission has announced changes to the Listeria regulation in Regulation 2073/2005, including challenge testing, or moving from a stance of 100 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) to either lower resistance or zero resistance/non-detection. There are whispers that they are considering doing so. With a 25g approach. The Chilled Foods Association has been leading the way ahead of the expected consultations.
Several events related to Listeria monocytogenes were held in 2023, sponsored by the Institute of Food Hygiene Technology, the Royal Society for Public Health, and the Teagasc Symposium on Listeria monocytogenes in food. In September 2024, the Quadrum Institute will host the International Symposium on Listeria and Listeriosis Issues (ISOPOL), so we may know more by then.
2024 event:
BRC Connect Europe February 7-8, Warwick
GHI World Congress March 18-20, Rotterdam
GFSI Conference in Singapore from April 8th to 11th
IAFP EU Symposium Geneva from April 30th to May 2nd
Turkish Food Safety Council May 9th-10th, Istanbul
International conference on toxoplasmosis Berlin from May 26th to 30th
International Symposium on Food Safety and Management In Vienna from May 27th to 31st
Food Safety Summit SA May 29th-30th
food safety conference June 4th-5th Berlin
Proactive Food Safety Conference June 6th in London
Food Safety Innovation Conference June 14th, Lincoln
Food Sure Summit June 20-21 in Madrid
hood micro In Burgos from July 8th to 11th
CIEH Food Safety Conference July 9th-10th
World One Health Congress September 20th-23rd in Cape Town
EHEDG World Congress October 2nd-3rd, Nantes
International Workshop on Campylobacter, Helicobacter and Related Microorganisms Perth in October
China International Food Safety and Quality Conference October 30-31 Shanghai
Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA) November 5th-8th, Prague
IAFP Latin America Symposium São Paulo from November 11th to 14th
Escade November 20-22, Stockholm
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