Neogen Blog

Safe Food for Canadians Act implementation begins

KaylaHabermehl — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:30:01 +0000

The Canadian government has taken the next step in rolling out the Safe Food for Canadians Act.

Last week, officials unveiled the government’s action plan, which aims to provide additional information to consumers, create more effective inspections and enhance food safety rules, according to a statement from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Several food [...]

Do a little light reading with the Monday links

KaylaHabermehl — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:58:52 +0000

Editor’s note: Hi all! Just a little FYI – next week’s edition of the links will be posted next Wednesday.

Don’t have time to scour the internet for the latest food safety, animal safety, life sciences and agriculture news? Relax, we’ve got it covered.

Food safety

Groundbreaking study into peanut allergy – Food Standards Agency

The United Kingdom’s (U.K.) [...]

Study shows average pet life span increased

KaylaHabermehl — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:45:04 +0000

Pets are living longer than before.

Nationally, the average lifespan for dogs is about 11 years while cats live for about 12.1 years. Overall, the average lifespan for dogs is up about 4 percent (or about half a year) since 2002. For cats, the average lifespan has increased an entire year, or about 10 percent, [...]

H7N9 avian flu cases taper off

KaylaHabermehl — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:48:04 +0000

Although the number of H7N9 cases has slowed in recent weeks, many of those infected continue to battle the illness.

Some experts believe the closure of live poultry markets could be reason for the slow down, although others have suggested H7N9 could be decreasing as summer arrives, something that has been seen with other avian [...]

New food defense tool available from FDA

KaylaHabermehl — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:41:01 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added a tool to its arsenal against intentional food adulteration and contamination.

The new software – the Food Defense Plan Builder – is designed to help food facility operators easily develop plans to prevent intentional contamination. Although FDA doesn’t require food defense plans, many companies still implement [...]

Fungal network helps plants communicate

KaylaHabermehl — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:46:42 +0000

It’s like playing telephone, but more science-y.

Researchers have found plants use an underground network of fungi to warn each other of attacks by aphids, small insects that feed on and can destroy plants, according to phys.org. The research was published in Ecology Letters and was conducted by researchers at the University of Aberdeen and [...]

Food Allergy Awareness Week kicks off

KaylaHabermehl — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:30:47 +0000

Yesterday marked the beginning of Food Allergy Awareness Week, which aims to educate as many people as possible about food allergies and their severity.

Food allergies have been increasing in the U.S. in recent years – up from 3.4 percent of kids younger than 18 in 1997-1999 to 5.1 percent in 2009-2011, according to new [...]

Start the day off right with the Monday links

KaylaHabermehl — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:23:07 +0000

Don’t have time to scour the internet for the latest food safety, animal safety, life sciences and agriculture news? Relax, we’ve got it covered.

Food safety

New study by USDA, FDA aims to enhance food safety in retail delis (Risk assessment targets Listeria monocytogenes) – USDA FSIS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) [...]

Certain types of chalk may trigger milk allergies

KaylaHabermehl — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:44:02 +0000

For kids with milk allergies, the old excuse “I’m allergic to school” may be rooted in some truth, according to new research.

Certain types of chalk used in schools may contain casein, a milk protein that often is used in low powder chalk. Inhaling casein-containing chalk dust can be dangerous for milk allergic kids as [...]

Europe looks to overhaul food safety system

KaylaHabermehl — Thu, 09 May 2013 19:28:46 +0000

The European Commission (EC) this week adopted a group of measures to simplify and improve the food chain in member countries.

The package also cuts down the amount of legislation surrounding the food chain from the current 70 pieces of legislation to only five, as represented in the package. The new approach also aims to [...]