July 2010 E-Zine

Tina's Bites

Tina Saldana
Senior Marketing Consultant

We have a summer extravaganza of new goodies now available at our online store! A new store category, Grocery/Convenience Store Resources, has been created to meet the training needs of exam administrators, managers, and employees of supermarkets and convenience stores. If you’re on our Facebook page you will likely have seen some of these valuable new resources.

Check out the list below for some of our new offerings for Managers, Consumers, Trainers, Administrators, and others. Visit our online store for a complete listing.

Knowledge Area Guides Series ($varies): The Food Safety Knowledge Area Guides were created to provide visually appealing and stimulating, condensed snap shots of the most important "basics" in each of the critical "Knowledge Areas" of the food safety manager exam. Sold individually or as a set of seven.

Food Safety Fundamentals Trainers Kit-English ($199.95): The Food Safety Fundamentals Trainer's Kit is an excellent management level tool for trainers who are working with managers and associates requiring comprehensive food safety training.

SuperSafeMark Quick Reference Trainer’s Kit ($129.95): Updated to incorporate recommendations from the 2009 FDA Food Code! The Quick Reference Trainer’s Kit is an excellent tool for anyone working with front line associates and others requiring training focused on the basics of food safety.

SuperSafeMark Guide to Food Safety-English ($42.95): Designed for supervisors and managers, this updated guide identifies best food safety and sanitation practices within the retail food industry. It incorporates the latest standards in the 2009 FDA Food Code and is filled with industry photos and easy-to-read charts.

Dietary Supplements and Functional Foods Program ($294.95): Included in this comprehensive FDA compliance/GMP Source Book:
-Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) template
-Trial self-audit tool
-Industry resources
-Registration application

Food Safety Considerations Arising from the BP (British Petroleum Company) Oil Spill

Richard H. Linton
Professor of Food Safety at Purdue University

Federal agencies are joining forces to understand the potential impacts to food safety resulting from the disastrous BP oil spill. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are all working together to understand the potential impact on the safety of seafood harvested from affected waters.

Federal and state officials are monitoring waters where seafood is harvested and will act to close areas contaminated by the oil spill to fishing and shellfish harvesting. NOAA has authority to close Federal waters to commercial fishing and States have authority to close waters within their jurisdiction. NOAA has already taken action by closing a large area of the Gulf of Mexico to commercial fishing, and, some state molluscan shellfish beds have been closed in anticipation of the oil nearing the shoreline. Federal and State agencies will be closely monitoring waterways and closing harvesting operations that are exposed to the oil spill in an effort to prevent unsafe seafood from reaching food distribution and consumer markets.

FDA has also initiated a sampling plan to provide verification that harvested seafood is safe to eat. A surveillance sampling program of seafood products from the Gulf Coast area is targeting mainly products from seafood processing plants. FDA is currently focusing on oysters, crabs and shrimp, which could retain contaminants longer than finfish. Meanwhile, fish and shellfish harvested from areas unaffected by the closures are considered safe to eat.

NOAA is closely monitoring the surface and subsurface movement of petroleum and is expanding the closed area as needed. States are also closing harvest waters under their jurisdiction. At this point, there is no evidence to show that any contaminated product has made its way to the market. Closing harvest waters which could be exposed to the oil is the most effective way to protect the public from potentially contaminated seafood, because it keeps the product from entering the food supply.

Federal and State waters closed due to contamination from the oil spill will only be re-opened for harvesting after it has been determined that seafood harvested from those areas is safe for consumption. The FDA oversees a mandatory safety program for all fish and fishery products under the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. If adulterated seafood is found on the market, both the FDA and the States have the authority to seize the product and remove it from the food supply.

At this point, there are 2 key messages that are being delivered:

1. Although crude oil has the potential to taint seafood with flavors and odors caused by exposure to hydrocarbon chemicals, the public should not be concerned about the safety of seafood in stores at this time.
2. Fish and shellfish harvested from areas unaffected by the closures are considered safe to eat.

As always, an additional best practice for the retail and manufacturing industries is to only purchase foods from an approved and safe source.

Certainly as this event continues, there will be updates relative to seafood safety. You can call a representative from FDA at 1-888-INFO-FDA with questions or concerns about seafood or to report any seafood you have purchased that you suspect of being contaminated with oil.

Other updated information can be found from the following sources described below:

• FDA has sent a letter to the fish and fishery products industry regarding the Gulf of Mexico oil spill: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/FoodSafety/HazardAnalysisCriticalControlPointsHACCP/SeafoodHACCP/UCM216934.pdf
• The “Deepwater Horizon Response” website has been created to provide updated information from NOAA and the Coast Guard about closed water areas to ensure that fisherman do not fish within them: http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/site/2931/
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created a webpage that describes many of the potential human health aspects of the oil spill: http://emergency.cdc.gov/gulfoilspill2010/2010gulfoilspill/health_surveillance.asp
• The EPA has designated a webpage dedicated to the environmental aspects of the oil spill: http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

 

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