FSnet Aug. 15/08 -- II

BARFBLOG: Eggs deluxe

CALIFORNIA: Feathers fly over hens in cages

UK and IRELAND: Dawn Farm Foods Ltd withdraws cooked bacon used in three own-brand chicken and bacon sandwich fillers due to possible salmonella contamination

USDA seeks comment on guidelines for trim testing for E. coli

OHIO: Illness forces pools to close

TEXAS: Bedford Splash reports case of crypto parasite

FLORIDA: The clock is ticking for tomato food safety

MASSACHUSETTS: Tufts University researchers create 'E.coli sensors' using silk

TEXAS: Behind the kitchen door

ONTARIO: BSE case confirmed in Alberta

UK: The Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water Regulations (England)(Amendment) Regulations 2008

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BARFBLOG: Eggs deluxe
15.aug.08
barfblog
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/food-safety-communication/dr-dean-cliver-eggs-deluxe/index.html
Dr. Dean Cliver writes in this satirical contribution that:
My supermarket charges a 34% premium for "cage-free" eggs, compared to conventional eggs of the same brand, size, and grade. Cage-free eggs, with additional features, get as much as a 124% surcharge. Some say that eggs from cage-free chickens have more flavor because the chickens eat bugs; it would probably be cheaper to raise insects and feed them to layers in conventional cages, although the chicken would be denied the thrill of the chase. I suspect that most people who pay extra for cage-free eggs would not be able to detect the difference in taste, which suggests that flavor is not what they are really paying for. More likely, the premium is paid out of respect for the hens' freer lifestyle. If respect for chickens adds value to their eggs, there are certainly further commercial possibilities based on enhancing the life of the chicken.
I suggest that, if laying hens are to be treated with the dignity they deserve, premium egg ranches give every chicken her own name. As each egg was produced, its shell would be imprinted with the donor's name. In the interest of marketing eggs as fresh as possible, no two eggs in a one-dozen carton would bear the same name; the names might also be embellished with colors and distinctive logos. Hens typically proclaim their egg production with the characteristic, triumphant cackle -- it should be possible to build this into each egg carton (as is now done in greeting cards and other devices), so that the purchaser would hear it each time the carton was opened. Value might be further enhanced by adding some scratch-and-sniff barnyard aroma (bacteria-free, of course), to give the consumer an even greater feeling of being close to Nature.
How much value would be added by these measures could be determined by market research. If the prognosis was sufficiently favorable, there should be little difficulty capitalizing the required egg ranch and processing facility. Hens that "graduated" from such a ranch might also have added gastronomic value, or they might simply be enrolled in an alumnae association for life.
Dr. Cliver officially retired October 1, 2007 and is winding down from 46 years in academia, battling infectious agents in food and water. His research career has led him to see the world as if peering outward through the anal orifice: this "reverse proctoscopy" confers a unique viewpoint.



 
CALIFORNIA: Feathers fly over hens in cages
15.aug.08
The Sacramento Bee
Aurelio Rojas
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1158829.html
The fate of California's 19 million egg-laying hens is, according to this story,x coming to a polling place near you.
Same-sex marriage, parental notification of abortion – California's November ballot is studded with weighty issues, but none is ruffling feathers like Proposition 2, which would effectively ban farms from raising hens in cages.
The United Egg Producers predicts the measure would triple the cost of eggs, drive the industry out of the state and deprive consumers of fresh, safe California eggs.
"Californians are already reeling from skyrocketing gas and food prices," said Julie Buckner, a spokeswoman for the No on Proposition 2 campaign. "The last thing they need is to go to the supermarket and pay higher prices for a dozen eggs."
Supporters, including the Humane Society of the United States, say it would add only about a penny to the cost of an egg – and end the practice of cramming hens into cages so small they can't even turn around.
They argue the egg industry has reaped record profits in the past year while the price of an egg has jumped six cents.
"We're talking about a pretty small (additional) increase to get these animals out of these horrible, crammed cages," said Jennifer Fearing, chief economist for the Humane Society, who is managing the Yes on Proposition 2 campaign.
Fearing cites a 2005 study commissioned by the industry that concluded the cost of getting rid of cages would be nominal. Buckner said those costs were associated with chickens raised for meat – not eggs.
A Field Poll released last month showed the measure leading by the highest margin of any initiative – 63 percent to 24 percent, with 13 percent undecided.
But opponents noted that few respondents – only 16 percent – were aware of the issue. They say the polling was skewed by the measure's original title, The California Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, which has since been changed by the attorney general's office to "Standards for Confining Farm Animals."
If approved, Proposition 2 would also require farmers to increase the space available for calves raised for veal and pregnant pigs. But there is little veal production in California, and farmers have voluntarily phased out confining sows in breeding crates. Supporters say those provisions were added as preventive measures.
The focus of the campaign will be California's egg-laying hens, more than 90 percent of which are raised in cages.
Proposition 2 would require hens to be housed in a way that allows them to fully spread their wings without touching the side of an enclosure or other hens. Farmers who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor and face a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment or both.
Laws banning crates for breeding pigs have been enacted in Florida, Arizona, Colorado and Oregon. But Proposition 2 is the first of its kind and would be a major gain for the animal rights movement.
The two sides are gearing up for a costly campaign battle that is drawing contributors from throughout the nation.
Supporters have raised more than $4.2 million, most of which has come from the Humane Society of the United States. Opponents, including several out-of-state egg producers, have raised $1.7 million.
California is the fifth-largest egg-producing state, after Iowa, Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania, according to the Agriculture Department and American Egg Board.



 
UK and IRELAND: Dawn Farm Foods Ltd withdraws cooked bacon used in three own-brand chicken and bacon sandwich fillers due to possible salmonella contamination
15.aug.08
Food Standards Agency (UK)
http://www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/alerts/2008/aug/dawnfarmfoods
Dawn Farm Foods Ltd, The Maudlins, Naas, Republic of Ireland, has withdrawn cooked bacon as a precautionary measure, due to the possible presence of salmonella. The cooked bacon supplied by Dawn Farm Foods was used by the Kerry Group in the manufacture of three own-brand sandwich fillers.
The affected products are:
*Dunnes Chicken and Bacon Sandwich Filler
*Pack size: 170g
*Use by: 13/08/08 to 18/08/08
*O'Brien's Chicken and Bacon Sandwich Filler
*Pack size: 170g
*Use by: 13/08/08 to 18/08/08
*Supervalu Chicken and Bacon Sandwich Filler
*Pack size: 170g
*Use by: 13/08/08 to 18/08/08
These products were manufactured by the Kerry Group in the Republic of Ireland, and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has issued a press release regarding their withdrawal. The Dunnes and O'Brien's products are known to have been distributed to Dunnes Stores premises in Northern Ireland, and Dunnes Stores has withdrawn these products from retail sale.
The Agency is awaiting further details from FSAI regarding the steps that have been taken by Dunnes Stores in Northern Ireland to inform the consumer of the withdrawal.
No other date codes or other products are known to be affected.



 
USDA seeks comment on guidelines for trim testing for E. coli
15.aug.08
Meatingplace.com
Janie Gabbett
http://www.meatingplace.com/MembersOnly/webNews/details.aspx?item=9413
USDA on Friday issued draft guidelines on the design of sampling and testing programs for E. coli o157:H7 for establishments that make or use boneless beef manufacturing trim and other raw ground beef components. (See USDA taking aim at bench trim, retail grinding for closer scrutiny onMeatingplace.com, August 13, 2008.)
The document, issued by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, suggests frequent trim testing, particularly during the warmer months April through October. "Optimally, every production lot should be sampled and tested before leaving the supplier and again before use at the receiver." It also suggests follow-up on each positive result with the supplier, whether the trim was produced on site or procured from another supplier.
FSIS recommends testing finished product even if the source material has been tested and found negative, as there can still be pockets of contamination in the product that were not in the test sample, the product might have become contaminated after it was sampled, or E. coli cells within the sample might have gone undetected because the number of cells was below the limit of detection.
On the days trim is cut, unless primal and sub-primal cuts are effectively treated with antimicrobials after trimming, these cuts and food contact surfaces should be assess for E. coli O157:H7, FSIS suggested.
FSIS is setting a percent positive guidance value of pre-tested trimmings at 1.5 percent. While not a regulatory limit, FSIS is using the 1.5 percent value to identify a statistical framework to identify when a process, during some period of time, is producing product in a way that does not adequately control the occurrence of E. coli O157:H7.
The agency also suggests trimmings from each supplier be tested as a separate lot to help decrease the extent of product that would be recalled or sent for cooking when a positive test result is obtained.
View the full guidelines document here.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Draft_Guidelines_Sampling_Beef_Trimmings_Ecoli.pdf
Comments are due by September 15, 2008 and can be sent to: FSISGuidanceDocumentComments@fsis.usda.gov.



 
OHIO: Illness forces pools to close
15.aug.08
The Columbus Dispatch
Robert Vitale
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/08/14/crypto.html?sid=101
Columbus will shut down seven city-run swimming pools Friday for an extra shot of chlorine, the result of a summertime increase of cryptosporidium cases being tracked by local health officials.
Columbus Public Health spokesman Jose Rodriguez said his department also will order all operators of large pools licensed by the city - public and private - to step up chlorination because of the water-borne parasite.
Health officials still are tabulating the number of cryptosporidium cases they've seen recently and are "not calling it an outbreak yet," Rodriguez said.
Cryptosporidium causes diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain in people who ingest the parasite.
Rodriguez said last night that he was unsure whether central Ohio cases have been traced to a specific source, although he said drinking water is highly unlikely.



 
TEXAS: Bedford Splash reports case of crypto parasite
15.aug.08
Star Telegram
Diane Smith
http://www.star-telegram.com/northeast/story/835020.html
BEDFORD -- A confirmed case of the Cryptosporidium parasite was reported to have been contracted at the city of Bedford's Splash aquatic center.
City officials learned of the case Tuesday when a person who had visited Splash was diagnosed with the parasite after a visit to the doctor.
Tarrant County health officials said Thursday that lab tests have confirmed 141 cases of the waterborne parasite this summer.
Of those cases, 88 are linked to an outbreak last month at Burger's Lake in Fort Worth.
Since then, public pools across North Texas have been hyperchlorinated, which involves "shocking" the water with a concentrated dose of chlorine.



 
FLORIDA: The clock is ticking for tomato food safety
14.aug.08
Citrus+Vegetable
Elizabeth Ashby
http://www.citrusandvegetable.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=8FE4EB2B8A324227A0BE36894BB362AF
Simply put, it's a different world for the tomato industry than it was back in May, says Reggie Brown, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, Maitland.
In May, producers were in the middle of what looked to be a promising spring season. Demand was strong and volume and quality were great. Then on June 7, the tomato industry once again fell siege to another food safety crisis.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to consumers to avoid eating raw red, Roma and round tomatoes, which were thought to be connected to a string of several Salmonella Saintpaul cases reported across the country. From mid-April through that early date in June, there were 145 reported cases nationwide, including 23 hospitalizations, according to the initial FDA warning.
With that, tomato sales plummeted and Florida tomato producers were left with a terrible end to what could have been a wonderful season.
Surveying the damage
Even though Florida's tomatoes were not shipping to the locations where consumers were falling ill from Salmonella Saintpaul, the entire industry suffered. Estimates of tomato losses during the warning to consumers is somewhere in the neighborhood of $120 million to $140 million, Brown says. That figure is the most recent through the latter part of July and includes the tomato-producing states of California, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Brown also says market suppression is still out there and demand is off by as much as 20 percent to 30 percent.
According to an article in The Packer newspaper, a mid-June consumer poll conducted by the Produce Marketing Association, Newark, Del., indicated that 8 percent of shoppers surveyed said they would never buy tomatoes again. In that same article, The Perishables Group, West Dundee, Ill., reported that tomato retail sales dropped 17 percent and movement of field-grown red, Roma and round tomatoes dropped nearly 50 percent.
It took the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until July 17 to lift the tomato warning. The agency's official news release stated, "After a lengthy investigation, the FDA has determined that fresh tomatoes now available in the domestic market are not associated with the current outbreak." Instead, consumers were warned to avoid eating raw jalapeρo and serrano peppers.
As of early August, the two organizations had yet to officially clear tomatoes of any association with the outbreaks. Brown says they are persistent in not acknowledging what the tomato industry thinks may have been an error in the assumption that tomatoes were ever involved in the outbreak, adding that the "CDC and FDA are resisting to budge on the suspicion of tomatoes."
Moving on
The irony of the whole tomato food safety debacle is that Florida is the only state in the country with mandatory Tomato Good Agricultural Practices and Tomato Best Management Practices. "Commodity-Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Fresh Tomato Supply Chain" is a document applicable to the entire country. However, it is much broader and provides recommendations rather than mandatory regulations.
For two years, the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange worked with the industry, UF/IFAS, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services and the FDA to identify proper food safety practices. The state used the information to develop Tomato GAPs and Tomato BMPs in September 2006. Since then, the state's tomato producers, packinghouses and repackers have been making the necessary changes to comply.
Last fall, the field-packing provision of the program went into effect. This fall, the final piece of the program will commence when the state government starts its official audits. Brown says the audits will look for several things, but the main changes include the way tomatoes are packed from the field and sent to the packinghouse.
"The biggest change you will see is the use of used corrugated boxes. Those are now prohibited," Brown says. "The old practice of picking up an old box, wiping it off and putting tomatoes in a used box is prohibited."
Instead, growers will be required to pack tomatoes from the field in some sort of reusable container like a half-bin or a Reusable Plastic Container. These will not be used as a merchandising container, rather a container for transporting the field tomatoes to the packinghouse.
Another change involves sanitization. Brown says all tomatoes will need to undergo a sanitization step prior to being placed into boxes or containers that will enter the marketplace. A list of approved sanitization products appears in the official Tomato Best Practices Manual, which can be found on the Florida Tomato Committee's Web site, www.floridatomatoes.org.
Producers and packinghouses can expect to incur additional charges for new containers and sanitization products, but Brown says the cost is nothing in comparison to losing business in the manner the industry did this summer.
"Anyone who complains needs to take a deep breath and look back at the tens of millions of dollars the industry just lost because of a single outbreak. The options of the past can no longer be used in the future," he says.
Plans for the future
The Florida tomato industry has done what it can within the state to try and minimize any risk for foodborne illnesses associated with tomatoes. But as food safety issues continue to rear their ugly heads, the state's tomato industry is encouraging similar mandatory regulations in other tomato-growing regions to keep the entire country's tomato supply safe.
"We have called for similar programs in other areas to be implemented nationwide for all tomato producers," Brown says. "So far, there has not been implementation of any mandatory programs by the FDA. We think they need to exercise their authority."
The Florida Tomato Growers Exchange also has endorsed HR 5904 in Congress known as the Safe Food Enforcement, Assessment, Standards and Targeting Act of 2008, or Safe FEAST Act. The bill, which was introduced by Reps. Jim Costa (D-CA) and Adam Putnam (R-FL), "would establish new food safety requirements for domestically produced and imported food to identify and prevent potential sources of foodborne illness," according to a news release from Putnam's office. It goes on to state that, "For the first time, the measure grants the Food and Drug Administration statutory power to recall contaminated food in the case of adulteration."
After legislative options, the next step is reassuring consumers that tomatoes are safe to eat. The Florida Tomato Committee's fall marketing campaign will revolve around the fact that the state's tomato producers operate under an aggressive, pioneering food safety plan, Brown says. Messages will communicate that the state's growers produce the safest tomatoes they can.
"I think this last experience in June and July was enough to convince anyone that the industry can't operate as it did in the past regardless of our guilt or innocence in the outbreak," Brown says. "We need to do everything we can to minimize the risk of any food safety outbreak in the future."
Learn more about Tomato GAPs
For growers attending the Florida Tomato Committee and the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange's 2008 Joint Tomato Conference Sept. 2-7 at The Ritz-Carlton in Naples, you will have two opportunities to learn more about the changes being implemented to the Tomato GAPs and Tomato BMPs this fall.
*
Starting at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 2, there will be a packinghouse audit seminar.
*
Starting at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 4, there will be a farm audit seminar.
Both of these seminars will explain the auditing process that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Law Enforcement Group will use. The seminar also will discuss the practicality and intent of the audit document so you can be prepared.
If you can't make either of the seminars, UF/IFAS plans to record the seminars and post the videos online for anyone to view throughout the year.
Approved sanitization methods, products for tomatoes
When the final portion of the Tomato GAPs and Tomato BMPs is implemented this fall, it will require all tomatoes undergo a sanitization step prior to being placed into boxes or containers that will enter the marketplace. Here is the list of sanitization methods and products that you will need to follow.
1. The current approved method for sanitization of dump tank and flume water in packinghouses is a chlorination method. This requires:
*
A minimum of 150 ppm free chlorine, used in the following manner:
(1) pH 6.5-7.5
(2) Water temperature 5°F/10°C above pulp temperatures
(3) Time — maximum of 2 minutes
*
Free chlorine concentration, water temperature and pH must be monitored at start-up
and every hour by hand thereafter and recorded in writing.
*
When electronic monitoring of oxidant concentrations in handling water is used, the
monitoring should be verified against a chemical test that measures free-chlorine and pH
at start-up and every 2 hours thereafter.
*
When water temperature and pH monitoring are done electronically, verification
procedures must be conducted.
2. Approved sanitization products include the following:
*
a. Peroxyacetic Acid — Peroxyacetic acid products currently registered by the Department, pursuant to Florida Statutes, Section 487.041 and Rule 5E-2.031, F.A.C., may be used for sanitization if labeled for this use. The directions for concentration of product and adequate contact time must be followed closely and recorded in writing.
*
b. Aqueous Chlorine Dioxide — Aqueous chlorine dioxide products currently registered by the Department, pursuant to Florida Statutes, Section 487.041 and Rule 5E-2.031, F.A.C., may be used for sanitization if labeled for this use. The directions for concentration of product and adequate contact time must be followed closely and recorded in writing.
*
c. Free chlorine — Products delivering free chlorine for overhead spray application may be used if the products are currently registered by the Department, pursuant to Florida Statutes, Section 487.041 and Rule 5E-2.031, F.A.C., labeled for this use, and used at the concentration of product and contact time stated on the label. Records of procedure must be followed closely and documented in writing.
*
d. Gas-phase and Aqueous Ozone — Gas-phase or aqueous ozone may be used for tomato packing if it can be shown through a reproducible scientific study that the product, if used at a stipulated agent concentration and contact time can achieve a minimum 3 log reduction of Salmonella or like organisms. Additionally, the ozone generator must bear an EPA establishment number and must be labeled for this use on fruits and vegetables and the user must meet OSHA standards for worker protection. Label directions must be followed and procedures documented in writing.
*
e. Other Chemical Usage — Any other chemical product, proposed for use for tomato packing, must be registered by the Department pursuant to Florida Statutes, Section 487.041 and Rule 5E-2.031, F.A.C., and labeled for this use. Additionally, it must be shown through a reproducible scientific study that the product or process used can achieve a minimum 3 log reduction of Salmonella or like organisms. Label directions must be followed and procedures documented in writing.



 
MASSACHUSETTS: Tufts University researchers create 'E.coli sensors' using silk
14.aug.08
Cox News Service
Bob Keefe
http://www.ajc.com/health/content/health/stories/2008/08/14/silk_food_safety.html
To make sure you're not eating contaminated spinach or tomatoes, you might someday want to sprinkle special silkworm silk on your salad.
Researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts say they've discovered a way to make "edible optics" from the silk that can be used as sensors for E.coli, salmonella and other potentially deadly contaminants.
By manipulating the natural optical traits of silk, researchers could "program" the sensors to display a hologram warning or change color when they come into contact with unwanted bacteria, the researchers say.
"This is something that would be similar to the hologram on your Visa card," said Tufts researcher Fiorenzo Omenetto.
Cheap, silk-based sensors that resemble transparent pieces of thin plastic could be tossed into a bag of produce, or even used to make the produce bags themselves, researchers say. Films made from silkworm silk could be used to coat salad tongs in a restaurant, or even be shredded and sprinkled on top of your food.
Omenetto says that in his experience, it has almost no taste.
Tufts researchers recently published academic papers explaining their silkworm sensors and filed for patent applications.
They expect to begin producing prototypes within a year. If they're successful, such sensors could possibly be on the market within the next several years. Sensors could be manufactured for as little as a few pennies each.



 
TEXAS: Behind the kitchen door
15.aug.08
KTEN News
Katy Blakey
http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=8845659
From "As" to "Cs" - Grayson County health inspectors are seeing it all this summer - a local pizza joint, a favorite fast-food Tex-Mex restaurant and a neighorhood grill. Those are just some of the restaurants inspectors checked-up on. KTEN's Katy Blakey has more in Behind the Kitchen Door.
"I believe I've fixed everything on that list that I can think about," said Jeff Lubbers, manager at Mr. Jim's Pizza in Denison.
The list he's refering to is one left by Grayson County health inspectors. Two pages of notes detail needed repairs and things to update at the restaurant. The pizzeria received a "C' on their last inspection.
A health inspector says employees were observed slicing tomates with bare hands - no gloves. And another employee was working without a hair restraint.
So manager Jeff Lubbers is making changes.
"We've put gloves in place for our salads and whatnot. Before they were handling with bare hands...We make our employees wear hairnets or a fitted ball cap."
The report says when inspectors arrived, many of the employees did not have a food handlers permit. Now, according to Lubbers, everyone is properly licensed and many of the day-to-day repairs have been made. He also adds that the majority of minor violations they received were not affecting their food product.
"Keep on calling," said Lubberts. "It's perfectly safe here."
Seventeen restaurants in Grayson County earned "B" ratings, including the Braum's in Denison. Inspectors made the ice cream store toss out diary products after not keeping the food cold enough. Inspectors also discovered several areas lightly soiled.
T-Bones in Denison received 2 critical violations - one for not keeping their refrigerator cold enough. And the Taco Cabana in Sherman? A "B" rating for a handwashing sink with no towels and several soiled areas.
Dozens of restaurants earned "As" including City Limits and Applebee's on Texoma Parkway. Also, Panera Bread and the Olive Garden off Highway 75 scored "As".



 
ONTARIO: BSE case confirmed in Alberta
15.aug.08
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Animal Health
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/heasan/disemala/bseesb/ab2008/14notavie.shtml
OTTAWA -- The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a six-year-old beef cow from Alberta. No part of the animal's carcass entered the human food or animal feed systems.
The animal's birth farm has been identified, and an investigation is underway. The CFIA is tracing the animal's herdmates at the time of birth and examining possible sources of infection. The age and location of the infected animal are consistent with previous cases detected in Canada.
This case was detected through the national BSE surveillance program, which has been highly successful in demonstrating the low level of BSE in Canada. The program continues to play an important role in Canada's strategy to manage BSE.
Canada remains a Controlled Risk country for BSE, as recognized by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Accordingly, this case should not affect exports of Canadian cattle or beef.



 
UK: The Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water Regulations (England)(Amendment) Regulations 2008
15.aug.08
Food Standards Agency
http://www.food.gov.uk/consultations/consulteng/2008/waterconsult2008
Council Directive 80/777/EEC (as amended) on the exploitation and marketing of natural mineral water is being consolidated and reissued under a new reference number. This means that the Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water Regulations (England) 2007 need to be amended by a new Statutory Instrument to update existing references to Council Directive 80/777/EEC.
All comments and views should be sent to:
Andy Furmage
E-mail: andy.furmage@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
Responses are requested by: 26 September 2008
Consultation details
The final consolidated Directive is expected to be published in October. There will not be time to consult on a new Statutory Instrument before the new Directive comes into force. The Agency is therefore consulting on a draft Statutory Instrument, based on the current draft consolidated Directive. It is not expected that this Directive will change significantly before its publication.
The draft Statutory Instrument, The Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water Regulations (England)(Amendment) Regulations 2008:
* Changes any references to Directive 80/777/EEC to references to the new Directive
* changes the derogation date for tankering spring water in Schedule 4, paragraph 5(3) from 23 November 1996 to 13 December 1996. The current European Directives do not give a specific date for this derogation but say it applies at or before the 'time of notification' of the Directives. The UK had interpreted this for spring water as the 23 November 1996. The consolidated Directive has had to introduce specific dates for the 'time of notification', and for spring water the European Commission interpreted this to be the 13 December 1996. Note that this change was made after the enclosed draft Directive was written, but will appear in the published Directive
* clarifies the text in Schedule 4, paragraph 8 that natural mineral water and spring water must be free of parasites, pathogenic micro-organisms, E. coli, coliforms and faecal streptococci, sporulated sulphite-reducing anaerobes and P. aeruginosa at source and throughout marketing (as in the European Directive)
Similar legislation will apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The amending legislation will not result in any substantive changes; therefore the Agency does not intend to produce an Impact Assessment. If, however, you believe that this new SI will result in a significant change, requiring an Impact Assessment, we would welcome your comments and supporting evidence by 26 September 2008.
Further information
This consultation has been prepared in accordance with the Better Regulation Executive's Code of Practice on Consultation, which states that a consultation must follow better regulation best practice, including carrying out an Impact Assessment (Regulatory Impact Assessment in Scotland). The assessment is included in the consultation documents.
We are interested in what you thought of this consultation and would therefore welcome your general feedback on both the consultation package and overall consultation process. If you would like to assist us to improve the quality of future consultations, please feel free to share your thoughts with us by using the Consultation Feedback Questionnaire.
Publication of personal data and confidentiality of responses
In accordance with the FSA principle of openness our Information Centre at Aviation House will hold a copy of the completed consultation. Responses will be open to public access upon request. The FSA will also publish a summary of responses, which may include personal data, such as your full name and contact address details. If you do not want this information to be released, please complete and return the Publication of Personal Data Form. Return of this form does not mean that we will treat your response to the consultation as confidential, just your personal data.
In accordance with the provisions of freedom of information legislation, all information contained in your response may be subject to publication or disclosure. If you consider that some of the information provided in your response should not be disclosed, you should indicate the information concerned, request that it is not disclosed and explain what harm you consider would result from disclosure.
Any automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not be considered as such a request unless you specifically include a request, with an explanation, in the main text of your response.
Publication of response summary
Within three months of a consultation ending we aim to publish a summary of responses received and provide a link to it from this page.
If, after three months, the summary is still not showing, please contact the person who was responsible for the original consultation. Alternatively, you can contact Chris Harvey, the FSA Consultation Co-ordinator, on 020 7276 8630.
Email: chris.harvey@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
 


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dpowell@ksu.edu
http://www.foodsafety.ksu.edu




archived at http://archives.foodsafety.ksu.edu/fsnet-archives.htm