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reusable food shopping bags and packages can contain a high level of bacteria, yeast, mold and coliform counts which pose a significant food safety risk, warns a new study from sporometrics, an environmental microbiology lab based in toronto, canada. swab tests of reusable bags last november revealed a bacteria count of 1,800 colony-forming units while 550 were discovered in tupperware containers.

a new guidance from the british meat processors association (bmpa) is designed to help manufacturers cut down on salt in their products without compromising quality and safety. the publication provides information and practical tips for businesses on how to reduce salt in meat products, while considering factors such as food safety, labelling and additives.

new regulations on microbiological safety will not result in increased testing procedures for most companies, industry experts say. "don't panic," advises kaarin goodburn, the managing director of the uk's chilled food association. goodburn, who was involved in providing advice during the european commision's drafting of the legislation, said she was concerned that some companies might be fooled into thinking the regulation would increase the level of food safety testing they would have to do.

food makers have until 1 january to implement procedures for testing their processing plants and products for dangerous bacteria such as listeria and e. coli. the procedures, as set out by the microbiological criteria for foodstuffs regulation, seeks to harmonise the industry's procedures for detecting the presence of dangerous bacteria. it is being introduced as part of the bloc's new food hygiene regulations, which also come into effect on 1 january.

the chief executive of the uk's food standard agency (fsa) used last week's keynote speech to discuss food safety detached from the everyday context of media hype and public scare stories. speaking at the society of food hygiene technology annual lecture in london's millennium mayfair hotel, dr jon bell underlined the importance of balancing public fears and actual risk.

we report elsewhere today on confirmation from the uk food and drink federation that food safety is an absolute priority for uk, and european, food manufacturers. but just this week the british medical association reports in the scientific journal 'gut' that cases of serious food poisoning in england and wales requiring admission to hospital have risen in real terms over the past decade -despite rates of overall illness having halved over the same time period.

around 250 food safety experts from across the uk gathered in london last week for the first national food safety communications conference organised by foodlink , a food and drink federation (fdf) initiative which organises national food safety week and is backed by the food standards agency and other industry groups. awards were also handed out to the uk's top environmental health teams for their imaginative approaches to communicating food safety.

following recent calls for controls on the widespread incidence of the common food bug campylobacter, safefood, a body that sets out to promote food safety in northern ireland and eire, held a meeting at the university college in dublin this week to discuss the development of preventative programmes. researchers outlined their current activities and demonstrated how these will be applied to foodchain monitoring and management.

warranted or not, it comes as no surprise to learn that there is growing concern among uk consumers over food safety. according to new research from mintel, 41 per cent of adults were concerned about the safety of food in 1997, while in 2002 this figure has risen to 44 per cent of consumers. the report revealed that there is a considerable difference in attitude between men and women with over half of women (51 per cent) worried about food safety, compared to just 36 per cent of men.