Food labels review for entry to the US, EU and UK markets.
Microbiological quality of ready-to-eat fresh vegetables and their link to food safety environment and handling practices in restaurants in Lebanon
Thursday, 08 October 2020
by Dr Faour Klingbeil
The increased consumption of ready-to-eat (RTE) salads outside homes as a result of a fast paced lifestyle, awareness on their nutritional attributes and enhanced processing technology is well documented. Outbreak investigations often indicate that food service establishments greatly contribute to food-borne illnesses involving fresh produce. Fifty small and medium sized (SME) restaurants in Beirut were
- Published in Ready to eat vegetables
The transfer rate of Salmonella Typhimurium from one contaminated parsley to other consecutively chopped batches- Modeling “Tabbouleh” preparation
Thursday, 08 October 2020
by Dr Faour Klingbeil
It is becoming more evident that Salmonella-associated outbreaks are not limited to contaminated foods of animal origin; they are periodically linked to consumption of fresh produce, including parsley and lettuce and S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium have been commonly isolated from fresh vegetables. Salmonella spp. can be transferred to the food chain directly from human or animal faecal sources, run-off of
- Published in Ready to eat vegetables
The Microbiological Safety of Fresh Produce in Lebanon-A holistic “farm -to-fork chain” assessment approach
Thursday, 08 October 2020
by Dr Faour Klingbeil
The consumption of unsafe fresh vegetables has been linked to an increasing number of outbreaks of human infections. In Lebanon, although raw vegetables are major constituents of the national cuisine, studies on the safety of fresh produce are scant. This research employed a holistic approach to identify the different stages of the food chain that
- Published in Fresh produce
UAE ban on import of fruits and vegetables: the national standards is a priority
Thursday, 08 October 2020
by Dr Faour Klingbeil
Translated version (brief) of my column in the arabic Al-Akhbar newspaper الحظر الإماراتي لاستيراد الفواكه والخضار: سلامة المعايير الوطنية أولويةhttp://www.al-akhbar.com/node/276723 Recently, the UAE banned the importation of vegetables and fruits from Lebanon and other countries because they contain high levels of pesticide residues that exceed the permitted levels according to their own standards. According to
- Published in Food safety and trade
من يعالج الأمراض الناجمة عن تلوث الليطاني والمزروعات؟
Thursday, 08 October 2020
by Dr Faour Klingbeil
موضوع تلوث مياه نهر الليطاني ليس بالجديد. لطالما تردّد أن الأسباب الرئيسية لتلوّث مياه نهر الليطاني هي غياب النظم الفعّالة لمعالجة مياه الصرف الصحي والنفايات الصناعية السائلة غير المعالجة التي تصبّ كلّها في التربة والمياه وقطع طريق النهر بسد القرعون. وقد تكثّفت الاجتماعات التي كان آخرها أمس للمعالجة، ولكن ما هي المخاطر التي تشكلها تلك
- Published in Fresh produce
COVID-19 Preparedness in the Food Industry
Thursday, 08 October 2020
by Dr Faour Klingbeil
On 11 March 2020, the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization as the virus has spread to many countries. It’s the first time the WHO has called an outbreak a pandemic since the H1N1 “swine flu” in 2009. What is confirmed is that the virus
Avoid the mistake of assuming HACCP and GFSI compliance will meet the FSMA requirements
Thursday, 08 October 2020
by Dr Faour Klingbeil
I have met recently with few representatives from the food industry and it appeared from our discussions that many were still unaware of the difference between the GFSI certification and FSMA compliance. For them, both equate, and the only steps required to export foods to the US market is to go through the registration process. There was
- Published in FSMA