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Combating Antibiotic Resistance  Get Consumer Updates by E-mail Consumer Updates RSS Feed Antibiotic Resistance Podcast Share copies of this article (303 KB) On this page Antibiotics are drugs used for treating infections caused by bacteria. Misuse and overuse of these drugs, however, have contributed to a phenomenon known as antibiotic resistance. Back to top A Public Health Issue Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health concern worldwide. When antibiotics don't work, the result can be longer illnessesmore complicated illnessesmore doctor visitsthe use of stronger and more expensive drugsmore deaths caused by bacterial infections Examples of the types of bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics include the species that cause skin infections, meningitis, sexually transmitted diseases and respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia.

In cooperation with other government agencies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched several initiatives to address antibiotic resistance. What FDA Is Doing. Feedipedia: An on-line encyclopedia of animal feeds | Feedipedia - Animal Feed Resources Information System. Antimicrobial resistance. Antibiotic resistance. Ability of a microbe to resist the effects of medication Antibiotic resistance tests: Bacteria are streaked on dishes with white disks, each impregnated with a different antibiotic.

Clear rings, such as those on the left, show that bacteria have not grown—indicating that these bacteria are not resistant. The bacteria on the right are fully resistant to all but two of the seven antibiotics tested.[1] Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from the effects of antimicrobials.[2] All classes of microbes can evolve resistance. Fungi evolve antifungal resistance. Viruses evolve antiviral resistance. Antibiotic resistance is a major subset of AMR, that applies specifically to bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics.[2] Resistance in bacteria can arise naturally by genetic mutation, or by one species acquiring resistance from another.[6] Resistance can appear spontaneously because of random mutations.

Definition[edit] Overview[edit] Antimicrobial Resistance: Challenges and Perspectives - Doyle - 2013 - Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. Antimicrobial Resistance. Food labelling and packaging. To sell food and drink products, the label must be: clear and easy to read permanent easy to understand easily visible not misleading You must show certain basic information and list the ingredients. You might also have to show certain warnings. There are special regulations for labelling wine.

Products sold loose or in catering businesses If you run a catering business, you sell food loose or package it for sale in your shop, you only need to show: the name of the food if any of the ingredients have been irradiated, or have come from genetically modified sources certain warnings any food additive you have added allergen information You must show more information if you sell meat products loose. Packaging If you package food yourself, you must use packaging that’s suitable for food use. There are special rules for using plastics, ceramics or cellophane for packaging. This is known as a ‘declaration of compliance’ and you can get it from your packaging supplier.

Food assurance schemes. Food Labelling - guide. 30 January 2008by eub2 -- last modified 30 January 2008 The European Commission adopted on 30 January 2008 a proposal to make food labels clearer and more relevant to the needs of EU consumers. The aim of the draft Regulation is to modernise and improve EU food labelling rules, so that consumers have, in a legible and understandable manner, the essential information they need to make informed purchasing choices. Under the proposal, pre-packaged food will have to display key nutritional information on the front of the package.

General requirements on how nutrition information should be displayed on food labels are also set out, although there is room for EU Member States to promote additional national schemes provided they do not undermine the EU rules. For public health reasons, the draft Regulation extends the current requirements for allergen labelling to cover non pre-packed food, including food sold in restaurants and other catering establishments. Simplifying the rules Legibility. Food Safety - Labelling & Nutrition - Food Labelling - Introduction.

Food & drink Labelling. Food Labelling. 22 Nov 2011: Information Regulation now published: Regulation 1169/2011 EU Law Additional information can be found on the European Commission's page relating to food labelling at Agreed EU-wide controls on food labelling were introduced with Directive 79/112 in 1979. Additional controls have been added and amendments introduced to produce a complex array of labelling requirements. In 2000, the original 1979 Directive and its amendments were consolidated into a single new Directive - Directive 2000/13/EC. Additional Directives relating to labelling have also been adopted. The following links are to the current versions of the EU directives on the EU web site (but see also links to the consolidated texts given below): As amended by: As amended by: Consolidated Texts: As the legislation is amended, the Commission sometimes publishes consolidated versions of the original texts.

Development of New EU Controls Background. Guide to new EU food labelling rules launched | Ibec - Newsroom. Chilled Food Association | VIEWS | Shelf life. The shelf life of a food is the period of time during which a food maintains its safety and sensory qualities under expected conditions of storage and use. It is determined by taking into account the key factors that characterise the food and any preparation the food has undergone. Particularly important for chilled foods is the temperature at which the product is stored and distributed.

The maximum permissible shelf life of chilled foods, therefore, is based on the microbiological safety and stability of the food, its physical condition and sensory qualities (whichever is the shorter). The most important factors, however, are microbiological safety and stability which always take precedence over other factors. UK chilled foods are characterised by their short shelf life. They are minimally processed and strict temperature controls are used throughout the whole food chain to maintain safety and quality. Food Safety. Shelf Life determination. Q. What is shelf-life? At the end of a food’s shelf-life, the food begins to develop characteristics that are unacceptable or undesirable. These unacceptable or undesirable characteristics can be microbiological, chemical or physical. The Codex Alimentarius defines shelf-life as the period during which a food product maintains its microbiological safety and suitability at a specified storage temperature and where appropriate, under specified storage and handling conditions.

Shelf-life is defined in European legislation as the “date of minimum durability”. Q. Q. A ‘best-before’ date is not defined under Directive 2000/13/EC but can be described as the date up until which a food can reasonably be expected to retain its optimum conditions i.e. the specific properties that are normally associated with that food. Q. For ‘use-by’ declarations, the date of minimum durability should be indicated by the day, month and optionally the year e.g. use-by 24 th December. Q. Q. Q.

No. Q. Q. Yes. Q. Q. Q. Shelf-life Guidance. Shelf-life of food. Accelerated shelf life. Shelflife testing. Temperature control. Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-To-Eat Foods. MPI periodically asks for feedback on food safety issues that affect consumers and the food industry. You can make a submission (by post, email or fax) before the closing date. MPI analyses all submissions and considers how they might be included in final decisions. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has developed a series of guidance documents, Guidance for the control of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods.

Following a technical peer review by industry and other experts during 2010 MAF is pleased to release these for wider consultation. The guidance documents provide information on different areas of Listeria management, procedures and control measures, in a food manufacturing or processing environment and are made up of four Parts: Part 1: Listeria management Part 2: Good operating practices (GOP) Part 3: Monitoring Part 4: Corrective actions You are invited to make submissions on the consultation documents. Closed Closing Date: 19/8/2011. EU Reference Laboratory (Listeria) Listeria-management-and-glossary. Shelflife_listeria_monocytogenes_en. Listeria_report. Salmonella. Food Safety: From the Farm to the Fork - Home Page. Food Safety Authority of Ireland. Science & Health. The FSAI formulates policy advice and sets out standards for technical and scientific issues The FSAI is engaged in ongoing activity with industry to further improve the health and safety of food on the market.

Salt and Health The FSAI is charged with working with the food industry (manufacturers, retailers, caterers, etc) to achieve gradual, sustained and universal reductions in the salt content of processed and prepared foods. Find more information on the salt reduction campaign Healthy Eating You can find information in this section on the work the FSAI is doing in relation to healthy eating Nutrition and Health Claims In this section you can find all the information relating to the regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods Get more information on nutrition and health claims legislation Food Supplements Food supplements marketed for the first time in Ireland must be notified to the FSAI. Food Fortification Advertising Food to Children. Food Legislation. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) – Committed to ensuring that Europe's food is safe.

Animal health and welfare. Panels & Units. Biological hazards. Microbiology.