SSA Core Membership of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence

Transcription

1 SSA Core Membership of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence Ms Jayne Gallagher (Principal Investigator of the project) Project No. 2005/411 SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 1 of 15

2 SSA Core Membership of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence Jayne Gallagher Project No. 2005/411 This work is copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process, electronic or otherwise, without the specific written permission of the copyright owners. Neither may information be stored electronically in any form whatsoever without such permission. Fisheries Research & Development Corporation Funding for this project was provided by the Australian Government s Fisheries Research and Development Corporation through the Seafood Industry Development Fund administered by Seafood Services Australia. SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 2 of 15

3 Contents CONTENTS...3 NON TECHNICAL SUMMARY...4 BACKGROUND...5 NEED...6 OBJECTIVES...7 METHODS...7 RESULTS / DISCUSSION...8 BENEFITS...8 FURTHER DEVELOPMENT...9 CONCLUSION...9 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY...9 APPENDIX 1 : Australian food Safety Centre of Excellence Report July APPENDIX 2 : AFSCoE Annual Report SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 3 of 15

4 Non Technical Summary 2005/411 SSA Core Membership of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: ADDRESS: Ms. Jayne Gallagher Seafood Services Australia PO Box 2188 Ascot QLD 4007 Telephone: Fax: NON TECHNICAL SUMMARY OUTCOMES ACHIEVED SSA as a Core Member of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence (AFSCoE) was able to influence the strategic direction and operation of AFSCoE s world expertise research to help build the Australian seafood industry s capacity to produce safe and high quality foods. The Australian seafood industry benefited from the world expertise technical advice on many issues, but in particular advice provided on listeria and the the risk ranking of pearl meat and its proposed inclusion in the mandatory requirements of the Primary Production and Processing Standard (PPPS). The Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence was launched on 24 July The Centre s four key programs are: Food Safety and Integrity Science; Advanced Food Safety Education; Business Development and Industry Liaison; and Knowledge Management. Ms Jayne Gallagher is a Board Member of the Centre. The SSA Business Development Manager, as an AFSCoE Board Member, attended 3 meetings and participated in 2 teleconferences during the 2004/05 year. The SSA Board determined three annual performance indicators: 1. The extent to which the Centre activities benefit the seafood industry; 2. The amount of leverage funding achieved through Centre membership 3. The number and quality of responses to requests for information and assistance, including independent reviews and assessment of food safety related issues. SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 4 of 15

5 These performance indicators were monitored by the SSA Board at its meeting on June 2004 where it noted the return on investment provided through membership of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence (AFSCoE). The Board further endorsed SSA s continued involvement as a core member of AFSCoE and agreed that the external review of SSA consider the benefits and costs and recommend options for continued funding of membership of AFSCoE. The SSA Review Consultant, Dr David McKinna, had been requested to consider continued SSA membership in the terms of reference of his review but this did not eventuate. During the 2004/05 period, AFSCoE continued work in a number of areas relevant to the seafood industry particularly in the relation to risk management options for listeria. Technical advice and input was sought and received for the debate regarding the risk ranking of pearl meat and its proposed inclusion in the mandatory requirements of the PPPS. Other projects in the pipeline include the development of time temperature spoilage models for pacific oysters. Please see Appendix 1 for full list of projects. AFSCoE assisted in development of the program for the 6 th World Congress on Seafood Safety Quality and Trade, coordinated the student poster competition and sponsored the participation of an overseas speaker. The SSA Board has agreed that, based on the return on investment, SSA continue its involvement in AFSCoE for 2005/2006 but seek more advice on the process for disseminating information to industry and request a report on knowledge management process. Management is to forward the application to FRDC for part funding of membership as previously agreed. BACKGROUND Food Safety and Quality is one of 5 priority areas for SSA activity and is one where there have been some significant achievements delivering wide ranging benefits to the Australian seafood industry. These include: a number of easy to use and understand publications to help seafood businesses understand their food safety responsibilities and to implement appropriate food safety management systems to address them; a comprehensive risk assessment of Australian seafood; a voluntary 3rd party auditable food safety standard that meets regulatory and commercial food safety requirements; participation in national consultation to develop a new Primary Product and Processing Standard for seafood to provide for nationally consistent minimum seafood safety regulations. Underpinning these achievements is a sound understanding of the current food safety risks associated with Australia's seafood production, processing, distribution and sale. However the rapidly changing operating environment, both nationally and internationally, demands continued vigilance to understand and address emerging food safety issues. SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 5 of 15

6 The National Food Industry Council agreed in 2002 to the establishment of two Food Centres of Excellence in the areas of food safety and integrity and functional foods. The key drivers for establishing a Centre of Excellence in Food Safety were: food safety regulation at a global level is moving quickly to an outcomesbased approach that seeks assurances of safety with limited regulatory specification - this is being enforced through CODEX and used by the major seafood markets of USA and EU. governments moving towards a framework placing increased responsibilities on food industries to meet food safety objectives - a performance standards approach based on acceptable levels of consumer risk. development of new food products offering longer shelf life and convenience, new processing methods aimed at improving operational efficiency and food functionality, and new food demand/supply chains all widening the potential sources of food safety risk and requiring the industry and regulators to be vigilant to new food safety issues and risks. The establishment of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence, a partnership between the University of Tasmania and Food Science Australia provided a unique opportunity for the seafood industry to obtain an increased return on investment in relevant food safety research, to ensure that capacity is built within Australia to service the emerging food safety needs of the seafood industry, and to access world experts in food safety enabling industry to substantiate its food safety management approaches to national and international markets. Prior to considering membership of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence SSA consulted with ASIC and members of the SSA Network. A proposal was put to the SSA Board and it was agreed that SSA take core membership on the basis that : SSA provide $10,000pa from core funds; $30,000 be provided from the SIDF (subject to approval by Executive Director of FRDC); and Annual performance reports are provided to the SSA Board for review. These reports are to detail activities, benefits to the seafood industry and the leverage of funds. NEED The rapidly changing global trading environment is placing increasing demands on Australia's seafood industry to demonstrate that their product is safe and that it will not cause illness now or in the future. Meeting these demands means that seafood businesses need to understand and manage the food safety risks associated with their products and processes. Changes to the natural environment, including increased pollution of the marine environment, has resulted in new and emerging food safety issues that need to be better understood to enable them to be managed. Development of new products and processes designed to increase shelf life and improve convenience to the consumers also pose food safety management challenges. Meeting these needs individually would require significant investment. Tapping into a global network of experts and undertaking research as part of a national food industry development effort will leverage investment into these areas. SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 6 of 15

7 OBJECTIVES 1. SSA, as a Core Member of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence will help build the Australian seafood industry s capacity to produce safe and high quality foods that meet market requirements, underpin standards development and risk communication, and innovate in food safety management practices. 2. As a Core Member of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence, influence the direction of food safety research and development that benefits the seafood industry. 3. As a Core Member of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence gain fast access to information and advice about emerging food safety issues and options for management. METHODS The AFSCoE is a partnership between the University of Tasmania (UTas) and Food Science Australia (FSA). It brings together a core group of world expertise in the area of food safety. Their combined expertise and national and international networks will enable Australian food industries to have access to up to date information to assist management of food safety risks, as well as build the capacity to understand and manage emerging food safety issues. Administration of the Centre is undertaken by the University of Tasmania via a funding agreement with National Food Industry Strategy Ltd (NFIS). The Centre reports to NFIS through the Centre Advisory Board (CAB). Core membership of the Centre provided SSA the opportunity of membership to the CAB. Membership of the CAB enabled SSA to influence the strategic direction and operations of AFSCoE's four programs: 1. Strategic Science program provides the underpinning science to maintain the highest standards of food safety management in the Australian food industry. It has a number of focus areas including Risk Management, Functional genomics for food safety and integrity, and Emerging Hazards 2. Knowledge Transfer Program that works to raise the Centre profile and industry engagement, liaise with industry and communicate knowledge as well as develop tools and resources to help industry. 3. Advanced Food Safety Education Program aims to build technical food safety related capacity in Australia and comprises four elements: research training, online courses, master classes and internships 4. Business Development Program that aims to grow investment in the Centre and to make the transition to self funding by replacing NFIS core funding. SSA Business Development Manager attended 3 Board meetings, participated in 2 teleconferences during 2004/05 and attended the AFSCoE industry consultative forum. SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 7 of 15

8 Discussions and decisions at the CAB meetings include consideration of research priorities (including budget considerations). SSA s Business Development Manager (SSA BDM) takes a leadership role in these discussions and through the formation of strong alliances with Centre management and other members of the CAB is able to ensure that seafood industry issues are considered and accommodated. Reports and updates are provided by the SSA BDM to the SSA Network and input from there is used to influence AFSCoE s research priorities. RESULTS / DISCUSSION The project outputs and extensions are continual. The Centre has an annual strategic planning meeting at which Core members can influence the operational plan which in turn influences the nature and type of output. SSA membership of the CAB provided an opportunity to influence the Centre's activities and thereby the outputs. Extension of seafood related outputs is through the Centre's own extension activities and through SSA including: the SSA Network, SSA News, the SSA website, and the Seafood Bookshop. In 2004/05 technical advice and input was sought and received from AFSCoE for the debate regarding the risk ranking of pearl meat and its proposed inclusion in the mandatory requirements of the PPPS. Other projects in the pipeline include the development of time temperature spoilage models for pacific oysters. Further details of AFSCoE s seafood related activities during 2005/05 are provided (Attachment 1) Opportunities for presentations to relevant industry conferences and meetings were pursued and facilitated in partnership with SSA. AFSCoE assisted in development of the program for the 6 th World Congress on Seafood Safety Quality and Trade, coordinated the student poster competition and sponsored participation of an overseas speaker. In addition several projects have been undertaken in partnership with individual companies and sectors on specific issues. BENEFITS Prior to membership of the Australia Food Safety Centre of Excellence, SSA and FRDC were investing upwards of $80,000 pa in food safety related research. This investment was minimally leveraged and any adhoc food safety information requests were paid for on an individual issue basis. Membership of the Centre, at an annual cost of $40,000, has provided the seafood industry with: up to date knowledge to help identify and manage emerging food safety issues direct access to world experts in seafood safety to assist access to markets and to influence national and international trade negotiations opportunity to leverage food safety research investment to enable larger and more complex investigations to be done as part of a national food industry effort rather than on a sectoral basis. The AFSCoE Report (at Appendix I) shows leverage of at least 3:1 for investment dollar for the Australian seafood industry. Industry also benefited from over 230 days of expertise on seafood industry projects. SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 8 of 15

9 FURTHER DEVELOPMENT The SSA Board has agreed that, based on the return on investment, SSA continue its involvement in AFSCoE for 2005/2006 but seek more advice on the process for disseminating information to industry and request a report on knowledge management process. Management will progress an application to FRDC for part funding of membership as previously agreed. CONCLUSION SSA, as a Core Member of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence, contributed to the Australian seafood industry s capacity to produce safe and high quality foods that meet market requirements, underpin standards development and risk communication, and innovate in food safety management practices. As a Core Member of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence, SSA on behalf of the Australian seafood industry, influenced the direction of food safety research and development that benefits the seafood industry. SSA Business Development Manager attended all AFSCoE Board meetings and teleconferences and took every opportunity to influence direction of AFSCoE research. As a Core Member of the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence, SSA was able to gain fast access to information and advice about emerging food safety issues and options for management. This occurred on several occasions, particularly in the case of oyster meat during development of PPPS and on listeria in crustacean during discussions about risk communication. Continued membership was recommended and accepted by the SSA Board at its meeting on July INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Published, widely disseminated and promoted, and/or training and extension provided. Relates mainly to outputs that will be available in the public domain. SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 9 of 15

10 APPENDIX 1 : Australian food Safety Centre of Excellence Report July 2005 Food Safety capacity building and maintenance A central mandate for the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence is to contribute to the building and maintenance of world leading food safety expertise and experience in Australia. Without this capacity and capability, Australian food processors would not be able to access timely and accurate advice on the critical formulation, production and regulatory food safety issues that can and do occur at any time. Core Members of the Food Safety Centre contribute to the building and maintenance of the world class food safety capability and capacity that currently exists in Australia. These skills provide a vital component to the business outcomes of the Australian food industry. The Centre s Core Members enjoy a key relationship with Centre staff, and are able to call on appropriate skills and services as and when the need arises. In addition to providing the essential standing capacity function described above, the Food Safety Centre is encouraged by SSA to work, where possible, on seafood-related projects. Examples of such projects undertaken by the Centre follow. Regulatory projects 1. Seafood Standards Development Committee (SSDC) At the request of the Chair of the SSDC (Phillip Walsh), the Centre prepared a critique of the FSANZ document "A risk ranking of seafood in Australia". The evaluation raised several criticisms of the FSANZ risk ranking paper, many of which were concerned with presentation of the material, which caused some difficulty in interpreting the content, and hence detracted from the transparency of the document. Questions were also posed regarding the validity of a risk ranking based on a very small number of risk categories (low, moderate, high), leading to some apparently anomalous rankings when compared with epidemiological data. A copy of the evaluation document is available, and FSANZ staff have been consulted regarding the current status of the risk ranking document, which has now been reviewed internationally. Contribution: ~12 working days (Tom McMeekin, Tom Ross) 2. WHO/FAO Risk Assessments Centre staff members have been involved with several WHO/FAO risk assessments* (RA). Those of particular interest to the Australian seafood industry are: SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 10 of 15

11 i. Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods, in which Dr Tom Ross played a major role in the modelling process and production of the final document. ii. Vibrios in Seafood, where the Centre s Professor Tom McMeekin and Honorary Research Professor John Sumner were members of the drafting group. The Listeria RA has been finalised and the Vibrio RA is undergoing final review before publication. The published documents for both RAs will include the full RA and an interpretative summary. The Centre staff involved will be pleased to discuss the RA documents in relation to issues that impinge on the Australian seafood industry. *Note that participants in WHO/FAO RAs are invited in an individual capacity on the basis of expertise and not as representatives of an industry or country. The clients for RAs are the member nations of WHO/FAO and the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene. The process may involve a call for the risk assessment to address specific risk management questions. Contribution: ~150 working days (Tom Ross, Tom McMeekin) R&D projects 1. Detection and enumeration of viruses in oysters Viruses are thought to be the cause of >50% of food poisoning outbreaks, but techniques to study these organisms are lagging behind those for other microorganisms. This project is the first stage of a PhD project to investigate high pressure processing (HPP) for foodborne virus inactivation, with emphasis on viruses in oysters. Objective assessment of processing technology can only be achieved after the development of a viral inactivation model. Optimal methods for the extraction of virus particles from oyster tissue, and subsequent quantification of viral contamination will be investigated by comparing and modifying previously published methods. Anticipated benefits: i. Increased knowledge regarding detection, enumeration and inactivation of foodborne viruses. Project cost: ~$30,000 pa, 3 years 2. Novel anti-listerial processing technology for seafood This project aims to evaluate at least three different anti-listerial treatments and their applications to non-thermal treated readyto-eat seafood products (i.e. cold smoked salmon, oysters). We SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 11 of 15

12 have completed a series of experiments with HPP and also with lactates/diacetates, with encouraging results. This project is also to examine the influence on L monocytogenes of GRAS bacteriostats (e.g. nisin), in combination with novel products, again with a specific focus on seafood products. Anticipated benefits: i. Development, refinement and understanding of novel, minimal processing techniques for effectively managing the risks associated with contamination of ready-to-eat seafood with Listeria monocytogenes. Project cost: ~$35,000 pa, 3 years 3. Design of an anti-listerial biocide for food processing environments Listeria monocytogenes is a ubiquitous environmental bacterium capable of growth in low temperature habitats. Listeriosis is a life threatening illness with a 30-40% mortality rate. Under low temperature conditions (e.g. refrigerated areas) Listeria can persist in food processing plants and contaminate food products in which it can then grow during refrigerated food storage. This project aims to develop the basis for a novel food processing strategy to reduce the incidence of food contamination by Listeria under refrigerated processing conditions. Anticipated benefits: i. Increased understanding of the mechanisms by which L. monocytogenes is able to grow at chill temperatures. ii. Increased ability to minimise presence of L. monocytogenes in processing facilities and on processed foods. Project cost: ~$56,000 pa, 2 years 4. Influence of storage temperature on survival, safety and quality of live, cultured bivalve molluscs A review, commissioned by the NSW Food Authority, of relevant literature regarding the influence of harvesting practices on bivalve safety and quality. Anticipated benefits: i. Provide the ASQAAC with a solid understanding of the current knowledge regarding the influence of post harvest environment on the safety and quality of live cultured bivalves. SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 12 of 15

13 ii. Provide the foundation for the development of a targeted research program to scientifically validate post-harvest storage requirements for cultured bivalves Project cost: ~$8, Food Safety Objective Demonstration project: Listeria monocytogenes in seafood safety management options This project is designed to apply newly developed and developing Food Safety Objective principles of risk management to issues underpinning the control of L. monocytogenes in seafood. As a demonstration project, the Centre has was encouraged by SSA to develop a Food Safety Objective framework for cold smoked fish. Anticipated benefits: i. This project has been structured to support the development of effective risk management frameworks. ii. This underpinning, quantitative and mechanistic work is essential if the risk management frameworks and equivalent control measures proposed by Australia are to withstand international scrutiny and peer review and to be accepted by our trading partners. Project cost: ~$100,000 Other relevant activity 1. Advice regarding pearl oyster meat food safety issues The Centre has provided information to SSA and FSANZ regarding food safety issues pertinent to the harvesting of pearl oyster meat for human consumption Contribution: ~5 working days (Tom Ross) 2. Advice regarding FSANZ Listeria in Food publication Input into wording and content of draft FSANZ document Contribution: ~2 working days (Tom Ross) 3. Collaboration with SSA regarding IAFI conference and workshop The Centre is working to provide a world expert on pathogenic Vibrio s to contribute to the 2005 IAFI conference and workshop programs SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 13 of 15

14 The Centre will sponsor a food safety related student poster competition at the IAFI conference Contribution: ~20 working days (Tom Lewis, Tom Ross) 4. Collaboration with TAC, NAC and WAS regarding Australasian Aquaculture 2004 conference and workshop Participation on Steering and Program committees Contribution: ~10 working days (Tom Lewis) 5. Seafood specific projects under the NFIS FIG Program Scoping of food safety and quality components of NFIS Ltd Flo- Ice proposal coordinated by Ian Knuckey, Fishwell Consulting Contribution: ~3 working days (Tom Lewis) 6. Advice regarding mercury in finfish The Centre has provided information to SSA and FSANZ regarding: i. the presence of mercury in seafood ii. the potential influence on mercury toxicity of other compounds that occur in wild caught finfish Cost: ~5 working days (June Olley, Tom Lewis). 7. Specific projects with seafood companies Various short term food safety and quality projects for Australian seafood processors Contribution: ~15 working days (Tom Lewis) 8. AquaFin CRC Tuna quality sub-program The Centre has held discussions with the AquaFin CRC, including contributing to a special session at Australasian Aquaculture 2004, to help scope and develop project/s aimed at managing food safety risks associated with novel tuna products aimed at export markets. Contribution: ~5 working days (Tom Lewis) 9. Review of SIDF applications Identification and liaison with reviewers for appropriate SIDF Projects. Contribution to date: ~5 working days (Tom Lewis) SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 14 of 15

15 APPENDIX 2 : AFSCoE Annual Report SIDF 2005/411 Final Report Page 15 of 15