A network in the Netherlands trained to identify emerging food security risks revealed the main subjects of discussions in 2024.
The examples include temperatures in the refrigerator and freezer and consumer storage practices when they try to save money, glycerol in melting snow ice drinks and phytohemagglutinine in beans.
Food safety signaling consultation (SO-V) was created in 2020. It has two sections: one for microbiological risks (SO-VM) and another for chemical risks (SO-VC).
In 2024, the microbiology section held three meetings and the chemistry section had four in which 47 signals were discussed.
If these groups believe that a problem deserves an investigation or more in -depth measures, it is referred to the coordination of the signaling consultation (CO). This group includes representatives from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Safety and Nature and the Netherlands Safety Authority for Consumer Products (NVWA). CO decides which actions must be taken in response to a signal.
Microbial and chemical strengths
The microbiological section referred to two signals and the chemical section sent 12 signals to the coordination of the signaling consultation in 2024.
A problem subject by the microbial section was the temperatures of the refrigerator and the freezer during high energy price period. Freezers are set differently by producers, or temporarily extinguished by consumers, and products are stored at higher temperatures inside or even outside the refrigerator.
Advice has also been given to follow the trend in the rise of Listeria and E infections. Coli in Europe.
Experts discussed the drop in freezer temperatures from -18 degrees C (-0.4 degrees F) to -15 degrees C (5 degrees F). They said it was difficult to determine whether the lower temperature is sufficient to kill parasites and other pathogens, so more information was necessary.
The risk is not clear either for the berries of a forest in Poland which can be consumed without further treatment. As Poland is endemic to Echinococcus Multicolaris, they can present a risk of infection.
Biocides withdrawn from the list of approved products limit the choice of disinfectants by industry. It is common to run the use of different biocides to avoid reduced efficiency. It was another area with an uncertain level of risk.
On the chemical side, problems include glycerol in frozen drinks, phythemagglutinin in beans as well as hydrocarbons saturated with mineral oil (mosh) and aromatic aromatic hydrocarbons in mineral oil (MOAH) in chicken meat.
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