Potential Applications of Thermophilic Bacteriophages in One Health.

Bacteriophages have a wide range of applications such as combating antibiotic resistance, preventing food contamination for food safety, and as biomarkers to indirectly assess the quality of water. Additionally, bacteriophage components (endolysins and coat proteins) have a lot of applications in food processing, vaccine design, and the delivery of cargo to the body. Therefore, bacteriophages/components have a multitude of applications in human, plant/veterinary, and environmental health (One Health). Despite their versatility, bacteriophage/component use is mostly limited to temperatures within 4-40 °C. This limits their applications (e.g., in food processing conditions, pasteurization, and vaccine design). Advances in thermophilic bacteriophage research have uncovered novel thermophilic endolysins (e.g., ΦGVE2 amidase and MMPphg) that can be used in food processing and in veterinary medicine. The endolysins are thermostable at temperatures > 65 °C and have broad antimicrobial activities. In addition to thermophilic endolysins, enzymes (DNA polymerase and ligases) derived from thermophages have different applications in molecular biology/biotechnology: to generate DNA libraries and develop diagnostics for human and animal pathogens. Furthermore, coat proteins from thermophages are being explored to develop virus-like particle platforms with versatile applications in human and animal health. Overall, bacteriophages, especially those that are thermophilic, have a plethora of applications in One Health.

Stimulus-Responsive DNA Hydrogel Biosensors for Food Safety Detection.

Food safety has always been a major global challenge to human health and the effective detection of harmful substances in food can reduce the risk to human health. However, the food industry has been plagued by a lack of effective and sensitive safety monitoring methods due to the tension between the cost and effectiveness of monitoring. DNA-based hydrogels combine the advantages of biocompatibility, programmability, the molecular recognition of DNA molecules, and the hydrophilicity of hydrogels, making them a hotspot in the research field of new nanomaterials. The stimulus response property greatly broadens the function and application range of DNA hydrogel. In recent years, DNA hydrogels based on stimulus-responsive mechanisms have been widely applied in the field of biosensing for the detection of a variety of target substances, including various food contaminants. In this review, we describe the recent advances in the preparation of stimuli-responsive DNA hydrogels, highlighting the progress of its application in food safety detection. Finally, we also discuss the challenges and future application of stimulus-responsive DNA hydrogels.

Impact of COVID-19 on foodborne illness in Africa - A perspective piece.

Food safety investments in Africa, through international donors or national programs, were primarily focused on the formal market sector. However, increasing consumer food safety concerns about foods sold in the growing informal food markets, the rising foodborne disease burden in Africa, and the emergence of COVID-19 have all made food safety a major concern and ultimately brought it to an inflection point in Africa. In addition, Data on foodborne disease outbreaks revealed a scarcity of reported cases before and during the pandemic. The lack of information on foodborne disease reporting in Africa translates into one of the reasons why food safety in Africa is becoming a rising subject matter. This perspective discusses the situation of food safety in Africa before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, challenges confronting ongoing efforts to improve food safety in the post-COVID era in Africa are summarized and highlighted.

Café Food Safety and Its Impacts on Intention to Reuse and Switch Cafés during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Starbucks.

We explored the definition of food safety in the coffee service business during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic because consumer values and decision-making may have been affected by the pandemic. The food safety dimensions are freshness, quarantine, hygiene, and healthiness. We evaluated the effects of café food safety on both the consumer intention to revisit a café and their intention to switch to other cafés. We used the Amazon Mechanical Turk system for data collection. In total, 474 individuals responded to the survey questions. We used the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) ver. 20.0 and the analysis of moment structure (AMOS) ver. 21.0. We subjected the definition of café food safety to confirmatory factor analysis and then used structural equations to test the research hypotheses. The four dimensions adequately defined food safety. The results indicated that food safety positively influenced the intention to revisit, although it had no significant impact on the intention to switch cafés. Our findings will assist managers because we identify the implications of food safety for the coffee service business.

Socio-demographic determinants of knowledge, attitude and practices towards food safety among Lebanese population during the economic crisis: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Lebanon has been gripped by an economic crisis and the local currency has lost more than 90% of its value; besides, a lack of consistent electricity supply which has contributed to rising concerns about food safety especially among households. This study aimed to assess Lebanese society knowledge, attitude and practice towards food safety during the economic crisis. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Lebanon between September 5 and January 30, 2021. Data was collected through an online survey that included information on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and practice of Lebanese consumers towards food safety. Two multivariate regression models were performed on the knowledge and practices as a dependent variable. 95% confidence interval was calculated. All tests were two-sided and statistical significance was set at p-value < 0.05. RESULTS: The majority of participants had good knowledge regarding food safety (74.9%) while more than half of the respondents adopted good preventive practices (62.8%). Multivariate regression of factors associated with good knowledge regarding food safety showed married participants (adjusted OR = 2.1; p < 0.0001), who had university degree and above (adjusted OR = 2.0; p < 0.0001), and who had income < 1,500,000 LBP (adjusted OR = 1.7; p < 0.0001) had a significantly good knowledge score compared to their counterparts. Finally, participants aged more than 35 years old and who had income higher than 1,500,000 LBP (adjusted OR = 1.8; p < 0.0001 and adjusted OR = 1.9; p = 0.01 respectively) were positively associated to good practice towards food safety. CONCLUSION: This study offers useful insights into the knowledge, attitude and practices of Lebanese consumers towards food safety during the economic crisis.

Food safety knowledge among pregnant women in the United Arab Emirates amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Studies have indicated shortcomings in food safety knowledge and practices among pregnant women in the Arab region. A high-risk group for having severe outcomes from foodborne illnesses. This study aimed to assess self-reported food safety knowledge and practices among pregnant women in the UAE during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 354 pregnant women residing in the UAE completed an online survey between October 2021 and January 2022. The questionnaire included socio-demographic information, food safety knowledge, and food practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Correct answers for food safety knowledge were scored out of 50 and the total score was compared by sociodemographic characteristics. The total mean score for the study population was 26.7 ± 4.6 out of 50. Participants had good knowledge about foodborne diseases (81.3%) and personal hygiene practices (61.8%). While they were least knowledgeable about cross-contamination (43.3%) and temperature control practices (35.8%). Significantly higher knowledge scores were observed with higher levels of education and primigravida women (p<0.05). Knowledge about the COVID-19 virus and its relation to food safety was adequate for most participants. This study infers the need for food safety-related education and training programs to reduce the risk of foodborne disease among this vulnerable group. It also highlights the need to enhance the role of healthcare professionals as trusted sources of information in improving food safety during pregnancy.

Impact of food safety supervision efficiency on preventing and controlling mass public crisis.

Food safety has received unprecedented attention since the COVID-19 outbreak. Exploring food safety regulatory mechanisms in the context of cluster public crises is critical for COVID-19 prevention and control. As a result, using data from a food safety regulation survey in the Bei-jing-Tianjin-Hebei urban cluster, this paper investigates the impact of food safety regulation on the prevention and control of COVID-19. The study found that food safety regulation and cluster public crisis prevention and control have a significant positive relationship, with the ability to integrate regulatory resources acting as a mediator between the two. Second, industry groups argue that the relationship between regulatory efficiency and regulatory resource integration should be moderated in a positive manner. Finally, industry association support positively moderates the mediating role of regulatory re-source integration capacity between food safety regulatory efficiency and cluster public crises, and there is a mediating effect of being moderated. Our findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying the roles of regulatory efficiency, resource integration capacity, and industry association support in food safety, and they serve as a useful benchmark for further improving food safety regulations during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Current Status and Future Trends in Removal, Control, and Mitigation of Algae Food Safety Risks for Human Consumption.

With the rapid development of the economy and productivity, an increasing number of citizens are not only concerned about the nutritional value of algae as a potential new food resource but are also, in particular, paying more attention to the safety of its consumption. Many studies and reports pointed out that analyzing and solving seaweed food safety issues requires holistic and systematic consideration. The three main factors that have been found to affect the food safety of algal are physical, chemical, and microbiological hazards. At the same time, although food safety awareness among food producers and consumers has increased, foodborne diseases caused by algal food safety incidents occur frequently. It threatens the health and lives of consumers and may cause irreversible harm if treatment is not done promptly. A series of studies have also proved the idea that microbial contamination of algae is the main cause of this problem. Therefore, the rapid and efficient detection of toxic and pathogenic microbial contamination in algal products is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed. At the same time, two other factors, such as physical and chemical hazards, cannot be ignored. Nowadays, the detection techniques are mainly focused on three major hazards in traditional methods. However, especially for food microorganisms, the use of traditional microbiological control techniques is time-consuming and has limitations in terms of accuracy. In recent years, these two evaluations of microbial foodborne pathogens monitoring in the farm-to-table chain have shown more importance, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, there are also many new developments in the monitoring of heavy metals, algal toxins, and other pollutants. In the future, algal food safety risk assessment will not only focus on convenient, rapid, low-cost and high-accuracy detection but also be connected with some novel technologies, such as the Internet of Things (artificial intelligence, machine learning), biosensor, and molecular biology, to reach the purpose of simultaneous detection.

Impacts of the Pandemic, Animal Source Food Retailers' and Consumers' Knowledge and Attitudes toward COVID-19, and Their Food Safety Practices in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the food supply chain, retailers, and consumers owing to infection awareness. This study evaluated the impacts COVID-19 on ASF retailers' businesses and consumers' livelihoods, as well as their knowledge toward the disease, attitudes, and food safety practices to prevent infections. The study includes a cross-sectional component that was conducted in urban/peri-urban (U/PU) and rural areas in Chiang Mai province. In another part of the study, a structured questionnaire was developed for animal source food (ASF) retailers and consumers, with three primary parts for data analysis: general information, COVID-19 impacts, and knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) assessment. Data corresponding to three periods of interest (before the COVID-19 outbreak, during partial lockdown, and present) were gathered and analyzed. In this study, 155 retailers and 150 consumers participated, of which the majority of the respondents were female (70.3% and 82.7%, respectively) with average ages of 47.4 and 44.9 years, respectively. The most noticeable effect of COVID-19 was a decline in income for retailers and consumers. The KAP scores of consumers in both areas were not significantly different, whereas the retailer attitudes toward COVID-19 prevention and food safety practices scored more highly in rural areas than in U/PU. During the partial lockdown, food safety practices significantly improved relative to the time preceding the outbreak, and these practices have remained constant to the present day. The results revealed that gender, age group, business type, and type of ASF retailers were associated with the KAP of the retailers, whereas gender, age group, education, number of family members, and occupation were associated with the KAP of the consumers. Our findings provide in-depth information about the effects of COVID-19 on ASF retailers and consumers, as well as their KAP regarding the outbreak and food safety, which may serve as support in developing policies for improved health and food safety.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of Iranian people about food safety and hygiene during covid-19 pandemic.

AIM: The objective of this study was to develop a cultural adopted questionnaire for evaluation of knowledge (K), attitude (A) and practice (P) of Iranian population toward food safety during Covid-19. METHODS: The study is based on an online questionnaire that filled by 712 Iranians over 16 years old. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and reliability assessment were performed. The construct validity of A and P determined by EFA and confirmed by CFA. Difficulty index was used for K. RESULTS: The reliability score of questionnaire was satisfactory. The three items of K-A-P questionnaire were significantly associated with the total score of questionnaire. The KAP questionnaire regarding food safety in covid-19 consisted of 27 items multidimensional scale with strong psychometric features. The respondent showed a satisfactory level of KAP during covid-19 pandemics. CONCLUSION: The KAP questionnaire regarding food safety in covid-19 is a valid and reliable tool for measurement of knowledge, attitude and practice of people regarding food safety in covid-19.

Dual-Path Effect of Mortality Salience Induced by COVID-19 on Food Safety Behavior in China.

During the pandemic, the mortality salience of COVID-19 has affected everyone. The public is extremely sensitive to food safety, especially cold chain food and imported food. This research is based on the terror management theory, protective motivation theory, and self-construal theory. It proposes an integrated dual-path framework to explore the different mechanisms that mortality salience has on food safety behavior. The result of three experiments verified our conjectures. First, mortality salience positively affects individuals' food safety behavior. More importantly, we found the dual-path mechanism that underlies the effect, that is, the mediating of self-protective motivation and prosocial motivation. In addition, different self-construals make the confirmed effect clear. These findings provide implications for the government to protect public food safety and health.

Exploring the Experiences of Members of the International Food Safety Authorities Network: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

ABSTRACT: The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) is a global network of national food safety authorities from 190 countries, managed jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) that aims to facilitate the rapid exchange of information during food safety incidents. A three-phase study of INFOSAN was launched in 2019 to characterize and examine the network as a functional community of practice and determine its value systematically and rigorously from its members' perspectives. The first two phases of the study involved analyzing the INFOSAN Community Website and surveying of all of its members. The main objective of this third and final phase of the study was to understand the experiences of a small group of INFOSAN members as they relate to various dimensions of membership. A qualitative methodology was used to provide a deeper understanding of members' experiences and supplement the results from the first two quantitative study phases. Interviews were conducted with 10 INFOSAN members from 10 geographic regions, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The results offer an understanding of INFOSAN members' experiences in the context of what participation in this global network means to them and relate to five themes concerning trust, learning, health protection, sense of community, and future potential. The findings suggest that focusing on outreach to sustain personal interest, training to improve technical capacity, and advocacy to obtain political buy-in are ways in which the INFOSAN Secretariat could enable participation and create value at the individual, organizational, and national level, respectively. Such engagement could translate into more effective international communication during urgent food safety incidents and fewer cases of foodborne illness worldwide.

Cross-Contamination on Atypical Surfaces and Venues in Food Service Environments.

ABSTRACT: Cross-contamination of raw food to other surfaces, hands, and foods is a serious issue in food service. With individuals eating more meals away from home, contracting a foodborne illness from a food service establishment is an increasing concern. However, most studies have concentrated on hands or food contact surfaces and neglected atypical and unusual surfaces (surfaces that are not typically identified as a source of cross-contamination) and venues. This review was conducted to identify atypically cross-contaminated surfaces and atypical venues where cross-contamination could occur that have not been examined thoroughly in the literature. Most surfaces that could be at risk for cross-contamination are frequently touched, are rarely cleaned and sanitized, and can support the persistence and/or growth of foodborne pathogens. These surfaces include menus, spice and condiment containers, aprons and coveralls, mobile devices and tablets, and money. Venues that are explored, such as temporary events, mobile vendors, and markets, are usually limited in space or infrastructure, have low compliance with proper hand washing, and provide the opportunity for raw and ready-to-eat foods to come into contact with one another. These factors create an environment in which cross-contamination can occur and potentially impact food safety. A more comprehensive cleaning and sanitizing regime encompassing these surfaces and venues could help mitigate cross-contamination. This review highlights key surfaces and venues that have the potential to be cross-contaminated and have been underestimated or not fully investigated. These knowledge gaps indicate where further work is needed to fully understand the role of these surfaces and venues in cross-contamination and how it can be prevented.

Digital Technology, Knowledge Level, and Food Safety Governance: Implications for National Healthcare System.

Exploring the intrinsic relationship between digital technology and the efficiency of food safety supervision contributes to a better understanding of the role of digital technology in food safety supervision and how to maximize its influence. This study employed sample data from 31 regions in China between 2015 and 2017 for an empirical analysis of the correlation between the two and to examine the moderating effects of the knowledge levels of food producers and consumers. The results show that the development of digital technology contributes to enhancing the efficiency of food safety supervision. In this process, the higher the knowledge level of consumers, the greater the positive promotional effect of digital technology. On the contrary, when the knowledge level of producers is higher, it is not conducive to enhancing the effect of digital technology on the efficiency of food safety supervision. The author holds the view that this is related to the fact that employees in the food production and manufacturing industry have insufficient moral and legal knowledge. This not only limits the effect of digital technology on enhancing the efficiency of food safety supervision, but also opens the door to illegal production for some unprincipled producers. The policy implications are that digital technology should be used to improve food safety supervision, the moral and legal knowledge of food producers should be improved, and consumers should be encouraged to use digital technology more in the pursuit of food safety. Implications for national healthcare system would be also discussed in our paper.

School Nutrition Professionals' Experiences with Food Safety and Special Diets in School Meals during the Initial COVID-19 Pandemic.

ABSTRACT: Federally funded school meals, such as the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, can help alleviate food insecurity. Meals served as part of these programs are required by law to be modified when medically necessary, such as food allergies and special diets. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused many schools across the United States to close, but schools quickly modified meal-serving models. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of school nutrition professionals relative to food safety and providing special diets through modified serving models. A survey was distributed to a convenience sample of child nutrition professionals via social media recruitment and e-mails (n = 504). The survey had both closed-ended questions and one open-ended question exploring food safety and special diet accommodations. At the time of the survey, most respondents (68.3%) had been involved in COVID-19 emergency feeding for 3 to 4 weeks. Results indicated that although most child nutrition professionals did not find food safety easier or more difficult during the initial onset of COVID-19, 34.8% of respondents were not taking food temperatures for hot and cold meals during meal service and were not able to obtain (or did not have enough) equipment necessary for holding hot foods (53.0%). Most respondents (60.2%) also indicated that they were not accommodating children with special diets. Themes from the qualitative analysis indicated participants had challenges obtaining specialty items, had little time to make accommodations, or had a limited supply from vendors to accommodate these diets. To prevent food insecurity and to maintain health during the pandemic, specific solutions for at-risk populations, such as those who experience food allergies, must be considered.

What do U.S. consumers care about regarding beef and its supply chain?

Stated levels of concerns regarding different aspects of beef and its supply chain in the U.S. were studied for a representative sample of 1275 U.S. residents. In addition to top concerns, frequency of general beef consumption and different beef subprimal cuts were collected. Sixty-two percent of respondents indicated eating beef at least twice per week; ground beef was the most frequently purchased beef item. We find that price and food safety prevailed as the most prominent considerations for U.S. residents regarding beef and it's supply chain, though employee welfare, supply chain issues and beef availability have gained prominence in light of the severe disruptions to the industry induced by COVID-19. Concerns regarding cattle emissions, cattle welfare, beef availability and food safety were more prevalent amongst younger consumers. Marketing campaigns highlighting the industry's efforts on improving such matters may be particularly meaningful to younger age groups.

Challenges to food safety for children and adolescents in Brazil.

Malnutrition increases the chance of cognitive delay, recurrent infections, micro and macronutrient deficiencies, stigmatization. According to the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria), more than half (58%) of Brazilian families with children and adolescents reported changes in eating habits in the same period. For 31%, there was an increase in consumption of processed foods such as chocolate, filled cookies, instant noodles, and canned foods. Therefore, despite food security being a human right contemplated in article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reiterated by article 6 of the Brazilian Federal Constitution in 2010, the country still has a long way to go. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a deepening of poverty, misery, and hunger in the country, which directly reflected on the income of families and placed children/adolescents in a situation of extreme vulnerability.

"Five Keys to Safer Food" and COVID-19.

On 11 March 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) and, up to 18:37 a.m. on 9 December 2021, it has produced 268,440,530 cases and 5,299,511 deaths. This disease, in some patients, included pneumonia and shortness of breath, being transmitted through droplets and aerosols. To date, there is no scientific literature to justify transmission directly from foods. In this review, we applied the precautionary principle for the home and the food industry using the known "Five Keys to Safer Food" manual developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and extended punctually in its core information from five keys, in the light of new COVID-19 evidence, to guarantee a possible food safety tool.

Effects of Governmental Intervention on Foodborne Disease Events: Evidence from China.

Foodborne disease events (FDEs) endanger residents' health around the world, including China. Most countries have formulated food safety regulation policies, but the effects of governmental intervention (GI) on FDEs are still unclear. So, this paper purposes to explore the effects of GI on FDEs by using Chinese provincial panel data from 2011 to 2019. The results show that: (i) GI has a significant negative impact on FDEs. Ceteris paribus, FDEs decreased by 1.3% when government expenditure on FDEs increased by 1%. (ii) By strengthening food safety standards and guiding enterprises to offer safer food, government can further improve FDEs. (iii) However, GI has a strong negative externality. Although GI alleviates FDEs in local areas, it aggravates FDEs in other areas. (iv) Compared with the eastern and coastal areas, the effects of GI on FDEs in the central, western, and inland areas are more significant. GI is conducive to ensuring Chinese health and equity. Policymakers should pay attention to two tasks in food safety regulation. Firstly, they should continue to strengthen GI in food safety issues, enhance food safety certification, and strive to ensure food safety. Secondly, they should reinforce the co-governance of regional food safety issues and reduce the negative externality of GI.

Food safety knowledge, attitudes, and eating behavior in the advent of the global coronavirus pandemic.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships of food safety knowledge, attitude and eating behavior of consumers during national lockdowns in the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 157 respondents completed the online survey using a structured questionnaire worldwide. Overall, the respondents exhibited good attitude and good knowledge towards public health including food safety especially on the importance of social distancing, mask wearing, well-balanced diet, physical exercise and personal hygiene, such as hand washing during the pandemic lockdowns. A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the relationships among food safety knowledge, attitude and behavior under the pandemic conditions. Results showed that attitude towards food safety under the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns positively affected the eating behavior of the respondents, which exhibited a high ß (0.686) among the variables tested (p<0.05). Food safety knowledge was apparently not affected by the food safety behavior of the respondents.