In this article we welcome guest author and industry expert, Alec Kyriakides, to explore some of the food safety developments, recalls and incidents that have happened recently.

 

Food Safety Developments

 

European Regulation on Listeria monocytogenes

The European Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 for microbiological criteria of

Foodstuffs defines mandatory and guideline levels of specific microorganisms in foods and food production environments. The criterion for Listeria monocytogenes was recently amended with the legislation coming into force on 1st July 2026. The amendment makes a slight, but important, change to the requirements for foods that are considered ready to eat and able to support the growth of L. monocytogenes (excluding foods for infants and special medical purposes). This now specifies that the criterion applies to “products placed on the market during their shelf-life” as opposed to “before the food has left the immediate control of the food business operator, who has produced it”. Guidance notes have been produced on the regulations in full or specifically on the recent amendment.

 

Food Fraud

The European Commission published its Annual Report from the Alert and Cooperation Network for 2025 highlighting 294 agri-food fraud notifications with underlying reasons including implicit claims violations (121), product tampering (80), record tampering (69), non-compliances related to plant protection products (12) and non-compliances related to animal health (7). This and other food fraud vulnerabilities and mitigations have been comprehensively covered in a recent BRCGS article on Food Fraud. In other developments, the Food and Drug Administration of India seized a large quantity of fake milk in July bringing the total seized in the last six months to 23 million litres. The milk is adulterated through the use of palm oil, detergent and shampoo mixed with whey powder.

 

National risk register

The UK government published its National Risk Register for 2026. The register is the government’s assessment of the most serious risks facing the UK and is aligned with the Resilience Action Plan aimed at strengthening domestic resilience to the most significant risks. The register assesses the likelihood and impact for each risk and risks that meet the threshold for inclusion are those deemed to be capable of having a substantial impact on the UK’s safety, security or critical systems at a national level. Food supply contamination is included in the register with particular emphasis on contamination of food products with foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella spp., Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and Listeria.

 

Pesticide cocktails

The European Food Safety Authority has updated its general information on work related to assessing the effect of multiple pesticides and chemicals on humans, animals and the environment. This includes ongoing and completed risk assessments as well as the latest developments in methodology to assess the risk of combined exposure to these hazards.

 

Food surveillance results

The UK Food Standards Agency published the results from its 2025 retail food surveillance programme where 845 food products were analysed for compliance to legislative requirements, guidance and for science and research purposes. Eighty-eight percent of the 205 foods tested for undeclared allergens were satisfactory with the majority of undeclared allergens found in Dubai-style chocolates (peanuts and sesame) and South Asian bakery and snack items (milk and egg). Nineteen percent of 285 samples tested for authenticity were found to be unsatisfactory with meat driving many of the issues including sheep being substituted for goat and sausages / lamb burgers containing undeclared species. The 9% of samples (385) tested for compositional standards that were non-compliant included elevated glycerol levels in some slush-ice drinks, undeclared excess fat and lower than declared meat content in some burgers and sausages and prepacked chocolate products with lower than declared cocoa solids. Dubai-style chocolates featured again as part of the 10% of 295 products tested for contaminants with a large proportion containing elevated levels of aflatoxins and / or ochratoxin A. Raw tuna exceeded the maximum level allowed for mercury and the 45 oat samples tested for science and research purposes were all reported as satisfactory for mycotoxins T-2 and HT-2 with only low levels detected in 14 samples. The survey also reported on findings regarding the presence of unauthorised ingredients (5% of 145 samples) and the high level of non-compliance to general labelling requirements including allergen declarations (24% of 621 samples).

 

Allergy Guidance for UK Schools

The UK government has issued statutory guidance on the provision of support for pupils with allergy in English schools including food allergy. It includes information and examples that schools can use to create and publish an allergy safety policy, put allergy safety training in place for all staff, and to record and learn lessons from serious incidents and near misses. It also details the specific requirement to hold spare adrenaline autoinjectors together with training in their use.

 

Cell-cultivated foods

The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland have issued guidance to support businesses developing cell-cultivated food products including “lab-grown” meat. The set of four guidance documents helps businesses navigate the regulatory measures necessary to bring such products to the market.

 

Hygienic design

The European Hygienic Engineering Design Group (EHEDG) has published the EHEDG Yearbook for 2025 providing a useful update on developments in the area of hygienic equipment design. This group also publishes excellent guidance for food businesses on considerations in relation this important area to support the safe and hygienic production of food.

 

Summer Food Safety Guidance

The UK Food Standards Agency issued guidance on common mistakes made when barbecuing foods and measures consumers can take to avoid them.  Key advice includes “always cooking meat all the way through — checking juices run clear and that a thermometer reads at least 75°C — using separate utensils for raw and cooked food, keeping food chilled and out of direct sunlight and taking extra care with high-risk dishes like cooked chicken, egg dishes and prepared salads”.

 

Hepatitis E Virus in Pigs and Pork

The Scientific Committee of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) published its review on the foodborne risk to human health of Hepatitis E viruses (HEV) in pigs and pigmeat in Ireland, concluding that, although insufficient data exists for a quantitative attribution of the risk of HEV, there is qualitative evidence of their role as contributors to HEV infection. Although most pigs clear the virus by slaughter age (5–6 months), some may still be viraemic at slaughter, representing a food safety risk.  They noted that “good hygiene practices at slaughter and at processing plants, together with heat treatment of pigmeat and pigmeat products to recommended internal temperatures, are essential in order to mitigate the risk from HEV”.

Additionally, HEV could be usefully identified as a hazard in HACCP and food safety

management systems at pig abattoirs and at pigmeat processing plants where high-risk products are manufactured and consumer communication (especially to vulnerable groups), including the provision of advice on the cooking and safe handling of high-risk products, could complement existing general advice on food safety.

 

EFSA Emerging Risks Report

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published its annual report on emerging risks and horizon scanning activities for 2025, highlighting a number of areas of emerging risk. These included the contaminant risk from the increased use of bio-based and biodegradable materials to manufacture food contact materials, the illicit use of cafodos (sodium citrate + hydrogen peroxide) as a preservative to mask spoiled fish, the production on bongkrekic acid in home-made corn-based fermented foods and antiparasitic multi-drug resistance in soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) on farms linked to climate change, excessive use

of anthelmintics, and poor grazing management.

 

Foodborne disease outbreaks

 

Major outbreaks of cyclosporidiasis caused by the protozoan parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis have been reported across the USA. One outbreak implicating iceberg lettuce from a Mexican farm has affected nearly 2000 individuals with 98 hospitalised across over 31 states. In one state, North Carolina, the cyclosporiasis has also been associated with fresh herbs, parsley and cilantro (coriander). An outbreak of salmonellosis in France caused by Salmonella Enteritidis and implicating raw shell eggs imported from Poland was reported to have caused sixteen cases of illness with four admitted to hospital. Raw shell eggs were also responsible for a S. Enteritidis outbreak across 17 states in the USA affecting 98 people with 26 hospitalised. The outbreak of salmonellosis implicating dried flavoured noodles across the EU and the UK has increased to 106 confirmed cases with 49 hospitalised. Over 200 cases of suspected salmonellosis were reported in an outbreak linked to a wedding party at a private residence in Tunisia with tagine being a potential suspected food source. Chicken was suspected as the source of a salmonellosis outbreak in Greece with 20 cases and 12 hospitalised. Nearly 60 cases of S. Enteritidis illness were reported in an outbreak at a hotel in Moldova with 20 hospitalised although the food source has not been identified. An outbreak of foodborne illnesses with over 138 cases is currently under investigation in Jordan following the consumption of meals at a local restaurant. Other outbreaks where the food source / organism has yet to be identified included a café-associated outbreak in Moscow with 19 hospitalised, a suspected salmonellosis outbreak implicating the kitchen at a recreational centre in Stavropol, Russia affecting 98 people with nine hospitalised, a suspected salmonellosis outbreak at a funeral in New York affecting 58 people, a listeriosis outbreak in Florida affecting five people with four having consumed food from the same Chinese restaurant buffet and an outbreak in Kazakhstan with over 100 hospitalised where a variety of pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were isolated from food and environmental samples from a catering business. The number of cases of infant botulism from the infant formula outbreak reported in the last article has increased to four with all hospitalised but no deaths. An outbreak of trichinellosis has implicated pork, sausages and cured pork products in Buenos Aires, Argentina with 25 individuals affected. Trichinellosis is caused by nematode parasites (roundworm) of the genus Trichinella including T. spiralis.

 

Food Recall Highlights

 

The data used for this food recall highlights review is sourced from open access recall databases covering different countries and continents including the USA (Food & Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture), the UK (Food Standards Agency), Germany (Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety) and Australia (Food Standards Australia New Zealand).

 

Microbiological recalls included one associated with the major outbreak of Cyclospora from iceberg lettuce in the USA together with a significant number due to the presence of Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes. A recall due to the presence of algal toxin in abalone was also notable.

 

Allergen recalls were represented by a wide spread of allergen contamination and misdeclarations in the last month.

 

Physical contamination recalls were notable by the absence of glass as a driver although plastic continued to feature.

 

Chemical recalls included one high profile veterinary medicine contamination event together with a mix of other issues associated with the presence of illegal chemicals or exceedances.

   

Author

Alec Kyriakides

Independent Food Safety Consultant