News

A new peer-reviewed knowledge paper from SSAFE explores the opportunities, benefits and challenges of using whole genome sequencing (WGS) in food safety.

WGS is increasingly helping public health and regulatory authorities detect foodborne disease outbreaks, identify their sources and distinguish between closely related microorganisms. However, wider industry adoption still depends on overcoming technical, legal, regulatory and reputational concerns, as well as building the expertise needed to interpret results effectively.

The paper highlights broader lessons that are equally relevant to food authenticity: the value of robust analytical evidence, reliable traceability, harmonised approaches and the responsible sharing of data. [Refer also the 2021 Guidance note on NGS applications for food authenticity testing published by Defra’s Authenticity Methodology Working Group.]

Most importantly, it reinforces that complex food-system risks are best addressed through collaboration between industry, regulators, public health bodies and academia.

Read the paper: Whole Genome Sequencing for Food Safety | SSAFE Knowledge Paper

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission have published a report that includes an overview of food fraud information sharing networks and incident data held around the world.  (including both the Food Industry Intelligence Network, Fiin, and the 2022 Defra report FA0175 into food fraud drivers and mitigation tools).

The report recommends the funding of a new predictive analytics model to try and prioritise future fraud risks based on historic patterns of reported incidents.  This would be predicated on improved data sharing between different countries and between industry and governments.  The report recommends a public-private partnership model to develop the concept.

Do you have an authenticity database or datasets?

The Food Authenticity Network (FAN) is undertaking a project on ‘Open Data’ funded by its Government Partners, which seeks to collate of list of organisations that have food authenticity datasets i.e. assessed foods or beverages against a reference database of authentic samples. This could be any analytical, physical or sensory testing technique, or combination of techniques, that matches against patterns of multivariate data.

We are interested to know about both proprietary in-house reference databases and uses of shared data sets. We would like to include both laboratories offering a current testing service and research groups and others who hold data from previous projects.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

If you have, or use, reference datasets for an “authentic” food or beverage and are willing for this to be signposted on the FAN website then please contact: OpenData@foodauthenticity.global

Thank you

Food Authenticity Network Executive Team