Biocide Use in the Beverage Industry: Consumers’ Knowledge and Label Preferences Relating to the Need and Usefulness of Biocides with Particular Reference to Dairy Beverage Products in New Zealand and China

Biocides, in the form of sanitisers and disinfectants, are used extensively to reduce the risk of microbial contamination to beverage products and to ensure the safety of potable water used in processing. To better understand consumers’ perceptions of biocide use and to explore messaging strategies regarding their importance to ensure product safety, eight focus groups were conducted in New Zealand (n = 4) and China (n = 4). Consumers generally did not understand why or how biocides were used. In both countries, their most trustworthy source of information on biocide use was government sources. New Zealand and Chinese participants did not like the word “biocide” mentioned on labels due to its perceived negative connotations. Interestingly, acceptance for the word was higher if the phrase “environmentally friendly” was simultaneously communicated. The findings from this study have provided the beverage industry with guidance on how best to initiate conversations with consumers on the use of biocides.

Responsible Innovation Definitions, Practices, and Motivations from Nanotechnology Researchers in Food and Agriculture

The growth of responsible innovation (RI) scholarship has been mirrored by a proliferation of RI definitions and practices, as well as a recognition of the importance of context for RI. This study investigates how researchers in the field of nanotechnology for food and agriculture (nano-agrifoods) define and practice RI, as well as what motivations they see for pursuing RI. We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with nano-agrifood researchers from industry and academia in the USA, where we asked them to describe their RI definitions, practices, and motivations. We analyzed the emergent themes from these interviews, including how the themes aligned with four prominent RI principles (anticipation, inclusion, reflexivity, responsiveness). We found that nano-agrifood researchers largely focused their descriptions of RI definitions, practices, and motivations around a narrow envisioning of the RI principle of anticipation — emphasizing product safety, efficacy, and efficiency. We also found noteworthy tensions surrounding the less frequently mentioned RI principles. For example, some researchers envisioned inclusion as a way to align products with industry interests while others saw it as a way to align products with the public good. Concerning motivations for RI, some researchers viewed RI as a way to protect one’s reputation and avoid lawsuits while others viewed it as a way to improve human well-being and solve societal problems. Given these findings, future efforts to foster RI within nano-agrifoods should promote discussions among researchers concerning what it means to responsibly innovate and what practices this could entail, particularly beyond ensuring product safety, efficacy, and efficiency.

Broadening the reach of the FDA Sentinel system: A roadmap for integrating electronic health record data in a causal analysis framework

The Sentinel System is a major component of the United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approach to active medical product safety surveillance. While Sentinel has historically relied on large quantities of health insurance claims data, leveraging longitudinal electronic health records (EHRs) that contain more detailed clinical information, as structured and unstructured features, may address some of the current gaps in capabilities. We identify key challenges when using EHR data to investigate medical product safety in a scalable and accelerated way, outline potential solutions, and describe the Sentinel Innovation Center’s initiatives to put solutions into practice by expanding and strengthening the existing system with a query-ready, large-scale data infrastructure of linked EHR and claims data. We describe our initiatives in four strategic priority areas: (1) data infrastructure, (2) feature engineering, (3) causal inference, and (4) detection analytics, with the goal of incorporating emerging data science innovations to maximize the utility of EHR data for medical product safety surveillance.

Key points of technical review for the registration of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid tests in China

In response to the outbreak of COVID-19, in accordance with the principles of ‘unified command, early involvement, prompt review and scientific approval’ as well as the requirements of ensuring product safety, effectiveness and controllable quality, the Center for Medical Device Evaluation (CMDE) has issued Key Points of Technical Review for the Registration of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acid Tests ( Key Points) to provide the requirements of tests. Because of the sustainability of the pandemic, more efforts and attempts are needed for SARS-CoV-2 detection and control. This article interprets the Key Points issued by the CMDE and provides certain refinements to wider audiences.

INTRODUCTION OF QUALITY AND PRODUCT SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN THE PRODUCTION OF FLOUR CULINARY PRODUCTS

Система менеджмента качества и безопасности продукции обеспечивает стабильность качественных характеристик вырабатываемой продукции, в том числе показателей безопасности и качества. Качество и безопасность продукции, которые обеспечиваются на всех этапах ее производства, являются важными показателями эффективности системы менеджмента предприятия. В целях повышения качества мучных кулинарных изделий проанализированы критические контрольные точки технологического процесса производства этой продукции и даны рекомендации по снижению рисков. Для апробации предложенной системы менеджмента качества и безопасности продукции были изготовлены образцы мучных кулинарных изделий, а именно блинов, выпеченных из смесей муки рисовой и кукурузной, рисовой и соевой, рисовой и амарантовой взамен пшеничной высшего сорта. Выбор этих видов муки в качестве замены пшеничной муки обусловлен высоким содержанием в них пищевых волокон, витаминов и минеральных веществ, что позволяет повысить потребительские характеристики продукции. Результаты органолептической оценки и исследования физико-химических показателей выпеченных мучных кулинарных изделий свидетельствуют, что все показатели безопасности и качества мучных кулинарных изделий соответствуют требованиям ГОСТ 31986–2012. The product quality and safety management system ensures the stability of the quality characteristics of the products produced, including safety and quality indicators. The quality and safety of products, which are ensured at all stages of its production, are important indicators of the effectiveness of the enterprise's management system. In order to improve the quality of flour culinary products, the critical control points of the technological process of production of these products are analyzed and recommendations for reducing risks are given. To test the proposed quality and product safety management system, samples of flour culinary products were made, namely pancakes baked from mixtures of rice and corn flour, rice and soy flour, rice and amaranth instead of wheat of the highest grade. The choice of these types of flour as a substitute for wheat flour is due to the high content of dietary fibers, vitamins and minerals in them, which makes it possible to increase the consumer characteristics of products. The results of organoleptic evaluation and research of physical and chemical parameters of baked flour culinary products indicate that all indicators of safety and quality of flour culinary products comply with the requirements of GOST 31986–2012.

Barrier and motivations implementation of safety and halal assurance for apple processed products: A review

Consumers are increasingly critical and require transparency of information related to food quality. As such, the warranties of safety and halal processed apple products are increasing. Therefore, the apple processing industry should implement various systems to obtain product safety and halal certificates. This certification is not only based on the final products, but starts from the procurement of raw materials, production processes, to the distribution with evidence of consistency of implementation. Safety and halal implementation have various obstacles and challenges, especially for micro and small businesses. This article reviews the barrier factors and motivations for the implementation of safety and halal assurances for processed apple products, especially in micro and small businesses. The study results show that the main motivations for apple processing businesses include improving product safety and quality, creating satisfaction and fulfilling consumer demands, improving company image. In addition, the micro and small-scale food industries also face various obstacles, namely human resources, finance and infrastructure. These barriers can be overcome by a commitment to management, effective communication, cost management, education and training, operating procedures, supplier management, and external supports. Research regarding strategies to implement halal and safety guarantees for small-scale apple processing businesses is needed.