Ripple Foods leads consortium on plant-based dairy safety guidance

🥛 Pasteurization: A Critical Process for Safe and High-Quality Foods Pasteurization is one of the most significant advancements in food preservation, designed to improve food safety while maintaining nutritional quality and sensory characteristics. 🔬 What is Pasteurization? Pasteurization is a controlled heat treatment process in which foods primarily milk, juices, liquid eggs, and beverages are heated to a specific temperature for a defined period and then rapidly cooled. Unlike sterilization, pasteurization does not eliminate all microorganisms; instead, it destroys pathogenic microorganisms and significantly reduces spoilage organisms, making food safer for consumption. Key Principles of Pasteurization ✅ Apply precise time–temperature combinations to destroy harmful microorganisms. ✅ Minimize nutrient loss while preserving taste, texture, and color. ✅ Rapid cooling after heating to prevent microbial growth. ✅ Maintain hygienic handling and proper storage after processing to ensure product safety. How is Pasteurization Done? Common pasteurization methods include: 🥛 LTLT (Low-Temperature, Long-Time): 63°C for 30 minutes. ⚡ HTST (High-Temperature, Short-Time): 72°C for 15 seconds (most commonly used for milk). 🔥 UHT (Ultra-High Temperature): 135–150°C for 2–5 seconds, producing shelf-stable products when aseptically packaged. Importance & Uses ✔️ Prevents foodborne illnesses by eliminating harmful pathogens. ✔️ Extends shelf life by reducing spoilage microorganisms. ✔️ Preserves essential nutrients better than many other preservation methods. ✔️ Maintains product quality, flavor, and texture. ✔️ Widely used for milk, dairy products, fruit juices, liquid eggs, beer, wine, and other beverages. Pasteurization remains a cornerstone of modern food processing, balancing food safety, quality, and consumer confidence. When combined with proper packaging and cold-chain storage, it helps deliver safe, nutritious foods to millions of consumers every day. 💡 Food Safety Insight: Pasteurization is not a substitute for good hygiene it works best when integrated with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), sanitation, and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). #FoodScience #Pasteurization #FoodSafety #DairyTechnology #FoodProcessing #QualityAssurance #HACCP #Microbiology #PublicHealth #FoodTechnology #Nutrition #FoodIndustry #ISO9001 #GMP #QAQC

Going back to the fundamentals of food safety is always time well spent. Over the past few days, I have been revisiting Present Knowledge in Food Safety – A Risk-Based Approach Through the Food Chain, an exceptionally comprehensive reference book. I was particularly interested in the first chapter, which provides an in-depth overview of natural toxicants in plant-based foods. This topic deserves greater attention, especially at a time when plant-derived ingredients are becoming increasingly central to food product development. Discussions around plant-based foods often focus on sustainability, nutritional value and formulation innovation. Much less attention is sometimes given to the natural compounds present in plant materials that may affect safety, nutritional quality and processing performance. These may include: glycoalkaloids cyanogenic glycosides lectins oxalates protease inhibitors pyrrolizidine alkaloids other naturally occurring toxic or antinutritional compounds Their relevance depends on several factors, including the plant species, cultivar, growing conditions, raw-material origin, concentration, processing treatment and intended consumption level. The main point is clear: Plant-based does not automatically mean safe by default. Safety must be designed through scientific knowledge, appropriate raw-material qualification and effective process control. For professionals working in R&D, quality assurance, regulatory affairs and industrial scale-up, this requires particular attention to: → botanical identity and supplier qualification → variability in natural toxicant concentrations → validation of soaking, fermentation, cooking, extrusion or other detoxification processes → possible concentration effects caused by drying or protein fractionation → analytical verification of critical compounds → assessment of exposure under realistic conditions of use This is where a genuinely risk-based approach becomes essential. Identifying a hazard is only the first step; the real challenge is understanding its occurrence, evaluating consumer exposure and defining suitable control measures throughout the food chain. The issue is particularly relevant for emerging plant-based categories, where ingredients traditionally consumed in limited quantities may be concentrated, fractionated or introduced into completely new applications. A change in processing or consumption pattern can also change the risk profile. An important reminder for food technologists: Successful innovation depends not only on understanding the potential of an ingredient, but also on recognising its natural limitations and managing them scientifically. #FoodSafety #PlantBased #NaturalToxicants #FoodTechnology #RiskAssessment #FoodInnovation #FoodScience #FoodProcessing #QualityAssurance #RegulatoryAffairs #EFSA #CodexAlimentarius #ProductDevelopment #FoodRAndD

📢 Update to the EFSA QPS List     The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published the latest update to its Qualified Presumption of Safety (QPS) list of recommended biological agents for intentional use in the food chain.     📊 Overview of Notifications    Between October 2025 and March 2026, EFSA received 99 microorganism notifications, including:  - 47 as feed additives  - 32 as food enzymes  - 5 as novel foods  - 15 as plant protection products (PPPs)    📈 The outcome: Why 85 missed QPS evaluation:  Out of the 99 notifications, 85 were not evaluated during this period because: - 55 notifications related to microorganisms that already hold QPS status  - 30 notifications involved microorganisms excluded from QPS evaluation (including 22 filamentous fungi, 6 Escherichia coli and 2 Streptomyces  - The remaining 14 notifications mapped to 11 microorganisms of which 7 had already been assessed and were not recommended for the QPS list, and 4 were assessed for the first time.    📌 Key Conclusions to the QPS List:  🦠 Bacillus thuringiensis remains not recommended for inclusion in the QPS list due to safety concerns, confirming the conclusion of the previous assessment. B. thuringiensis is excluded from further QPS assessment.  🦠 Enterococcus lactis remains not recommended for the QPS status due to insufficient information on safety.  🦠 Hyphomicrobium denitrificans, Microbacterium foliorum, and Papiliotrema terrestris all remain as not recommended for QPS due to a limited body of knowledge.  🦠 Listeria innocua and Pseudomonas protegens were both not recommended for QPS due to safety concerns.  🦠 Ensifer adhaerens is recommended for the QPS list for production purposes.  🦠 Heyndrickxia faecalis, Companilactobacillus pabuli, and Lactococcus cremoris were all recommended for the QPS list    🔗 Read the full update here: https://lnkd.in/eMuc-YBK

As demand for oat, pea, almond, coconut, and other plant-based drinks has expanded globally, manufacturers have increasingly focused on ensuring products can deliver long shelf life without compromising food safety or quality. Unlike traditional dairy processing, plant-based formulations often rely on diverse agricultural raw materials that can introduce varying levels of naturally occurring microorganisms into production. Spore-forming bacteria present a particular challenge because they can survive heat treatments commonly used in beverage manufacturing.

Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. Initiates Recall of Frozen GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries Due to Potential E. coli O145 Contamination | FDA https://lnkd.in/gCMuz5PY 06/07/2026 updates USFDA 🇺🇸 Food Safety Alert 🚨 Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A. has voluntarily recalled GreenWise Organic IQF Frozen Blueberries (10 oz) due to potential contamination with E. coli O145:H28, a harmful foodborne pathogen. The recall follows reports of 12 confirmed illnesses in the United States. This incident reminds us that food safety, quality assurance, and effective recall management are essential to protecting public health. Rapid identification of potential risks and transparent communication play a crucial role in maintaining consumer trust. As professionals in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and regulatory affairs, it is important to stay informed about such safety events and the importance of strong quality systems across the supply chain. #FoodSafety #FDA #ProductRecall #QualityAssurance #RegulatoryAffairs #PublicHealth #FoodQuality #ConsumerSafety

🌿 Premium Dried Vegetables, Fruits & Herbs for Clean Label Food Innovation As consumer demand continues to shift toward healthier, more natural foods, manufacturers are seeking ingredient partners that can provide both quality and confidence. At CBC America, we offer a broad portfolio of dried vegetables, fruits, and herbs sourced through our global network and backed by stringent quality and food safety standards. ✅ Clean Label Ingredients ✅ Non-GMO Options Available ✅ No Artificial Additives or Preservatives ✅ Naturally Derived Ingredients ✅ Consistent Quality & Reliable Supply Our product range includes freeze-dried, air-dried, and IQF ingredients for applications such as: 🥣 Instant Noodles & Soups 🍲 Sauces & Seasonings 🥗 Ready Meals 🥤 Beverages 🍞 Bakery & Snack Products To support our customers' quality and compliance requirements, our manufacturing partners maintain internationally recognized certifications and food safety programs, including: ✔ FSSC 22000 ✔ BRCGS Certified Facilities ✔ IFS Certified Facilities ✔ Kosher Certified Products ✔ Halal Certified Products ✔ FDA-compliant food manufacturing and quality systems Whether you are developing clean-label formulations, expanding your plant-based offerings, improving nutritional profiles, or seeking high-quality vegetable inclusions, CBC America can help connect your team with reliable ingredient solutions from around the world. We are proud to support food manufacturers with ingredients that combine quality, traceability, food safety, and supply chain reliability. 📩 If you are interested in dried vegetables, fruits, herbs, clean-label ingredients, prebiotic ingredients, or other functional food solutions, please contact us to learn more. #CBCAmerica #FoodIngredients #DriedVegetables #FreezeDried #CleanLabel #NonGMO #NaturalIngredients #FoodInnovation #FoodManufacturing #FSSC22000 #BRCGS #IFS #Kosher #Halal #InstantNoodles #Soups #FunctionalIngredients #Prebiotic #FoodIndustry #IngredientSolutions

Powdered dairy and infant formula production sit within some of the highest-risk environments in dairy manufacturing. Dry-zone hygiene, environmental monitoring, raw material quality, pathogen prevention and export-ready documentation all play a critical role in managing risk before it reaches the finished product. For milk powder, dairy ingredients and infant nutrition workflows, organisms such as Salmonella and Cronobacter can carry significant food safety, quality, regulatory and reputational consequences. That is why control in high-risk dairy environments has to go beyond compliance. It needs to be built into daily routines, from environmental monitoring and sanitation verification to finished-product confidence and audit-ready documentation. If you want to learn more, join our webinar on July 23: "Food Safety Culture in High-Risk Dairy: Moving from Compliance to Control." Discover how dairy manufacturers can strengthen risk-based thinking, improve process control, and build a more proactive food safety culture. Register now: https://lnkd.in/eAdJx3hM

High-risk dairy manufacturing environments, such as powdered dairy and infant formula production, pose significant challenges for food safety. Salmonella and Cronobacter are two of the biggest threats. Therefore, tightly managed control must be a constant. Learn how dairy manufacturers maintain a proactive safety culture - attend our webinar on July 23: "Food Safety Culture in High-Risk Dairy: Moving from Compliance to Control." Register now: https://lnkd.in/eAdJx3hM #foodsafety #InfantFormula #Hygiena

The monograph on the safety evaluation of certain contaminants in food - Arsenic, by the Joint FAO and World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), has been released: World Health Organization & Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2026). Safety evaluation of certain contaminants in food: prepared by the one hundred and first meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). World Health Organization. https://lnkd.in/g4_FeKUh. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO The monograph contained in this volume was prepared at the one-hundred-and-first meeting of the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)/ World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which met at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on 15–21 October 2025. The monograph summarizes the data on the specific food contaminant, arsenic, reviewed by the Committee. -The publication reviews biochemical and toxicological data, observations in humans, analytical methods for arsenic speciation, transfer from animal feed to food, sampling protocols, and the effects of processing. -It also examines prevention and control measures, levels and patterns of contamination in food commodities, drinking-water and human breast milk, and dietary exposure estimates from multiple countries and regions. -Dose–response analyses are presented for inorganic arsenic, dimethylarsinate and methylarsonate, together with the Committee’s evaluations and recommendations, providing a scientific basis for food safety risk assessment and risk management. I am honored and happy to have contributed, side by side with great scientists! Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge CHRC – Comprehensive Health Research Centre

The packaging industry is exploring safer materials and improved design approaches as research into chemical migration from food packaging raises new questions about consumer exposure and food safety.