The use of antibiotics with therapeutical or prophylactical purposes is a common practice in livestock. These antimicrobials are often administered to food animals through medicated feedingstuffs.

Antibiotics in feedingstuffs

Medicated feedingstuffs may be defined as mixtures of veterinary medicinal products and feed intended to be fed to animals because of their therapeutic or preventive features. Antimicrobial products that are part of medicated feedingstuffs must have been authorised for the animal species which the feed is administrated to and must also be included in Council Regulation 2377/90.

Listeria is a Gram-positive bacillus genus in which Listeria monocytogenes appears to be the only human foodborne pathogen specie. The infectious disease associated with Listeria monocytogenes is potentially mortal. Its riskiness is related to the ubiquitous presence of the bacteria in the environment and its growth capacity at low temperature and high salinity. Despite having listeriosis a low incidence (normally less that one in 100,000 people per year) the mortality rate appears to be around 20-30%.

According to the latest EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) report published in 2014 and referred to the 2012 year, there were 1,642 confirmed human cases of listeriosis in the European Union which corresponds to 10.5% increase compared with 2011. The highest notification rates were produced in Finland, Spain and Denmark with Romania representing the lowest notification rate. Almost all the cases were from domestic origin.

Bacterial infections have been controlled for decades thanks to the efficiency of antibiotics. Now different sectors are warning about the necessity of an appropriate use of these drugs in order to preserve its unrivaled capacity

The first studies using sulfonamides to treat infectious diseases began in the early 20^th century. In just a few decades these drugs together with penicillin G help to decrease the rate of mortality caused by infections.

The countdown to the coming into force of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 starts. From 13^th December of this year, all commercialized food has to highlight if any allergens of mandatory mention are present in their composition. Even unpackaged food and menus offering in catering or restaurants are included in this regulation.

The unknown mixture of milk from different species can be a common fraud in the cheese sector. Sheep milk is more expensive than goat´s or cow’s milk and tends to be adulterated with those of lower cost. Sheep´s and goat´s milk prices could however vary depending on the milk availability. Recent shortage of goat´s milk in the market made sheep´s milk prices double and therefore adulteration of goat´s milk with sheep´s milk should also be checked.

The liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is the reference method for lipophilic toxins since July 2011. According to the European Commission EU 15/2011 this method has to be used as matter of routine, both for the purposes of official controls, at any stage of the food chain, and own-checks by food business operators. This legislation applies to European countries and any other exporting to Europe.

Food allergy involves adverse reaction of immunity system to determined foods (mostly proteins). Food allergies represent an important health problem affecting mainly children (6-8%). Symptoms can vary form mild (hives) to severe reactions such as anaphylaxis. The amount of food allergen that can trigger an allergic reaction is different in each patient and trace of allergens (little microgram) can be enough to induce a reaction. Hence, rigorous information about foods that contain allergens is very important to allow allergic people manage their diet.

The presence of marine toxins in shellfish products could lead to fatal food poisoning. Monitoring programs to control levels of toxins establish monthly or even weekly sampling in production areas. Opening or closure of harvest areas would depend upon  the results obtained. Post-harvest and end product testing is also carried out in some countries. Currently, paralytic (saxitoxins), ammesic  (domoic acid) and lipophilic toxins (okadaic acid and derivatives, yessotoxins, pectenotoxins and azaspirazids) are legislated.