HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical control point) to guarantee safety in food recovery for social solidarity’s purposes

FAO estimates that each year 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted almost 1/3 of the total production intended for human consumption.The amount of food wasted each year in Italy is around 5.1 million tons, of which only 500.000 tons recovered (9% of food surplus).During the last three years, in Italy there was an important increase of the number of charitable organizations (OCs) active in recovering and distributing food for social solidarity’s purposes.The purpose of this study was to carry out hazards identification and potential risks analysis in the phases of recovery, collection, storage and distribution of food surplus with the aim to guarantee food safety among this supply chain.Based on the results of the analysis, the main critical control points (CCPs) were identified to guarantee the microbiological quality and safety of food recovery: (i) the best practices for managing the recovery of the different categories of food, (ii) the control of the correct storage temperatures and (iii) the volunteers required training on good hygiene procedures.The study of the CCPs allowed defining the significant prerequisite programme (PRP) that must be adopted by the OCs.All the PRP have been collected in the Manual of Good Procedures for Charitable Organizations validated by Italian Ministry of Health in conformity to Regulation (EC) n. 852/2004.Thanks to the Manual it has been also possible to write a simplified HACCP system for the benefit of the Centro di Raccolta Solidale per il Diritto al Cibo of Lodi

Exploring the Landscape of Innovative “from Food to Feed” Strategies: A Review

The identification of new strategies to prevent or at least reduce the volume of food waste needs to consider a wide range of solutions and priorities that EU policy is recently implementing. Based on the principles of the circular economy, one of the most promising solutions is to prevent food losses turning into waste by working synergistically on different action points. Amongst them, the strategy of repurposing food waste through conversion in a safe and sustainable feed product is acquiring huge interest amongst scientists and policy makers. In this context, the aim of the work is to depict the landscape of the existent solutions for the valorisation of food waste for animal feeding, through a systematic review of the literature, to answer the following three research questions: 1) To what extent is the interest of the academic research increasing, in line with the priorities of the international political agenda? 2) Which kinds of approaches have been used to explore this issue? 3) What type of solutions is the scientific literature able to propose to support policy makers in setting the strategies for the re‐use of food waste as animal feed? A set of keywords has been applied for the search in the “Topic” option of the Web of Science Core Collection resulting in 114 references. The application of filters for the identification of the relevant papers led to a final dataset composed of 31 scientific studies. Papers have been coded according to the nature of the study, namely theoretical or experimental, the source and the type of food waste considered, the type of technology used to process food waste (if any) and the destination of the final product. The literature suggests thatthe most positive aspect related to these practices is the low environmental impact, while the most critical issue regards compliance with the EU legal framework that is strictly dependent on the composition of the wasted food. The analysis revealed a growing interest in this field of research, with a great focus on the estimation of the environmental impact but few studies targeted on the assessment of the economic dimension

FOOD SAFETY IN CATERING INDUSTRY

Catering industry plays a very important role in public health management, because about 30% of total daily meals are consumed in catering industry (restaurants, bar). In this work food safety was evaluated in 20 catering centres throughout microbiological analyses of different categories of meals. Results demonstrate that there was an important decrease of microbial contamination between 2006 and 2007, no pathogens were found in 217 samples examined: this was obtained by improving voluntary controls

Novel Food-Based Product Communication: A Neurophysiological Study

The steady increase in the global food demand requires alternative sources. Food sources from invertebrates could be a viable alternative. Despite a growing interest in terrestrial invertebrates as novel food, Western consumers have to cope with fears and taboos. This research aims to investigate possible communication strategies of novel food through labels. To understand the complexity underlying food choice and novel food attitude, two studies were carried out. In Study 1, the main drivers in the food decision-making process were identified. Based on these results, in Study 2, two different food labels for crackers made with earthworm flour were designed. Applying a neurophysiological approach, we measured participants’ neuropsychophysiological activation and behavioural response while watching food labels. A video on nutritional and ecological issues was shown to consumers to reduce aversion towards earthworms as food. The results in Study 1 indicate health and sensory dimensions as the major drivers in food choice. The data of Study 2 supported the effectiveness of the statement about nutritional qualities of the products on male participants, who tend to have a more positive reaction than female participants toward the novel product made with earthworm flour when the label’s claim focuses on nutritional advantages. Limitations and practical implications are discussed

Survey on food preferences of university students: From tradition to new food customs?

Humankind currently consumes more resources than our planet is able to generate. In our web survey, we investigated insects and earthworms, as a possible future food source. We targeted the survey to university students, as the possible future consumers and trendsetters of new food. A total of 3556 university students (18\u201329 years old) completed it. The aims of this study were to evaluate participants\u2019 food preferences and their willingness to taste foods containing terrestrial invertebrates. Data were processed using Cronbach\u2019s alfa to assess the reliability of each constructs. The food preferences showed pizza-focaccia and pasta at the highest rankings, followed by fruit and vegetables. Males have a higher preference for any kind of animal protein source. Gender influenced food preference and willingness to eat food with insect or earthworm ingredients. The results indicated that students were prone to consider novel food into the Italian diet and to familiarize with them in the future. Insects/earthworms were more accepted in salty snacks. Highlighting the essential amino-acids daily requirements of a snack with earthworm meal did not improve the willingness to taste it. Information and awareness of future global food demand can play a fundamental role in accepting new food

Introduction of the nudging method in penitentiary facilities in Italy in view of food waste reduction: Preliminary data

The aim of this study was to analyze different aspects of food waste in the specific context of prisons by introducing the nudging method, thanks to the collaboration of District House and Prison of Larino (Italy) involving staff and guests of the penitentiary structure, providing them with the knowledge of the topic and encouraging them to propose creative and effective solutions to prevent and reduce food waste. The study involved n. 50 participants out of total of about 200 prisoners. Data were collected using n.3 questionnaires related to the knowledge of food waste food, the second related to the origin of consumed and food waste and the third collected the participants’ proposals how to reduce food waste. The results show that effects of nudging has awakened the prisoners’ conscience about the social, ethical and economic importance of reducing food waste and a proactive attitude in providing proposals for the reduction of food waste. The most wasted food is bread (35%), pasta (27%) and fresh fruit (20%), provided by the administration because they are considered of inferior quality or prepared and cooked badly. The overwhelming majority (96%) of the participants showed sensitivity about the ethical and economic reasons behind the fight against food waste, making themselves available to contribute to its reduction and suggesting some initiatives. The data collected from the questionnaires related to the causes of waste indicate the need to implement actions aimed at the correct conservation of food and the promotion of good hygiene practices

Ante-mortem and Post-mortem Inspection and Relationship between Findings in a North Albanian Pig Slaughterhouse

Simple Summary In European Union abattoirs, the safety of meat is dependent on the favorable opinion from an official veterinarian, in accordance with the current legislation. From this perspective, the feedback generated from the ante-mortem visit and the post-mortem inspection can be investigated to control the health and welfare conditions of the animals in the pre-slaughter phases. From this perspective, we evaluated the ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection outcomes of slaughtered pigs in northern Albania and correlated the results in order to gain insight into the conditions and injuries of pigs slaughtered outside the European context and to extend knowledge on the possible relationship between ante-mortem and post-mortem relief. Dyspnea and tail, skin, and ear lesions were the most frequently observed conditions before slaughter, while pleuritis, pneumonia, liver alterations, white spots on the liver, and pericarditis were the most frequent lesions after slaughter. A significant increase in the total number of post-mortem findings was also observed as the number of ante-mortem findings increased. Overall, the prevalence of the findings observed in this study falls within the broad range of the data in the literature, but additional information should be collected during meat inspection so as to better understand the relationship between ante- and post-mortem outcomes. In June 2014, Albania was granted EU candidate status, thus starting a process of compliance with the membership criteria. In this context, a modern meat inspection approach in line with the European legislation was applied to a pig slaughterhouse in northern Albania in order to investigate the ante-mortem (AM) and post-mortem (PM) conditions and the relationship between these findings. For this purpose, 3930 pigs divided into 35 batches were evaluated over a 3-month period. The most frequent AM conditions recorded were tail lesions and dyspnea (9.1%), followed by skin (8.9%) and ear lesions (8.5%), while in the PM inspections, pleuritis was the most frequently observed condition (10.2%), followed by pneumonia (8.5%), liver alterations (5.7%), milk spot liver (3.8%), and pericarditis (3.3%). With the exception of liver alterations, the other PM lesions mentioned were positively associated with lesions on the ears (OR = 1.036; p < 0.001) and skin (OR = 1.026; p = 0.011) and dyspnea (OR = 1.021; p = 0.005), confirming the link between these variables and the health and welfare conditions of pigs on farms. Overall, the evidence that emerged from this Albanian slaughterhouse can be considered in line with other European contexts, especially in light of the considerable variability in the data present in the literature

Bovine Colostrum Supplementation Modulates the Intestinal Microbial Community in Rabbits

Simple Summary Recently, research has focused on the modulation of the gut microbiota because of its central role in several digestive physiological functions and its involvement in the onset of not only gastrointestinal but also systemic diseases. Supplementing rabbit diets with nutraceutical substances could be a strategy to prevent dysbiosis, strengthen the immune system, and reduce mortality during the critical weaning period. Bovine colostrum (BC) is a by-product of the dairy industry and is very rich in compounds with several biological activities. Its use as an intestinal microbiota modulator in rabbits has never been investigated. This study evaluates the effects of diet supplementation with two different percentages of BC (2.5 and 5%) on luminal and mucosa-associated microbiota and its metabolism-associated pathways in the jejunum, caecum, and colon of rabbits. Although our results showed no effect of BC on microbiota biodiversity, there were significant differences between experimental groups in the microbial composition, mainly at the level of sub-dominant components depending on the dose of supplementation. The metabolism-associated pathways have also been affected, and particularly interesting are the results on the amino acids and lactose metabolism. Overall, findings suggest that BC could be used as a supplement in rabbit feed, although its effects on productive and reproductive performances, intestinal disease resistance, and economic aspects need to be further evaluated. BC is a nutraceutical that can modulate intestinal microbiota. This study investigates the effects of BC diet supplementation on luminal and mucosa-associated microbiota in the jejunum, caecum, and colon of rabbits. Twenty-one New Zealand White female rabbits were divided into three experimental groups (n = 7) receiving a commercial feed (CTRL group) and the same diet supplemented with 2.5% and 5% BC (2.5% BC and 5% BC groups, respectively), from 35 (weaning) to 90 days of age (slaughtering). At slaughter, the digestive tract was removed from each animal, then both content and mucosa-associated microbiota of jejunum, caecum, and colon were collected and analysed by Next Generation 16SrRNA Gene Sequencing. Significant differences were found in the microbial composition of the three groups (i.e., beta-diversity: p < 0.01), especially in the caecum and colon of the 2.5% BC group. The relative abundance analysis showed that the families most affected by the BC administration were Clostridia UCG-014, Barnesiellaceae, and Eggerthellaceae. A trend was also found for Lachnospiraceae, Akkermansiaceae, and Bacteroidaceae. A functional prediction has revealed several altered pathways in BC groups, with particular reference to amino acids and lactose metabolism. Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio decreased in caecum luminal samples of the 2.5% BC group. These findings suggest that BC supplementation could positively affect the intestinal microbiota. However, further research is needed to establish the optimal administration dose

When Innovation Meets Tradition: The Case of “Riso & Rane” Rural District in Lombardy Region

Lombardy, with 87.393 hectares of rice is one of the leader region for this production in Italy and in the European Union (EU) too. This area is characterized by a strong connection with tradition both in terms of agricultural landscape and food culture. Nevertheless, during the last decade, farmers faced increasing competitiveness issues, mostly related to EU subsidies losses, market prices and the technical constraints of the traditional rice supply chain: provider of technical means, farmers, brokers and rice mill. In this scenario, the “Riso e Rane” Rural District (R&RD) supports farmers in improving competitiveness through innovation. The aim of the paper is to investigate the innovation in the rice supply chain related to the specific action of R&RD, that accounts for 60 farms. Starting from the direct survey carried out on the district productive structures, we investigate the farms' degree of innovation related to the adoption of a new model of supply chain. The case study areas is characterized by rice that represents the most important culture with 2.773 hectares (more than 58% of the district Utilized Agricultural Area (UAA)). In 2012, R&RD won a regional project titled “Buono, Sano e Vicino” with the aim to help local rice farmers developing an alternative supply chain in which the district grow into the local actor to increase farmers bargaining power and promotes new market strategies. To make this the attention was focused on one of the most important variety of Italian rice: Carnaroli. The main results of the study showed that the project was able to innovate the traditional supply chain in all the four innovation areas according to OECD (2005): product, process, market and organization. In conclusion, our results suggest that the R&RD is able to respond to farmers necessities in term of market competitiveness and to improve the sustainability of local food system

Safety assessment: from fruit and vegetable waste to earthworm as feed sources

P154 Safety assessment: from fruit and vegetable waste to earthworm as feed sources Doriana E. A. Tedesco1, Marta Castrica2, Claudia M. Balzaretti2, Sara Panseri2 1Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP), University of Milano, Italy 2Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety (VESPA), University of Milano, Italy Contact: [email protected] The protein supply of farm animals is a central topic in Europe due to the reliance on imported protein, particularly soy products. On the other hand, livestock producers are in demand of sustainable, healthy and safe protein feed. Thus, it is necessary to develop sustainably feed innovations with a high level of safety. At the same time, food waste has already been recognised as an important global issue. From the environmental point of view, food waste has led to unnecessary exploitation of natural resources. Reduction of food waste is a key driver towards sustainable productive solutions and among the possibilities to achieve this goal, in this study is explored the recycling of fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) as a growth substrate for producing fresh earthworms then processed into a dried meal. The dried meal is assumed adoptable for feed alternative purposes. These topics are included in the philosophy of the circular economy. The safety and security assessment of the derived earthworm meal as future-generation feedstock is the aim of this study. In order to consider safety aspects of earthworms grown on FVW as future-generation feedstock, this study evaluated the microbiological quality and chemical contaminants of FVW (i) used as growth substrate; fresh earthworms (ii) and earthworms’ meal (iii) resulting from drying processes. The sampling and the analysis methods were carried out taking into account the Regulation (EC) No 152/2009 which laid down the methods of sampling and analysis for the official control of feed. The undesirable substances studied were: nitrites, the presence and the level of contamination of mycotoxins, pesticides, heavy metal and microbiological parameters. Microbiological analyses revealed the absence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in FVW, in fresh earthworms and in earthworms’ meal. Microbial contamination was below the limit considered for animal feed. Analysis of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and pesticides were also conducted showing the conformity of earthworms according to feed safety criteria used for food-producing animals. From this result, earthworms’ meal can represent a safe future-generation feedstock with improved sustainability in order to reduce the dependence on imported soybean as protein source. Acknowledgements This work was supported by Fondazione CARIPLO Integrated research on industrial biotechnologies 2015 (project 2015-0501): Principal Investigator Tedesco D