Many consumers seek long-ripening meat products. The availability of these highly distinctive cured pork varieties is continuously expanding and their safety should be subject to monitoring. One of potentially harmful substances in these products is histamine. The presence of this toxic amine is reported in many countries, even in high concentrations. However, the EU has not regulated the permissible histamine content in meat, in a situation at odds with that of regulated fish and fish products. This study established the usefulness of biogenic amine testing in long-ripening pork and furnished indicative concentrations potential useful as a background for future research in preparation for EU regulative intervention. A total of 97 samples of long-ripening meat products untreated by heat were bought from various shops in the Puławy and Lublin regions of Poland and tested for the presence of histamine using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array. The histamine concentration ranged from below limit of detection to 346.64 mg/kg, where 3.47 mg/kg was the lowest in a positive sample. Histamine was detected in 48 samples (49.5%). The maximum amount of histamine was identified in dry ham and the minimum in traditional salami. The results of this study suggest that testing meat products for biogenic amines should be a very good indicator of the food safety of long-ripening meats. In half of the tested products, levels of biogenic amines potentially toxic to consumers were determined.

The organic food sector and consumer interest in organic products are growing continuously. The safety and quality of such products must be at least equal to those of conventional equivalents, but attaining the same standards requires overcoming a particular problem identified in organic food production systems: the occurrence of bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and pathogenic Escherichia coli. These food-borne microorganisms were detected in the production environments of such food. The prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in organic livestock and products may be higher, but may also be the same as or lower than in like material from conventional farms. Furthermore, the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria was more often detected in conventional than in organic production. The aim of this review was to present the recent information on the microbiological safety of food of animal origin produced from raw materials from organic farms.

Histamine is one of the most important and toxic biogenic amines which may be present in food and may cause food poisoning in humans when contained at a high level. It is produced during bacterial decarboxylation of histidine in fish muscles. The aim of the study was to investigate the presence of histamine in fish and fish products available in Poland during 2014–2018. A total of 421 samples of raw (248), smoked (107), canned (50), and marinated fish (16) were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. Histamine was detected in 14.1% samples of raw fish, 29% of smoked fish, 22% of canned fish and 93.8% of marinated fish in concentrations ranging from 3.4 to 156.4 mg/kg. Content of this amine above 100 mg/kg was found in four samples: raw Atlantic salmon, smoked European sprat and two samples of marinated Atlantic herring. The study showed that fish and fish products on the Polish market generally meet the food safety criteria for histamine and are safe for consumers.

Eggs are important to the diet of Canadians. This product is one of the supply-managed commodities in Canada, but unlike other commodities, where food safety risks are extensively explored and reported, information on the prevalence of enteric organisms (e.g., Salmonella, Campylobacter) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in layers in Canada are limited. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of select bacteria and the associated AMR patterns in layer flocks using 2 sample matrices. Farms were located within FoodNet Canada and the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance sentinel sites (SS). Fecal samples (Ontario: ONSS1a, ONSS1b) and environmental sponge swabs (British Columbia: BC(SS2a)) were collected. Salmonella prevalence was 29% and 8% in ONSS1a and ONSS1b, respectively, and 7% in BC(SS2a). S. Kentucky and S. Livingstone were the most frequently isolated serovars and no S. Enteritidis was detected. Campylobacter was not detected in the BC sponge swabs but was isolated from 89% and 53% of Ontario fecal samples (ON(SS1a) and ON(SS1b), respectively). Seven C. jejuni from Ontario were ciprofloxacin-resistant. Escherichia coli prevalence was high in both sample types (98%). Overall, tetracycline resistance among E. coli ranged from 26% to 69%. Resistance to ceftiofur (n = 2 isolates) and gentamicin (n = 2) was relatively low. There were diverse resistance patterns (excludes susceptible isolates) observed among E. coli in Ontario (10 patterns) and British Columbia (14 patterns). This study revealed that fecal samples are more informative for farm-level monitoring of pathogen and AMR prevalence. Without further validation, sponge swabs are limited in their utility for Campylobacter detection and thus, for public health surveillance.