Food Law News - UK - 1996

26 February 1996: NOVEL FOODS AND PROCESSES - Food Safety Clearance of Novel Starter Culture


26th February 1996 - Press Release ACNFP 5/96

GOVERNMENT GIVES FOOD SAFETY CLEARANCE TO NOVEL STARTER CULTURE

The Government has accepted advice from the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) and has given food safety clearance to a novel starter culture for use in cultured milk produced by MD Foods. The novel starter culture (Enterococcus faecium strain K77D) is the second starter culture to be considered by the ACNFP, and has been approved in Denmark since 1993.

In assessing the safety of this starter culture, the Committee was aware of increasing numbers of cases of infection in hospitals with strains of E. faecium that are resistant to antibiotics, especially vancomycin. However, the Committee was satisfied that the particular strain is non-pathogenic, and sensitive to a range of antibiotics including vancomycin.

The Committee's safety evaluation concentrated particularly on the history and identification of this particular strain, and the specification and quality control criteria used to ensure a consistent product.


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