National Food Service, Ministry of Health, Tel Aviv, Israel August 3, 2014

On August 3, 2014, National Food Service, Ministry of Health, Tel Aviv, Israel, issued "Guidelines: Use of Bacteriophages (bacteria killing viruses) in Food" (Ref: 70275202). The guidelines approve the use of all bacteriophage preparations that have previously received FDA clearance for direct food applications for similar applications in Israel. A truncated summary of the translated guidelines is reproduced below.

This directive regulates the requirements and conditions of using bacteriophage preparations in food plants, as specified in this directive.

Preparations listed below are permitted for use in food plants subject to this directive.

ListShield™

The bacteriophage preparation against Listeria monocytogenes (ListShield™), produced by Intralytix, USA, was approved as a food processing aid for the treatment of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products according to the terms approved by the USDA for the same bacteriophage preparation.

SalmoFresh™

The bacteriophage preparation against the bacteria Salmonella enterica (SalmoFresh™, formerly SalmoShield), produced by Intralytix, USA, was approved as a food processing aid for the treatment of fish, shellfish, and fresh and processed fruits and vegetables according to the conditions published in FDA GRAS Notice No. GRN 435. SalmoFresh™ was also approved for application to poultry immediately before or after grinding, and on ready to eat poultry products before slicing according to the conditions approved by the USDA for the same bacteriophage preparation.

EcoShield™

The bacteriophage preparation against the bacteria Escherichia coli O157: H7 (EcoShield™), produced by Intralytix, USA, was approved as a food processing aid for the treatment of meat immediately before grinding, according to the terms of FDA FCN No. 1018.