Latest News From Food safety

The International Association for Food Protection’s annual meeting will be a virtual event this year.

Members of the California LGMA, who grow an overwhelming majority of the lettuce and other leafy greens in the state, and 80% of the U.S. lettuce, say they’re capable of quickly tracking recalled products.

As the fall/winter growing season in Yuma, Ariz., approaches, the Arizona Leafy Green Marketing Agreement has approved new water and field metrics.

Dynamic Systems Inc., Bellevue, Wash., has launched a lower-cost version of its SIMBA traceability system designed for smaller produce growers and packers.

Fortune Food Product Inc., a Chicago sprout grower and maker of soy products, has agreed to shut down after the Food and Drug Administration issued its first injunction under the Produce Safety Rule.

As leafy greens growers prepare to move from California’s Central Coast regaion to the desert regions of California and Yuma, Ariz., to start fall/winter production, they’re taking extra precautions.

Chicago-based Varcode, which makes digital, time- and temperature-sensitive supply chain solutions, has appointed an advisory board of food safety specialists.

Giant Food has removed its private label-branded squash noodle medley after a supplier reported a sample had tested positive for listeria.

The number of cases of salmonella linked to Prima Wawona brand California peaches has risen to 78 in the U.S. and 48 in Canada, according to health agencies in each country.

Produce industry associations are revisiting presentations from the 2020 Center for Produce Safety Virtual Research Symposium.

Duncan Family Farms, Goodyear, Ariz., has installed an irrigation treatment system that’s highly effective, controllable and transportable.

Prima Wawona peaches involved in a recall in the U.S. and Canada because of salmonella were shipped to more than a dozen other countries.

The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement has made more than 50 changes to rules as the group continues a review of its practices following E. coli outbreaks in recent years.

Three federal agencies are hosting a web seminar to update food companies on COVID-19 pandemic operating guidelines.

Food and Drug Administration official Mark Moorman acknowledges that the “smarter” era of food safety has not yet arrived.

(UPDATED) Prima Wawona, Fresno, Calif., is recalling bagged Wawona brand peaches as the Food and Drug Administration investigates a salmonella outbreak.

(UPDATED) The Packer's editor-in-chief Tom Karst, news editor Chris Koger, retail editor Ashley Nickle and Northeast editor Amy Sowder discuss news this week, from wildfires to recalls to an apple conference.

(UPDATED) State and federal health officials are investigating an outbreak of salmonella likely linked to Wawona brand bagged peaches sold at Aldi stores in multiple states.

Salmonella Newport cases in the U.S. and Canada continue to increase, with more than 1,000 cases linked to onions from Thomson International.

The Food and Drug Administration’s investigation into an outbreak of cyclospora infection from Fresh Express garden salads led the agency to Florida, where the parasite was found in a canal.

The Food and Drug Administration’s investigation into an outbreak of cyclospora infection from Fresh Express garden salads led the agency to Florida, where the parasite was found in a canal.

Editor-in-chief Tom Karst, news editor Chris Koger and retail editor Ashley Nickle discuss news items of note this week, from a Fresh Summit sneak peek to a recall roundup to columns from industry veterans.

The coronavirus has thrown new challenges at Philadelphia produce shippers and wholesalers as they manage customer and employee relationships.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people not to eat Alfalfa & Radish Micro-greens from Sunsprout after a routine test found the presence of salmonella.

Veg-Fresh Farms, Corona, Calif., is using packaging to fight pathogens — and not just as a barrier during transport and on retail shelves.

Salsa joins the list of recalled food caught up in a nationwide advisory on onions because of an outbreak of Salmonella Newport.

Austin, Texas, health officials are investigating an outbreak of Cyclospora infections.

Progressive Produce LLC., Los Angeles, is recalling a limited amount of red and yellow onions it distributed to retailers in the Western U.S.

California organic certifier CCOF has received high marks for its GlobalG.A.P. program.

Freshouse II LLC, Salisbury, N.C., is recalling citrus and potatoes that were packed on equipment on which Listeria monocytogenes was detected during routine testing.

When Escondido, Calif.-based Henry Avocado opened its new packing and distribution center in 2018, food safety was top of mind.

Another retailer has recalled onions that came from a California grower because some of the onions from the company have been linked to an outbreak of Salmonella Newport.

The FDA is seeking data to determine if produce commodities with low reported consumption should be added to the “rarely consumed raw” list and thereby exempt from the agency's Produce Safety Rule. 

Taylor Farms Texas, Dallas, has recalled seven products and the USDA has issued a public health alert for six other items from the company because they all contain onions linked to a salmonella outbreak.

Braga Fresh, Soledad, Calif., has hired Colby Pereira as vice president of operations.

SmartWash Solutions, Salinas, Calif., has released an online tool allowing produce plant managers to monitor real-time performance data on their wash lines chemistry.

United Fresh has food safety web seminars scheduled on a variety of topics, starting with a look at the FDA’s recent unveiling of its blueprint for the New Era of Smarter Food Safety.

The Food and Drug Administration has set fiscal year 2021 fees for inspection relating to imports and third-party audits under the Food Safety Modernization Act.

(UPDATED) Thomson International Inc., Bakersfield, Calif., is recalling onions it grew after the Food and Drug Administration identified them in a salmonella outbreak.

When history appears to repeat itself, we must ask ourselves what we can learn. Per the FDA, fresh produce has been recalled about 40 times since 2017 – mostly fresh-cut, mostly involving Listeria monocytogenes.

Sysco Canada is recalling red onions imported from the U.S., naming the onions as the possible source of a salmonella outbreak, and Canadian health officials are advising people not to eat the onions.

The Food and Drug Administration has a new protocol for the development and registration of treatments for water used on crops before harvest.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has increased the number of cases in a salmonella outbreak that hasn’t been traced to a source, and Canada is also reporting cases.

The Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a web seminar on the agency’s 2020 Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan.

An outbreak of Cyclospora infections linked garden salads continues to grow as health officials seek where the ingredients were grown.

Federal health and regulatory agencies are investigating an outbreak of Salmonella Newport of unknown origin that involves 125 cases in 15 states.

The United Fresh Produce Association, Washington, D.C., has promoted Jennifer McEntire to senior vice president of food safety and technology.

Dave Corsi chairman, of the Center for Produce Safety’s board of director for two years, has been succeeded by Vic Smith.

The Food and Drug Administration's New Era of Smarter Food Safety and corresponding “blueprint” that guides the process are not a quick fix to outbreaks that led regulators to seek new answers.

Texas A&M researchers have created a coating that battles cross-contamination of produce. Researchers say that the coating can be applied to surfaces like conveyor belts and collection buckets.