Latest News From Food safety

As mandatory compliance with the Produce Traceability Initiative and the Food Safety Modernization Act 204 Final Rule looms, retailers are readying for the 2026 implementation deadline. But they can’t do it alone.

Learn how insights into research on foodborne pathogens in packinghouses provide packers and shippers with actionable items to reduce risks in packing facilities.

Liz Sertl, senior director of supply chain visibility at GS1 US, shares how companies operating in the produce industry need to prepare for FSMA 204 compliance.

These resources include documents and an online learning platform aimed at those in retail and foodservice.

Panelists at the Global Organic Produce Expo shared insight on becoming traceability compliant as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Brittany Hansen, impact officer with Viiision, a blockchain technology provider, spoke with The Packer about her company’s technology and how it can help those in the produce industry.

The proposed Food Traceability Enhancement Act seeks to make targeted improvements to the rule that are necessary for more feasible industry compliance while continuing to enhance food safety.

Little Bear Produce Executive Vice President Bret Erickson discusses how Center for Produce Safety research projects have informed the Edinburg, Texas-based company's food safety efforts.

A university research team looked at temperature and surface properties related to E. coli susceptibility in leafy greens, such as romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, spinach, kale and collards.

The 91-page report from the Pesticide Action Network Europe states the number of European fruit and vegetables with detected PFAS pesticide residues has nearly tripled between 2011 and 2021.

The Safe Quality Food Institute, a division of FMI — The Food Industry Association, has named six finalists for the 2024 SQF Excellence Awards.

Food Policy Impact 2024 will review updates in food and nutrition-related regulations, policies and programs, as well as get industry input on how organizations are planning to or are already responding to the changes.

The industrywide organization has updated its Food Safety Modernization Act guidance to include information on the supply chain and lot source codes to better prepare the fresh produce industry for 2026 enforcement.

New research shows that foodborne pathogens such as Listeria can persist in packinghouses when biofilms attach to the food's surface and create a shield over the pathogen.

The software application provides production and inventory tracking and traceability reporting using bar-code technology.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the investigation into a listeria outbreak traced to stone fruit is now closed.

Multistate foodborne illness outbreaks bring swift financial losses to restaurants, increased media attention and an environment that makes subsequent smaller outbreaks more financially damaging, a new study says.

A research project supported by the Center for Produce Safety aims to shed light on pathogen risks in controlled environment agriculture.

The Food and Drug Administration has published its first video in a series focused on how food companies’ use of tech-enabled traceability can enhance food safety and protect consumers from foodborne illness.

Nine projects were awarded funding via Center for Produce Safety’s annual call for research proposals, which identified top industry science priorities.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the outbreak in fresh-cut and whole cantaloupe is now over. The outbreak sickened more than 407 people in the U.S.

The indoor farming company said it recalled salad kits and baby spinach due to a positive sample from a supplier farm and the potential cross-contamination of its Pennsylvania facility.

Procurant, a software for retail grocers, said it will help the Salt Lake City-based retailer with greater connectivity and traceability of perishable goods.

The education suite empowers organizations to train their employees on key traceability concepts, prepare for incoming regulations, and take steps to reduce the impact of recalls.

The USDA has awarded the university and Virginia Cooperative Extension more than $550,000 to help strengthen specialty crop production in the state.

The goal of the research is to make food crops safer throughout the production process, from farm to fork; it's looking at the ability of mushroom extracts to mitigate chronic human health conditions.

In 2023, the produce industry faced several challenges, including a significant recall of fresh-cut and whole cantaloupes toward the end of the year. Yet, the industry remains optimistic of the strides made this year.

The USDA is reminding specialty crop growers that assistance is available for producers who incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses.

The Food and Drug Administration said this recall involves conventionally grown peaches, plums and nectarines sold nationwide and distributed by HMC Farms.

Slater Vecchio, a legal firm specializing in personal injury claims, said the outbreak sickened more than 91 people in Quebec.

A legal firm says it's set to represent the family of a 13-month-old who was hospitalized due to eating tainted cantaloupe from a company involved in the FDA’s recall.

An effort to ensure that Mexican-grown papayas meet rigid food safety and quality standards continues to expand.

A salmonella outbreak in 34 states that has sickened 117 people and caused two deaths has been traced to one grower in Mexico.

The FDA has rolled out tools that it says will continue to inform stakeholders about the Food Traceability Rule and help covered entities come into compliance.

The GS1 US Board of Governors has elected four industry leaders from the grocery retail and health care sectors to join the board.

During a recent string of Thanksgiving holidays, romaine lettuce has not been in any news related to foodborne outbreaks. And that hasn't happened by chance, says guest columnist and former FDA official Frank Yiannas.

The Center for Produce Safety shares insight from its Research Symposium this year, where food safety stakeholders gathered with researchers to discuss how to apply their findings.

Utopia Foods Inc. of Glendale, N.Y., announced Oct. 23 that the company is recalling all lots within expiry of Qilu Enterprise-branded, 200-gram (7-ounce) packages of enoki mushrooms.

The new report allows auditees to demonstrate their adherence to Food Safety Modernization Act regulations, specifically the Produce Safety Rule, simplifying the path to FDA compliance, according to a news release.

Diego Alvarez brings global compliance and governance leadership and expertise to spearhead compliance programming at the Wisconsin-based food safety and sanitation company, PSSI.

A food safety program isn’t something that is simply plugged in and forgotten. Protocols are constantly updated at companies that prioritize food safety as technology advances and new areas of research are discovered.

The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement has recently adopted Western Growers' GreenLink platform to collect and analyze food safety data from its member companies.

The former FDA deputy commissioner for food policy and response has joined iFoodDS — a food safety and traceability solutions company — as strategic adviser and member of the board of directors.

The Packer met with Frank Yiannas to discuss his recent pivot to the private sector, why fresh produce needs food safety leaders and the opportunities he sees to raise the bar for indoor-grown leafy greens.

The Food Safety Modernization Act’s new traceability final rule, the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement’s leafy greens assessment tool and the “Romaine Test and Learn” study seek to raise the bar and improve food safety.

The Emeryville, Calif.-based company says that Denise Webster has joined its Food & Agriculture team.

The Alliance for Food and Farming hosted its sixth Safe Fruits and Veggies Farm Tour for registered dietitians and health and nutrition writers and influencers, Aug. 21-23, on California’s Monterey Peninsula.

Jim Jones has been selected to lead the Human Foods Program, a new initiative within the FDA that will encompass food safety, chemical safety, innovative food products and agtech. The news has received early praise.

Despite the portrayal in a recent Netflix documentary, leafy greens producers have made great strides in food safety — and are committed to further progress, says California Leafy Green Marketing Agreement CEO Tim York.

David Oppenheimer and Co. is recalling 1-pound clamshells of Zespri brand organic green kiwifruit shipped from June 14, 2023, to July 7, 2023, due to potential listeria contamination.