Food Safety
All romaine products — and salad blends not containing romaine — exported to Canada face new standards in the wake of new labeling in the U.S.
Last year proved to be a difficult year for the leafy greens sector, with three outbreaks linked to romaine lettuce.
World Waters LLC, Denver, is recalling 12 packs of WTRMLN WTR cold-pressed watermelon juice because of possible presence of soft plastic pieces in the bottles.
An FDA report on an E. coli outbreak traced to California romaine offers no smoking gun into how and where the pathogen was transferred to the lettuce and distributed to numerous outlets.
Lisa Fuentes is the new director of food safety and quality assurance at Ocean Mist Farms, Castroville, Calif.
The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement has new officers and board members.
Bonduelle Fresh Americas, which markets the Ready Pac brand, is initiating new water treatment standards for leafy greens.
The Romaine Task Force is seeking input on a list of recommendations concerning outbreak prevention, traceability, product labeling and outbreak investigations.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture has approved Best Sanitizers Inc.’s Alpet D2 Quat-Free Surface Sanitizer for use by organic food processors.
Caito Foods LLC, Indianapolis, has recalled salads with chicken because soy, an allergen, was not listed as an ingredient.
As news of “pink slime” goes viral, beef advocates work to provide consumers and producers with facts.
France and Israel topped the U.S. in the food quality and safety category of the Food Security Index.
My wife said she stopped to pick up our favorite deli chopped salad from a local grocer last night.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have linked 18 more cases to the E. coli outbreak attributed to chopped romaine from Arizona, bringing the total to 53.
There are differences between the current E. coli outbreak and outbreaks in the U.S. and Canada in December, but there is a sense of déjà vu as product disappears from shelves despite the lack of an official recall.
Salinas, Calif.-based HeavyConnect has launched a food safety mobile application.
What is the level of ongoing consumer concern about the E. coli outbreak linked to chopped romaine from the Yuma region?
In a trio of tweets Nov. 23, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb referred to plans to allow romaine to return to the market, and a possible new labeling standard to aid in tracing products in future outbreaks.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has added to the number of cases of E. coli linked to romaine lettuce in that country.
There is nothing like the fresh produce industry where we constantly deal with volatile markets, weather affecting crops, and labor issues, among many other areas across our supply chain.
The FDA says romaine lettuce is now safe to eat following the “purge” of product on the market, and grower-shippers agreed to new labeling standards that will include where the lettuce is grown.
The Food and Drug Administration has released a list of the California Central Coast counties it has targeted as the potential origin of E. coli tainted romaine lettuce.
How quickly will romaine rebound?
I visited 12 grocery stores in the Kansas City area the evening that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked another E. coli outbreak to romaine, and the Nov. 20 trip was far more revealing than I expected.
Indoor growers say their romaine should have been excluded from the FDA’s temporary blanket ban — although they agree consumer safety should always come first.
The Food and Drug Administration on Jan. 15 plans to start inspections of high-risk food facilities, which include leafy green processing plants, using mostly unpaid furloughed employees.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting the E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from coastal counties in California appears to be over.
The FDA has stopped routine inspections of fresh produce and other food facilities because of the partial government shutdown, but its commissioner says plans are underway to somewhat remedy that.
Registrar Corp. has upgraded its FDA Compliance Monitor, a tool to ensure companies are following Food Safety Modernization Act requirements.
The Center for Produce Safety, Woodland, Calif., is sponsoring a $500,000 challenge, seeking answers to cross-contamination issues in growing areas.