In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we interview Deborah Blum, author of The Poison Squad, which chronicles the passage of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and the work of its primary advocate, Dr. Harvey Wiley. Deborah discusses her most shocking discoveries about the 19th century diet, how the political and scientific landscape shaped food industry regulations, the role that media played in disseminating Dr. Wiley’s findings, and themes that can be observed from the events of The Poison Squad that are still relevant today.
We also spoke to Larry Keener, President and CEO of International Product Safety Consultants Inc., to get an industry professional’s point of view on the events of The Poison Squad, the evolution of food safety since that time, and the book’s themes that are still relevant today.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA’s AMS) has announced that an additional $21.9 million of funding is being awarded to 111 grant projects through the Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant Program (MPIRG), bringing total funding to $54.6 million.
For National Food Safety Education Month 2022, the National Environmental Health Organization (NEHA), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (USDA's) Food and Nutrition Service are offering educational webinars and informational resources.
A risk-based approach is rapidly being incorporated into food safety systems. This can be attributed to the efforts of regulatory agencies and non-governmental organizations to develop requirements for food businesses. This article examines these food safety systems from a systematic, risk-based approach to allow the food safety practitioner to develop and improve food safety.
The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) published a guidance that clarifies the differences between mandatory requirements of the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) and multiple U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) audits.
Consumer Reports is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to more stringently enforce Salmonella contamination after an investigation by the group revealed the prevalence of Salmonella in chicken products at retail.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced its new Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program, which will provide financial assistance to specialty crops producers who incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses while pursuing a food safety certification in calendar years 2022 or 2023.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has published an after-action review for two Salmonella Newport outbreaks that occurred during 2016–2019, classifying the strain as reoccurring.
A Michigan State University-led research team has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a rapid biosensor test for foodborne pathogens, with a focus on Salmonella and Campylobacter in poultry.
Researchers from the University of Georgia received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study how antimicrobial blue light can be used in food processing facilities to combat pathogenic biofilms and viruses.
