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A research project funded by the Center for Produce Safety is developing a flexible computer model that enables food industry users to evaluate potential contamination risks along the supply chain and relevant control strategies.

The global food system is at a crossroads. The second World Congress of the Global Harmonization Initiative (GHI) will unite scientists, policymakers, industry leaders, and other stakeholders in a critical dialogue on the future of food systems.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dr. Kimberly Baker, a food safety expert with the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service, about her focus on foodborne pathogens and recall prevention, as well as the Food2Market program that helps small food entrepreneurs comply with food safety regulations.

According to FDA, between 2018 and 2025, 38 people have been sickened and 12 have died across 21 states after consuming Listeria monocytogenes-contaminated Sysco Imperial and Lyons ReadyCare Frozen Supplemental Shakes that were served at long-term care facilities and hospitals. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is facilitating the establishment of a Regional Food Safety Research Network and Innovation Hub (RFSRNIH) to improve food safety in Near Eastern and North African countries, addressing challenges specific to the region. 

More than 100 people have been sickened and three have died as the result of a foodborne illness outbreak linked to food served at four Italian nursing homes sharing the same meal production center. Investigations are underway.

On February 13, Boar’s Head designated a companywide ‘Boar’s Head Food Safety Promise Day’ and unveiled new safety and sanitation controls and processes, following the fatal listeriosis outbreak linked to its products in 2024.

According to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group’s (PIRG’s) Food for Thought 2025 report, hospitalizations and deaths linked to foodborne illnesses doubled in 2024. Illnesses also increased, 98 percent of which were attributed to just 13 outbreaks. The number of USDA and FDA recalls decreased by 5 percent.

Part 3 of this article series explores food safety and business cybersecurity (IT and OT), as well as cognitive security threat mitigation.

Which comes first: generating standard operating procedures (SOPs) to drive improvements in quality and food safety behavior, or improving behaviors and then generating the appropriate SOPs? Does the SQF/GFSI process drive the first approach or the second? The answer to both questions is: yes.