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Researchers from the USDA’s Economic Research Service and CDC developed a model that can be used to assess the value of state and federal foodborne illness outbreak investigations and subsequent recalls. The researchers demonstrated the replicability of the model using a 2018 Salmonella outbreak as a case study.

Food companies are struggling with recall execution and communication, stemming from a patchwork of regulations. Three key issues confront industry due to this fragmentation of the recall system. The path to more effective recalls, in simple terms, is to standardize and streamline the existing system and utilize modern technology to circulate pertinent information.

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.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is encouraging countries around the world to adopt e-notification systems to bolster food safety, and has released a publication to support such efforts, titled, Technical Guidance for the Implementation of E-Notification Systems for Food Control.

During National Food Safety Month 2022, the experts at ServSafe, alongside the National Restaurant Association, will curate free content for the restaurant industry with a focus on “Food Safety at Every Level.”

The Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety has published the Processors’ Food Safety Toolkit, a webpage designed for small and very small food processors that are required to comply with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

The dry bulb onion industry, led by the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) and the National Onion Association (NOA), has released an updated food safety best practices document for industry and plans to hold a webinar to discuss the document and future initiatives.

Panelists Christian Blyth (Pathogen Specialist, 3M Canada), Marie Tanner (Senior Vice President of Quality, Dairy Farmers of America), and Lone Jespersen, Ph.D. (Cultivate SA) discuss three features that are prominent in North America's food safety culture: diversity of thought, proactive risk-based approach, and high adaptability. 

To lead from the local level for food safety, top executives must empower and authorize leaders to solve issues like food safety culture. The technical food safety team is best situated for this task. To build a sustainable food safety culture, it is essential to start with shifting and building the mindset of the technical leadership and honoring the well-being of this team. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic (hopefully) solidly in the rearview mirror, we wanted to find out what projects and initiatives food companies are focusing on for the rest of this year and into 2023. We heard from more than 200 food processors in every major category. They reported a wide-ranging wish list of projects and priorities, with improving their food safety culture, more training, improving their supply chain management (especially with their foreign suppliers), and improving their sanitation and environmental monitoring programs at the top of the list.