As of November 24, 2023, a fatal foodborne outbreak of salmonellosis linked to cantaloupes has caused 99 illnesses across 32 states in the U.S., and 63 illnesses across five provinces in Canada. A total of three patients have died. A recall has been issued.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated the chapter on Cronobacter of the Bacteriological Analytical Manual.

There is national interest in protecting public health by reducing foodborne illness from Salmonella in poultry. The University of Maryland, in partnership with IAFNS and Structured Partnerships, have been collaborating with USDA-FSIS through a Cooperative Agreement to support data sharing with the aim of reducing Salmonella illnesses in humans.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its Leafy Green STEC Action Plan (LGAP), which outlines the agency’s efforts to reduce foodborne illness outbreaks linked to leafy greens that were caused by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC).

Tebots Inc. has designed a UV disinfection station called POZ that addresses the limitations of existing devices that have prevented the technology’s adoption by the foodservice industry.

The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration (IFSAC)—a joint effort between FDA, CDC, and USDA-FSIS—has published its 2021 report on foodborne illness source attribution for Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, and Listeria monocytogenes.

A new software platform by Ancera offers a “BioBarrier” against Salmonella through surveillance systems and big data analytics for improved poultry productivity, enabling compliance with tightening U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations.

In this bonus episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with two food safety experts from MilliporeSigma—Justyce Jedlicka, Food and Beverage Regulatory Liaison in North America, and Andrew Lienau, Food Regulatory and Validation Expert—to discuss the threat that Cronobacter poses to food safety and public health, and how testing for this complex pathogen is crucial to controlling its impact.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published a three-part guide describing how whole genome sequencing (WGS) can be used as a tool to strengthen foodborne illness surveillance and response.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released a factsheet on the 2022 Food Code definition and requirements for “in-shell product,” which is a sub-category of molluscan shellfish that requires special parameters for safe handling.