Research on plant defense responses against pathogens, specifically E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium, holds insights to preventing foodborne illnesses and improving food safety practices.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recently published a summary of a joint investigation of a multi-country foodborne illness outbreak of Salmonella Seftenberg that was possibly linked to cherry-like tomatoes.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced new funding and education opportunities for school nutrition professionals through its Produce Safety University.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has announced a virtual public meeting of the full National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) on August 30, 2023 to discuss a report on Cyclospora cayetanensis in produce and a charge on Cronobacter in powdered infant formula.

Following severe flooding that occurred throughout Vermont and New York, the Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) has compiled a collection of resources to help growers impacted by floodwaters ensure produce safety.

The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) has announced its Romaine Test and Learn initiative, a two-year food safety study commencing in October 2023, which will leverage LGMA members’ individual testing data to elicit meaningful, aggregated information to better understand potential microbial risks to leafy greens food safety.

As the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) sector has grown, so too has its original industry group. In 2022, the CEA Food Safety Coalition became the CEA Alliance, adding multiple workflows and new produce commodities to the group.

Wageningen University Food Safety Research recently launched a four-year project with the goal of developing an early warning system to detect the presence of mycotoxins in European cereal grains.

A recent study has demonstrated the ability of Listeria monocytogenes to develop persister cells under produce packinghouse conditions, as well as persisters’ susceptibility to chlorine treatment where antibiotics fail.

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) has announced Natalie Dyenson as its new Chief Regulatory and Food Safety Officer, effective July 17, 2023.