The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a conclusion on slick-hair cattle, its first enforcement discretion decision for an intentional genomic alteration in an animal for food use.

USDA-FSIS and FDA have started to share information on whole genome sequencing. Also, FSIS and CDC are working to enhance data sharing on critically important public health activities.

The National Chicken Council wishes to update its 2016 petition regarding not-ready-to-eat stuffed chicken products that may appear ready-to-eat.

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is seeking stakeholder consultation for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) Harmonized GAP Plus+ version 3.0.

Understanding the types of violations observed during inspections is a requirement for correctly citing a violation and providing quality feedback to the facility operator. Breakdowns in this chain of communication can lead to additional inspections and possible enforcement actions, which waste valuable time, money, and effort. To ensure that this chain is firm, inspectors are provided with access to training and continuing education, as needed, to properly identify violations and apply their guiding regulations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is asking for comments on proposed pathogen reduction performance standards for Salmonella in pork, and is also requesting proposals for a cooperative agreement to study Salmonella risk in chicken and turkey.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating cases concerning powdered infant formula, as it may have caused Cronobacter sakazakii and Salmonella Newport infections.

Today's food laboratories remain largely free of regulatory oversight. That is about to change with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) issuance of a final rule establishing a program for the testing of food, in certain circumstances, by accredited laboratories. Not only does this final rule provide specific quality standards and assurances to a segment of food testing, but it also opens the door for all laboratories to adhere to these essential elements.

This column will expand on the findings of the FDA study of the economic evaluation of the GenomeTrakr whole genome sequencing (WGS) program, adding data on the use of sequencing and how it will continue to change food safety practices and markets. It will also discuss what FDA is doing with GenomeTrackr to uncover previously unseen outbreaks and how this is keeping pressure on processors to expand environmental monitoring and controls.

On February 15, the U.S. Senate voted to narrowly confirm Dr. Robert Califf as Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).