Two key advisory committees, responsible for providing impartial scientific advice to federal public health agencies (USDA, FDA, CDC) relative to food safety, have been terminated: the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) and National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI).
A recent study has characterized the challenges of ensuring food safety in “dark kitchens”—which sell food for takeout or delivery solely via online platforms and may operate out of shared kitchens—from the perspectives of both environmental health officers and the business operators themselves.
A letter signed by four U.S. senators was recently sent to Jim Jones, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, about the agency’s plans for reduced funding for state and local food safety programs, which could significantly affect inspections.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to strengthen its inspection efforts to safeguard the nation’s food supply, according to a recent report published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). FDA says it needs more inspectors to meet its targets.
Following the high-profile, fatal listeriosis outbreak linked to Boar’s Head ready-to-eat (RTE) deli meats that prompted an internal review of USDA-FSIS processes, the agency has announced several new steps to strengthen its oversight of RTE facilities, including expanded Listeria rule requirements and stricter state-federal cooperative inspection agreements.
The Swedish Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) is introducing a new, more systematic model for evaluating food control and follow-up activities, which is based on an index that weighs several indicator criteria.
A recent survey of Finnish municipal food inspectors has provided insight into the challenges inspectors face when trying to control food businesses that repeatedly violate food safety regulations, and suggested possible methods for motivating businesses to take corrective actions.
In an October 31 webinar, Jim Jones, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, provided insight into the work of the Human Foods Program and how budgetary constraints are affecting its work.
Following the history of serious food safety noncompliances at Boar’s Head’s Jarratt, Virginia plant, which led to a fatal listeriosis outbreak, USDA’s Inspector General has launched an internal investigation into the agency’s handling of the repeated sanitary violations found at the facility.
The European Commission’s annual report on EU Member States’ official food safety controls in 2022 highlighted successes, areas for improvement, and challenges.
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