The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has allowed California-based slaughterhouse Central Valley Meat Co. to reopen after the firm agreed to take action to ensure ‘downer’ animals are not processed.
The Canadian government has released draft guidelines for improvements to the food safety inspection system, including a single, consistent approach to all food commodities, whether Canadian or imported.
A food safety technology company has achieved US certification for its new E.coli testing kit, which allows manufacturers to rapidly test meat samples for the deadly bug.
The Canadian government has announced a $600,000 project to improve testing for the bacteria behind the life-threatening food-borne illness listeriosis.
Most Americans across the political spectrum would like to see more government regulation of food safety and food quality, suggests a new study published in the journal Food Policy.
The US is falling short of government goals to reduce cases of foodborne illness, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed.
A hard-hitting government report says the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to publicise its food safety recall procedures, and that is unclear how accurate the agency’s food recall data is.
A coalition of consumer groups has urged the US government to issue regulations that have not met statutory deadlines under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Canadian confidence in the safety of their food supply is increasing, but there is limited understanding of the inspection process or food safety system, according to the findings of a new study from the Canadian Food Inspection Authority (CFIA).
Grow Green Industries and PL Thomas showcased their new natural antimicrobial ingredient at IFT, intended to enhance food safety and increase shelf life across a wide range of applications.
The success of PulseNet for tracing the source of foodborne illness outbreaks has become the industry’s own worst enemy as more news coverage has eroded consumer trust, according to an ex-USDA food safety expert.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) looks set to receive a budget cut of $16.3m for the fiscal year (FY) 2013, despite requesting an additional $253m in funding to boost its Transforming Food Safety Initiative.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has outlined plans to standardise its inspection practices in an effort to keep up-to-speed with the changing food safety “landscape.”
PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has warned the US food industry that 2012 will be “all hands on deck” to implement the provisions of the Food Safety Modernisation Act (FSMA).
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has outlined a series of measures to conduct future meat product trace backs in a “pre-emptive” manner to catch E.coli O157:H7 contamination at an earlier stage.
The Canadian government has taken steps to streamline its food safety laws – reducing the ‘red tape’ that currently delays safe products entering the market.
A California-based seafood processor has agreed to halt the production and distribution of its fish and fish products over Listeria monocytogenes contamination fears, under an agreement with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A ruling that will see the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) gain extended access to food industry records will “weed out” those companies that have not been cooperative during food safety incidents in the past.
The number of warning letters issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rose sharply in 2011 – and with extra scrutiny expected under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), such warnings could become more costly in the year ahead.
US import law specialist FDAImports.com has played down an apparent increase in import-implicated foodborne disease outbreaks - describing the situation as a “non-event.”
US-based foodborne disease outbreaks caused by tainted imported food appeared to rise in 2009 and 2010, according to research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Analyzing the distribution, or epidemiology, of foodborne illnesses is a standard tool in controlling outbreaks, but infodemiology – the analysis of information distributed on the internet – could help minimize the impact of outbreaks in the future.
More than 45 meat industry organisations have written to US Congress asking it to oppose a new proposal to introduce cost recovery for food safety inspection in meat and poultry plants.
State-specific food safety ‘tweets’ will help US consumers identify affected products and prevent potentially lethal foodborne outbreaks, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has claimed.
The concept of naturalness may be a major purchase driver, but there is disagreement about what ‘natural’ or ‘clean label’ really means – and about how to create foods that are both natural and safe.
Canadian food safety budget cuts will see imports inspections reduced, meaning “greater food safety risks for Canadians”, the union that represents federal food safety inspectors has warned.
US authorities are yet to establish regulations relating to third-party food plant auditors – six months after the start of an outbreak later attributed to lacklustre third-party inspection practices.
There could be an impending shortage of food safety auditors in the United States, rooted in a lack of food safety emphasis in the US education system, says director of food safety solutions at DNV Business Assurance Kathleen Wybourn.
Processing has become a dirty word, but we are going to need more processing, not less, in order to feed a growing population, according to professor and head of food science at Penn State University John Floros.
Food safety experts need to do a better job of communicating the consumer’s role in keeping food safe, by using personalized messages and the example of kitchen role models, says a consumer food marketing specialist.
A new global survey of food manufacturers found that most (98%) are confident about their food safety performance - but 70% of consumers aren't convinced. FoodNavigator-USA spoke to Hank Lambert, general manager of food and water at UL, which commissioned...
More data sharing and better communication between the private sector and public health organizations could be the next big development in food safety and public health, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) scientist.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and other consumer and food safety organizations have defended FDA deputy commissioner for foods Michael Taylor, who has been the target of a campaign calling for his resignation.
The 2011 cantaloupe-related Listeria outbreak has continued to effect food recalls across the US, with a 50% increase in the number of recalls in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared with Q3.
The Food and Drug Administration is seeking a 17% increase in its budget, with the agency listing food safety and Chinese imports amongst its strategic targets.
The US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has requested a budget increase of more than $250m for 2013 – including $10m to strengthen the safety of Chinese produced food.
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have agreed to form a food safety partnership, with the aim of cooperating toward achieving a safe, sufficient, and accessible food supply, according...
An industry coalition led by the American Frozen Foods Institute (AFFI) has urged the Obama administration to adequately fund food safety initiatives, without levying extra taxes or industry fees.
While the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will undoubtedly “raise the floor” and increase confidence in the US food supply, experts are predicting “considerable growing pains” as the industry gets to grips with the new legislation.
Today’s complex and interdependent food supply chain makes food safety a shared responsibility more than ever before, according to vice president of food safety at Walmart Frank Yiannas.
A proposal to modernise poultry inspection in the US will focus resources on areas critical to ensuring food safety while reducing the burden on the taxpayer, the US government has announced.
Canada’s Agriculture Union has called on the food industry to oppose plans by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to scale back on meat inspections.
The Canadian government is planning cuts to food safety inspection funding put in place following the Maple Leaf listeriosis outbreak – a move that a food safety inspectors’ union claims could increase foodborne illness risk.
Firms that can improve sample collection and preparation and make pathogen detection faster and cheaper will secure the first cash injections from the Global Food Protection Institute’s (GFPI’s) Emerging Technology Accelerator (ETA) initiative this month.
The Food and Drug Administration claims it has made significant progress with regulatory developments related to the Food Safety Modernization Act since the bill was signed into law a year ago, according to its one-year progress report.
Food manufacturers are upping their game on allergen management, but many still take information from ingredients suppliers about allergens “at face value without further verification”, according to a survey by Deloitte & Touche.