Latest News From Food Safety

As mandatory compliance with the Produce Traceability Initiative and the Food Safety Modernization Act 204 Final Rule looms, retailers are readying for the 2026 implementation deadline. But they can’t do it alone.

Learn how insights into research on foodborne pathogens in packinghouses provide packers and shippers with actionable items to reduce risks in packing facilities.

Liz Sertl, senior director of supply chain visibility at GS1 US, shares how companies operating in the produce industry need to prepare for FSMA 204 compliance.

These resources include documents and an online learning platform aimed at those in retail and foodservice.

Panelists at the Global Organic Produce Expo shared insight on becoming traceability compliant as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Brittany Hansen, impact officer with Viiision, a blockchain technology provider, spoke with The Packer about her company’s technology and how it can help those in the produce industry.

The proposed Food Traceability Enhancement Act seeks to make targeted improvements to the rule that are necessary for more feasible industry compliance while continuing to enhance food safety.

Little Bear Produce Executive Vice President Bret Erickson discusses how Center for Produce Safety research projects have informed the Edinburg, Texas-based company's food safety efforts.

A university research team looked at temperature and surface properties related to E. coli susceptibility in leafy greens, such as romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, spinach, kale and collards.

The 91-page report from the Pesticide Action Network Europe states the number of European fruit and vegetables with detected PFAS pesticide residues has nearly tripled between 2011 and 2021.

The Safe Quality Food Institute, a division of FMI — The Food Industry Association, has named six finalists for the 2024 SQF Excellence Awards.

Food Policy Impact 2024 will review updates in food and nutrition-related regulations, policies and programs, as well as get industry input on how organizations are planning to or are already responding to the changes.

The industrywide organization has updated its Food Safety Modernization Act guidance to include information on the supply chain and lot source codes to better prepare the fresh produce industry for 2026 enforcement.

New research shows that foodborne pathogens such as Listeria can persist in packinghouses when biofilms attach to the food's surface and create a shield over the pathogen.

The software application provides production and inventory tracking and traceability reporting using bar-code technology.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the investigation into a listeria outbreak traced to stone fruit is now closed.

Multistate foodborne illness outbreaks bring swift financial losses to restaurants, increased media attention and an environment that makes subsequent smaller outbreaks more financially damaging, a new study says.

A research project supported by the Center for Produce Safety aims to shed light on pathogen risks in controlled environment agriculture.

The Food and Drug Administration has published its first video in a series focused on how food companies’ use of tech-enabled traceability can enhance food safety and protect consumers from foodborne illness.

Nine projects were awarded funding via Center for Produce Safety’s annual call for research proposals, which identified top industry science priorities.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the outbreak in fresh-cut and whole cantaloupe is now over. The outbreak sickened more than 407 people in the U.S.

The indoor farming company said it recalled salad kits and baby spinach due to a positive sample from a supplier farm and the potential cross-contamination of its Pennsylvania facility.

While Mexican health officials temporarily closed the processing plant, they said its initial tests came back negative and another round of testing will be performed next month.

Procurant, a software for retail grocers, said it will help the Salt Lake City-based retailer with greater connectivity and traceability of perishable goods.

The education suite empowers organizations to train their employees on key traceability concepts, prepare for incoming regulations, and take steps to reduce the impact of recalls.

The law firm said it filed the class action lawsuit in British Columbia on behalf of all persons of Canada, excluding Québec, who purchased or became ill from consuming cantaloupes involved in the salmonella outbreak.

The goal of the research is to make food crops safer throughout the production process, from farm to fork; it's looking at the ability of mushroom extracts to mitigate chronic human health conditions.

A company has recalled its 1-pound bags of soybean sprouts with a sell-by date of Dec. 14, 2023, due to a positive random test.

As of Dec. 15, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the salmonella outbreak traced to fresh-cut and whole cantaloupe sickened more than 302 people in 42 states.

In 2023, the produce industry faced several challenges, including a significant recall of fresh-cut and whole cantaloupes toward the end of the year. Yet, the industry remains optimistic of the strides made this year.

The recall list of vendors impacted by the salmonella outbreak in cantaloupes now includes Stop & Shop products sold in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.

The USDA is reminding specialty crop growers that assistance is available for producers who incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses.

Asoguabo, a banana grower in Ecuador, is the first to meet GlobalGAP’s Produce Handling Assurance standard with plans for more packing operations by the grower to achieve certification in 2024. 

The companies said this proof-of-concept project will enable Sysco and suppliers to capture, store and share traceability data as part of FSMA’s Food Traceability Rule.

The company said a random sampling of its bagged spinach yielded a positive result for Listera monocytogenes.

The Food and Drug Administration said this recall involves conventionally grown peaches, plums and nectarines sold nationwide and distributed by HMC Farms.

Slater Vecchio, a legal firm specializing in personal injury claims, said the outbreak sickened more than 91 people in Quebec.

The FDA has added Cut Fruit Express packages of fresh fruit containing cantaloupe and foodservice packages of cantaloupe chunks and fruit mixes with cantaloupe to a recall.

A legal firm says it's set to represent the family of a 13-month-old who was hospitalized due to eating tainted cantaloupe from a company involved in the FDA’s recall.

TGD Cuts recalls its fresh-cut fruit cups, clamshells and tray products containing cantaloupe involved in an ongoing recall.

An effort to ensure that Mexican-grown papayas meet rigid food safety and quality standards continues to expand.

A salmonella outbreak in 34 states that has sickened 117 people and caused two deaths has been traced to one grower in Mexico.

The FDA has rolled out tools that it says will continue to inform stakeholders about the Food Traceability Rule and help covered entities come into compliance.

The global online food delivery market is expected to grow by 60% and reach $1.65 trillion in value by 2027, according to new research.

Utopia Foods Inc. of Glendale, N.Y., announced Oct. 23 that the company is recalling all lots within expiry of Qilu Enterprise-branded, 200-gram (7-ounce) packages of enoki mushrooms.

The new report allows auditees to demonstrate their adherence to Food Safety Modernization Act regulations, specifically the Produce Safety Rule, simplifying the path to FDA compliance, according to a news release.

A food safety program isn’t something that is simply plugged in and forgotten. Protocols are constantly updated at companies that prioritize food safety as technology advances and new areas of research are discovered.

The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement has recently adopted Western Growers' GreenLink platform to collect and analyze food safety data from its member companies.

A recent meeting of the FDA and its regulatory counterparts in Mexico focused on laboratory collaboration, food safety training and industry outreach, as well as outbreak prevention and response.

The Packer met with Frank Yiannas to discuss his recent pivot to the private sector, why fresh produce needs food safety leaders and the opportunities he sees to raise the bar for indoor-grown leafy greens.