Assuring food safety in this "New Era of Smarter Food Safety" and with the increasing use of whole genome sequencing provides many new challenges for food safety professionals. While these challenges are many and multi-faceted, it is helpful to look back to the "old" era of food safety, to some of the foundational concepts in the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that are still in force today. In this article, the authors focus first on one of many important legal terms that is extremely important and often misunderstood: adulteration.

Salmonella prevalence has decreased significantly in the past three decades due to processing changes, but human illness cases from Salmonella have not decreased proportionally. To understand and eventually reduce the risk of salmonellosis from poultry meat, it is necessary to understand the poultry production system, the introduction of the microorganism into the poultry ecosystem (as well as its gastrointestinal tract), the sources of Salmonella during production, and, subsequently, strategies to control or reduce the risk from this microorganism at both the pre-and post-harvest stages.

Even with the right prep work, operations with the best sanitation, pest control, preventive maintenance, manufacturing practices, and food defense can experience a recall. This article establishes the background on recalls in the U.S. and offers a look at the behind-the-scenes activity of a food safety recall, including best practices, necessary steps, and tips for communication. It also explores an often-misunderstood resource that can minimize the negative impact and expense of a recall—your recall insurance policy. 

Recyclable. Recycled content. Compostable. Made from bio-materials. Which of these makes for the safest, most sustainable package? These can be misleading questions, especially when it comes to food packaging. Many sustainable packaging goals and trends can affect food safety work. Also, the concept of food safety as the primary element in sustainable packaging decisions must logically flow through an organization from the top down, through the key relevant vertical groups.