Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!

Food Safety Report | Fight for Food Safety

Expect substantial, rapid food-safety advancement to continue

Speeding along

By Shawn Stevens
Fight for Food Safety
March 9, 2018

There have been substantial changes in recent years in food-safety science, technology, regulation and enforcement. With new legislation, regulations and continuous governmental intervention, producing food is now more complex than ever before. And, while there have been unprecedented policy shifts in recent years, I predict that the next year will bring even more.  Here are my views on changes hovering just over the horizon.

 

Related Reading

 

For more on food safety, read these other stories from The National Provisioner's 2018 Food Safety Report!


Food security: Are you ready for the next cyberattack?

Food safety apparel in meat and poultry plants: Suit up for safety

Real-time pathogen detection

The food industry’s ability to produce safe food is only as good as its ability to detect and control pathogens. Increasingly, food processors are pressured by regulators and their customers to increase sampling and testing of incoming ingredients, the food processing environment and finished products.  But with current lags in the time from sample collection to final result, testing remains problematic.  With that said, technology has a unique way of responding to industry need, and I predict this year we will see emerging technologies that allow for near-real time detection of harmful pathogens in the environment or in finished products.  

 

Whole genome sequencing (WGS)

While industry improves its ability to rapidly test for and identify pathogens in food facilities and products, the government is increasing its ability to solve foodborne illness outbreaks. In the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) database, there are currently nearly a million human isolates from unsolved foodborne illnesses. With the move toward Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), which has much higher resolution when compared against previous foodborne illness and outbreak detection technologies, CDC is now able to detect correlations between case patients and products that were never before possible. The use of this technology allows regulators to solve both previously unsolved and emerging outbreaks.

 

Food safety inspections

CDC’s efforts are also aided by regulators’ new investigational tools. While inspecting food facilities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now conducts microbiological sampling (the infamous “swab-a-thons”) to find pathogens. The agency routinely samples incoming ingredients, food processing equipment, floors, drains and finished products. USDA is also increasing the use of investigational swabbing when it suspects a company’s products may be causing illness as well. If any samples are positive, the agency will use WGS to see if they match any human illnesses in the CDC’s database to find the companies at fault.  

 

Food safety standards

Finally, food safety standards will continue to tighten as well. Already, under the new “human illness standard,” FDA and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) are partnering to launch criminal investigations whenever a company’s food products are believed to be associated with human illness. FDA has also tightened its stance on Listeria in the environment, adopting a near zero-tolerance approach. As FDA and USDA have announced increased collaboration and partnership in setting and enforcing food safety standards, we expect the USDA noose to tighten as well. Increasingly, tolerance will continue to wane for Listeria in the environment and Salmonella in ground beef and poultry.  

When it comes to food safety, we are living in an era of substantial and drastic change. The changes that have already occurred represent merely a preview of what is yet to come. Pathogen detection will continue to improve, outbreak surveillance will continue to be enhanced, new regulations will continue to be imposed and enforcement will continue to intensify. Make sure this year you are leaning further forward in the food safety foxhole than ever before.  NP

This article was originally posted on www.provisioneronline.com.
KEYWORDS: fight for food safety food safety technology

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Shawn stevens 200x200

Shawn Stevens is the founding member of Food Industry Counsel LLC, a law firm formed in 2014 to represent the food industry exclusively in regulatory and other matters involving food safety and quality. Contact Stevens at (920) 698-2561 or stevens@foodindustrycounsel.com, or visit his Web site, www.foodindustrycounsel.com.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • people holding baby chicks

    Serovar Differences Matter: Utility of Deep Serotyping in Broiler Production and Processing

    This article discusses the significance of Salmonella in...
    Microbiological
    By: Nikki Shariat Ph.D.
  • woman washing hands

    Building a Culture of Hygiene in the Food Processing Plant

    Everyone entering a food processing facility needs to...
    Food Prep/Handling
    By: Richard F. Stier, M.S.
  • graphical representation of earth over dirt

    Climate Change and Emerging Risks to Food Safety: Building Climate Resilience

    This article examines the multifaceted threats to food...
    Best Practices
    By: Maria Cristina Tirado Ph.D., D.V.M. and Shamini Albert Raj M.A.
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Website Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Safety Magazine audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Safety Magazine or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Two men standing in a produce storage facility having a discussion.
    Sponsored byOrkin Commercial

    Staying Compliant With FSMA

  • Deli Salads
    Sponsored byCorbion

    How Food Safety is Becoming the Ultimate Differentiator in Refrigerated and Prepared Foods

Popular Stories

FoodSafetyMattersFinal-900x550-(002).jpg

Ep. 195. Dr. Christopher Daubert: The Value of a Food Science Education

Corporate manager talking with factory employees

Turning Resistance into Opportunity: Motiving Change in the Food Industry

Students returning their lunch trays in a cafeteria

California Bill Would Remove Ultra-Processed Foods from School Lunches

Events

June 26, 2025

How to Design and Conduct Challenge Studies for Safer Products and Longer Shelf Life

Live: June 26, 2025 at 2:00 pm EDT: During this webinar, attendees will learn how to conduct challenge studies for microbial spoilage and pathogen growth, including the common challenges encountered, laboratory selection, and use of predictive models.

May 11, 2026

The Food Safety Summit

Stay informed on the latest food safety trends, innovations, emerging challenges, and expert analysis. Leave the Summit with actionable insights ready to drive measurable improvements in your organization. Do not miss this opportunity to learn from experts about contamination control, food safety culture, regulations, sanitation, supply chain traceability, and so much more.

View All

Products

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

See More Products
Environmental Monitoring Excellence eBook

Related Articles

  • Fight for Food Safety

    Food-safety investments may be paying off

    See More
  • Packages of Ground Beef

    Time to talk… Salmonella

    See More
  • Fight for Food Safety

    California resolution seeks to add "processed meat" to Proposition 65

    See More
×

Never miss the latest news and trends driving the food safety industry

eNewsletter | Website | eMagazine

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing