The food industry recognizes that consumers provide a very high level of fitness-for-purpose testing when they use products. Some shrinkage is, of course, involved in this process, but this consumer sampling will always reach beyond what is possible for a manufacturer. Instead, manufacturers make a more careful study of samples that are expected to be representative of what is delivered to the consumer. The selection of these samples, including the common misconceptions around the sampling of leafy greens, is the focus of this article. 

A recently published review examines the history of foodborne illness outbreaks caused by Listeria monocytogenes in the UK, challenges that food manufacturers face when dealing with the pathogen, and potential future research and strategies related to the pathogen. 

When determining the shelf life of meat products, it is important to consider how the growth of both spoilage organisms and pathogenic bacteria can be prevented, while at the same time keeping a keen eye on the sensory quality of the product.
 

The University of Münster, Research Center Borstel, and the Robert Koch Institute have formed a consortium to detect outbreaks and bacterial pathogens.

Flies can live anywhere in your facility, carrying and transferring bacteria and pathogens to food and food contact surfaces. Don't let these pests impact food safety: Learn how to control them!

This article will review sanitizers and disinfectants in terms of their different efficacies to the tolerance exhibited by some microorganisms. Learn which works best against your food microbe of choice.

Officials from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have published a document highlighting ways to avoid the risks from foodborne parasites transmitted by pork, freshwater fish, and crustaceans.

No, the title of this column does not contain a typo. Under the right circumstances, most of which are unpredictable, Salmonella can give you a real body slam.

E. coli tests of romaine fields where investigators traced contaminated lettuce did not turn up outbreak strains, so the FDA will move to an in-depth “root-cause” investigation for three outbreaks.