The European Commission amended its regulation on the microbiological criteria for foods to revise the requirements for food business operators regarding Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods.
A recent study found the majority of vegan meat and dairy alternatives available in England to be of satisfactory microbiological quality. Tofu from one producer had a Listeria problem.
Between 2017 and 2019, Canadian public health laboratories transitioned to whole genome sequencing (WGS) for foodborne illness outbreak surveillance. A recent study shows the positive impact of this transition of national outbreak detection and response for important foodborne pathogens.
An ongoing project by the Norwegian food research institute Nofima is investigating the efficacy of different treatment baths for Listeria monocytogenes decontamination on fish and fish products.
An ongoing study funded by the Center for Produce Safety aims to fill knowledge gaps about the microbial food safety risks posed by wax roller brushes used on fruit and vegetables, as well as identify best cleaning and sanitation practices.
A recent study analyzed U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food product recall data from 2002–2023, drawing conclusions from more than 35,000 product recalls.
Following the history of serious food safety noncompliances at Boar’s Head’s Jarratt, Virginia plant, which led to a fatal listeriosis outbreak, USDA’s Inspector General has launched an internal investigation into the agency’s handling of the repeated sanitary violations found at the facility.
A U.S. District Court has entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Rizo Lopez Foods, a company that produced queso fresco and cotija cheese products linked to a decade-long listeriosis outbreak, requiring the firm to stop producing and selling certain products until FDA can confirm its compliance with federal food safety regulations.
Boar’s Head has appointed Frank Yiannas, former FDA Deputy Commissioner of Food Policy and Response, as its interim Chief Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer (CFSO) and Chair of its Food Safety Advisory Council. Both the CFSO role and advisory council are new additions to Boar’s Head’s structure, established in response to the fatal listeriosis outbreak of 2024.
Members of Congress have written a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) asking the agency to answer questions about its inspection actions leading up to the fatal Boar’s Head listeriosis outbreak, and about its authorities and processes for preventing such events.
