In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we discuss the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness Mentorship Program and its role in supporting professional growth in food safety, including lessons from the mentor-mentee experience, the value of perspectives outside one's own organization, and how mentorship can strengthen leadership, communication, and collaboration across the profession.
The UD College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and UD Cooperative Extension offer Produce Safety Alliance Training at least three times a year, with the next course slated for winter 2026–2027.
The FSRN Pilots Award is a rapid call for relevant short-term projects with funding needs from £2,000 to £10,000. Cross-sector and cross-disciplinary projects are encouraged.
Acrylamide is a harmful contaminant that forms during thermal processing. An analysis of 17 years of EU RASFF data showed that UPFs accounted for 85 percent of related notifications. Cereals, baked goods, and potato chips were most frequently implicated.
Dr. Gunnar Sigge, Stellenbosch University Associate Professor and Department of Food Science Chair, has assumed the role of President. Dr. Jeffrey Varcoe, Senior Vice President of Science and Technical Excellence at The J.M. Smucker Company, is now IFT President-Elect.
Donations will support the organization’s work to drive food safety improvements through regulatory advocacy, culture change, and consumer support, as well as to share the impactful stories of its constituent advocates who have been impacted by foodborne illnesses.
As discussed at the 2024 Global Food Safety Symposium at Michigan State University, resilient food safety systems are not built by one technology, one regulation, or one training program. They come from sustained investment in people, partnerships, scientific excellence, and institutions that can respond to evolving risks.
Additionally, 80 percent of respondents believed food recalls were effective in protecting public health and safety, down from 85 percent in 2025. GS1 US suggested that traceability and improved data-sharing would help companies identify affected products and increase consumer confidence.
The qualitative, risk-based framework is designed to help manufacturers, foodservice operators, suppliers, and buyers evaluate microbiological hazards associated with dried fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices, and appropriate pathogen mitigation measures.
In an effort to address the “silent pandemic” of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a recently concluded UK Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)–FAO project has helped partners across Africa and Asia to improve their AMR detection, analysis, and mitigation capabilities.
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