Marking the country’s first use of whole genome sequencing (WGS) in an active foodborne illness outbreak investigation, advanced genomics enabled Moldovan authorities to rapidly solve and respond to a salmonellosis outbreak that sickened more than 140 people in 2025.
Food safety is no longer just about compliance—it is a strategic, business-wide responsibility that empowers employees to protect consumers and their brand
Proposed certification scheme updates, such as SQF Edition 10 and ISO 9001:2026, are shifting the focus from compliance to proactive, integrated food safety management. For quality assurance teams, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity: ensuring safe, compliant operations while influencing broader operational performance and workforce capability.
UK businesses will be required to align with relevant EU regulatory requirements within the scope of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement, regardless of whether they export to the EU or sell only to the UK market.
TraceMap supports national authorities in identifying food safety threats and improving EU-wide coordinated response. A pilot version of TraceMap was recently used to support the investigation of globally distributed cereulide-contaminated infant formula.
The theme, “From Burden to Solutions—Safe Food Everywhere,” stresses the role of evidence-based action, promoting the forthcoming updated WHO global foodborne disease estimates as a data source to inform targeted food safety and public health interventions.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, Richard Stier, M.S., a consulting food scientist and longtime Food Safety Magazine contributor, recalls lessons from decades in food processing facilities, discussing crisis preparedness, internal audits, facility sanitation and employee hygiene, HACCP, and why strong food safety programs must be continuously improved to remain effective.
Despite having Listeria-positive samples that matched the outbreak strain via whole genome sequencing (WGS), which prompted an FDA Import Alert and a company recall for the suspected vehicle of illness, FDA did not disclose the specific product or any of the firms implicated.
Marking the first time an SQF Code is introduced as a fully digital experience, the newly released Edition 10 is designed to strengthen audit credibility, reinforce food safety culture, and provide clearer signals around risk.