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There are many vehicles to provide food safety learning to industry professionals. While none can provide a one-time or all-encompassing food safety learning experience, all learning opportunities are investments in one of industry’s most essential resources—the people directly supporting safe food production.

Food safety programs based on strong relationships are crucial for ensuring food safety, a continuous and quality supply, and smooth operations. This article explains how establishing strong relationships with suppliers and other key internal and external stakeholders is part of being an effective food safety business leader.

FDA has declared the outbreak of Escherichia coli infections linked to Grimmway Farms carrots to be over. Although the outbreak strain of E. coli did not match the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strain found in environmental samples, traceback evidence implicates the recalled carrots as the vehicle of illness.

Taking place online in February 2025 and hosted by Germany’s Food Safety Authority, the annual International Training for Safer Food is a training program on food safety risk management, intended for public health authority staff members in non-EU countries who handle issues related to food safety.

The EU has implemented a new regulation that requires U.S. importers of apiculture products like honey to register with the EU’s Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). Prior to TRACES registration, businesses must complete an assessment with USDA and an application with FDA.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has opened a public consultation on a draft scientific opinion about the public health risks associated with perchlorate in food. EFSA increased the tolerable daily intake for the chemical and concluded no health risk to the general population at current exposure levels. 

Coordination across the agricultural, food safety, cybersecurity, and emerging cognitive security landscape must become a top priority and be seamlessly integrated across the international and national biodefense enterprise. Part 2 of this column series explores food safety and business decision-making in the face of cognitive security threats.

Despite new regulations, food safety programs, and third-party audits, food recalls are expected to reach a five-year high. This article speculates about the reasons for this trend, and identifies a list of precursors that, if identified and addressed, could close critical gaps and help prevent recalls.

The latest UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) has been published by the UK Government. A trend noted in the report is that, despite Campylobacter causing the most foodborne illnesses, outbreak detection is hindered by the lack of a required national typing scheme.

Development of a new microbiological risk assessment model, led by researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, could help the produce industry determine the best risk management strategies for a diverse range of production scenarios.