Recall/Crisis Management

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Recognized for its competence in responding to food safety emergencies, the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety was recently designated the world’s first Collaboration Center for FAO/WHO’s International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN).

Although novel data streams like crowdsourced reports and social media posts may allow for rapid identification of foodborne illness events, they can also amplify false signals and lead to inaccurate self-reporting among consumers, as demonstrated in a recent survey.

The deadly multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to prepared pasta meals involving Nate’s Fine Foods, Freshrealm Inc., and California Ranch Food Company has grown, with seven new illnesses and two additional deaths. 

A German outbreak of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O45:H2 infections has caused 183 confirmed cases of illness (351 including probable and possible cases), 48 cases of HUS, and three deaths (two confirmed one probable). Contaminated meat or sausage products are the likely vehicle of illness, but plant-based foods have not yet been ruled out.

A 2024 European foodborne illness outbreak caused by a rare Salmonella serotype, linked to leafy greens grown near a buffalo farm, exposed gaps in biosecurity, surveillance, and data transparency across the agri-food system.

Many food companies facing a possible product recall find themselves unsure of what to do, let alone how to engage with FDA. This article walks through some of the key considerations that companies should have front-of-mind in this situation.

Commissioned by FDA, the Reagan-Udall Foundation released a report outlining actionable strategies to enhance cross-sectoral coordination in response to public health incidents, including food safety threats.

An aim of FDA's Coordinated Outbreak Response, Evaluation, and Emergency Preparedness Office's (CORE+EP) is to share the findings of foodborne illness outbreak investigations, highlighting relevant topics such as the importance of global partnerships in farm investigations, and the benefits of historical environmental surveillance for future outbreak investigations. 

Since June, FreshRealm has been involved in an ongoing, deadly foodborne illness outbreak, as the producer of prepared pasta meals that were made with Listeria monocytogenes-tainted pasta (supplied by Nate’s Fine Foods Inc.) and distributed nationwide under various brand names. Now, FreshRealm has alerted USDA that it detected L. monocytogenes in spinach used to make meals distributed by HelloFresh.

An ongoing outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to prepared pasta meals has expanded to 15 states, causing 20 illnesses, 19 hospitalizations, and four deaths. The meals were sold under various brand names at Walmart, Kroger, and Trader Joe’s stores.