Recall/Crisis Management

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Amid the pandemic in 2020, federal and state recall coordinators and their leadership teams took a closer look at the existing regulatory recall response efforts in the state of Georgia, and where collaboration exists between the two agencies. After creating a pilot template project in 2021, the recall shadowing concept was expanded to a larger network. Feedback from 12 additional agencies in 2022 strengthened the project to enhance partner integration efforts, with the ultimate goal to better protect public health during recall events.

Advocacy group Consumer Reports (CR) has compiled a list of the ten most high-risk foods, based on recall and foodborne illness outbreak data collected from federal food regulatory agencies.

The Codex Alimentarius Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) has released an amended proposed draft guidance on the management of foodborne illness outbreaks associated with microbiological hazards.

This article presents the key findings of outbreak investigations from 2014–2021 that have been linked to the consumption of fresh, soft queso fresco-type cheeses in the U.S. The authors outline some of the specific circumstances that small manufacturers of all cheeses may encounter in an effort to provide lessons learned and highlight available resources.

This article looks back at the events of the 1993 E. coli outbreak associated with hamburgers served at Jack in the Box restaurants along the U.S. West Coast, examining the regulatory changes inspired by the fatal outbreak and its impact. Also discussed are the corporate and industry changes, spearheaded by Dr. David Theno, that set new standards for leadership and management in foodservice and food safety. 

Livsmedelsverket, also known as the Swedish Food Agency, has published a handbook, titled, Food Control in Crisis and Heightened Preparedness.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CIFA) recently provided insight into how whole genome sequencing (WGS) and international data-sharing helped trace a 2020 multinational food safety outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes to enoki mushrooms, enabling countries to rapidly recall the affected products. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Wageningen University recently held a workshop about early warning tools and systems that can be used to manage imminent and emerging food safety issues. 

Recalls are an integral element of the comprehensive food safety system in the U.S. Removing potentially life-threatening products from store shelves and home pantries is essential, and making this process more efficient for the food banks and pantries is vital. The modernization of the current recall system must be inclusive of the entire distribution chain—including the real "last mile." 

Officials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently held a conversation to explain to stakeholders how the agency handles foodborne illness outbreaks and other adverse food safety events, as well as how FDA plans to improve its processes. FDA also released a supplementary video illustrating its processes.