The International Avian Influenza and One Health Emerging Issues Summit, hosted by the University of Arkansas (U of A) Center of Excellence for Poultry Science in Fayetteville, Arkansas on September 30-October 3, focused on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and other animal pathogens and viruses affecting food safety and public health.

This article explores the potential of meat byproducts to meet the increasing global demand for protein, as well as their nutritional value, the processes needed to ensure their safety and shelf life, and sustainable, economic methods of protein extraction.

Boar’s Head has appointed Frank Yiannas, former FDA Deputy Commissioner of Food Policy and Response, as its interim Chief Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer (CFSO) and Chair of its Food Safety Advisory Council. Both the CFSO role and advisory council are new additions to Boar’s Head’s structure, established in response to the fatal listeriosis outbreak of 2024.

Published in CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases, one of the largest-ever whole genome sequencing (WGS) analyses of Campylobacter in Africa found antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in 75 percent of human and poultry isolates from Tanzania and Kenya.

Members of Congress have written a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) asking the agency to answer questions about its inspection actions leading up to the fatal Boar’s Head listeriosis outbreak, and about its authorities and processes for preventing such events.

In this bonus episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dr. José Emilio Esteban and Sandra Eskin, USDA-FSIS’s Under Secretary for Food Safety and Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, respectively, about the agency’s proposed Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products.

In response to a FOIA petition submitted to USDA by the Associated Press, the agency chose to withhold the requested Boar’s Head inspection and enforcement reports on the grounds that they were being compiled for law enforcement purposes related to the recent listeriosis outbreak.

A recent study has demonstrated that current sampling and testing methods for Campylobacter may overlook epidemiologically-important strains. The researchers suggest using optimized culture methods and analyzing multiple isolates per sample.

In this bonus episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Scott Gustin, M.S., Technical Advisor for Elanco Animal Health, about the crucial role that farm biosecurity plays in ensuring food safety, best practices for farm personnel, and the future landscape of biosecurity.

According to recently released U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection reports, in the year leading up to the deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak caused by Boar’s Head deli meats, serious noncompliances with food safety regulations were observed regularly at the facility responsible.