As part of the agency’s Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a report detailing the results of targeted inspections and microbiological testing of leafy greens grown in Salinas Valley, California during the region’s 2022 harvest season.
The highly regulated food industry has recently reached major milestones in its food safety culture journey. In addition to general acceptance of the key concepts, a unified language and framework has been developed. The local food movement is characterized by short supply chains, typically involving direct sales to consumers. The majority of businesses in this category have a handful of employees and include small-scale farmers and processors, as well as cottage food producers. The concepts of food safety culture are at the infancy stage, gaining traction as the rest of the food industry settles into the new normal of behavior-based food safety practice. This article explores the question: To what extent do the established food safety culture cornerstones apply to the local food segment of the food industry?
USDA’s Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary for 2022 shows that more than 99 percent of products sampled through PDP had residues below tolerances set by EPA. However, testing for persistent environmental contaminants that are no longer used as pesticides in the U.S. showed the presence of certain banned chemicals in some foods.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently published a document that explores the food safety implications of environmental inhibitors in the agrifood system, such as methanogenesis inhibitors and nitrogen inhibitors.
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) has published an industry guidance to help stakeholders comply with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA’s) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR), Subpart E requirements for agricultural water.
The European Commission is poised to make the controversial decision to renew ten-year approval of the use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto-Bayer’s Roundup product line, which has come under fire in recent years for its association with cancer.
A survey sent to stakeholders in the fresh produce sector found respondents’ top food safety priorities to differ between businesses of various sizes, as well as between industry community members and those serving in upper management, regulatory, or advisory roles.
On September 13, at the third annual executive meeting of the Food Safety Partnership (FSP) between the U.S. and Mexico, federal regulatory agencies from both countries reported continued progress in strengthening food safety.
During National Food Safety Education Month, the Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) will be hosting a free, three-part webinar series on produce safety in hydroponic and aquaponic operations.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is offering an online course through its FAO eLearning Academy on the threat that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses to global health, the role of the food and agriculture sector, and the impact of AMR on agrifood systems.
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