Sanitation

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This episode of Food Safety Five discusses updated USDA-FSIS guidance on Listeria testing in RTE facilities, the latest on the Boar’s Head facility behind the fatal outbreak of 2024, and a real-world Listeria “Seek and Destroy” success story.

Drawing upon insights shared by UK food safety professionals, a report produced by the Food Safety Research Network (FSRN)/Quadram Institute identifies emerging defenses against microbiological risks in food production environments, including science-backed approaches, advanced technologies, and culture-based initiatives.

Boar’s Head has reopened its Jarratt, Virginia production facility, which was closed after being implicated in a fatal listeriosis outbreak in 2024. The company says the plant, which had exhibited serious food safety and hygiene violations, has undergone renovations and enhancements.

A new report from PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies reveals trends driving food safety and sanitation decisions among food and beverage manufacturers, and what these trends mean for original equipment manufacturers and suppliers. 

Commercial Food Sanitation (CFS) Institute North America, housed at the Intralox global headquarters in New Orleans, Louisiana, will be home to trainings, collaboration, and hygienic design support for food industry sanitarians and processors.

Boar’s Head is planning to reopen a production plant that was linked to a deadly, multistate listeriosis outbreak in 2024. Meanwhile, inspection reports obtained by the Associated Press show that insanitary conditions similar to those that caused the outbreak continue to plague other Boar’s Head facilities.

Industry expert Ralph Contreras from ABB Installation Products addresses critical questions about electrical infrastructure in food processing facilities. This Q&A format whitepaper covers FSMA compliance requirements, contamination sources, sanitization challenges, and the role of specialized electrical components in preventing costly recalls and downtime. Read on for essential guidance for processors seeking to protect food safety while maintaining operational efficiency in increasingly regulated environments.

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Research and Extension will host a three-day, in-person Sanitation and Listeria Prevention workshop in August. The workshop is intended for food safety and sanitation professionals at USDA-, FDA-, or state-inspected food production facilities.

The hygienic design, sanitation, and maintenance of food processing equipment and the surrounding production facilities are of paramount importance for an effective food safety sanitation program. In this column, we share additional information from processors about their programs, as well as the challenges and obstacles they face in keeping their equipment and facilities in the best condition to ensure food safety.

This episode of Food Safety Five discusses two scientific advancements related to Listeria monocytogenes control: 1) a study that showed the effectiveness of combining antimicrobial blue light with chemical sanitizers for pathogen inactivation, and 2) the development of a new growth prediction model for L. monocytogenes in artisanal cheeses.