Articles by Bob Ferguson

A survey of 200 international food processors provides insight into which food safety technologies are being adopted and their effects on daily operations. Part 3 explores the impact and need for further development of testing technologies, focusing on responses from participants outside of North America.

In the June/July Food Safety Insights column, a significant number of global food processors reported adopting new analytical testing technologies. This column dives further into processors' adoption of analytical testing technologies, whether for laboratory or in-plant use.

This article shares the views of more than 250 global food safety professionals on which new technologies have been the most beneficial for their food safety programs and for the general food safety landscape, as well as their thoughts on possible future changes. 

Part 3 of this Food Safety Insights series on rapid testing asks food safety professionals whether the vast increase in outsourcing of testing to contract labs has made rapid methods less useful, or if the methods' ease of use and speed are still important for better management and decision-making.

Ongoing debates about the use of rapid microbiological test methods in food safety have led to the rise of many questions about the future of this type of testing. This column will explore which methods are being used, food processors' views on what attributes of the tests are most important, how fast is fast enough, and what even faster tests would enable them to accomplish. It also explores where the growth may continue and whether rapid methods used in commercial labs will continue to drive growth, or if a plateau is likely. Growth in regions outside of the U.S. and Europe will also be examined, along with whether rapid testing technology is evolving to the point where it may be acceptable to bring back the analysis to an in-plant lab.

Ongoing debates about the use of rapid test methods in food safety have led to the rise of the question: Has the vast increase in outsourcing testing to contract labs made rapid methods less useful, or is the ease of use and speed of the methods still important (if not essential) for better management and decision-making in food safety? Food Safety Insights asks food safety professionals their opinions on this question.

In this Food Safety Insights column, we continue to explore processors' near-term priorities for food safety programs, as well as the regulations and issues they are watching that will have the most impact on their programs in the future. Food safety culture, microbiological control (including environmental monitoring), and sanitation and hygiene are three of processors' indicated top priorities for the near term.

The August/September Food Safety Insights column continues with our survey asking food processors about their top issues and priorities. In this issue, we explore processors' "to-do" lists of projects for the next 1–2 years and the regulations or requirements that will have the biggest impacts on their programs in the near future.

In food safety, multiple issues always need to be addressed. To get things done, however, food safety professionals need to prioritize certain projects over others. What are those priorities now? The Food Safety Magazine audience shares their views on a number of topical issues to give an idea of where their focus will be in the coming months and years.

In November 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its Final Food Traceability Rule—a new rule that will have wide-reaching impact on food companies. This issue features Part 2 of the results of our survey of food processors' thoughts on this new rule and their plans for compliance.