Bailee Henderson

Following years of line speed waiver extensions and worker safety trials under modernized swine/poultry slaughter inspection pilot programs, the American Protein Processing Act would lift line speed limits in pork and poultry processing facilities that meet food safety criteria set by USDA.

In two letters, thousands of public health professionals from dozens of stakeholder groups and federal agencies have called for the resignation of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.), saying he is making Americans “less safe in a multitude of ways,” including food safety.

This episode of Food Safety Five discusses three recent studies that examine the risk of Listeria monocytogenes growth from multi-species biofilm contamination, how imported seafood may spread antibiotic resistance genes, and a promising AI mycotoxin detection method.

Following the firing of former CDC Director Susan Monarez, Ph.D. on August 27, HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill, who has no medical or infectious disease training, has been named CDC Acting Director.

Nominated by President Trump and confirmed in July, CDC Director Susan Monarez, Ph.D., was fired after scientific clashes with HHS Secretary Kennedy (RFK Jr.) and refusing to dismiss three veteran officials, who also departed CDC shortly after her termination was finalized.

Boar’s Head is reopening its Jarratt, Virginia plant that produced the deli meats behind a fatal listeriosis outbreak in 2024; however, inspections of the facility are being taken over by UDSA-FSIS directly, instead of relying on a state cooperative agreement.

Citing insufficient funding, CDC’s Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) program has reduced surveillance from eight important foodborne pathogens to just two—Salmonella and Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC).

The Australian OzFoodNet network recently published its latest foodborne illness monitoring report, covering the year 2019. Campylobacter caused the greatest number of illnesses, but outbreaks were dominated by Salmonella.

This episode of Food Safety Five discusses two scientific developments that could help address the risk posed by Cronobacter in powdered infant formula: an AI-powered analysis of genetic data for C. sakazakii, providing new insight into why it persists in low-moisture foods, and the development of a promising new assay.

A leaked draft of the second Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Strategy Report has scant new specifics on how the Administration intends to tackle childhood chronic disease, but it outlines an approach that continues to rely on voluntary industry compliance and deregulation for food system reform, which has drawn criticism.