The Institute of Food Technologists published two studies analyzing hygiene and sanitization practices for the elimination of foodborne and waterborne viruses, as well as the novel Coronavirus.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, vendor certification has been top of mind for the food industry given the increased requirements and oversight of third-party audits and FDA regulations to better accommodate public health. This article will give a baseline understanding of the regulatory requirements between U.S. federal bodies (FDA, USDA) in comparison to widely known GFSI standards (BRC, SQF, FSSC 22200). Additionally, it will provide insight into key control areas for mitigating risk and adapting business in accordance with the growing emphasis on the importance of food safety culture.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many companies to pivot to virtual food safety audits and inspections, but there has been reluctance to sustain this model of remote evaluations. Recently, advances have emerged in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and development of novel approaches to auditing that have worked to bridge the gap and help virtual audits and inspections move closer to gaining equivalency to traditional onsite formats.

To address the changing landscape of food safety, GSFI Director Erica Sheward explains how the world must shift to more sustainable production and consumption patterns, as well as make food systems less fragile and unequal; all while combatting food fraud and managing the impacts of climate change.

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically disrupted the food supply. This article seeks to explain the transcendent lessons of this national emergency, with the hope that being aware of them will help national decision-makers better prepare for next time. Our food systems, like the larger supply chain, will be challenged in the future with new kinds of disruptions, making it essential that mistakes are not repeated and that proactive, correct solutions are discovered and preparations made now.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced its final Strategic Framework plan, outlining how the agency will advance surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging zoonotic diseases.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is temporarily allowing exemptions for some of its rules.

Supply chain is critical to any food safety program. Having full control and traceability of raw materials and end products is no longer an option, but rather a requirement. In the past two years, the pandemic has exposed new weaknesses and made visible the business risks posed by an unstable supply chain.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that norovirus outbreaks declined between April–July 2020, which may be related to COVID-19 control measures.

Acting U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock recently talked to the Alliance for a Stronger FDA about if budgets for food safety would be neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic.