The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is soliciting volunteers to participate in the first phase of the rollout of the new Observation and Corrective Action Report (OCAR) industry portal, which enables human and animal food facilities to submit documentation of voluntary corrective actions they have taken to address regulatory non-compliances noted by the agency during facility inspections.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we are joined by Sarah Gallo, Vice President of Product Policy at the Consumer Brands Association (CBA). Sarah outlines CBA’s efforts to push for modernization at FDA with regard to inspections, recalls, labeling guidance development, and chemicals management in food packaging. She also shares CBA’s perspective on the proposed reorganization of FDA’s Human Foods Program. Also featured is a conversation with Dr. Emilio Esteban, Under Secretary for Food Safety at the USDA's Office of Food Safety, that was recorded at IAFP 2023 in Toronto, Canada.

A recent study exploring the use of a digital technologies for retail food safety inspections in the EU has revealed existing opportunities to improve inspection consistency through digitalization, as well as the barriers that exist to adopting a digital environment.

The Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) recently announced its new online Produce Safety Handbook for Buyers. The handbook is formatted as an interactive website that clarifies the complex landscape of food safety regulations and standards across different states in the U.S. Northeast.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA’s FSIS) has established a uniform appeals time period requirement for the filing of appeals of certain FSIS food safety inspection decisions or actions.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) is seeking stakeholder input on changes to a framework that would increase the frequency of primary production official control inspections for less compliant dairy establishments in England and Wales. 

Posting health department restaurant inspection scores at restaurants and using letter grades for restaurant inspection results are linked with fewer foodborne illness outbreaks, found a study partly funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released a guidance for industry that describes the actions, behaviors, and statements made by a foreign food establishment or foreign government that the agency considers to be a refusal of an FDA inspection.

A recent review provides insight into the challenges of conducting retail food inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic, and summarizes lessons that can be learned for future unprecedented public health events.

A California U.S. District Court has upheld the authority of swine processing plant employees to pre-sort animals prior to slaughter as outlined in the Modernization of Swine Slaughter Inspection Rule under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s New Swine Inspection Service.