Food Safety Magazine

The cover story for the August/September ‘26 issue of Food Safety Magazine discusses the organization and use of third-party audit data to understand risk and prevent foodborne illnesses. Additional features examine the consideration of food safety at the Board of Directors level, an approach that treats HACCP as an active and evolving management system, and building better food safety decision-making capabilities across the food supply chain.

Beyond the Audit Score: Using Contributing Factors to Predict Foodborne Illness Risk in Restaurants

The restaurant industry has an opportunity to change how it uses restaurant audit data to enable more foodborne illness risk intelligence

Hal King Ph.D.

August 11, 2026

Most restaurant brands already collect enough third-party audit data to understand risk better, but the data are usually trapped in a compliance framework. The problem is not a lack of data; it is that the data are organized around checklist completion rather than outbreak causation.

a professional business team engaged in a corporate meeting around a conference table in a modern office

Food Safety Representation at the Board Level

To fulfill their governance responsibilities, boards require regular, high-quality reporting that translates technical food safety issues into business risk terms

Roy Kirby Ph.D. Matilda Freund Ph.D. Cliona Murphy M.Sc. David Crean

August 13, 2026

Food safety, once considered the responsibility of technical and production functions, should be recognized as a company-wide, end-to-end business imperative. At the same time, food safety risk management is becoming increasingly complex and represents a growing threat to food companies, and should be regularly addressed by the Board of Directors.

This image shows two quality control specialists in protective gear

From Compliance to Capability: When HACCP Becomes a Living System

Reframing HACCP as a living management system for frontline decision-making, leadership behavior, and real-world risk control

Shingai Nyarugwe Ph.D. Heidi Gough Ph.D.

August 19, 2026

Many organizations continue to approach food safety primarily as a compliance exercise rather than as an embedded part of everyday operations. This article considers an approach where HACCP is treated as an active and evolving management system rather than an annual event.

food service workers or culinary trainees wearing hairnets, aprons, and protective gloves while preparing vegetables in a commercial kitchen setting

From Audit-Ready to Food-Safe: Making Better Decisions Across the Food Supply Chain

How quality assurance professionals and frontline leaders can build better decision-making capabilities across the food supply chain

Andrew Thomson Matthew Wilson Ph.D.

August 21, 2026

Rather than revisiting why audits and traditional compliance training fall short, this article focuses on what actually improves food safety outcomes: how quality assurance professionals and frontline leaders can build better decision-making capabilities across the food supply chain.

Professional sanitation protocols in the food processing industry

The Limits of 'Dry' Sanitizers in Low-Moisture Environments

Many dry sanitizers still introduce some moisture into the environment, particularly in difficult-to-clean crevices where pathogens can persist

Yuqian Lou Ph.D. Abby Snyder Ph.D.

August 26, 2026

This article discusses the limits of "dry" sanitizers in low-moisture environments in terms of performance, cost, employee safety, and the hidden risks of moisture in hard-to-clean niches.

a stainless-steel industrial conveyor belt carrying rows of uniform, brownish rectangular bars

Allergens and GMO: What is Happening in Control Programs?

Allergen control programs are now nearly universal, but analytical testing may be less common than expected

Bob Ferguson

August 28, 2026

Allergens are an unavoidable part of food processing, and effective control is key. Testing and control options are changing, with more technologies, test formats, and cleaning options available. How are food processors evaluating and choosing the options they use? This global survey of food processors seeks to find out.

a person wearing a white lab coat and blue gloves using a pipette to dispense a purple liquid into a glass test tube containing a white, milky substance

When Minutes Matter: Rapid Detection of Listeria in Dairy Processing Environments

In Listeria control, the difference between detection and action is often measured in time

Shreya Talan Brahmaiah Pendyala Ph.D.

September 2, 2026

This article explores how rapid detection technologies are transforming environmental monitoring programs for L. monocytogenes in dairy plants. It also discusses how faster detection supports quicker sanitation verification, improved risk-based monitoring, and more effective decision-making during contamination events.

grocery store shelf display stocked with fresh vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, eggplant, and colorful peppers

Managing Risk From Seed to Shelf: A Comprehensive Approach to Fresh Produce Food Safety

The ability to effectively manage risk begins long before a product is harvested, transported, or processed

Michael Ciepiela

September 3, 2026

As regulatory requirements continue to evolve and consumer expectations increase, organizations across the fresh produce supply chain must adopt a proactive approach to risk management that emphasizes prevention, verification, transparency, and continuous improvement.

a wooden basket filled with fresh farm produce, including a sliced watermelon, cucumbers, yellow squash, and a melon, with a red tractor in the background

When Should You Start the Conversion of Agricultural Commodities to Food, Particularly for Fresh-Cut Items?

In fresh produce, and especially in fresh-cut products, there is no kill step; once contamination occurs, the risk remains

Eric Wilhelmsen Ph.D., CFS

September 9, 2026

This article explores the application of pre-wash and other food hygiene processes to raw agricultural products to implement food safety measures sooner in the production and processing of raw agricultural commodities.

a worker in a hairnet and lab coat inspecting a production line of bottled cooking oil

Fundamental Beliefs as Underlying Risk Catalyst in High-Velocity Food Manufacturing

A governance perspective on persistent food safety gaps

Dom Mitial

September 11, 2026

This article focuses on two main questions: first, why do food safety failures persist in high-velocity manufacturing settings despite the presence of comprehensive technical controls? And secondly, how do organizational beliefs and governance models influence ongoing risk exposure in these environments?

a person in a lab coat and blue gloves using a pipette on a petri dish with a salmon sample nearby, representing food safety testing.

Lessons Learned from Outbreaks: Publications and Reports from FDA's CORE+EP in FY 2025

Recent CORE+EP publications have focused on outbreaks in specific commodities, emerging chemical hazards, and foodborne illness attribution

Stelios Viazis Ph.D. Spencer Carran Ph.D. Christina K. Carstens Ph.D., M.S. Brett Weed Dr.P.H. Cary Chen Parker M.P.H.

September 17, 2026

FDA’s CORE+EP team conducts outbreak surveillance, investigation, mitigation, and post-response initiatives for products regulated by the Human Foods Program, including the analysis of outbreak data for food safety decision-making and sharing outbreak findings with food safety stakeholders.

Live: September 22, 2026 at 11:00 am EDT: Attend this webinar to evaluate best practices for monitoring regulatory changes and protecting market access.

Live: September 24, 2026 at 2:00 pm EDT: From this webinar, attendees will learn what is driving investment decisions, and the factors FSQA and ops leaders weigh when making the case for new prevention technology.

Our Publications

August/September 2026

Cover Story