In the June/July 2018 edition of Food Safety Magazine, we raise the question—The foreign supplier verification program: Boon or bane? Also, we explore the safety of food contact materials, Listeria and environmental monitoring, physical contaminants in food, product recalls and much more!
The number of reported incidents and recalls related to Listeria and L. monocytogenes has been increasing, and processors are making efforts to rid their facilities of harborage organisms and sites.
Most physical contaminants of foods, such as pieces of hard plastic or wood, can cause consumers immediate injury; this includes all types of foods, including beverages, bottled water, and nutritional and functional products.
As the food production environment should not be a source of biological, chemical or physical contamination, the different steps to mitigate those risks will be examined in terms of hygienic zoning.
Given the complexity of our food system and limited transparency of supply chains from farm to fork, those willing and able to adulterate will continue to do so in the future.
The Foreign Supplier Verification Program makes importers responsible for ensuring the safety of food products they bring into the U.S. for distribution and sale for consumption by the public.
