Food Safety Strategies

FDA warns Whole Foods Market after repeated food recalls for undeclared allergens

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 11:46:00 -0500

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted a warning letter issued to Whole Foods Market for a pattern of receiving and offering for sale misbranded food products, necessitating a series of food recalls for allergens.

FDA extends comment period for food traceability proposed rule, info collection provisions

spielmans@bnpmedia.com (Sharon Spielman) — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 09:08:00 -0500

The FDA has extended the comment period for the proposed rule entitled “Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods” and reopened the comment period for the information collection provisions until Feb. 22, 2021.

Choosing the right cleaning tools

rickstier4@aol.com (Richard F. Stier, M.S.) — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 09:00:00 -0500

Cleaning and sanitation are far more than just chemicals used for cleaning.

FSIS corrects egg products plants final rule

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 16:05:00 -0500

FSIS has corrected a final rule that published on October 29, 2020, which requires official plants that process egg products to develop and implement Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (Sanitation SOPs) and to meet other sanitation requirements consistent with the agency’s meat and poultry regulations.

FSIS issues public health alert for ready-to-eat pork snack stick products due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 14:30:00 -0500

The Hot BBQ snack sticks may contain Chili Cheese flavor sticks.

Nestlé Prepared Foods recalls Lean Cuisine Baked Chicken meal products due to possible foreign matter contamination

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 11:20:48 -0500

Nestlé Prepared Foods is recalling approximately 92,206 pounds of LEAN CUISINE Baked Chicken meal products that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically pieces of white hard plastic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.

Cargill closes Ontario processing plant after outbreak of COVID-19 illnesses

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Company’s Guelph processing plant closes indefinitely, will first process remaining meat in plant.

Public health alert issued for chicken wings imported from China

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

The FSIS is issuing a public health alert for raw frozen New Orleans-Roasted Chicken Wings products imported and labeled with a false USDA mark of inspection.

Is cleaning, sanitizing enough to establish 'sanitary' conditions?

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 11:00:00 -0500

According to industry estimates, at least one-third of food recalls in North America may directly be related to sanitation, hygiene and material handling issues in food facilities. On an associative note, the CDC lists unsanitary equipment and surfaces as one of the top five contributing factors of foodborne illness outbreaks.

The lactic acid market: what beef processors should know

eowens@birkocorp.com (Dr. Elis Owens) — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 16:30:40 -0500

Naturally occurring, relatively safe, and effective in fighting bacteria, lactic acid has a wide range of applications in a number of industries, from food to pharmaceuticals to chemical.

Meat Institute urges prioritization of meat industry workers for COVID-19 vaccination

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

The North American Meat Institute urged federal authorities to highly prioritize COVID-19 vaccination for industry employees, following healthcare workers and those in long term care facilities.

Ready-to-eat meat and poultry products produced without benefit of inspection are recalled

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Approximately 61,504 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products are affected.

Eriez now offers more belt sizes, added options and quick shipping for its metal detector conveyor systems with reject devices

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 15:49:00 -0500

Eriez Product Manager Metal Detection Ray Spurgeon has announced that 6 and 18-inch belt sizes are now available for the Xtreme Metal Detector Conveyor Systems with Automatic Rejects.

Chicken breasts that were potentially undercooked are recalled

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Approximately 1,115 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken breast products were recalled.

Sani-spire's touchless, foot-operated, free-standing hand sanitizer dispenser caters to every on-site industry

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 09:00:00 -0500

This high performance, stationary, casted tower sanitizer dispenser is durable enough for any industrial setting and offers 1,700 uses from a single bottle.

Connecticut meat processor gets probation for falsified E. coli tests

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 00:00:00 -0500

The owner of a Connecticut meat company was sentenced to two years of probation and a fine of $15,000 for falsifying E. coli tests.

Harpak-ULMA supports COVID-19 manufacturing initiatives

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 11:52:00 -0500

Harpak-ULMA has announced it is working with multiple medical device manufacturers commissioned to supply high volume syringe supplies as part of BARDA’s rapidly expanding COVID-19 Medical Countermeasure Portfolio.

Canadian government launches comment period for simulated protein products guidelines

labsw@bnpmedia.com (Wayne Labs) — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 10:18:00 -0500

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has launched a public consultation to seek feedback on the proposed guidelines for simulated meat and simulated poultry products. The consultation opened for a 30-day period from November 3, 2020 and closes on December 3, 2020.

Allergy alert issued for undeclared shrimp in mislabeled popcorn chicken from 26 Whole Foods Market stores

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 10:12:37 -0500

Whole Foods Market is voluntarily recalling packaged popcorn chicken with sweet chili sauce across 26 stores in Northern California and Reno, Nevada.

FSIS issues public health alert for chicken and beef samosa products containing pastry ingredients that have been recalled due to misbranding

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 10:00:00 -0500

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for chicken and beef samosa products containing spring roll pastries that have been recalled by the manufacturer, Tee Yih Jia (TYJ) Food Manufacturing, due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen.

BNP Media announces the launch of BNP Engage

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 09:13:00 -0500

BNP Media, one of the country's leading B2B media companies, has announced the launch of BNP Engage (www.bnpengage.com), a creative agency uniquely designed to serve B2B marketing needs.

Tyson Foods suspends managers who allegedly placed bets on COVID-19 illnesses

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 15:00:00 -0500

Food giant promises to investigate allegations of improper behavior among management at Iowa pork plant.

Amcor adds face masks to healthcare product portfolio

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 15:12:00 -0500

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amcor Rigid Packaging (ARP) is expanding its healthcare product portfolio to include general-purpose face masks.

Use, care and maintenance of cleaning tools during the pandemic and beyond

akheradia@remcoproducts.com (Amit Kheradia) — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 09:00:00 -0500

Advice for proper use, care and maintenance of food processing cleaning tools amid the pandemic.

Exclusive interview: Q&A with Dr. Errol Raghubeer, on HPP and the U.S. Listeria outbreak

parkere@bnpmedia.com (Liz Parker) — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 15:28:00 -0500

Food Safety Strategies was recently able to talk to Dr. Errol Raghubeer, on the recent outbreak of Listeria and how HPP can help with the current outbreak, as well as future outbreaks.

Top 10 pest vulnerable zones of food distribution centers and warehouses

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 14:44:00 -0500

Utilize this list in prioritizing areas for regular inspection as part of a pest prevention program.

FSIS issues public health alert for beef stock products imported without benefit of import re-inspection

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 14:00:00 -0500

A recall was not requested because it is believed that the affected product is no longer available for consumers to purchase.

FSIS issues public health alert for chicken and pork tamales containing FDA-regulated diced tomatoes in puree that have been recalled due to possible foreign matter contamination

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 10:38:29 -0500

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken and pork tamale products containing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulated diced tomatoes in puree that have been recalled by the producer.

Using food safety technology to improve snack and bakery product quality

parkere@bnpmedia.com (Liz Parker) — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 09:00:00 -0500

There are many ways to improve food safety using software and technology. Blockchain, going paperless, and audit software are just a few options, and many companies are constantly innovating and improving their technologies.

Injuries and illnesses in poultry processing fall below all manufacturing for first time

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 16:00:00 -0500

The total recordable poultry processing illness and injury rate for 2019 was 3.2 cases per 100 full-time workers annually, down from 3.5 in 2018.