Management

Ep. 225. Yasuda, Boeffard, Boyce: The Stop Alliance Mentorship Program: Lessons Learned and Collaborations Shared

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 02:30:00 -0400

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we discuss the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness Mentorship Program and its role in supporting professional growth in food safety, including lessons from the mentor-mentee experience, the value of perspectives outside one's own organization, and how mentorship can strengthen leadership, communication, and collaboration across the profession.

University of Delaware’s Produce Safety Alliance Training Addresses On-Farm Microbial Risks Like Cyclospora

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:11:53 -0400

The UD College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and UD Cooperative Extension offer Produce Safety Alliance Training at least three times a year, with the next course slated for winter 2026–2027.

UK Food Safety Research Network Offers New Funding Opportunity for AI-Focused Projects

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:17:14 -0400

The FSRN Pilots Award is a rapid call for relevant short-term projects with funding needs from £2,000 to £10,000. Cross-sector and cross-disciplinary projects are encouraged.

Ultra-Processed Foods Cause Most High-Risk Food Safety Notifications for Acrylamide in EU

hendersonb@bnpmedia.com (Bailee Henderson) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Acrylamide is a harmful contaminant that forms during thermal processing. An analysis of 17 years of EU RASFF data showed that UPFs accounted for 85 percent of related notifications. Cereals, baked goods, and potato chips were most frequently implicated.

IFT Names New President, President-Elect

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:18:15 -0400

Dr. Gunnar Sigge, Stellenbosch University Associate Professor and Department of Food Science Chair, has assumed the role of President. Dr. Jeffrey Varcoe, Senior Vice President of Science and Technical Excellence at The J.M. Smucker Company, is now IFT President-Elect.

Stop Foodborne Illness Kicks Off STOP3000 Food Safety Education Month Fundraiser

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 10:42:53 -0400

Donations will support the organization’s work to drive food safety improvements through regulatory advocacy, culture change, and consumer support, as well as to share the impactful stories of its constituent advocates who have been impacted by foodborne illnesses.

Food Safety Without Borders: Building Knowledge Networks for Global Cooperation

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 10:00:00 -0400

As discussed at the 2024 Global Food Safety Symposium at Michigan State University, resilient food safety systems are not built by one technology, one regulation, or one training program. They come from sustained investment in people, partnerships, scientific excellence, and institutions that can respond to evolving risks.

Survey Says 94 Percent of U.S. Adults Concerned About Frequency of Food Recalls

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 07:00:00 -0400

Additionally, 80 percent of respondents believed food recalls were effective in protecting public health and safety, down from 85 percent in 2025. GS1 US suggested that traceability and improved data-sharing would help companies identify affected products and increase consumer confidence.

ILSI Europe Develops Framework to Help Food Industry Rank Microbial Risks of Dried Ingredients

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 05:15:00 -0400

The qualitative, risk-based framework is designed to help manufacturers, foodservice operators, suppliers, and buyers evaluate microbiological hazards associated with dried fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices, and appropriate pathogen mitigation measures.

UK APHA Highlights Outcomes of Seven-Year Project to Bolster Global AMR Laboratory Capacities

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 05:00:00 -0400

In an effort to address the “silent pandemic” of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a recently concluded UK Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)–FAO project has helped partners across Africa and Asia to improve their AMR detection, analysis, and mitigation capabilities.

FDA Explains Recall Classifications to Get Ahead of Cyclospora Outbreak Panic

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 10:14:00 -0400

The Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce recall has been given Class I status. The details of the recall and FDA’s public health advice remain unchanged. Experts explain why recall classifications “should not be a media-worthy event” and how such headlines can cause confusion among consumers.

Nara Organics Infant Formula Botulism Outbreak Ends; WGS, Supply Chain Evidence Show Link to ByHeart

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 15:16:06 -0400

The Nara Organics infant botulism outbreak has ended, with four sick in three states. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) findings and a shared powdered milk supplier/processor indicate a common source of contamination with the 2025 outbreak linked to ByHeart infant formula.

Q&A: EFSA Explains New EU WGS Data-Sharing Requirements for Foodborne Illness Outbreaks

hendersonb@bnpmedia.com (Bailee Henderson) — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:44:00 -0400

Regulation (EU) 2025/179, which came into effect on August 23, requires EU Member States to conduct WGS on five key pathogens during foodborne illness outbreak investigations. An interview with EFSA’s Dr. Frank Verdonck unpacks the new rule and previews the upcoming Science Meets Policy conference.

Food Hygiene, Antimicrobial Stewardship are Equally Critical to Controlling Foodborne Drug Resistance, FAO Experts Say

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:00:36 -0400

Controlling foodborne antimicrobial resistance requires a One Health approach centered on food hygiene. Although antimicrobial stewardship can slow the emergence and enrichment of resistant bacteria, existing environmental reservoirs mean that resistant bacteria can contaminate food regardless of antimicrobial use.

Study Calls for Broader Food Additive Safety Assessments After Showing Emulsifiers Affect Gut Barrier

hendersonb@bnpmedia.com (Bailee Henderson) — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Researchers observed inflammatory responses, gut barrier damage, and immune effects relevant to allergy development in experiments with two emulsifiers, soy lecithin and DATEM. Study author Dr. Cezmi Akdis said the findings support a more comprehensive framework for evaluating food additive safety.

Happening in September: FDA, Stop Foodborne Illness Final Food Safety Culture Series 2 Webinar

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:13:01 -0400

The event will explore whether organizational investment in food safety culture has made a tangible impact on outcomes. FDA has also posted video recordings of past Food Safety Culture webinars and whitepapers summarizing each webinar.

Italian Investigation Reveals Food Safety, Fraud Risks in Global Foods Illegally Imported into EU

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 05:00:00 -0400

The organized illegal sale of foods imported from China was discovered, including animal-based foods represented as plant-based, foods with undeclared allergens, the presence of African swine fever virus, and prohibited species. Researchers examined how prohibited foods may circumvent EU border controls.

eBook | Managing Food Allergens Across the Supply Chain: A Practical Guide to Prevention and Compliance

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 01:00:00 -0400

Staying in compliance with food laws and avoiding food safety incidents requires more than ticking compliance boxes—it demands a strategic investment in people.

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

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Jalapeños Now Includes 431 People in 32 States

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 09:30:52 -0400

There have been 57 hospitalizations. The peppers were grown in Sinaloa, Mexico, and distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors to companies across the U.S., including Chipotle, which used its traceability system to help FDA identify the outbreak source.

200 Sick, One Dead in UK Salmonella Enteritidis Outbreak

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:39:56 -0400

A vehicle of illness has not yet been definitively confirmed, but according to UKHSA, epidemiological evidence points to egg consumption as the strongest food signal identified to date.

From Compliance to Capability: When HACCP Becomes a Living System

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 -0400

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.

When Accountability Outweighs Authority: A Structural Psychosocial Risk in Food Manufacturing

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 10:00:00 -0400

When accountability consistently outweighs authority, strain accumulates quietly until it surfaces in turnover, fatigue, or failure. When they align, decision integrity stabilizes. And stability, rather than strain, is what ultimately sustains safe food systems over time.

Food Safety Five Ep. 36: Listeria, E. coli, Biofilms, Plastics, and Oil Adulteration

hendersonb@bnpmedia.com (Bailee Henderson) — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 02:30:00 -0400

This episode of Food Safety Five discusses new research on avocado oil authenticity in processed foods, the effects of nanoplastics on bacterial biofilms in drinking water systems, factors influencing Listeria monocytogenes persistence on plastic food contact surfaces, and stress-adaptation traits that may help E. coli persist from farm to fork.

FAO, Wageningen Researchers Review Broad Range of AI Food Safety Applications

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 11:22:47 -0400

Potential uses include pathogen and chemical hazard detection, food fraud identification, outbreak surveillance, risk forecasting, and regulatory decision-making. Barriers to wider adoption remain, such as data quantity, quality, and accessibility; confidentiality; and transparency.

UK Sees Significant Decline in Cryptosporidium Infections in 2025

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 10:54:31 -0400

Cases decreased by 27.2 percent from the previous year. Although Cryptosporidium can be transmitted through routes other than food, the parasite can enter the food supply through contaminated irrigation water and contact with excrement during cultivation, harvesting, and handling.

FDA Begins Inspection at Taylor Farms Mexico as Official Cyclospora Outbreak Case Count Exceeds 10,000

hendersonb@bnpmedia.com (Bailee Henderson) — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 09:41:27 -0400

There are an additional six cyclosporiasis outbreaks under investigation and thousands more Cyclospora cases reported by CDC and states. Two deaths have been reported. Stakeholders are urging an end to the Food Traceability Rule delay.

Congress Urged to Prevent FDA Traceability Rule Delay, Which Could Have Helped Cyclospora Outbreak Investigation

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 05:00:00 -0400

The appropriations bill for FY 2026 prohibits FDA from using federal funds to implement FSMA 204 before the delayed July 2028 compliance date. Earlier implementation of the Traceability Rule could have enabled faster, more effective response to the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to Taylor Farms lettuce.

Repeated European Salmonella Outbreaks Traced to Polish Egg Firm

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:31:38 -0400

Four Salmonella Enteritidis ST11 outbreaks identified in France between May and July 2026 were linked to homemade egg-based foods and traced to a common egg distribution network in Poland. The same Polish food group was implicated in another multinational salmonellosis outbreak in 2016–2020.

EU Survey of Pathogens in RTE Plant-Based Foods Suggests Microbial Growth Potential, Need for Regulatory Attention

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:27:45 -0400

The microbiological quality of most ready-to-eat (RTE) plant-based meat, dairy, and fish substitutes was satisfactory, but elevated levels of pathogens and indicators in some commodities raised process and hygiene concerns. An analysis of the products’ physico-chemical properties suggested they could support microbial growth.