Food Safety Top Stories

Proactive Food Safety Management Needs to be a Strategic Business Priority

Tue, 19 May 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Elizabeth Andoh-Kesson, Interim Director of GFSI, says that as climate-related food risks grow, businesses cannot simply rely on a reactive approach to food safety.

Food Fraud Prevention Meets Supply Chain Digitalization: Why Old Systems are Not Enough

Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Supply chains are going digital, omnichannel operations are becoming the norm, and automation is everywhere. This should be good news for food fraud prevention. More data should mean more visibility, but in reality, it also creates more opportunities for both prevention and exploitation.

Ep. 217. Larry Keener: Learnings From an Award-Winning Career in Food Safety

Tue, 12 May 2026 02:30:00 -0400

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to internationally regarded microbiologist and process authority—and Food Safety Magazine’s 2026 Distinguished Award Recipient—Larry Keener, about the highlights of his career, important food safety developments, and advice for early-career professionals.

Flowers for the Heroes in Hairnets: Boosting the Profession of Food Safety

Mon, 11 May 2026 05:30:00 -0400

Food safety professionals need better PR, not only to give credit where credit is due but also to ensure that a consistent stream of young talent is entering and innovating in the field.

New USDA Dietary Guidelines with a Focus on Food Packaging

Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article discusses what the recently released Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030 say about "highly processed foods" and the food packaging concerns associated with such foods.

SecureFood School: Transforming Food System Risk Science into Real-World Education

Tue, 05 May 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Strengthening food system resilience requires not only technological innovation, but also an improved societal understanding of food system dynamics and risks.

When Dead Bacteria Trigger False Alarms: Rethinking a Common "Live–Dead" Test

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article discusses the problem of false positive results when using propidium monoazide (PMA) in PCR testing for food safety.

Food Safety Insights and the 2026 Food Safety Summit

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article previews upcoming sessions at the 2026 Food Safety Summit and ties in topical learnings from recent Food Safety Insights columns.

Ep. 216. Sandro Tarchini: Driving Global Food Traceability, Authenticity with Blockchain

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 02:30:00 -0400

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Sandro Tarchini of the Cardano Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the blockchain ecosystem, about the applications for blockchain throughout the food supply chain and how it can improve farm-to-retail traceability and transparency.

Tips for Building Confidence in Your Third-Party Laboratory's Salmonella Results

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article reviews why testing for Salmonella is important, the challenges encountered when testing for Salmonella (specifically when using FDA's Bacteriological Analytical Manual Chapter 5 guidelines), and how to evaluate if your testing laboratory is providing reliable testing results.

Breaking Silos, Breaking Bias: Advancing Real Collaboration in Food Safety

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 05:15:00 -0400

The session “Breaking Silos, Breaking Bias—Real Collaboration in Food Safety,” taking place on May 13 during the upcoming Food Safety Summit, will candidly discuss why cross-sector collaboration often falls short and offer practical solutions for breaking down barriers.

From Concept to Commercialization: Regulatory Developments Shaping the Cultivated Protein Market

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Cultivated protein is moving from concept to commercialization, but a fragmented mix of federal progress, state-level restrictions, and uneven global regulation makes regulatory strategies a key determinant of success.

Best Practice Considerations to Enhance the Effectiveness of Allergen Cleaning and Validation

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article examines how the development and validation of effective cleaning practices are imperative to prevent allergen cross-contact in food processing environments.

Riding the Wave: Seafood Sector Must Embrace Sustainability and Safety to Ensure Success

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

In the fight against food insecurity, seafood is an essential source of protein. Growing the responsibly produced seafood supply depends on every part of the value chain. Industry must ensure that operational models meet evolving market expectations, and then properly leverage them to drive profitability and success.

Ep. 215. Stalker and Terada: Aligning Culture, Risk, and Operations at the Food Safety Summit

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 02:30:00 -0400

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to two industry leaders and Food Safety Summit Editorial Advisory Board members about managing food safety programs across large-scale, global operations; upcoming Summit sessions on imported food safety risks and food safety culture; and advice for early-career food safety professionals.

Why Middle Managers Hold the Key to Food Safety

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article discusses how the overlooked sub-group of middle management plays a large part in determining culture, execution, and risk performance.

Monitoring and Recordkeeping: The Heart of HACCP

rickstier4@aol.com (Richard F. Stier, M.S.) — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Monitoring and recordkeeping are the heart of HACCP. Records demonstrate that the program is being properly managed and that the established critical limits are being met, providing supporting data to show that the processor is producing safe foods.

Food Innovation: An Introduction to Precision Fermentation

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Precision fermentation has the potential to improve food security, promote sustainable food production, and support the food sector as an important driver of economic growth. The biotechnology behind precision fermentation is likely to become progressively visible, and its role in food manufacturing will become increasingly important. 

Leveraging AI for Food Safety Without Becoming its Victim

nortora@auburn.edu (Robert A. Norton Ph.D.) — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article examines the need to always engage subject matter experts in the analysis of AI results for food safety in the context of biosurveillance and cognitive security.

Improving the Safety of Hydroponic Crops: Evaluation of Strategies to Mitigate Human Pathogens in Hydroponic Production

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article looks at food safety in hydroponic agriculture, including interventions used in hydroponic crop production to control pathogenic contamination.

Ep. 214. Chris McGarvey: UK/EU Food Regulatory Changes on the Horizon

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 02:30:00 -0400

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to UK food law expert Chris McGarvey about the implications of dynamic UK/EU regulatory trends and how businesses can navigate changing legislation related to trade, food substances, novel foods and technologies, and allergen labeling.

The Connection Between Psychosocial Factors and Food Safety Outcomes

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article explores the psychosocial factors of food safety culture, as discussed in a food safety culture workshop at the 2025 Food Safety Summit.

The High Costs of Saving Money: How Overzealous Capital Controls Undermine Food Safety, Worker Safety, and Plant Performance

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

There are technical, economic, and human costs of deferred capital for food safety. Recent legislation provides new tax levers that can change how ROI is calculated. If leadership does not adapt, the result will be more recalls, more injuries, and more brand damage—costing more than a lower capital spend.

Bioaerosol Monitoring for Food Processors

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article takes a deeper look at air quality standards and monitoring for food processing facilities.

Moringa Supply Chains Under Scrutiny: What Recent Contamination Cases Reveal About Botanical Ingredient Risks

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Recent contamination incidents involving moringa products draw attention to supply chain vulnerabilities that affect many botanical ingredients used in the global natural health industry. These events offer an opportunity to examine where problems can emerge and how companies can better protect consumer safety.

Revisiting the Safety of Fresh Produce from Field to Fork

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article examines the frequent contamination of fresh produce (e.g., cucumber and sprouts due to recent outbreaks linked to these foods) with Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli.

Assessing Food Safety Competence: Meeting Certification Expectations through On-Floor Capability Building

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Proposed certification scheme updates, such as SQF Edition 10 and ISO 9001:2026, are shifting the focus from compliance to proactive, integrated food safety management. For quality assurance teams, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity: ensuring safe, compliant operations while influencing broader operational performance and workforce capability.

Critical Implications of Hygienic Zoning for Food and Beverage Processing

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 05:00:00 -0500

This article presents the conceptual understanding and objectives of hygienic zoning for food and beverage processing facilities. It discusses linear workflow and cross-contamination, the design of cleaning and disinfection strategies, pathogen environmental monitoring, and the legal implications of hygienic zoning and positive outcomes for industry.

What Food Safety KPIs Say About Food Safety Culture—Part 2

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

This article further discusses the results of a survey of food processors worldwide regarding food safety culture and the key performance indicators (KPIs) used to measure daily operations and continuous improvement.

Gearing Up for an FDA Inspection

rickstier4@aol.com (Richard F. Stier, M.S.) — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0500

Every food processor, food handler, or other food operator under FDA jurisdiction should have a program in place to deal with an FDA inspection. This column explains what this program should include and how to work with FDA investigators during an inspection.