Like every year, the CDC reported about the major multistate outbreaks due to foodborne illnesses that occurred in 2020. For 2020 the CDC has recorded on its website ten foodborne outbreaks. This number is one of the lowest outbreak numbers, perhaps due to the focus on covid-19 this year. The first outbreak concluded on April 22, 2020, and was due to E. coli O103 in Clover Sprouts, it was traced to raw sprouts on sandwiches sold by Jimmy John’s restaurants. The second outbreak was due to Enoki Mushrooms from Korea and sold by H&C Food Inc., Guan’s Mushroom Co., and...
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Year in review and Holiday Season wishes
This year was unlike any other, most of us and the food industry may be able to breathe a sigh of relief after enduring one of the most challenging years. The year saw massive disruption in the food supply chain. Most of the food sectors and their workforce have been designated as essential. The demand for foods has grown dramatically in retail stores while the use of food products destined for foodservice declined sharply. The coronavirus pandemic caused broken supply chains, lack of inventory, and financial losses for some industry sectors. The FDA had announced the coming of a new...
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Fighting Food Waste with Innovation, Investment, and Education
Imagine if you left the supermarket every time you took one-third of your shopping and threw it straight into the trash. Wasting so much food sounds like something only the crazy would do, but that’s what happens on our planet every day. How is it possible that such significant quantities of our vital sustenance end up squandered? Of what is grown as perishable foods, over 45% never ends up being consumed. 34.7% of fresh fish and seafood is lost or wasted. Even though dairy products are the least wasted of all foods, the reality is that 17.1% of all milk...
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FDA proposes a new rule for FSMA food traceability as part of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a proposed rule for traceability and recordkeeping requirements for the most vulnerable foods. The goal of the proposal is to track the foods at every step of the supply chain. Comprehensive traceability, with more inclusive records associated with critical tracking events, can help the FDA identify the exact sources of foods involved in outbreaks. Better traceability will allow the fast removal of unsafe products from the market, thereby preventing illnesses and death. Recent outbreaks of foodborne disease tied to fresh leafy greens and papayas emphasize the importance of better traceability. Complete records...