Meat and poultry recalls increased by 2/3 from 2013 to 2018, while food recalls overall increased by 10 percent, according to the report published by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). 2018 was a bad year for food safety with two E. coli contaminations in romaine lettuce, a Salmonella outbreak in raw beef. However, 2018’s 703 recalls were lower that the peak of 905 in 2016. Over the five-year period (13-18), poultry posted the most recalls with 168, followed by beef (137) and pork (128). In addition to meat, and the recall from outbreaks in romaine, processed food and produce recalls increased just 2 percent. Ritz and Goldfish crackers, Honey Smacks cereal, melon and soy nut butter all had recalls. PIRG called for a number of changes to the U.S. food system, some of which are often championed by food safety advocates. Among them is better testing of irrigation water. The group also seeks more stringent inspection and monitoring of food producers, granting the USDA mandatory recall authority for meat and poultry and penalizing companies who continue to sell after a recall. They also want to improve the systems by which retailers alert customers of recalls and the technologies used to trace contaminated produce and meat through the food supply. @ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2019/01/17/food-recalls-increasing-romaine-lettuce-beef-pirg-usda-fda-ecoli-salmonella/2595775002/
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Following a year of E. coli outbreaks in romaine lettuce, a new report finds food recalls have increased over the last five years.
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The FDA plans to resume inspections of high-risk food facilities, which include leafy greens and other fresh-cut processing plants on January 15. The FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced, via tweet, the resumption of inspection during the government shutdown. A sampling of products at U.S. ports of entry began again on Jan. 14, he said. “This was a major functional accomplishment amidst one of the biggest operational challenges in FDA’s modern history and it was fully enabled by the leadership of FDA’s field force and the colleagues who serve the country on the front lines of that mission,” he tweeted. “The ongoing federal government shutdown has no effect on the on-farm food safety audits conducted through the California and Arizona LGMA programs,” according to a blog post by California LGMA Marketing Director April Ward on the group’s website. “The LGMA programs utilize state agricultural auditors and the audits are funded by industry. In the Winter, Arizona, and California produce almost all of the leafy greens grown in the U.S., so farm food safety audits continue and are not affected by the shutdown.” According to the Packer, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., has scheduled a Congressional Food Safety Caucus at 2 p.m. Eastern on Jan. 16. A panel of food safety activists will discuss how the shutdown is affecting the ability of FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct food safety inspections and other activities. @ https://www.thepacker.com/article/fda-resumes-fresh-produce-inspections-during-shutdown?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTlRaak1EaGlOVFZpTVRJeCIsInQiOiJ0cmMyREFTallEMnVSdFNjNlwvZ05POFZWSktXdGoxVllNdlwvd2Y1ekVPdDloY2xvSUNcL2xyWGtteXhrXC83NnJOcmJ6ckhhU2lXWGI5VHdCOXEwRWdxdkczZUs1RXJJTkl1UVE5THdqaXRaaGNhTGJnekhjZ09zNTNYVGxDNEFpbUMifQ%3D%3D
The Food and Drug Administration on Jan. 15 plans to start inspections of high-risk food facilities, which include leafy green processing plants, using mostly unpaid furloughed employees.
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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), announced the implementation of the Safe Food for Canadian Regulations (SFCR) effective as of January 15, 2019, that will focus on prevention and allowing for faster removal of unsafe food from the marketplace. The new regulations cover a wide range of food safety-related efforts including licensing, labeling standards, rules enforcement, and new recall protocols. These regulations also feature traceability requirements designed to help Canadian food companies that import or send food between Canadian territories track the origins of the products they manage. Other issues covered by SFCR include packaging, organic products, excluded products, and inspection standards. @ http://inspection.gc.ca/food/eng/1299092387033/1299093490225
The CFIA develops and delivers programs and services designed to protect Canadians from preventable food safety hazards, to ensure that food safety emergencies are effectively managed, and that the public is aware of–and contributes to–food safety.