USDA Declares Salmonella an Adulterant in Some Chicken Products

This morning, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)  announced that it will be declaring Salmonella an adulterant in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products.

“Today’s announcement is an important moment in U.S. food safety because we are declaring Salmonella an adulterant in a raw poultry product,” said Sandra Eskin, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety. “This is just the beginning of our efforts to improve public health.”

By declaring Salmonella an adulterant in these products, FSIS will be able to ensure that highly contaminated products that could make people sick are not sold to consumers. Since 1998, breaded and stuffed raw chicken products have been associated with up to 14 outbreaks and approximately 200 illnesses. Products in this category are found in the freezer section and include some chicken cordon bleu or chicken Kiev products. These products appear cooked, but they are heat-treated only to set the batter or breading and the product contains raw poultry. Continual efforts to improve the product labeling have not been effective at reducing consumer illnesses.

Read the full media release here.  

Posted 8/1/2022

AFDO Connecting at IAFP

The FDA, along with CDC, has called an end to the Salmonella in peanut butter investigation and outbreak that started in May of this year. The agencies, with state and local partners, investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Senftenberg infections linked to certain Jif brand peanut butter products produced at the J.M. Smucker Company facility in Lexington, Kentucky. 

J.M. Smucker Company voluntarily recalled certain Jif brand peanut butter products. The FDA is preparing a report to discuss findings and provide information to assist in future prevention efforts.

FDA reports that the affected recalled products should no longer be available for sale. However, the product has a long shelf life and could still be in consumers’ homes. Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve any recalled Jif brand peanut butter, including recalled products that contain the recalled Jif peanut butter. Consumers should also avoid feeding recalled peanut butter to pets or other animals, including wild birds.

Read the announcement here.

Posted 8.1.2022

This Wednesday
FDA/Stop 4th Food Safety Culture Webinar Staged Live at IAFP

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Stop Foodborne Illness have scheduled a fourth webinar in their collaborative series that explores food safety culture.

The webinar, called “What More Do You Want to Know About Food Safety Culture?,” will be broadcast live from the International Association for Food Protection 2022 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. EDT. Speakers and attendees will engage in a question-and-answer session on an array of food safety culture topics. Registration is available for both in-person and virtual attendance. 

The webinar series, entitled “Collaborating on Culture in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety," engages experts from the public and private sectors in a collaborative exchange of ideas and experiences related to the importance of a robust food safety culture in helping to ensure safe food production.  

Food safety culture is one of the core elements in FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety blueprint, which states that dramatic improvements in reducing the burden of foodborne illness cannot be made without doing more to influence the beliefs, attitudes, and, most importantly, the behaviors of people and the actions of organizations.

To learn more about this webinar series and to listen to recordings of the first two webinars, visit Collaborating on Culture in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety.

Posted 7/25/22

FDA Shares Updates on Cyclospora Efforts

FDA Provides Insight Into Food Facility Renewal

During the webinar, participants will learn:

1. Who needs to register or renew 
2. How to obtain a Unique Facility Identifier (UFI) 
3. How and where to register and renew your Food Facility Registration (FFR) 
4. About the benefits of registering your food facility

A Question & Answer session follows the presentation.  Learn more and register here. 
 

FDA Works to Enhance the Safety of Berries

FDA Announces Evaluation of Key Agency Activities 

On Tuesday, July 19, 2022 Dr. Robert Califf, Commissioner of Food and Drugs at the FDA issued a statement about actions he is taking to evaluate two of the agency's key programs including the Human Foods Program. 

In his statement, Dr. Califf further explained his decision.

"In February 2022, I rejoined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as Commissioner of Food and Drugs, having served in the role five years earlier. Since my return, the agency has taken many significant actions that benefit the public health. Yet at the same time, the agency has confronted a series of challenges that have tested our regulatory frameworks and stressed the agency’s operations, prompting me to take a closer look at how we do business. 

"As a result, for two of the agency’s key programs, I have commissioned external agency experts to conduct a comprehensive evaluation for:  
        
"The agency’s Human Foods Program, including the Office of Food Response and Policy (OFPR), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), as well as relevant parts of the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA)
 
"While America’s food supply is safe, and our Foods program experts have significantly contributed to the availability of more nutritious food options for consumers, the program has been stressed by the increasing diversity and complexity of the nation’s food systems and supply chain. Fundamental questions about the structure, function, funding and leadership need to be addressed. The agency’s inspectional activities related to the program also need to be evaluated, particularly in light of stresses related to the COVID-19 pandemic." 

Also under evaluation in this process is The Center for Tobacco Products (CTP).

Califf's statement continues "I have discussed this evaluation with the relevant leadership of these centers and offices, all of whom welcome the opportunity to work towards organizational excellence. Each of these areas are full of hardworking and talented individuals who have dedicated their careers to working across a variety of scientific, policy, legal and administrative activities. FDA employees deserve the best support possible so they can fulfill their strong commitment to public health – and the American public that we serve. 

"The Reagan-Udall Foundation, an independent partner organization for the agency, will be working with an external group of experts on the evaluation. The Foundation will report its findings, including an initial assessment of the processes and procedures, resourcing, and organizational structure for the Foods program and CTP, to the agency within 60 business days of initiation. It may take some time to implement any recommended changes, but I am committed to addressing them and communicating them to the public in a timely manner. It is my belief that this effort will continue strengthening the FDA and better position the agency to deal with the many immediate public health issues we are facing, while preparing for the many scientific challenges and fascinating opportunities of the future."

Read Dr. Califf's entire statement here.

Posted 7/25/22

CBS News: How Public Health Works – and Why It Sometimes Doesn't

     

NCLC Calls for Standardized Cannabis Testing 

The National Cannabis Laboratory Council (NCLC) has proposed a standardized, national approach to the testing of cannabis products as the U.S. legal cannabis market continues to expand. The recommendations come as legal sales of cannabis are expected to exceed $33 billion by the end of 2022, and a bill to federally legalize cannabis awaits a Senate vote after its passage by the House in April.

The NCLC, in a white paper titled Standardizing Lab Testing Nationally, recommends new rules to govern standard test panels, sampling requirements, testing methodologies, lab accreditation, and proficiency testing requirements, proposing a unified approach to transition past the current patchwork of state cannabis regulations and allow for interstate commerce.

The NCLC anticipates the federal government will de-schedule marijuana and adopt national standards, unraveling several legal challenges. As it stands, the Constitution’s “dormant” commerce clause––which implies states cannot interfere with interstate commerce––poses an obstacle to cannabis trade across state lines.

Read the white paper here. 

Posted 7/25/22

FDA Details Approach for Regulatory Oversight Tools

On Friday, July 22, the FDA released draft guidance on the expanded use of remote regulatory assessments (RRAs) and how the FDA generally intends this tool, once finalized, to be incorporated consistently across all FDA-regulated products beyond the current COVID-19 public health emergency. These remote assessments of an FDA-regulated establishment and/or its records can help determine compliance with applicable FDA requirements, inform regulatory decisions and verify information submitted to the agency. The FDA says they have also been a valuable tool in the nation’s response to the public health emergency and the agency has fast-tracked their wider use to help get critical medical products to the front lines in the fight against the pandemic while keeping normal business operations moving.

FDA says RRAs are an additional regulatory tool that does not replace inspections or other established means of obtaining information necessary for the FDA to accomplish its public health mission. This draft guidance lays out how FDA intends to leverage this tool to advance our mission as we further incorporate modernized approaches to protecting public health.

"Over the last two years, we’ve performed more than 1,470 domestic and more than 600 foreign entity establishment RRAs," according to Friday's FDA announcement. "As a result of these RRAs, we’ve identified unreported adverse events, gathered information to add products that appear to be violative to import alerts, evaluated the status of companies correcting issues from a previous inspection and helped the agency make regulatory decisions for product premarket submissions. RRAs are effective in getting essential information to regulators, enabling the FDA to intervene when needed and use agency resources more efficiently to do so." 

The draft guidance, “Conducting Remote Regulatory Assessments Questions and Answers,” is intended to provide transparency to stakeholders about how RRAs may be used and to promote consistency in the way RRAs are conducted. The draft guidance covers voluntary and statutorily authorized RRAs but does not change the core requirements of inspections and pre- and post-market authorities. Except for RRAs for establishments required to comply with the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) regulation, an RRA does not function as an inspection. 

Read Friday's complete announcement here. 

Posted 7/25/22

Abstract Submissions Due Tomorrow
Consumer Food Safety Education Conference on Tap for March 2023

From social media to distance learning to virtual reality, where and how will the next generation of food handlers get their food safety information? Health and food safety educators need to be poised to reach all generations with food safety education that is effective at influencing behavior change. It’s vital to help all generations see themselves in food safety education messages!

The 2023 Consumer Food Safety Education Conference is seeking abstract submissions through August 2 for the conference that will be held March 1-3, 2023.  Organizers are seeking today’s leaders to bring answers and clarity to questions such as “Where and how will the next generation of food handlers get their food safety information?” and more. The Consumer Food Safety Education Conference is hosted by the Partnership for Food Safety Education and is the only conference in the U.S. dedicated to consumer food safety education.  Abstracts are due August 2, 2022. 

Sessions will focus on three tracks:

• Food Safety for the Next Generation: Innovative Tactics for Reaching People
• Reducing Waste: The Intersection Between Sustainability and Food Safety 
• The New Landscape of Food: Food Safety and Information Delivery in the Digital Age 

Posters sessions will focus on Food Safety Education Strategies and Successes! –with examples of successful and effective food safety education campaigns, lessons, and curricula, and proven strategies for reaching consumers with information on hand hygiene and food safety handling and behaviors. 

Have something to share? Submit your abstract or questions here.

Register for the March 1-3 2023 conference at the link below.

Posted 7/25/22

FSPCA Conference Goes Virtual in October

The 6th FSPCA Annual Conference will be held virtually on Wednesday and Thursday, October 19-20 from  9 a.m. – 3 p.m. CDT each day. The conference will provide insight into the latest innovative ideas, regulatory updates, industry learnings over the past year, and more! The 2022 Conference will feature the latest developments in the various FSPCA training curricula to support compliance with the prevention-oriented standards of FSMA. The conference will provide an interactive forum for participants to hear from FDA senior officials on inspection results, as well as from industry leaders on industry trends, food safety best practices, and insights into complying with the FSMA regulations

Please visit the FSPCA website for the detailed agenda and to register.

Posted 7/18/22

Next Week
Hemp Joins National Feed Discussion

Fifteen leading experts from feed manufacturing, hemp production, scientific research and regulatory oversight will come together for a three-part panel discussion, Q&A and complex conversation around:

• Scientific research and data

• Ingredient review and approval

• Interests and concerns everyone is facing

The goal is to connect with industry peers and share meaningful dialog around overcoming the challenges and moving forward together so hemp can become a safe and beneficial feed ingredient.

Seeking Retail Food Safety Regulatory Opinions

Retail Food Science Manager - Indiana 

Posted 7/18/22

Food Inspector - New York State

Peanut Inspection Worker - Seasonal Hourly - MO

Posted 7/18/22

Food Safety Specialist (EHS I) -  Fauquier County

Paster Training, Inc. is now Cenza⁺

• Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF), Full and Part 2
• Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessment (IAVA)
• Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP), Full and Part 2
• Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs)

• Certified Protection Food Manager (CPFM)
• Food Handler/Food Employee
• HACCP Manager
• HACCP Employee
• Food Defense
• Seafood HACCP
• SPANISH TRAINING AVAILABLE!!!!!

EAS Consulting Group Training 

The Food Safety Doctor LLC 

ONLINE Foreign Supplier Verification Courses (FSVP-QI) Courses

Click here to access the schedule of FSVP-QI courses

Laws and Regulations Committee Update

A collection of current food, drug, device, and consumer product regulatory issues and news