Show notes
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we discuss the top food safety stories of 2024 and their implications. We cover: The Boar's Head Listeria Outbreak [6:24] USDA Announces Immediate Changes to Listeria Rule, Inspections for RTE Food Facilities Following Deadly Listeria Outbreak, USDA Launches Internal Investigation Into How it Handled Boar's Head's Unsanitary Production Facility Congress Members Question USDA About Failure to Prevent Fatal Boar's Head Listeria Outbreak Boar's Head to Face Criminal Investigation Over Listeria Outbreak as Tenth Death is Reported Following Outbreak, Boar's Head Forms Food Safety Council of Top Experts, Closes Facility, Discontinues Liverwurst Inspection Reports Show Mold, Insects, Meat Residues, and More at Boar's Head Facility Responsible for Listeria Outbreak Boar's Head RTE Deli Meats Recalled After Two Listeriosis Deaths It's Time to Reformulate Deli Meats to Reduce the Risk of Listeria monocytogenes—Feature story for Food Safety Magazine December '24/January '25, by Kathleen Glass, Ph.D., Wendy Bedale, Ph.D., and Daniel Unruh, Ph.D. The McDonald's/Taylor Farms E. coli Outbreak [18:53] FDA Closes Investigation of McDonald's E. Coli Outbreak Without Tests Confirming Onions as Source McDonald's E. coli Outbreak Grows to 104 Illnesses in 14 States; Testing Has Not Yet Found Outbreak Strain FDA Unable to Implicate Grower in E. coli Outbreak Linked to Taylor Farms Onions Served at McDonald's CDC Names Taylor Farms Onions as Cause of McDonald's E. coli Outbreak; Patient Count Rises to 90 Beef Ruled Out as Source of McDonald's E. coli Outbreak, Quarter Pounders Return to Restaurants Major Chains Pull Onions Due to E. coli Concerns After Taylor Farms Confirmed as McDonald's Supplier At Least One Death Caused by E. coli Outbreak Linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders Food Safety Five Ep. 1: Fatal E. coli Outbreak Linked to Onions on McDonald's Quarter Pounders—Food Safety Five Newsreel video Grimmway Farms E. coli Outbreak [32:31] Grimmway Farms Carrot E. coli Outbreak Closed; No Match Found in Environmental Samples Canada Recalls Carrots Implicated in Fatal E. coli Outbreak Affecting U.S. Death Reported in E. coli Outbreak Linked to Nationally Distributed Organic Carrots The Yu Shang Foods Listeria Outbreak [33:48] Another Infant Death Linked to Yu Shang Listeria Outbreak Yu Shang Brand RTE Meats Cause Two-Year-Long Listeria Outbreak Resulting in Death of an Infant Food Safety Technology Developments [36:37] How Rapid Development of Technology Has Revolutionized Food Safety—Food Safety Magazine on-demand webinar How is the Revolution in Technology Changing Food Safety?—"Food Safety Insights" column for Food Safety Magazine June/July '24, by Bob Ferguson How is the Revolution in Technology Changing Food Safety?—Part 2—"Food Safety Insights" column for Food Safety Magazine August/September '24, by Bob Ferguson How is the Revolution in Technology Changing Food Safety?—Part 3—"Food Safety Insights" column for Food Safety Magazine December '24/January '25, by Bob Ferguson Listeria, Salmonella Represent 40 Percent of FDA Food and Beverage Recalls in Last 20 Years FDA Human Foods Program Restructuring [42:39] FDA Budget Constraints Lead to International Information-Sharing for Chemical Safety Reviews FDA Human Foods Program Reveals Work Plans for 2025 FDA Introduces Streamlined Complaint Process on First Day of New Human Foods Program FDA Outlines its Developing Systematic Post-Market Review Process for Chemicals in Food FDA Reorganization Officially Approved, Will be Implemented by October 1 Food Safety Five Ep. 2: How Budget Constraints May Influence FDA Food Chemical Safety Work—Food Safety Five Newsreel video Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu (HPAI) H5N1 and Dairy Foods [50:30] California Declares State of Emergency Over HPAI H5N1 Outbreak in Dairy Cows USDA Begins Five-Part National Milk Testing Strategy for HPAI H5N1 As Outbreak Rages On, USDA to Begin Field Trials for HPAI H5N1 Vaccine in Cattle USDA-FSIS to Begin Routine Monitoring for HPAI in Dairy Cows Under National Residue Program FDA Publishes Dairy Food Safety Research Agenda for HPAI H5N1 More Canadian Milk Testing, New Pasteurization Study Shows HPAI is Not Food Safety Risk USDA Finds HPAI in Muscle of Sick Dairy Cow; Study Shows Infectious Potential of Contaminated Raw Milk USDA Experiments Show Cooking Beef Patties to "Well Done" Kills HPAI Virus USDA Testing Retail Ground Beef for HPAI H5N1; Maintains That U.S. Meat Supply is Safe FDA Testing Finds HPAI in Retail Milk Samples; Research Required to Determine Infectivity, Food Safety Risk USDA Now Requires HPAI Testing for Dairy Cattle, Mandatory Reporting USDA's Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products [57:35] USDA-FSIS to Hold Two Public Meetings on Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry in December USDA-FSIS Extends Comment Period for Proposed Salmonella Regulatory Framework Study Supports USDA's Serotype-Specific Regulatory Framework for Salmonella in Poultry USDA-FSIS Publishes Proposed Regulatory Framework for Salmonella in Raw Poultry USDA-FSIS: Salmonella Officially an Adulterant in Breaded, Stuffed Raw Chicken Products at 1 CFU/g or Higher NACMCF Reports on Reducing Salmonella in Poultry, Advises FSIS on Proposed Regulatory Framework Esteban and Eskin: On the Frontlines of the Food Safety Fight Against Salmonella in Poultry—Food Safety Matters podcast FSMA 204/Food Traceability Rule Compliance [1:04:09] Leading Food Industry Associations Join Forces to Form FSMA 204 Collaboration Public-Private, Sector-Neutral Partnership for Food Traceability Aims to Advance Industry Toward FSMA 204 Compliance Report Highlights Industry Concerns With FSMA 204 Compliance, Barriers to Implementation World's Largest Food Distributor Sysco Unveils its FSMA 204 Traceability Plan Kroger's Traceability Policy Goes Beyond FSMA 204 by Including All Foods FDA Updates Human Foods Priorities; Releases FSMA 204, Foodservice Employee Health Resources Second Bill Introduced to Weaken FSMA 204; Safe Food Coalition Voices Opposition Legislation Would Delay FSMA 204 Compliance Date, Ease Retailer Recordkeeping Requirements FSS '24: Regulatory, Industry Experts Share Best Practices Around FSMA 204 and Traceability Efforts Ep. 179. Dr. Takashi Nakamura: Ensuring Fresh Produce Safety From Field to Fork—Food Safety Matters Podcast Better Food Traceability Can't Wait—Editorial piece by Frank Yiannas Legislation Targeting Food Additives and "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) Substances [1:13:13] FDA Could Decide Whether to Ban Red Dye 3 in Food 'In the Next Few Weeks,' Officials Reveal in Senate Hearing Congress Members Urge FDA to Ban Red Dye 3 in Food FDA Budget Constraints Lead to International Information-Sharing for Chemical Safety Reviews FDA Outlines its Developing Systematic Post-Market Review Process for Chemicals in Food BVO No Longer Authorized for Food Use by FDA The Evolving Landscape of Food Additives Regulation in the U.S., from the States to FDA California Bill Banning Some Artificial Colors in School Foods Advances, Awaits Signature Into Law FDA Reviewing Safety of Food Chemicals of Concern, Like PFAS, BPA, Red Dye 3, and More FDA Files Petitions to Rescind Approvals for Four Carcinogenic Food, Color Additives 'Toxic Free Food Act' Would Close FDA GRAS 'Loophole' Allowing Potentially Toxic Additives in Food Illinois Food Safety Act Banning Four Food Additives Passes State Senate, Amended to Include Manufacturers Pennsylvania is Latest State to Introduce Food Additives Legislation, While Kentucky Urges FDA to Take Control Missouri, Washington Introduce Bills to Ban Same Food Additives as California Food Safety Act Another Bill Introduced in New York to Expand State Regulation of Food Additives 'Safe School Meals Act' Addresses Pesticides, PFAS, Food Dyes, and More in School Lunches Food Safety Five Ep. 2: How Budget Constraints May Influence FDA Food Chemical Safety Work—Food Safety Five Newsreel video Ep. 162. Brian Sylvester: How the California Food Safety Act is Shaping U.S. Food Additives Regulation—Food Safety Matters Podcast Environmental and Chemical Contaminants [1:24:42] FDA Defends Revoking Authorizations for Most Phthalates; Remaining Uses Under Review High Levels of Toxic Plasticizers Phthalates, Bisphenols Found in Nearly All Foods in U.S. EU Considering Bisphenol Ban in Food Packaging Based on Nontraditional Risk Assessment; Scientists Show Support EU Moves Closer to Possible Ban on BPA in Food Contact Materials USDA Testing for 2023 Shows 99 Percent of Foods Do Not Exceed Pesticide Residue Tolerances EFSA: Pesticide Residues Below Legal Limits in More Than 96 Percent of EU Food Samples EPA Immediately Suspends Use of Herbicide Dacthal With Emergency Order EPA Cancels Agricultural Use of Harmful Pesticide Acephate Pesticide Chlormequat is Being Detected More Frequently in Humans, EPA Poised to Allow its Use on Food Crops California Assembly Passes Bill Expediting Review of Herbicide Paraquat Center for Food Safety Petitions EPA to Ban PFAS in Pesticides, Pesticide Containers EWG Publishes 2024 Dirty Dozen List of Produce Most Contaminated With Pesticides Kraft Heinz Voluntarily Pulls Lunchables from School Lunch Program Following Consumer Reports Petition Baby Food Safety Act Would Give FDA Authority to Limit Toxic Heavy Metals in Food for Children Maryland Introduces Bill to Require Toxic Heavy Metals Testing for Baby Foods, Disclosure of Results Recall Rethink: Food Recall Vulnerabilities Exposed by the Cinnamon Applesauce Incident—Cover story for Food Safety Magazine August/September '24, by Steven Mandernach, J.D. and Carrie Rigdon, Ph.D. We Want to Hear from You! 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