May 2, 2018 Update Both the FDA and CDC published updates on the pathogenic E. coli outbreak today. Sadly, one death was reported. This blog post was published earlier in the day and has been updated below the original post. Romaine Recall: What You Should Know There is an outbreak of pathogenic E. coli in […]
I heard that inspections are looking more like audits than the historical walk-through and observation of employees working. Why is that? Documentation is required by law and tells the story of food safety. The success of your company inspection lies in your records. Today I am writing some good, general concepts and requirements on records […]
With formidable GMPs, you lay the foundation for HACCP and Food Safety. When the FDA or state inspector steps inside your facility, they may not want to immediately go to a conference room and review your written Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) or food safety plan. The written plan is important, but the […]
This week was a historic week for the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Three times since the signing of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2011, FDA has used its new authority, i.e. new tools to prevent illness or injury from food. In 2012, FDA suspended the facility registration of Sunland, Inc. of […]
I subscribe to alerts for Class I recalls from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The message goes to my email with a link to the press release. It’s a great automated system, and the number of alerts is small enough to manage daily in email. The FDA recalls more than just food – their […]
FDA published the draft guidance Determining the Number of Employees for Purposes of the “Small Business” Definition of Parts 117 and 507: Guidance for Industry on March 19, 2018. The comment period is through May 20, 2018. The purpose of the guidance is to raise awareness of exemptions for Part 117, the human food rule, […]
I first learned that Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen in 1985 during the Jalisco cheese outbreak in Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California. There were 29 deaths from 86 documented cases. The veterinary world was very familiar with Listeria in cattle, long before food microbiologists. Industry and the federal Food and Drug Administration […]
If you are in a drought, just have me visit, because I seem to bring rain storms. At first, I was frustrated by rain and having to navigate to a facility new to me. But when touring food plants after or during a rain storm, it is a blessing. Now I pray for rain! Examine […]
A common conversation my husband and I have with friends and family is, “What are you watching?” We will find a show on Showtime or Netflix and binge-watch to get caught up to the current season. Somewhere along the way, I discovered Rotten on Netflix. The first season from 2018 had six episodes. As someone […]
FDA Listeria Draft Guidance for Ready-to-Eat Foods: Part 1 is an outline of essential information on the Listeria draft guidance, answering who, what, when, where, why and how questions. The guidance is written for companies manufacturing ready-to-eat (RTE) food and ingredients. As a guidance document the language is different from a rule where companies are […]
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