On June 19, the food industry lost a food-safety icon. Dave Theno, 66, unexpectedly died after being struck by a large wave while snorkeling with his grandson in Hawaii.
It is critical to remember that, even if you are doing a stellar job appropriately controlling food safety risk within your own facility, if your trim supplier is having problems, those problems will always become your own.
While the FSIS-regulated food industry has directed most of its limited food-safety resources over the last decade toward keeping harmful pathogens out of its food products, the existence of undeclared allergens has become a major issue.
Over the last decade, the food industry’s focused attention on pathogen control has left its flanks woefully unguarded against the introduction of undeclared allergens in finished products.
The approach taken by the departing administration relied for eight years on comprehensive regulations to create a safer food supply. The new administration, led by President Donald Trump, on the other hand, believes complex regulation actually impedes progress.
As recently described in its 2017-22 five-year Strategic Plan, FSIS has announced it will begin to intensify inspections of retail delis as part of its new enforcement initiatives.
In recent years, there has been a substantial decrease in the number of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses linked to contaminated ground beef. As a result, there has been a significant decrease in the number of lawsuits filed by consumers relating to E. coli O157:H7 illnesses.
By studying annual food recall statistics, food companies can do a better job anticipating and avoiding potential future problems, which in turn drives the total numbers of recalls down.