In 2007, there were only 14 recalls involving undeclared allergens in U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)-regulated foods. This year, there have already been 60 recalls involving nearly 10 million pounds of product.
In the past, FDA relied on USDA's expertise with mandating and enforcing the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) regulations to provide the new FDA model for preventative controls. But now, when it comes to solving unsolved outbreaks, FDA takes the lead.
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.
