Shawn K. Stevens

Fight for Food Safety

The art of war, on foodborne illness

August 20, 2019

In "The Art of War," Sun Tzu admonishes us to know our enemy or be defeated by it. As a society, we have failed to heed that wisdom in our fight against foodborne illness.

Fight for Food Safety

Plant-based meats: Beyond impossible to ignore

Shawn K. Stevens

July 9, 2019

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It used to be that people said it was impossible to make a meatless burger taste like meat. Then they said it would be impossible to make a meatless burger economical.

Fight for Food Safety

Going on the offensive: Subtyping environmental and finished product positives

Shawn K. Stevens

June 3, 2019

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Over the last 25 years, modernization has overrun the food safety landscape in previously unimaginable ways. Environmental and finished-product sampling programs are undoubtedly among the most important aspects of the industry's success.

Fight for Food Safety

Lawsuit against Hormel marketing pre-empted by federal law

Shawn K. Stevens

May 2, 2019

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A 2016 lawsuit brought against Hormel Foods is once again in the headlines. The case, brought by the Animal Defense Legal Fund (ALDF), arose from allegations that Hormel's "Make the Natural Choice" advertisements violated consumer protection laws by materially misleading consumers.

Fight for Food Safety

A shift to Salmonella scrutiny

Shawn K. Stevens

April 5, 2019

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It appears increasingly likely that we are approaching another major shift in food safety regulation. The shift in this case would be the declaration of Salmonella as an adulterant in raw meat and poultry.

Fight for Food Safety

LFTB reclassification shows science can win

Shawn K. Stevens

March 1, 2019

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After a multi-month evaluation, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has ruled that LFTB meets the regulatory definition of ground beef under the law in 9 CFR 319.15(a) and thus may be labeled as ground beef.

Fight for Food Safety

Developing an effective Food Defense Program (FDP)

Defending against the unthinkable

Shawn K. Stevens

February 11, 2019

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FSIS encourages establishments to voluntarily adopt and implement a Food Defense Plan (FDP), and to conduct training and exercises to ensure preparedness.

Fight for Food Safety

Reviewing 2018's USDA recalls

Shawn K. Stevens

January 14, 2019

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At presstime in mid-December 2018, there had been 120 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recalls in 2018, collectively totaling approximately 25.3 million pounds of product.

Fight for Food Safety

Time to talk… Salmonella

Shawn K. Stevens

December 28, 2018

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As we look back at this year’s Thanksgiving, which is typically the time to talk turkey, yet another Salmonella outbreak made headlines. And this time, turkey was the source.

Fight for Food Safety

Salmonella outbreak: a harbinger of changes?

Shawn K. Stevens

November 8, 2018

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An Arizona-based meat producer recently announced a recall of 6.9 million pounds of various raw, non-intact beef products because of possible contamination with Salmonella Newport — by far the largest beef recall in recent history, and the largest for Salmonella in beef.