Food safety, traceability and sustainability blog

FDA Takes Commitment to Consumer Safety and Public Health to Next Level with New Food Recall Policies

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, issues statement regarding disclosure of retailer information; Agency then announces new ‘Draft Guidance’ that sets criteria for making previously-confidential information public for certain types of recalls.

On September 26, 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement by Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, about the FDA’s new policy to disclose retailer information for certain food recalls in an effort to improve consumer safety.  Then, just one day later, the FDA published a notice announcing the creation of a new ‘Draft Guidance’ - the second in a series of policy steps the agency is taking as part of a broader plan to improve oversight of food safety and the recall process.

Active Managerial Control at the System & Operational Level

Join FoodLogiQ for a live webinar on Wednesday, September 12th, 2018 at 2:00 pm ET when we'll talk with Dr. Ben Chapman at North Carolina State University and Eric Moore at Testo about Active Managerial Control (AMC).

According to researchers at Johns Hopkins, the cost of a single foodborne illness outbreak at a restaurant could range between $3,968 and $2.6 million, depending on the severity of the outbreak, how much the company would have to spend on fines, lawsuits and legal fees, as well as the number of employees affected by the incident. 

Under the Microscope: Food Industry Sees Increase in FDA Inspections

Food safety is an important issue. About 128,000 people are hospitalized every year due to a foodborne illness, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Regulatory bodies, therefore, continue to adopt stricter measures to ensure compliance with food safety regulations and guidelines.

In the last few years, the FDA has increased efforts to reduce the number of food safety incidents. The most prominent move was the enactment of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law in 2011. More recently, the FDA aims to increase domestic and foreign inspections of regulated products.

Smart Food Sourcing and Brand Transparency

Today’s consumers want more variety in their food, but they are also more critical of product labels. They want food supply chain transparency, especially about the origin of their products they buy. On the regulatory side, new laws stipulate a focus on preventing contaminated raw materials from getting into the food supply chain, rather than dealing with contamination in factories. For anyone involved in the supply chain, delivering on these expectations can be challenging.

Food Recall Management: How Food Recalls Affect Consumer Buying Habits and What You Can Do About It

Food recalls and withdrawals are inevitable in the food industry. From a marketing perspective, preserving your brand reputation while ensuring consumer safety during food recalls is a priority. Understanding consumer responses to food recalls is also crucial for proper food recall management. How do you maintain customer loyalty while managing a food crisis?