Contributing Writers
Roy Costa, RS, MS, (MBA)
Roy Costa is the founder and owner of the consulting firm Environ Health Associates, Inc. Mr. Costa is a registered professional sanitarian with 30 years of environmental heath practice in the academic, government and private sectors. Mr. Costa is an educator and food safety trainer with International experience in a number of countries. Mr. Costa is a professor at the Walt Disney World Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. Mr. Costa’s practice specializes in the prevention and control of food and waterborne infectious agents.
Articles Written by Roy Costa, RS, MS, (MBA)
One of the most important protections we have against foodborne illness is our disease-surveillance systems. These systems field reports from widespread sources and may include disease-reporting registries, local and state health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and utilize active outreach to clinicians and hospitals.The data collected often reveal associations in time, place, person, and illness in...
With over a million food operations in the U.S. of all types, the arena of food safety is vast and protecting it is a tough assignment.Countless tons of foods travel through interstate commerce and internationally daily. The complicated route that most foods take from farm to plate is remarkable and catching the random contaminates as they filter through is challenging....
The controversy continues over the value of third-party audits in food safety at the fresh produce level, as pointed out by Professor Doug Powell at Kansas State University in his BITES blog.Jim Prevor, produce industry analyst, says changes are needed, while the law firm Marler-Clark is suing a food safety auditor and a third-party auditing firm.The lingering question remains, "how...
As the result of the release of the FDA environmental assessment at Jensen Farms, the roles of all food safety persons involved at Jensen Farms-Frontera have rightfully come under fire. Once again the nature of industry-led food safety regulation itself (food safety auditing) is in question. That all involved maintain some degree of responsibility for this disaster is without question. When...
As the result of a recall of about 4,000 cartons of Del Monte melons (about 60,000 melons) in March of 2011, we are again reminded of the risks due to Salmonella associated with melons. At this time, the exposure seems limited, and apparently traceability worked; the reported number of ill stand at a little more than two dozen cases. The...
I have now been involved in over 60 investigations of foodborne illness as an expert, on the sides of both plaintiffs and defendants. Some reflections:1. Most outbreaks that result in lawsuits have evidence of multiple major sanitation deficiencies2. Most have pest problems as part of the documentation3. Many have serious time and temperature issues4. Many have personal hygiene issuesIt seems...
Cross Contamination is the bane of every food-safety management system. While food safety professionals concentrate on the process flow through a food system, sanitation personnel should also be mindful of conditions where pathogens may reach otherwise safely processed foods.Preventing the transfer of pathogens from one product to another is important in almost every type of food handling activity. From the...
Environ Health Associates, Inc.
