It’s impossible to say what will be the big food safety story of 2016. The ultimate unpredictable is what foodborne outbreaks will dominate the headlines and how they may impact policy decisions. But we’ve done our best to list the regulatory activities to keep on your radar for the coming
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Coming Next Summer: Antibiotic-Free Chicken From Papa John’s
Papa John’s is the latest fast-food chain to announce plans to cut out antibiotics from its chicken production. But while McDonald’s set a two-year timeline, Chick-fil-A set a five-year timeline, and Subway was criticized for setting no timeline at all, the pizza chain is pledging to be antibiotic-free by next
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International Targets Recommended for Reducing Animal Antibiotic Use
If you want to reduce something, a good place to start is with a target. That’s what the U.K.’s Review of Antimicrobial Resistance suggests in its new report on antibacterial use in agriculture. More antibiotics are used on animals than humans, and bacteria that become drug-resistant as the result
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FDA Releases Guidance for Veterinary Feed Directive Format
The Food and Drug Administration has released draft guidance recommending a common format for the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) form. Last June, FDA published the final rule regarding the VFD, which brings the use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals under veterinary supervision so that they are used only when necessary
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Study: E. Coli Can Transfer Antibiotic Resistance to Other Bacteria
Scientists have discovered a gene in E. coli that makes it resistant to a class of “last-resort” antibiotics known as polymyxins. The gene can also transfer resistance to other epidemic pathogens such as K. pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. According to research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the
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USDA: Alternatives to Antibiotics to Keep Food Animals Healthy
(This article was posted Nov. 18, 2015, on the USDA blog site.) Antibiotics are lifesavers. We depend on them to treat bacterial infections and diseases, such as pneumonia, bronchitis and strep throat, as well as ear infections and infected wounds. In response to U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidance,
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First World Antibiotic Awareness Week Focuses on Education
This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the governments of several countries want people to learn more about antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health today, and, while it occurs naturally, misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals accelerates the process. Monday kicked off
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Managing ‘Black Gold’: Animal Manure and Antibiotic Resistance
Many farmers refer to manure as “black gold” and rightly so because it adds nutrients to the soil, which helps crops grow and be more productive.
In earlier times, before the advent of synthetic fertilizers, crop farmers would often buy a cow solely for the manure it would produce and
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Subway to Phase Out Poultry Products Raised With Antibiotics
Subway Restaurants announced Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, that its 27,000-plus outlets in the United States will start transitioning early next year to serving poultry products made only from turkeys and chickens raised without antibiotics. “Beginning in March 2016, SUBWAY® customers across the U.S. will able to order meals made with
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Action in California and the Marketplace Will Help Stop Superbugs
Noodles & Co. and California Gov. Jerry Brown have this in common: In the absence of a strong federal policy, both have acted to stop the overuse of antibiotics on large-scale industrial farms.
On Oct. 10, Brown signed a first-of-its-kind law (Senate Bill 27) to restrict antibiotic use on livestock
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