In just the past few months, outbreaks involving romaine lettuce, pre-cut melons and Honey Smacks cereal have reminded us that the work to more effectively prevent foodborne illness is far from complete. People are still getting sick and dying, and markets are still being disrupted. Make no mistake, the commitment and effort are there among…
Beach Beat: Daily Meal reveals 50 most powerful food people
Most publishers in the news biz have a background in advertising. I was lucky enough in the previous century to work for one who came up on the news side of the industry. He was just as concerned about revenue as publishers who came from the ad side, but…
FDA’s former top food cop now focused on food security
Editor’s note: Mike Taylor, who just left his post as deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine, sent this message to friends and colleagues June 8 and granted Food Safety News permission to reprint it here. Since I announced my plans to leave FDA, a number of you have asked what I will do next. …
The future is now for America’s food safety programs
CHICAGO — Optimism was running high at the Food Safety Summit Thursday when four heavy hitters took the stage for a town hall session where 2016 was characterized as a tipping point. Advances in science and technology are combining with legislative and regulatory changes to catapult the country into a new era where Americans will…
Record attendance expected for Food Safety Summit in Chicago
CHICAGO — Organizers are expecting the 18th annual Food Safety Summit this week to be a record breaker as attendees and exhibitors focus on looming compliance dates for food companies that are subject to new rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. The conference and trade show at the Stephens Convention Center opened…
FDA Finalizes FSMA Produce Safety Rule, Food Import Rules
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalized the next three major rules of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The rules establish enforceable safety standards for produce farms, make importers accountable for verifying that imported food meets U.S. safety standards, and establish a program for the accreditation of third-party certification bodies, also known…
FDA Tells Senate Subcommittee Full Funding is ‘Absolutely Critical’ for FSMA Success
It’s an oft-heard statement from officials at the Food and Drug Administration: The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requires sufficient funding allocated by Congress in order to be a success. The testimony that Acting FDA Commissioner Stephen Ostroff and Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine Michael Taylor gave before the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee…
FDA Finalizes FSMA Preventive Controls Rules For Human, Animal Foods
Four-and-a-half years after the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law, the first two major rules have been finalized. On Aug. 31, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials announced that they had submitted the final rules on preventive controls in human and animal food to the Federal Register as required by the …
House Appropriations Gives FSMA $41.5-Million Increase
The House Appropriations Committee has allocated a $41.5-million increase for the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety activities for fiscal year 2016, but it’s less than half of what President Obama’s budget requested. Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) said Thursday in his opening remarks before the subcommittee’s markup of the draft appropriations bill that…
In Response to Michael Taylor
(This article by Roy Costa, a registered sanitarian and president of the consulting firm Environ Health Associates Inc., was originally posted here on May 22, 2015.) I appreciate Michael Taylor’s comments in the recent article (“Blue Bell and the Very Real Impact of the Food Safety Modernization Act”) posted on Food Safety News…
Taylor Says FDA is Working to Improve Consumer Confidence in GRAS
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is studying the regulatory comment submitted by consumer groups two weeks ago, suggesting that its rule for the process of determining food substances as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) be altered before it’s finalized. During last week’s Food Safety Summit in Baltimore, Michael Taylor, FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Foods…