When the topic is food safety, the first things that might come to mind for many are the farmers growing the food, the stores selling the food, and even the public health scientists who are
Continue Reading
Growers eye FDA’s Produce Safety Rule from ground level
The fresh produce industry is watching closely as enforceable requirements in the FDA’s Produce Safety Rule gradually come into play at ground level. The rule is one of seven the agency has drafted to implement
New dietary guidelines show potential conflict between safe and healthy
Time was that food and medicine were two different things. Food was for eating and medicine was for curing diseases. It was as simple as that. Take a look at the recently released 2015-2020 Dietary
Continue Reading
USDA to Expand Group Food Safety Certification for Small Growers
Farmers who want to sell their produce in certain markets, such as big-box stores, have to get certain food safety certifications, but not everyone can afford to scale up. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is
Continue Reading
Cyclospora and Unanswered Questions About Produce Safety
Anytime there is a massive outbreak involving produce, those of us tasked with produce safety should be asking the difficult questions about our prevention methods and why they failed. There are emerging trends apparent with
Continue Reading
Temperature Control: A Critical Food Safety Element
A critical element of food safety is maintaining proper temperatures from the field to the fork. In practical terms, this means keeping produce cold enough to inhibit pathogen growth or spoilage from the time it
Continue Reading
Letter From the Editor: They’re Not Thinking About It
Back from Portland, OR, where the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) annual meeting was held this year, it’s natural to be thinking about the big things. This time of year, one that comes to
Continue Reading
Current Issues in Produce Safety: Growing Areas
(This is Part 2A of a five-part series on produce safety by Roy E. Costa, R.S., M.S., a registered professional sanitarian and founder/owner of Environ Health Associates Inc. Part 1B was posted here on March
The Packinghouse: Safety and Uses of Process-Water
(This is Part 1B of a five-part series on produce safety by Roy E. Costa, R.S., M.S., a registered professional sanitarian and founder/owner of Environ Health Associates Inc. Part 1A was posted here on Feb.
Continue Reading
Current Issues in Produce Safety: The Packinghouse
(This is Part 1A of a five-part series on produce safety by Roy E. Costa, R.S., M.S., a registered professional sanitarian and founder/owner of Environ Health Associates Inc. The series introduction was posted here on
Continue Reading
Introduction: Current Issues in Produce Safety
(This is the introduction to a five-part series on produce safety by Roy E. Costa, R.S., M.S., a registered professional sanitarian and founder/owner of Environ Health Associates Inc. ) Many nutritional experts consider fresh fruits
Continue Reading