Eleven organizations that work closely with the Food and Drug Administration are asking bipartisan congressional leaders to work with them on “several pressing food safety issues this year.”

The eleven who’ve written congressional leaders include:

–Steven Mandernach, Executive Director, Association of Food and Drug Officials
–Donna Garren, Executive Vice President

Continue Reading Food safety groups pitch congressional leaders on the inside game

Leaders from a group of consumer and industry organizations were unanimous yesterday in condemning FDA Commissioner Robert Califf for his plan to restructure the agency.

To a person, the leaders said they were disappointed with Califf’s plan, which he said a month ago and again yesterday would include the creation

Continue Reading Neither consumer groups nor industry representatives believe FDA plan will work

– OPINION –

ROSEMONT, IL — Food Safety News is an attendee, exhibitor, and panel sponsor at the Food  Safety Summit now underway at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL

The panel we sponsored Tuesday was titled “Effectively Communicating with the Regulatory Community.”  It featured two
Continue Reading Letter From The Editor: Our panelists say ‘get to know’ your regulator

By Steven Mandernach

The Association of Food Officials (AFDO) retail industry partners are invited to participate in the Environmental Sampling Workshop training course at the 2022 Food Safety Summit.

The course is designed to teach environmental sampling approaches in retail food establishments for outbreak investigations including hands-on practical exercises. Sampling
Continue Reading Food Safety Summit includes environmental sampling training course

– OPINION –

Budget woes are part of so-called normal life right now, especially for individuals and small businesses. Public entities such as school districts are also having trouble making ends meet. In addition to keeping the lights on, finding enough employees to fill open positions is another challenge related
Continue Reading Beach Beat: We need food safety boots on the ground and we need them right now

Companies serving different segments of the food supply chain faced chaotic weeks early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but regardless of those challenges, mandates for food safety and product quality did not change.

Representatives of foodservice, retail and an industry association talked about their pandemic experiences and the difficulty in responding
Continue Reading Food companies navigate COVID-19 crisis through flexibility

Opinion

Editor’s note: Steven Mandernach, AFDO executive director, presented these comments on the organization’s salmonella position earlier this fall.

Let me start by thanking Under Secretary Dr. Mindy Brashears and FSIS (USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service) for the opportunity to provide comment on this important topic.

The Association of
Continue Reading Food and drug officials weigh in on federal Salmonella rules for poultry

ROSEMONT, IL — Yesterday’s Food Safety Summit’s annual Town Hall Q&A featured top regulators and agency leaders from FDA, USDA, AFDO and CDC. They talked about their agency’s work during the past year, with a special focus on how their work has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frank Yiannas

Continue Reading Leaders speak about how their agencies have responded in the wake of the pandemic