Coral Beach, formerly of The Packer, is the new managing editor of Food Safety News. She succeeds Cathy Siegner, who left us in December to become a project director for Ballotepedia. Also moving on at year-end was Lydia Zuraw, our Washington D.C. correspondent for the past two and half years. She has…
FDA Seeks to Mesh Public and Private Food Safety Accountability
(This article by Tom Karst, national editor of The Packer, was first published Oct. 19, 2014, and is reposted here with his permission.) ANAHEIM, CA—The last word on food safety regulations for the produce industry won’t be written next year, even though the Food and Drug and Administration (FDA) has committed to publish final…
Food Safety Regulations Will Change Industry, Brackett Says
(This article by Tom Karst, national editor of The Packer, was first published Aug. 26, 2014, and is reposted here with permission.) The U.S. Food and Drug and Administration’s new food safety regulations aren’t the only changes facing fresh produce marketers, but the coming rules likely will be the most far-reaching, Robert Brackett believes.…
FDA ‘High-Risk’ Designation Would be a Recipe for Disaster
(This May 23, 2014, opinion column by Tom Karst, national editor of The Packer, is republished here with permission.) Is there any way to overcome the distinction of being tabbed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a “high-risk” food? Perhaps one fanciful marketing tack to consumers would go something like this: “Sure,…
Cantaloupe at the Crossroads
The unwritten rule in the produce industry is that a company should not market its product as safer than a competitor’s. The thinking is that once consumers get it in their heads that a fruit or vegetable is more safe, that means another is less safe, and then maybe they’ll avoid the commodity or category…