@Risk

Last week, Nestle announced that it will begin using heat-treated flour in the manufacture of its Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough.

This move came two days after routine testing found two samples of Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough manufactured at the company’s Danville, Virginia facility were contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. The finished product involved never left the factory or entered the supply chain. None was shipped, and no product is being recalled.

However, this new incident certainly serves as yet another wake-up call that more needs to be done to make this product –and by extension, the entire food supply –safe. (more…)

Increased globalization introduces new risks throughout every company’s supply chain –but the challenges are particularly formidable for food manufacturers and distributors.

As remarkable as it sounds, statistics from the U.S. government show that food illnesses now sicken one in four Americans and kill 5,000 each year.

Of course, the food industry suffers from these outbreaks, too, losing not only precious consumer confidence, but billions of dollars in sales and legal costs, as well.
New food safety standards, certifications, and industry guidelines are evolving, as are long overdue updates to food safety legislation.

But, what can companies do today to ensure the safety of their business and their consumers?

A new report from Deloitte deep dives into this issue and suggests companies follow a holistic approach to manage food safety risks. According to the report, this type of comprehensive approach involves three fundamental steps: (more…)

When asked to grade the safety of the nation’s food supply, most Americans in a recent CBS News poll gave the country a C (34 percent) or a B (33 percent). A mere 7 percent said they would grade the safety of the food supply with an A, while 18 percent responded with a D, and 6 percent with an F.

Even though the U.S. has one of the safest food supplies in the world, it’s clear that high-profile outbreaks of food-borne illness over the past decade have eroded public confidence –and for good reason. Outdated legislation and inconsistent regulation, coupled with supply chains grow that continue to expand in complexity and global reach, have created serious concerns about food supply safety.

More and more, grocery store shelves are stocked with food imported from other countries, but the vast majority of these products have not been inspected by the FDA.  As CBS News reports: (more…)

A risk assessment tool originally developed by the US military to identify areas that might be vulnerable to attack has been adapted to help farmers and food manufacturers assess and mitigate vulnerabilities in their production processes.

The software, called Agriculture CARVER + Shock, is now free and available online, thanks to the FDA and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  It evaluates potential vulnerabilities in the supply chains of different foods and food processes.

The FDA and APHIS partnered with Sandia National Laboratories to develop the special agriculture module, designed primarily for harvest and pre-harvest food production operations.

But, why is it called CARVER + Shock? The name is an acronym for the seven designated attributes for evaluation: (more…)

On Wednesday, a Senate committee unanimously approved a sweeping overhaul of the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety system.

The proposed legislation is similar to the measure passed by the House this summer, as it significantly increases the FDA’s regulatory powers and allows the agency to directly order a food recall, rather than merely requesting that a food manufacturer institute one. In addition, the Senate version of the bill includes whistle-blower protections, unspecified grants to states to improve food safety programs, and requirements for organic agricultural standards and other factors to be included in government food safety rules.

(more…)