Tremendous progress has been made in providing consumers with food that is consistently safe. Credit for this success is shared among industry, innovators, researchers, public-health surveillance and regulators (yes, regulators most certainly deserve a piece of the credit).

Good hygiene practices with conveyors can keep meat products pathogen-free.

Clean-in-place and open-plant-cleaning systems still grapple with food safety, environmental issues, water costs and availability, and energy costs.

Small steps prevent big pest problems.

Although Maple Leaf Foods has always been committed to food safety, the deadly 2008 listeriosis outbreak traced back to some of its products forced the company to adopt more rigorous food-safety processes.

How federal traceability legislation may impact the food supply chain.

Like the proverbial lineman whose number is only called when he commits a penalty, industry seldom gets any accolades for its efforts to produce safe food.

Escherichia coli comes in many different forms — far too many, in fact, to list here. Most are completely harmless. E. coli occurs naturally in human beings and is known to aid our digestive system. The most dangerous strains, those that cause the well-known symptomatology (including bloody diarrhea and kidney failure) in humans, produce Shiga toxins. These are referred to as Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia Coli (EHECs).

Metal detectors have long been famous at airport security checkpoints for their ability to keep unwanted objects off planes. Now X-ray scanners at airports have brought X-ray technology to the forefront of the public’s eye for their accurate ability to identify more materials that could be concealed.

Due to an unexpected sudden thaw this winter in Canada, I was faced with a deluge of water from my roof. Unfortunately I had not properly secured the down pipe to the eaves during the summer, and consequently water was pouring onto my driveway instead of being safely carried away into my neighbor’s garden.