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Having been through dozens of meat and poultry processing plants during the 12+ years I’ve been writing about this industry, there is one thing I have never seen: an identical workforce.

I write this because in April of this year, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on a lawsuit environmental groups filed against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after the agency finalized a rule that provided a narrow exemption for reporting the low-level emission of ammonia from poultry houses under CERCLA and EPCRA.

I first met Dave Theno in 1989 at a Microbiology Advisory Committee meeting sponsored by the Secretary of Agriculture.

Wishful thinking — we all experience it. But, when it comes to food safety, there is no place for it.

Many times we fail to capitalize on sales opportunities because we are not prepared. A Christmas holiday season sales opportunity that many meat processors find to be very profitable is gift boxes.

Even with resources focused on filling vacant positions, fully staffed processing facilities are becoming rarities.

On June 19, the food industry lost a food-safety icon. Dave Theno, 66, unexpectedly died after being struck by a large wave while snorkeling with his grandson in Hawaii.

Listening is a skill that has to be mastered. It’s not the same thing as hearing. It’s hearing, comprehending, and responding to what was being said in the appropriate manner.

On July 3, 2017, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued FSIS Directive 8140.1 (Revision 1), “Notice of Receipt of Adulterated or Misbranded Product.”

So far this year, there have already been 33 recalls of FSIS-regulated products because they were misbranded or contained undeclared allergens.