Fight for Food Safety

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On Tuesday, April 25, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a proposal that, if adopted, would declare Salmonella an adulterant in breaded stuffed raw chicken products, even at very low levels of contamination.

The FDA completes its first pre-market consultation for a human food made from cultured animal cells.

USDA efforts to address market consolidation and food security could hold food safety implications.

The continuing decline in the number of recalls suggests the industry is doing a better overall job producing safe food.

When it comes to pathogen control in raw beef products, a lot has changed over the past 20 years. 

Over the last two years, the food industry has been put to the ultimate agility test. The effects of COVID-19 have placed incredible strain on food companies, their overall operations and their employees.

Over the last two decades, undeclared allergens have accounted for nearly 45% of all food product recalls. 

With the Presidential election behind us, the new Biden Administration continues to fill key food safety and policy positions within USDA and FDA. To date, however, we have not yet witnessed the rollout of any significant new food safety or regulatory policy announcements. 

As a food industry lawyer, I like to closely track recalls of U.S. Department of Agriculture-regulated products. Each year, I watch with interest (and, sometimes, bewilderment) as a continuous stream of recalls float by. The reasons for recalls can vary wildly, involving issues ranging from the unavoidable presence of pathogens to the very avoidable presence of hydraulic fluid.