Protecting Consumers through New Regulations, Inspection, and Verification under the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act

Author(s):  
Chris Waldrop
Keyword(s):  
2007 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 582-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
PATRICIA L. WHITE ◽  
ALECIA L. NAUGLE ◽  
CHARLENE R. JACKSON ◽  
PAULA J. FEDORKA-CRAY ◽  
BONNIE E. ROSE ◽  
...  

The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) tests for Salmonella in meat, poultry, and egg products through three regulatory testing programs: the Pathogen Reduction–Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (PR-HACCP) program, the ready-to-eat program for meat and poultry products, and the pasteurized egg products program. From 1998 through 2003, 293,938 samples collected for these testing programs were analyzed for the presence of Salmonella enterica serotypes. Of these samples, 12,699 (4.3%) were positive for Salmonella, and 167 (1.3%) of the positive samples (0.06% of all samples) contained Salmonella Enteritidis. The highest incidence of Salmonella Enteritidis was observed in ground chicken PR-HACCP samples (8 of 1,722 samples, 0.46%), and the lowest was found in steer-heifer PR-HACCP samples (0 of 12,835 samples). Salmonella Enteritidis isolates were characterized by phage type, pulsed-field gel electrophoretic pattern, and antimicrobial susceptibility. Phage typing of 94 Salmonella Enteritidis isolates identified PT13 (39 isolates) and PT8 (36 isolates) as the most common types. One isolate from a ready-to-eat ham product was characterized as PT4. Electrophoretic analysis of 148 Salmonella Enteritidis isolates indicated genetic diversity among the isolates, with 28 unique XbaI electrophoretic patterns identified. Of these 148 isolates, 136 (92%) were susceptible to each of 16 antimicrobials tested. Two isolates were resistant to ampicillin alone, and 10 isolates were resistant to two or more antimicrobials. Isolation of Salmonella Enteritidis from FSIS-regulated products emphasizes the need for continued consumer education on proper food handling and cooking practices and continued work to decrease the prevalence of Salmonella in meat, poultry, and pasteurized egg products.


F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 1422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin McKernan ◽  
Jessica Spangler ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Vasisht Tadigotla ◽  
Yvonne Helbert ◽  
...  

The Center for Disease Control estimates 128,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized annually due to food borne illnesses. This has created a demand for food safety testing targeting the detection of pathogenic mold and bacteria on agricultural products. This risk extends to medicalCannabisand is of particular concern with inhaled, vaporized and even concentratedCannabisproducts.As a result, third party microbial testing has become a regulatory requirement in the medical and recreationalCannabismarkets, yet knowledge of theCannabismicrobiome is limited. Here we describe the first next generation sequencing survey of the fungal communities found in dispensary basedCannabisflowers by ITS2 sequencing, and demonstrate the sensitive detection of several toxigenicPenicilliumandAspergillusspecies, includingP. citrinum and P. paxilli,that were not detected by one or more culture-based methods currently in use for safety testing.


2011 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Arnade ◽  
Fred Kuchler ◽  
Linda Calvin

We estimate an error correction model representing demand for leafy green vegetables but generalize the structure to allow for adjustment to one conspicuous shock. We investigate whether the adjustment rate to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) 2006 warning that fresh spinach was contaminated with deadly bacteria was distinct from the overall adjustment rate. Our model allows consumers to correct both for past errors and for any errors in their reaction to the shock. This method yields an estimate of the adjustment rate to the policy shock and points to an improved estimate of the duration of policy impacts.


2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 731-741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco A. Palma ◽  
Luis A. Ribera ◽  
David Bessler ◽  
Mechel Paggi ◽  
Ronald D. Knutson

This study investigates the potential impacts of food safety outbreaks on domestic shipments, imports, and prices of the produce industry. Three case studies were analyzed to assess these potential impacts: the cantaloupe outbreak of March–April 2008, the spinach outbreak of September 2006, and the tomato outbreak of June–July 2008. Data-determined historical decompositions were conducted to provide a weekly picture of domestic shipment, import, and price fluctuation transmissions. The empirical analysis based on a vector autoregression (VAR) model showed differences in the results depending on the source of the outbreak (domestic vs. imported).


1990 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 838-841
Author(s):  
James D Macneil ◽  
John R Patterson ◽  
Adrian C Fesser ◽  
Valerie K Martz

Abstract Analytical methods for pentachlorophenol (PCP) residues In edible animal tissue have been reviewed, with particular reference to gas chromatographic methods of analysis. Results of analyses demonstrate that significant residues of PCP can persist for several weeks In animals exposed to contaminated bedding. National surveys In Canada have found that the incidence of PCP residues In pork in excess of 0.1 ppm was reduced from 32% of survey samples In 1981- 1982 to 6.6% of samples tested In 1987-1988. An Interlaboratory sample exchange among Canadian laboratories demonstrated that the PCP analytical method currently used by Agriculture Canada could be successfully transferred to other laboratories. An exchange of samples between regulatory laboratories of Agriculture Canada and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) demonstrated equivalency of results for the 2 methods currently used in the respective laboratories, with relative standard deviations for analytical results ranging from 4.4 to 22.2%.


2020 ◽  
Vol 83 (12) ◽  
pp. 2095-2101
Author(s):  
JIANBIN YU ◽  
NEAL H. HOOKER

ABSTRACT In August 2008, the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a new policy that required publication of a list of retail consignees for the meat and poultry products part of class I recalls, those with the greatest potential impact on public health. In this study, two recall effectiveness measures (recovery rate and completion time) and a difference-in-difference method were used to examine the effects of retailer disclosures. When controlling for factors previously determined to impact recall effectiveness, including product type, reasons for recall, the amount of food recalled, plant size, and the way the problem was discovered, no significant impact on recall effectiveness was discerned under the current disclosure policy. Recalls for bacterial contamination had higher recovery rates. Larger recalls had lower recovery rates and longer completion times. Recalls issued by very small plants had lower recovery rates. Compared with other stakeholders, government agency discovery of the problem was associated with lower recovery rates. As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers a similar retailer disclosure policy for foods regulated under the Food Safety Modernization Act, such lessons from the USDA experience should inform the policy debate. HIGHLIGHTS


2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 402-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Bovay ◽  
Daniel A Sumner
Keyword(s):  

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