The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) continues to work on behalf of frozen food manufacturers to address the control and prevention of Listeria Monocytogenes (Lm). On Friday, July 8, 2022, AFFI sent an update on this subject to all members prompted by an outbreak of Lm in Florida over the July 4th holiday believed to …
Continue reading “AFFI’s Continued Efforts on Alternative Approach to Listeria Monocytogenes”
On June 21st, we officially welcomed summer – a season of picnics, barbeques, and outdoor eating. While camping, hiking trips and family vacations abound so does the chance for foodborne illness to occur if proper food safety guidelines are not followed. Warm weather is the perfect breeding ground for foodborne bacteria to multiply rapidly, thus …
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The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was created to ensure a safe food supply in the United States using specific measures which include the FDA’s authority to mandate additional preventive controls to this end. Such preventative standards are applicable to both foreign and domestic food growers, manufacturers, processors, and packers. For example, the preventive …
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The third installment of FDA’s new podcast series on technology and food safety focused on AI (artificial intelligence) and its potential to advance food safety. It was hosted by Frank Yiannis, Deputy FDA Commissioner for Food Policy and Response and Donald Prater, Associate Commissioner for Imported Food Safety. The experts were Maria Velissarou, Global Corporate …
It all began in 1906 with a book called The Jungle written by Upton Sinclair. Sinclair was a known “progressive” in those days and wrote his book, “The Jungle” to expose the appalling working conditions and plight of the immigrant workers in the meat-packing plants and stockyards in Chicago. At the age of 26, he …
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Foodborne illness is a common occurrence. It is estimated that one in six Americans get sick from contaminated food or beverages annually and 3,000 die from it. The USDA estimates that foodborne illnesses cost the United States more than $15.6 billion each year and the irony is that such illnesses are preventable. The CDC (Center …
Bioengineered Foods are those “that contain detectable genetic material that has been modified through in vitro recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) techniques and for which the modification could not otherwise be obtained through conventional breeding or found in nature.” You may have seen the terms GMO (genetically modified organism) or Genetic Engineering used for marketing reasons …
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What you need to know about Listeria Monocytogenes Foods that are contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes often look perfectly good to eat. In other words, they may not be spoiled or have an “off” smell, yet those who eat such foods could be at high risk of serious infection. If you feel you have eaten any …
Continue reading “As Listeria Outbreaks Continue AFFI Offers Listeria Control Certification”
There’s no doubt about it. Over the past five years the food delivery market has experienced significant growth. Door Dash and Uber Eats are now household names here in America. China, the U.S., and the U.K are the three largest users of food delivery and in Europe it is primarily popular in Germany, Italy, and …
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It’s so easy these days to have our food delivered from a local grocery store or restaurant. During the recent covid pandemic, more and more consumers have began to rely on home-delivery services like Doordash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats rather than eating out or shopping for their weekly food supplies. Yet, 18% of consumers still …
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A recent report on Front-of-Package (FOP) Food Labelling, from the Global Food Research Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is well-worth the study of anyone involved in the food industry today. Here are a few highlights of the report: Unhealthy changes in the foods we eat: An estimated 650 million adults worldwide live …
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The Listeria Control Specialist Certificate is designed for food safety management in food manufacturing facilities whose responsibilities include preparation, production, packing and warehousing. Once the 5-course certificate program is completed, you will be formally recognized as an “expert” designated to control Listeria Monocytogenes (Lm) within your facility. These five online courses are focused on review …
The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) in July of 2020 approved new voluntary recommended practices for food safety labeling for not-ready-to eat (NRTE) frozen foods. AFFI urges all companies to update their packaging to reflect these changes. Many consumers consider frozen foods as RTE (ready-to-eat) and thus do not follow cooking instructions on the packaging …
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If you export food and/or beverages to China, take note of the new rules recently announced by China. AFFI has provided a synopsis of the two decrees – Decree 248 and 249 from Hogan Lovells. Basically, all overseas food manufacturers, processors and storage facilities must be registered with the GACC – General Administration of Customs …
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Reprinted from fda.gov – CFSCAN Constituent Updates On May 10, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) opened the FSVP Importer Portal for FSVP Records Submission (Portal) for importers of human and animal and human food into the U.S. The FDA established the Portal to serve as a dedicated, streamlined way for importers to submit FSVP records electronically …
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The FDA requires that facilities provide a UFI (Unique Facility Identifier) that is recognized as acceptable by the FDA when you submit your food facility registration or renewal in the Food Facility Registration Module (FFRM). The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition has recently updated the guidance on compliance. This latest guidance supersedes the …
The FDA is hard at work in collaborative efforts with the Mexican government and food producers of Mexico in order to strengthen food safety measures. And it’s no wonder since “about one-third of all agency-regulated human food imported into the U.S. is from Mexico, including 60% of our fresh-produce imports.” The agencies in Mexico responsible …
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If China has nothing to hide, why do Chinese scientists continue to refuse to share data that could shed light on the origin of the coronavirus? Recently, a group of independent investigators visited Wuhan, China on behalf of the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) in an effort to learn more about the early days of the …
One of the most important and necessary focuses for food manufacturers in 2021 is their commitment to a strong food safety culture. This has become even more evident due to the challenges faced during this covid-19 pandemic. Food Safety Culture has been included in the most recent standards of the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) …
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“COVID19 did not start in central China’s Wuhan but may come through imported frozen food and packaging” experts said on November 24th Facebook post by the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily. It is clear from this statement and a recent stepped-up media campaign by the Chinese government that they will do whatever is necessary …