Regulatory requirements change, as do agency priorities for enforcing those requirements. That’s why it’s a good idea to build frequent checks and re-checks into safety procedures and annual reviews.

Under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), food facilities that manufacture, process, pack or store food for distribution in the United States are required to renew their FDA registrations between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31.

Alchemy Systems in partnership with the Campden BRI, UK; SQF Institute, Arlington, Va.; British Retail Consortium, UK; SGS, Switzerland; and TSI, Inc., Shoreview, Minn., released the results of a global survey of food companies’ food safety training practices and challenges.

Xgenex LLC, a Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.-based biotechnology company, entered into a commercial agreement with Food Safety Resource, LLC, a California-based developer of “Applications” software, to commercialize software for the produce industry.

User error can result in food recalls. But, the increase in recalls by the USDA FSIS can be attributed to two factors—misbranding and producing without the benefit of inspection.

A major fallacy concerning food recalls is that the food industry is producing less safe food. In reality, the food being produced today is safer than it has historically been.

A review of reports from U.S. and Canadian regulatory agencies revealed that the majority of food recalls are due to undeclared allergens and microbial hazards. And, sometimes, increased regulation can actually lead to more recalls.

The Global ID Group formed the Food Quality Alliance, a consortium of proven leaders in food safety and quality working together to provide a single source of over 40 essential testing, training and certification services.