There were some very interesting changes in food and beverage recall trends for Q4 2017. Most notably is that although undeclared allerge… … Continue readingChanges in Recall Trends Spark Some Interesting Lessons and Questions

In our last newsletter we talked about FDA testing of spices and some concerns for spice users.   In this week’s newsletter we are contin… … Continue readingYour Fresh Herbs and Avocado Products May Be Part of FDA’s Increased Sampling

For many years, spices have been known to be a high-risk food in relation to the likelihood of microbial contamination. In a simplistic w… … Continue readingIf You Use or Sell Spices Watch Out! FDA Radar for Preventive Controls

With the rollout of numerous guidance documents related to FSMA and other regulations, the question often arises with our clients as to w… … Continue readingFDA Guidance: Do I Have to Comply?

Depending on your stance, importing food into the U.S. has just gotten simpler … or more complex. That is, FDA’s January launch of FSMA… … Continue readingVQIP Now Live – What Does It Mean to You?

I have always been an advocate of a single food safety agency – but also very realistic in recognizing that it will probably never happen… … Continue readingThe FDA/USDA Cooperative Agreement: A Step Toward a Single Agency?

Many of our clients had their recent holiday festivities interrupted by the “E. coli in Romaine” challenges that emerged at the end of De… … Continue readingFDA, CDC Keep Consumers Guessing in E. coli Outbreak

A few weeks ago, we got our first call from an importer who had received a 483 from FDA for lack of compliance with FSMA’s FSVP. There wa… … Continue readingSecond Set of FSVP Compliance Dates Looming

Over the last year, we have written a number of articles about environmental monitoring and controls, including our recent 2017 predictio… … Continue readingWhy Paying Attention to your Environmental Control Program is so Important

In June 2016, FDA received an “early alert” memorandum from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on its lack of an efficient, effect… … Continue reading2018: New Expectations for Recall Speed and Documentation