DayMark Safety Dr. Ades Industry News - Highlights Spring 2009

GENERAL ISSUES
	The economy is issue number one
		Food companies and their suppliers are cutting costs Consumers are reacting accordingly and are "trading down."
			Types of food, types of restaurants (limited service sandwich restaurants growing)
FOOD INDUSTRY ISSUES
	With a new administration will come new players and changing priorities
		The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), an association of food, beverage and consumer product companies, has unveiled a number of recommendations on food safety and other topics for the incoming Obama administration and U.S. Congress.
			To permit mandatory recalls. The U.S. Health and Human Services secretary should be permitted to order a company to conduct a recall when th responsible party refuses to voluntarily recall a product for which there is a "reasonable probability that the food will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death." Require every food company selling food in the United States to conduct a food-safety risk analysis. This would identify potential sources for contamination and appropriate food-safety controls. Those controls should be documented in a food-safety plan. Require food importers to document the food safety controls being implemented by their foreign suppliers. Make a foreign-supplier food-safety plan available to the FDA.
FOOD SAFETY ISSUES
	Recalls
		Peanut butter recalls for peanut butter supplied for manufacturing and foodservice by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) processing facility in Blakely, Georgia . First identified by Minnesota Department of Health. Contaminated with salmonella.
			This product has been linked to illness in 474 people in 43 states, with salmonella a suspected factor in six deaths. Over 125 products have been recalled. Recall now includes peanut butter containing: cookies and crackers from Keebler, Austin, Hy-Vee and Little Debbie; baked goods from Walmart; ice cream from Perry’s, Cold Stone Creamery, and Kroger, pet food
		Allergens: The greatest number of recalls can be attributed to undeclared or mislabeled allergens
			Children with food allergies have increased 18% in the past decade. Three million children under the age of 18 have food allergies.
	Traceability
		Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)
			Government regulation that requires retailers to notify their customers of the country of origin of covered commodities. The include: muscle cuts of beef, lamb, chicken, goat and pork; ground beef, lamb, chicken, goat and pork; wild and farm raised fish and shellfish; perishable agricultural commodities(fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables);macadamia nuts; pecans; ginseng; and peanuts. Larger grocery stores are required to comply with these labeling rules; smaller establishments, as well as butchers, fish markets, restaurants, food stands and cafeterias are exempt Declarations can be printed directly or featured on a placard, sign, label, band, pin tag, sticker or twist tie.
		Produce Tracking
			Identified as a major issue when trying to trace the Salmonella outbreak that was thought to be tomatoes and is now believed to be peppers
	Globalization of the World’s Food Supply
		Auditing for Food Safety
			Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Established benchmark requirements for food safety auditing programs. Audits include: Safe Quality Foods (SQF), Dutch HACCP Standard, British Retail Consortium (BRC) and International Food Standard (IFS)
	Norovirus
		Continues to plague cruise ships

TOP FOOD STORIES IN 2008
	Rise in food prices around the world Melamine in Chinese food products Continued rise of E. coli O 157: H7 contamination in meat Salmonella outbreak in peppers Raw milk Listeria in Maple Leaf Deli meats Supermarkets and foodservice operations offering and using locally grown ood (especially produce) Undeclared allergens in food products account for the greatest number of food recalls Improper use of Microwave cooking can lead to food poisoning situations especilly if the consumer does not realize that the products are not already fully cooked Irradation of fresh iceberg lettuce and spinach approved by the FDA
Prepared by G&L Consulting Group, LLC, 479.696.8189, glades@cox.net