The categories of food for which food safety concerns are examined include beverages; dairy and eggs; ingredients; meat and poultry; natural and organic; fresh produce; ready-to-eat (RTE); refrigerated and frozen; seafood and shellfish; plant-based; and alternative proteins.
Alternative proteins encompass lab-cultivated, cell-based meat, dairy, and seafood, as well as novel methods of producing proteins (e.g., upcycling carbon dioxide).
Meat and poultry safety focuses on the slaughter and processing hygiene of cattle, pork, ruminants, and other mammals used as food, as well as chicken, turkey, duck, and other avian species.
Natural and organic products contain no artificial ingredients or added colors, and are minimally processed or processed in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the product.
The ready-to-eat (RTE) category includes foods that are assembled from ingredients into fully prepared meals that do not require cooking, chilling, or other preparation prior to consumption.
Refrigerated foods are temperature control dependent and remain fresh between 35 °F and 38°F (1.7 °C and 3.3 °C) for a specified length of time. Frozen foods are prepared or processed fresh and then frozen for future consumption.
Seafood includes all commercially captured or farmed freshwater and saltwater fish, molluscan shellfish, and crustaceans. Seafood and shellfish food safety is characterized by a special set of HACCP rules.
A recent study found high levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among Escherichia coli on raw chicken meat sold at retail in the UK, as well as in chicken-based raw dog food samples—with almost half of samples resistant to critically important antibiotics.
A recent study comparing the presence of chemical contaminants in conventionally and hydroponically grown produce found pesticide residues and toxic heavy metals in a larger number of conventional samples than in hydroponic samples. Phthalate levels were consistent between conventional and hydroponic samples.
On May 20, 2024 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold an informational webinar about the recently published Agricultural Water Final Rule.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed Senate Bill 1084 into law, becoming the first U.S. state to ban the sale of cell-based meat (also known as “cultivated” or “lab-grown” meat).
An EU project that monitors contaminants in important Mediterranean fishing regions/seafood species has discovered concerning levels of microplastics in the guts and stomachs of some fish.
Researchers at NC State University compared poultry broiler farms of various sizes and found higher rates of Salmonella at large commercial operations than at small backyard farms; however, multidrug-resistant Salmonella were found in samples from both types of farm.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published the long-anticipated Preharvest Agricultural Water Final Rule, fulfilling Subpart E of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has granted its first positive safety assessment under novel foods regulations to a cannabidiol (CBD) product intended for use as a novel food supplement.
While stressing that the U.S. meat supply is safe, USDA has revealed that it is testing ground beef at retail for the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1—also known as “bird flu”—in light of the ongoing outbreak among cattle.
The Alabama House of Representatives recently passed Senate Bill 23 banning the production or sale of cell-based meat products in the state. The bill has been returned to the Senate for concurrence.