As with any outbreak, the Jensen Farms Listeria outbreak last summer and fall, which sickened 148 people in 28 states and killed 30 people, probably could have been prevented if Jensen Farms had maintained its facilities in accordance with existing FDA guidance.
Illinois Institute of Technology's Institute for Food Safety and Health will coordinate a national food safety alliance designed to assist food processors with FSMA regulations.
Deliberate acts of sabotage can be more difficult to detect and prevent than bacterial threats to food. Food manufacturers now are bolstering their defenses against security threats.
A year after passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act, food companies await regulatory proposals for preventive controls and other requirements of the new law.
While food safety has been viewed as a non-competitive practice in the food industry, FDA’s limited funding will inevitably cause it to partner with other groups to satisfy the mandates of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), according to David Acheson in a recent Leavitt Partners blog. How FDA partners with third parties will vary depending on geographical location.
FSMA's effectiveness is questioned. President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) nearly a year ago, but whether the new law will be fully implemented anytime soon remains an open question.