September 2020 Food News
Prepared by the Food Industry Employment Program
Happy Autumn!
Seriously though, how fast is 2020 going? I can't believe we are entering holiday season preparations and thinking about cooler weather and gifts and other holiday things.
I hope you are all right! I have been struggling with the pandemic and not getting to visit my family and friends. I did get a short vacation at the beginning of Sept. It was lovely to be with people and away from my apartment.
What does the rest of year bring for you and your food business? Are you planning for a big holiday season push? I know for many of you that we are coming into what is usually your busiest time of the year. Please let me know if I can support you in any way as you make sure your customers have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Book a free food safety chat as I would love to hear about your plans.
Now grab your beverage and snack of choice and catch up on the last month's food safety and food systems news.
Food Safety News
Recalls
While the onion and peach recalls I discussed in August's newsletter are still open and ongoing, they are drawing to a close, especially as peach season ends. Current recalls mostly concern allergens and mislabeling which is still risky for people who have food allergens.
Please make sure you have a policy of proofreading your labels and checking them for allergens. Book a call to discuss what your labeling SOP must contain.
Don't forget to check for hand sanitizer recalls too. I find it very worrying that there are still hand sanitizers being made and sold that are not safe!
FDA Traceability Guidelines
Earlier this week the FDA announced a new proposed rule for food traceability and is looking for suggestions as to what should be on the Food Traceability list. The purpose of this proposed rule is to help the FDA identify suppliers and recipients for food involved in a foodborne illness recall. This rule is available for public comment for 120 days after it was published to the Federal Register/
If you wish to discuss the implication of this proposed rule for your business, book a call today!
Food Safety Risk Factors
Over on my blog, I wrote about the CDC five foodborne illness risk factors.
In August I wrote about the importance of keeping food at a temperature out of the danger zone and also making sure food is processed to the correct temperature.
I finished the series in September writing about cross contamination, personnel hygiene and health, and safe food supply chains.
I hope you find this information helpful.
Food Systems News
The effect of COVID-19 on the food system is still a concern. OSHA fined Smithfield and JBS a combined fine of about $29,000 for their failures to protect their workers during the pandemic. At the Smithfield plant in Sioux Falls, S.D., 1,294 workers have tested positive for the coronavirus and four have died. At the JBS USA plant in Greeley, Colo., 290 have tested positive and six have died. Overall over 200 meat workers have died; many in meat packing facilities that haven't been fined.
The wildfires on the West coast are all affecting our food supply. Farmers and farmworkers are having to evacuate and/or harvest in smoky conditions. It's like we are being warned about preparing for something big happening in the future. Oh right, perhaps that is Climate Change or something.
Food Crumb
If you like what you read here, check out my daily Food Crumb which has short articles on food issues that catch my eye.
All the best,
Cathy