To better understand my piece on Rose Acre Farms, let me further clarify a few things. I am a sanitarian by training, I am not per se an expert in all aspects of poultry or egg production. I have a bias toward sanitation (the maintenance of healthful conditions) as a primary, or even the most
Food Safety & Environmental Health Blog
Blog Authors
Latest from Food Safety & Environmental Health Blog
Rose Acre Farms-Another Bad Actor, Or a Deeper Problem
By Roy Costa
The disgusting truth about industrial egg production is “it stinks”. Sanitation in such environments stretches the imagination when you think of a million birds trapped in cages in huge shed type structures called “laying houses” and the tons of fecal material produced daily.…
The Role of the “FSVP Importer” in FSMA
By Roy Costa
The Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) under FDA, was enacted in 2015 to require that foreign suppliers of food provide the same level of food protection for their food as provided by our public health system. This is needed, as outbreaks of foodborne illness continue to occur both in foreign and domestically sourced foods. Under…
Changing Dynamics in the Food Safety Industry
By Roy Costa
The food safety industry is diverse, encompassing everything from laboratories to auditors, trainers and consultants. The industry operators rely on such outsourced services for a variety of reasons, but having available expertise is key to the business relationships.…
FSMA Rules Being Phased In
By Roy Costa
In 2011 the Food Modernization Act or FSMA was passed into federal legislation. FDA The US Food and Drug Administration in response has published 7 rules that are destined to have significant impact on the food industry:…
Making Room for the Human Element in Food Safety Auditing
By Roy Costa
In today’s world of food safety requirements, food producers large and small and at all levels of the supply chain are subject to increasingly rigorous industry-driven food safety standards and audits. Third party audit standards have been revitalized by the all too apparent ineffectiveness of the way external parties verify food safety programs as brought…
Is the Food Industry Doing Enough to Control Allergen’s?
By Roy Costa
Widespread allergen exposures and the extent of the problem
A recent spat of food product recalls due to undeclared allergenic agents illustrates the problem the food industry has in preventing allergen exposures.
- Paleteria La Jalpita Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Milk And Sulfite In Ice Cream Bars And Popsicles
- The Popcorn Factory, Inc. Issues Allergy
…
In Response to Michael Taylor
By Roy Costa
In Response to: “Blue Bell and the Very Real Impact of the Food Safety Modernization Act” at Food Safety news
I appreciate Michael Taylor’s comments in the above article posted on Food Safety News and also believe that FSMA is a step in the right direction. The fact, however, is that companies around the globe…
Listeria monocytogenes Current Epidemic and Public Health Response
By Roy Costa
Listeria monocytogenes bacteria are very hardy infectious bacteria and widely distributed in nature, and very difficult to control. Listeria monocytogenes previously known to veterinary science as a pathogen of sheep, first came to light as a major foodborne agent when the largest and most deadly outbreaks in US history occurred in queso fresco cheese manufactured…
Process and Substance in Third Party Food Safety Audits
By Roy Costa
As the result of numerous national and international outbreaks of foodborne illness, food industries worldwide have come under increasing pressure to ensure that their products are safe, wholesome, and meet government standards. FDA and USDA have the primary authority for our food supply nationally, while individual states typically regulate local food operations through state and…