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This past December, FSIS and FDA jointly hosted a two-day public conference regarding Improving Product Tracing of Foods: More Rapid Outbreak Response.

While opening the conference, Jerold Mande, Deputy Undersecretary for Food Safety, called product traceability one of the most pressing challenges in food safety today. And, although the goal in any outbreak investigation to quickly identify and stop emerging outbreaks, Mande recognized that “finding solutions to increase the speed and accuracy of product tracing” will be very “difficult.”

FSIS held a second public meeting on product tracing in March (FSIS Product Tracing Related to E. coli O157:H7), specifically focused on two issues: (1) Agency procedures for identifying suppliers of source material used to produced raw beef product that FSIS has found positive for E. coli O157:H7; and (2) additional verification activities the Agency will conduct at suppliers’ facilities in response to positive E. coli O157:H7 results.

Obviously, the traceability issue is heating up, and everyone from farmers to packers to processors to retailers should keep abreast. Meat and Poultry B2B Data Standards Organization (mpXML) and GS1 US recently released a new guide for implementing product traceback minimum requirements and best practices. These materials are intended to supply all members of the U.S. meat and poultry industry, regardless of size, with enhanced guidance for tracing:

• Trading partners (your suppliers, your own company, your customers, 3rd party carriers);

• Trading locations (any physical location such as a warehouse, packing line, storage facility, receiving dock or store);

• The products your company uses or creates;

• The logistics units your company receives or ships; and

• Inbound and outbound shipments.

The guide was developed with meat and poultry suppliers, retailers and trade associations, and the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service.

Many industry stakeholders, including Costco, Perdue, Safeway, Tyson, Walmart, the American Meat Institute, and the National Chicken Council participated in the development. Doug Bailey, chief information officer of the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, commented on the guide: “We view traceability as a component of an orderly marketing system, and this guide is a great example of industry collaboration to standardize the business processes that relate to traceability.”

As noted by Mande, traceability remains a “pressing” and “difficult” issue for all segments of the food industry. It is on the President’s agenda, the USDA’s agenda, and it impacts consumer confidence and health.  For this reason, you may find the new guidance materials helpful as you work to supplement or enhance your own internal practices.

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Many of the new technologies developed by meat and poultry processors must first be reviewed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (“FSIS”) prior to implementation.

Processors are required to submit a written description to the FSIS of any new technology that could affect: (1) product safety; (2) inspection procedures; (3) inspection program personnel safety: or (4) would require changing existing regulations. FSIS, following its review of the processors’ submission, either notifies the processor that it has “no objection” to application of the new technology, or that it has concerns and will require additional information prior to any use of the new science. (See Guidance Procedures for Notification and Protocol Submission of New Technology).

FSIS has acknowledged that many “new technologies have resulted in significant improvements in the safety of meat and poultry in recent years.” The Agency also believes there will be even greater use and benefit from such technologies if they can also be shared with the public and industry. Therefore, FSIS makes available to the public a list of new technologies to which the Agency had no objections.

The FSIS New Technology Information Table contains a brief description of the technologies and names the companies which pioneered them. The list was just updated and contains all new technologies approved within the last 12 months.

If you have not yet added the New Technology Information Table to your “Favorites”, please do so. Meat and poultry processors are investing millions of dollars each year on the issue of food safety alone.

We, of course, can all gain by sharing and remaining abreast of food safety innovation.

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The Food Marketing Institute (FMI), in collaboration with Ecolab, has developed and released a new Norovirus Information Guide for industry.

As drafted, the Guide is intended to provide assistance to all types of food establishments in preparing for, and then reacting to, a potential Norovirus incident. Click on the following link to download a copy of the FMI Norovirus Guide.

Several FMI Food Protection Committee members actively participated in its development along with other professionals throughout the industry, academia and the regulatory arena.

With their collective input, direction and expert review, the FMI document reflects the most current Norovirus guidance for the food industry.

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Over the years, I have sampled numerous street food offerings in various cities throughout the U.S. More recently, I have been intrigued by news that certain street foods are both “going gourmet” and growing in popularity.

A few weeks ago, the Chicago Tribune reported on a new movement (spearheaded by gourmet chef Matt Maroni) to greatly expand Chicago’s street food scene (“Chef hopes to change Chicago laws barring gourmet food trucks”).

Unlike many other major cities, Chicago’s ordinances currently permit only pre-prepared and packaged foods to be sold on the street (i.e. hot dogs and popcorn). This is because there can be numerous potential hazards associated with the preparation of foods in mobile food trucks or stands. These include:

• If a food truck or stand is not parked close enough to a bathroom with a hand washing station, the food preparers could themselves contaminate food;

• If the food truck or stand runs low or runs out of potable water (which the truck itself must store in a tank), hands, utensils, equipment and food preparation areas may not be properly washed and sanitized;

• There is the potential for the truck’s power source to inadequately maintain hot and cold temperatures (especially during the heat of summer); and

• There is the potential for cross-contamination between foods such as raw meat and produce due to the limited storage and preparation space.

Recognizing the growing public interest in gourmet street food, however, chef Maroni is hoping to amend the regulations to allow preparation of fresh food made-to-order in a mobile food truck (i.e. flatbread stuffed with braised lamb, marinated tomatoes and a curry tzatziki).

In the amended ordinance he has proposed, Maroni does tackle the potential food safety concerns. And Elizabeth Gomez, director of outreach for Chicago alderman Scott Waguespack, a proponent of the ordinance, said “[w]e are taking our time to make sure that we are addressing public health and safety concerns [and] to ensure that we create an ordinance that will be successful in Chicago." Better technology, as well as commitment to food safety, can also reduce the risks in mobile food trucks. New state-of-the-art food trucks were showcased at the National Restaurant Association’s recent show in Chicago.

So, while we absolutely need to ensure that food (wherever prepared) is prepared safely, I will be watching the new ordinances with curiosity. And, chef Maroni’s braised lamb sure sounds good…

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