Blog Articles

The horrific headlines say it all as the latest E. coli outbreak in the United States is leading to heartache and a rush for some major chains to pull onions from their menus.

While most of America took at least a little time off this summer, there is no vacation break for governmental agencies such as the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and their roles as watchdogs for the consumer.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Food Safety Alert on Aug. 8, 2024, for a Listeria outbreak linked to meats sliced at delis that has sickened consumers across 13 states with three deaths.

The Listeria outbreak originated with Boar’s Head Reay-to-Eat Liverwurst products produced between June 11 and July 17, 2024, with a 44-day shelf life. The “Boar’s Head Strassburger Brand Liverwurst made in Virginia” product comes in 3.5 pound loaves in plastic casing, or various weight packages sliced in retail delis.

Consumers are being advised to not buy, eat, sell, or serve recalled cinnamon applesauce pouch products because they may contain lead and chromium, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While all business is risky – Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that 20 percent of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 45 percent during the first five years, and 65 percent during the first 10 years -- Food Safety magazine highlighted in January 2024 that the crucial food and beverage industry faces a number of inherent risks.

A large food recall, such as the Quaker recall of specific granola bars and granola cereals in December and January across all 50 states and beyond, can be a logistical nightmare.

Fortunately for food wholesale distributors and retailers, cloud-based traceability technology such as FreshByte Software can help identify and recall contaminated products.

Since 1939, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has been helping consumers ensure the quality and authenticity of certain products through its Standards of Identity (SOI) for Food program.

Today, consumers can trust that everything from canned vegetables to jellies to fruit pies contains what the product says it presents thanks to SOIs – which are essentially an agreed-upon legal definition of what food actually is and was introduced as a means of consumer protection.

Listeria outbreak fears are in the news again this summer with frozen fruit recalls at Walmart, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Target, Aldi, and AWG.

Inventory management is important in every sector of the economy, but when it comes to the food industry, the proper inventory software in place can help manage supply chain logistics, ensure the timely delivery of perishables, and most importantly, safeguard consumers with beginning-to-end traceability.

Fast food restaurant chain Wendy’s has taken the precautionary measure to remove romaine lettuce being used in burgers and sandwiches across six states after an E. coli outbreak.

“Investigators are continuing to collect different types of data to identify the food source of this multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections,” reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a September 1, 2022, update. “A specific food has not yet been confirmed as the source of this outbreak, but many sick people reported eating burgers and sandwiches with romaine lettuce at Wendy’s restaurants before getting sick.”