The demand for organic products is on the rise, despite higher prices, according to a recent report from the TABS Group, Inc. The Annual Organic Product Study for 2011 showed an estimated 15-20% growth in sales for organics products, for both foods and cosmetics. The research showed that consumers 40 and under purchase more organic products than older consumers, even though the younger demographic has less disposable income to absorb the higher price points commanded by organic products. This trend indicates sales in organic goods are … READ MORE

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last week that it will not ban BPA, the on-again off-again controversial chemical used in a variety of food packaging applications.  This announcement from FDA is the most recent in a long string of protests, promises, and petitions.  This time, FDA issued a slightly anti-climactic, “it appears safe but we still don’t know.”  When BPA issues were first raised by consumers, FDA initially claimed that they could not regulate it and essentially absolved themselves from ongoing participation in the … READ MORE

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Technology is central to the success (or even existence) of FDA’s food tracking and tracing pilot currently underway as part of FSMA’s new authority grant to the Agency.  If you have not read our first blog about the pilot conducted by FDA and IFT please read that here now.  What the statute accurately communicates but vastly underestimates is the difficulty and scale of the role of technology in the successful development of the program.   Sec. 204 2(B) of FSMA states that FDA … READ MORE

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently unveiled a new pilot program studying tracking and tracing technologies for high-risk foods. The pilot is contemplated in Sec. 204 of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), a legislative initiative aiming at reducing foodborne outbreaks and increasing the FDA’s ability to quickly identify and report outbreaks to the American public. In a post on the FDA’s Transparency Blog, Sherri McGarry, Senior Adviser, Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation Network Office of Foods at FDA, communicated her view of the importance of this pilot; “When a foodborne outbreak occurs, it is up to … READ MORE

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Recent statements from the CDC regarding food safety trends and statistics have been wildly reductionist and inconclusive. But they do provide us with hints about the future direction of federal government thinking with respect to managing food safety risks: Food tracking and supply chain tracing.

Enter the Digital Database Savior

“We need better – and more – information about what foods are causing outbreaks and where those foods are coming from,” said Hannah Gould, CDC epidemiologist, in a recent presentation. “Knowing more … READ MORE

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