Calling the “zero tolerance” approach a “significant impasse confronting the food industry,” Dr. Gumalla says that a more risk-based approach to regulating L. monocytogenes as laid out by the expert panel in a review published in October 2020 in the journal Food Control will “enhance food safety management and improve public health.” Among the risk-based approach recommendations are the use of alternate sampling approaches for foods that are at low risk of L. monocytogenes contamination and the use of big data to improve microbial risk assessments. Among the other recommendations is the need for clear communication to consumers on safe food handling and avoidance of high-risk foods for at-risk populations.
Determining a Cultural Maturity: Three Hierarchical Levels
- Level 1: Organizational climate is the outermost, visible layer observed and verified during audits and inspections.
- Level 2: Organizational climate includes the organization’s espoused values and guides employees’ attitudes and behavior toward authority, regulatory, and market standards compliance.
- Level 3: Organization’s core culture reflects the invisible and assumed core values of what the organization is about.
Consumer Education
- Use simple, practical labeling instructions on products.
- Effective and consistent science-based education of consumers and healthcare workers on avoiding high-risk foods for at-risk populations and helping people to select lower risk food options, which, along with making wise food choices, includes education on handling and preparing food safely.
- Frozen foods labeled with cooking instructions, in general, should be considered as not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) foods with instructions on the need to be cooked prior to consumption.
Source: Food Control. Published October 13, 2020. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2020.107601.
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