I hate to say just when I started in the meat industry, but it was the early 1980’s. I was fortunate to kickstart my career at a company that not only upheld strict food safety protocols but also nurtured a culture of professionalism among management while actively championing the advancement of women. Starting as a […]
Women in Meat and Related Industries Read More »
Facility managers – not just food facility managers – are being “encouraged” to take strong preventative measures to help mitigate the risks of COVID-19 for individuals within their premises. Managers are also reminded that the actions taken need to be documented. It is recognized that certain of the recommended measures made by the Center for
Sanitation Measures to Control COVID-19 in Manufacturing Facilities Read More »
According to the Wall Street Journal: “Organic milk sales have cooled as the very shoppers who drove demand for the specialty product not long ago move on to newer alternatives, leaving dairy sellers and producers grappling with oversupply….Now, organic-milk supplies have ballooned just as demand has stalled. Many shoppers have moved on to substitutes such
“Milk” Comes from Breasts/Udders Read More »
In earlier blogs, I have mentioned having horses and other animals while growing up on a small farm. Even now, to my husband’s dismay, I have never outgrown being “horse crazy.” But during all this time, I never remember being concerned about the animal feed I have purchased or used. I do qualify this statement
FDA DRAFT Guidance: “Ensuring Safety of Animal Feed Maintained and Fed On-Farm” Read More »
Recently, with the ahead-of-print release of the Center’s for Disease Control’s (CDC) study, “Increased Outbreaks Associated with Nonpasteurized Milk, United States, 2007–2012” which will be published in January in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, there have been numerous articles and blogs supporting each side of the raw milk issue – that it is the “best
The Raw Milk Debate Read More »
Anyone who has been involved in the quality assurance and food safety side of the food business for any length of time knows that one of the top items on the list of those that will keep you awake at night is whether or not your product “hold” or retention program will be effective in
Ms. Gloom Wants to Know: Does Your Product Hold Program Really “Hold” When Needed? Read More »
Dr. Doom discussed “getting to the roots” of issues to ensure the cause is eliminated in her recent article. This is the same approach that facilities need to use each and every time they have a positive finding of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), or Listeria species (L. spp.), or Listeria-like organisms in their environment, on their
Getting to the Roots of Listeria – A Practice Tip from Ms. Gloom Read More »
In Part One, we discussed using transparencies on the receiving dock as an easy way for personnel to quickly ascertain whether or not the incoming ingredient (at least its ingredient statement) was the same as your specification. See our earlier blog posting. In this post, we want to discuss some of the steps a facility
Steps to Prevent Allergen Recalls, Part Two – Another Practice Tip from Ms. Gloom Read More »
Anyone who is remotely involved in the food arena knows that the number one reason for a recall of meat and poultry regulated under USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) or all other types of food regulated under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an undeclared allergen. In fact, a quick review of
Steps to Prevent Allergen Recalls – A Practice Tip from Ms. Gloom Read More »
Meet “Dr. Doom” and “Ms. Gloom” “Dr. Doom” Mixed in with the attorneys at OFW Law is the former USDA Food Safety Inspection Service’s (FSIS) Administrator, Dr. Barbara Masters. Dr. Masters is a veterinarian who spent eighteen years with FSIS – the final three years as Acting Administrator and Administrator. During her rise to the
Practical Tips From “Dr. Doom and Ms. Gloom” Read More »
When I was growing up on a farm in Pennsylvania, my twin sister and I always savored the sweet feed that we fed to our horses. We would also occasionally “chew on the oats,” but Sis and I never found our way to eating the dog or cat food. This was not the case, however,
