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Seafood Safety The latest in foodborne pathogen testing - PLUS New USDA Swine Slaughter Rules Robots Speed Up Food Distribution Allergen ...
PLUS New USDA Swine Slaughter Rules ■ Robots Speed Up Food Distribution ■ Allergen Awareness in Restaurants
                                                                                                 Volume 26 Number 6
                                                                                      DECEMBER 2
                                                                                               2019 / JANUARY 2020

                                                              Seafood
                                                               Safety
                                                                      The latest
                                                                  in foodborne
                                                              pathogen testing

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Contents
                              DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020 • VOLUME 26 NUMBER 6 • www.foodqualityandsafety.com

Features
                                              Around the World
24                                              with Seafood
COVER STORY
                                              Pathogen Testing
                                                       State-of-the-art technologies and international
                                                   collaborations are making a splash with seafood safety
                                                                                BY LINDA L. LEAKE, MS

                                                                                                                                                                                                 COVER: ©CLOUD7DAYS - STOCK.ADOBE.COM ©GIOVANNI CANCEMI - STOCK.ADOBE.COM ©PRIMOPIANO - STOCK.ADOBE.COM
Safety & Sanitation

28                                                                                                                                   30
Optimize Clean in Place                                                                                                              Best Practices for
Software-guided power ultrasound can make                                                                                            Clean in Place
the process more efficient                                                                                                            The equipment you need to
BY CLÉMENT CHAPPUIS                                                                                                                  design an ideal system
                                                                                                                                     BY MIMI CARTEE AND PATRICIA NHAN

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4        F O O D Q U A L I T Y & SA F E T Y                                                                                                                       www.foodqualityandsafety.com
Seafood Safety The latest in foodborne pathogen testing - PLUS New USDA Swine Slaughter Rules Robots Speed Up Food Distribution Allergen ...
32 CLEAN OUT OF PLACE                        Manufacturing &                           Washington Report
                                                                   TO COMPLEMENT YOUR
                                                                   CLEAN IN PLACE                           Distribution                              12 THE FDA SETS A PATH TO
                                                                                                                                                          SMARTER FOOD SAFETY
                                                                   The best cleaning programs               44 BEST PRACTICES IN
                                                                   involve both processes                                                                 The agency is incorporating
                                                                                                                REFRIGERATED FOOD
                                                                                                                                                          technology to trace foods and
                                                                   BY MEGAN MORAN                               TRANSPORT
                                                                                                                                                          respond to outbreaks more quickly
                                                                                                                Ensure optimal food quality
                                                                                                                                                      		BY TED AGRES
                                                                                                                with these tips
                                                               Quality                                      		BY TOM KAMPF

                                                               33 50 YEARS OF GLYCEROL
                                                                   ESTER OF WOOD ROSIN                      46 TACKLE DAIRY CHALLENGES                Market Initiatives
                                                                                                                WITH THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT
                                                                   Why this beverage-weighting agent                                                  15 THE SPICES OF LIFE
                                                                   continues to be a safe additive              Pneumatics can improve
                                                                                                                cleanliness and increase efficiency       Spice industry professionals are
                                                               		BY BRIAN MERCK AND KEN KENNEDY                                                           devoted to safety and quality
                                                                                                            		BY AMIT PATEL
                                                                                                                                                          throughout the supply chain
                                                               36 HOW AUTOMATION CAN FIGHT                                                            		BY LINDA L. LEAKE, MS
                                                                   THE CLOCK ON SHELF LIFE                  51 SAFETY IN TECH
                                                                   A new breed of robotic systems                Software can help you make sure
                                                                   can accelerate fulfillment                    your suppliers are compliant with
                                                               		BY DEREK RICKARD
                                                                                                                 FDA regulations                      Legal Update
                                                                                                            		BY DAVID ISAACSON
                                                                                                                                                      18 A PRIMER ON THE NEW USDA
                                                                                                                                                          SWINE SLAUGHTER RULES
                                                                                                                                                          Everything you need to know about
                                                               Testing                                                                                    the first major overhaul of the
                                                               40 		MYSTERY FISH                                                                          swine slaughter inspection system
                                                                                                                                                          in half a century
                                                                   Why fraud is rampant in the
                                                                   seafood industry and challenging         Food Service & Retail                     		BY JOEL S. CHAPPELLE, ESQ. AND
                                                                                                                                                         SHAWN K. STEVENS, ESQ.
                                                                   to address
                                                                                                            54 ALLERGEN AWARENESS
                                                               		BY STEVEN WILSON
                                                                                                                 Are restaurants and food service
                                                                                                                 doing enough?
                                                                                                            		BY RICHARD F. STIER                     Food Defense
                                                                                                                                                      20 THE ROLE OF MONITORING
                                                                                                                                                          IN FOOD DEFENSE PLANS
                                                                                                            Columns                                       Learn how to operate in
                                                                                                                                                          compliance with FDA requirements

                                                                                                            Book Review
                                                                                                                                                      		BY DAVID K. PARK

                                                               In The Lab                                   11 FOOD SCIENCE FOR ALL
                                                               42 		EXTEND THE SHELF LIFE
                                                                   OF WINES
                                                                                                                 A new book explains food
                                                                                                                 preservation and processing in a
                                                                                                                                                      Departments
                                                                   Automated titration systems can               way that the general public can
                                                                   improve sulfite monitoring                    understand and enjoy                  6 FROM THE EDITORS
                                                               		BY GAYLE GLEICHAUF                             BY PURNENDU C. VASAVADA, PHD
                                                                                                                                                       7 NEWS & NOTES
©NEW AFRICA - STOCK.ADOBE.COM / © ANATOLIR - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

                                                                                                                                                      58 SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS

                                                                Visit us online! Other articles available at www.FoodQualityandSafety.com include:    60 ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
                                                                • In Memoriam: Daniel Y.C. Fung, PhD BY PURNENDU C. VASAVADA, PHD                     61 NEW PRODUCTS
                                                                • Chemical in Food Packaging Is Dangerous, Environmental Groups State
                                                                  in FDA Lawsuit BY KEITH LORIA                                                       63 EVENTS
                                                                • Salmonella Outbreak Stirs Transparency Debate BY KAREN APPOLD

                                                                     facebook.com/FoodQualityandSafety             @FQSmag

                                                                                                                                                              December 2019 / January 2020   5
Seafood Safety The latest in foodborne pathogen testing - PLUS New USDA Swine Slaughter Rules Robots Speed Up Food Distribution Allergen ...
From The Editors                                                                               PUBLISHER  Lisa Dionne Lento, ldionne@wiley.com
                                                                                          SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER       Bob Zander, bzander@wiley.com
                                                                                                    PROFESSIONAL EDITOR Stephanie Cajigal
                                                                                                   DESIGN Maria Ender, mender@wiley.com
                                                                                                 PRODUCTION Claudia Vogel, cvogel@wiley.com

F
                                                                                                       Jörg Stenger, jstenger@wiley.com
         ood safety management is con-                                                                   Elli Palzer, palzer@wiley.com
         stantly evolving—just when we                                                          CO-INDUSTRY EDITORPurnendu C. Vasavada, PhD,
         feel we have it under control,                                                               purnendu.c.vasavada@uwrf.edu
         something else crops up to                                                          CO-INDUSTRY EDITOR Richard Stier, rickstier4@aol.com

alter the equation. A bit over 100 years                                                                       Advertising Director
ago, the canning industry thought it                                                                                Dan Nicholas
understood how to can food safely.                                                                      111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030
                                                                                                       (716) 587-2181, dnicholas@wiley.com
Botulism outbreaks attributed to black
olives changed that and lead to the                                                                                 Sales Office
development of canning as a science                                                                      U.S./CANADA/INTERNATIONAL
                                                                                                                   Bob Zander
thanks to persons like Dr. Karl Meyer                                                                             (312) 925-7648
and Dr. C. Olin Ball. The botulism out-                                                                        bzander@wiley.com
breaks attributed to vichyssoise in 1971 lead to the establishment of                                              Editorial Office
low-acid canned food regulations in the United States. These regula-                              111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, USA
tions were based on those that were already in place in California.                                    Reprints: E-mail dsurdel@wiley.com
     Another watershed year for food safety was 1985, during the
Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that was attributed to a soft-ripened
cheese made with raw milk. This outbreak added Listeria to the list                                          Editorial Advisory Panel
of significant food pathogens the industry needed to control, which
included updating analytical methods to quickly isolate and identify                     Ellen Bradley, CFS                             Vijay K. Juneja, PhD
                                                                                      Principal Food Scientist,                            Lead Scientist,
the organism.                                                                        River City Food Group LLC                Predictive Microbiology for Food Safety,
     Thirty years ago, Dr. Steve Taylor was a voice in the wilderness                                                           USDA-Agricultural Research Service
                                                                                       John N. Butts, PhD
crying out that allergens were a significant food safety hazard that                 Founder and President,                            Hasmukh Patel, PhD
needed to be addressed. Today, allergen management is an integral                   FoodSafetyByDesign, LLC;                     VP of Research and Development,
                                                                                         Advisor to CEO,                               Whitehall Specialties
part of most food processors’ food safety management systems. Al-                         Land O’Frost
lergens were also included in the preventive controls for human food                                                                       Mary Ann Platt
                                                                                            Cliff Coles                                      President,
regulations found in the Code of Federal Regulations, under 21 CFR                           President,                               CNS/FoodSafe and RQA, Inc.
Part 117, which mandates that processors establish programs to both                      Clifford M. Coles
                                                                                    Food Safety Consulting, Inc.                       Manpreet Singh, PhD
keep undeclared allergens out of foods and properly label those that                                                             Professor, Dept. of Poultry Science,
are in foods.                                                                                                                           University of Georgia
                                                                                        Virginia Deibel, PhD
     The trend has continued throughout the world. Among the food                      Chief Scientific Officer,                          Shawn K. Stevens
                                                                                         Deibel Laboratories                           Food Industry Attorney,
safety issues that have cropped up are acrylamide in baked and fried
                                                                                                                                      Food Industry Counsel, LLC
foods, adulterants such as melamine in dairy foods, and bovine spon-                  James Dickson, PhD
                                                                                           Professor,                                   Patricia A. Wester
giform encephalopathy in beef. Food safety issues also are often com-             Department of Animal Science,                 CEO, The Association for Food Safety
plicated by consumer misinformation on topics such as genetically                     Iowa State University                       Auditing Professionals, AFSAP
engineered foods.                                                                      Steven Gendel, PhD                                   Steven Wilson
     One of the new challenges in food safety will go hand-in-hand                       Senior Director,                        Director of Seafood Commerce and
                                                                                          Food Science,                      Certification, Office of International Affairs
with the push for sustainability and a greener world. Many cities and              Food Chemicals Codex at USP                          and Seafood Inspection
some states have banned plastic bags at supermarkets to minimize
plastic contamination. This means that consumers must bring reus-
able bags to stores, which can be manufactured from many different
materials including plastic and fibers like jute and cotton. This sounds   Printed in the United States by Dartmouth Printing, Hanover, NH.
like a great idea, but there have already been outbreaks attributed to         Copyright 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., a Wiley Company. All rights reserved. No part
cross-contamination from one bag to another. Think about it: You have      of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, except as permitted
                                                                           under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior
a cotton grocery bag that you bring to the market. You load it up with     written permission of the publisher, or authorization through the Copyright Clearance
groceries including chicken breasts. The chicken leaks and contami-        Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923: (978) 750-8400: fax (978) 750-4470.
                                                                               All materials published, including but not limited to original research, clinical notes,
nates the bag. Will you wash that bag?                                     editorials, reviews, reports, letters, and book reviews represent the opinions and views of
     And, we have another issue on the horizon: plastic. Hundreds of       the authors and do not reflect any official policy or medical opinion of the institutions with
different foods are packaged in it, yet both land and sea plastic pollu-   which the authors are affiliated or of the publisher unless this is clearly specified. Materials
                                                                           published herein are intended to further general scientific research, understanding, and
tion are significant problems. Plastic packaging is used because it’s      discussion only and are not intended and should not be relied upon as recommending or
safe and effective. Can we replace plastic packaging and still ensure      promoting a specific method, diagnosis or treatment by physicians for any particular patient.
that foods remain safe? Or will we go back to metal or glass containers?       While the editors and publisher believe that the specifications and usage of equipment
                                                                           and devices as set forth herein are in accord with current recommendations and practice
Or will someone come up with a biodegradable container or material         at the time of publication, they accept no legal responsibility for any errors or omissions,
that will protect food but not react with it? Stay tuned ….                and make no warranty, express or implied, with respect to material contained herein.
                                                                           Publication of an advertisement or other discussions of products in this publication should
Richard Stier                                                              not be construed as an endorsement of the products or the manufacturers’ claims. Readers
                                                                           are encouraged to contact the manufacturers with any questions about the features or
Co-Industry Editor                                                         limitations of the products mentioned.

6       F O O D Q U A L I T Y & SA F E T Y                                                                                               www.foodqualityandsafety.com
Seafood Safety The latest in foodborne pathogen testing - PLUS New USDA Swine Slaughter Rules Robots Speed Up Food Distribution Allergen ...
NEWS & NOTES
                                                                                                                                        CEA Food Safety Coalition Welcomes
                                                                                                                                        First-Ever Executive Director
                                                                                                                                        The New York City-based CEA Food Safety Co-
                                                                                                                                        alition has named Marni Karlin as the group’s
                                                                                                                                        first executive director. Karlin is charged with
                                                                                                                                        strengthening food safety standards and ensur-
                                                                                                                                        ing they are appropriate for the controlled-envi-
                                                                                                                                        ronment agriculture (CEA) leafy greens sector.
                                                                                                                                             The CEA Food Safety Coalition comprises CEA
                                                                                                                                        leafy greens producers, including those that use
                                                                                                                                        hydroponic, aquaponic, and aeroponic methods.
                                                                                                                                             “I am always seeking opportunities to use
                                                                                                                                        my skills and expertise to create a healthier,
                                                                                                                                        more sustainable food system,” Karlin says.
                                                                                                                                        “I’ve done that through work with the organic
                                                                                                                                        sector, and in nutrition education, and now I’m
                                                                                                                                        excited to bring my skills, expertise, and expe-
                                    Crayfish Linked to Sweden Salmonella Outbreak                                                       rience in policy, advocacy, and coalition man-
                                    T he European Centre for Disease Prevention     infectious disease departments, and the             agement to bear for the controlled environment
                                    and Control (ECDC) reported in November         Swedish Food Agency is investigating the            agriculture leafy greens sector.”
                                    that there have been 33 known cases of Sal-     Swedish outbreak. Cases are being inter-                 Previously, Karlin served as VP of govern­
                                    monella Mikawasima in Sweden and seven          viewed by the regional infectious disease           ment affairs and general counsel for the Or-
                                    other European countries.                       departments to find out what those cases            ganic Trade Association, representing the
                                         “There is an ongoing investigation of      ate before falling ill.”                            interests of the organic food, fiber, and agri-
                                    Salmonella Mikawasima cases, which have                                                             culture sector in Washington, D.C. She also
                                    been identified through exceedance analy-           There have been                                 was counsel to Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., on the
                                    sis and whole-genome sequence analysis,”            33 known cases of Sal-                          Senate Judiciary Committee, advising the
                                    Susana Barragan, a spokesperson for the                                                             legislator through her engagement with coali-
                                    ECDC, told Food Quality & Safety “ECDC is
                                                                                        monella Mikawasima in                           tions of government, nonprofit, and for-profit
                                    collecting further epidemiological and WGS          Sweden and seven other                          stakeholders.
                                    [whole-genome sequencing] information               European ­countries.                                 In her new role, Karlin will seek to grow the
                                    from the countries in order to assess the ex-                                                       coalition’s membership, educate consumers
                                    tent of this event.”                                 The two dozen or so sick in Sweden live        and regulators about this growing sector, and
                                         Although the majority of cases were        across 12 counties. The most recent known           work with members, government agencies,
                                    reported in Sweden, others have been re-        date of illness onset is Oct. 24, with those        and industry experts to strengthen food safety
                                    ported in the U.K., France, Denmark, and        infected in an age range of 4 to 89 years.          standards.
                                    Ireland.                                             The Public Health Agency of Sweden                  “As a growing sector, it’s critical that we
                                         Moa Rehn, an epidemiologist for the        is performing a case-by-case study, com-            build a coalition of engaged stakeholders to ad-
                                    Public Health Agency of Sweden, says it’s       paring the food history of outbreak cases           vocate, educate, and work with external stake-
                                    investigating an outbreak of Salmonella         to non-outbreak cases from the same time            holders now,” she says. “It’s important to have
                                    Mikawasima in the country as people have        period. They believe the probable source of         a seat at the table when standards and regula-
                                    been sick with the same Salmonella strain       infection is large crayfish sold at retailer ICA,   tions are being discussed, and I’m excited to
                                    that has popped up throughout those Euro-       according to Rehn.                                  ensure that our sector has just that. We have
©MIKAEL DAMKIER - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

                                    pean countries.                                      After being made aware of the alleged          a great opportunity to help people understand
                                         “We suspect that there is a common         problem by Folkhälsomyndigheten, the re-            what we do—whether they’re parents choosing
                                    food source that has been distributed to        tailer has withdrawn all packages from their        to put our products on their children’s plates, or
                                    several countries in Europe,” Rehn told Food    stores, though it released a statement that         regulators making important decisions to pro-
                                    Quality & Safety. “A national outbreak team     it randomly checked the Chinese crayfish it         tect food safety and people’s health.”
                                    with participants from the Public Health        has in stock and did not detect Salmonella.         	                                  by Keith Loria
                                    Agency (Folkhälsomyndigheten), regional                                         by Keith Loria                                        (Continued on p. 8)

                                                                                                                                                    December 2019 / January 2020         7
Seafood Safety The latest in foodborne pathogen testing - PLUS New USDA Swine Slaughter Rules Robots Speed Up Food Distribution Allergen ...
(Continued from p. 7)

Report Reveals Food Authenticity Market Headed for Exponential Growth
A new report projects that the global food              The food authenticity market is led by       and authenticity confirmation as being a key
authenticity market is on a big upswing and         Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific      contributor to the projected increase in the
will reach record numbers in the years ahead.       region, with the last recording the highest      years ahead.
     In 2017, the global food authenticity mar-     growth rate last year thanks to an increase          The meat speciation segment is pro-
ket was valued at $5.312 billion, according to      in processed foods production and the gov-       jected to grow at the highest compound an-
research by KD Market Insights, Albany, N.Y.        ernments’ implementation of new safety           nual growth rate during the forecast period,
Researchers reported it should reach $9.84          regulations.                                     due to the increase in the number of frauds in
billion by 2025, growing at a compound an-              KD Market Insights credits the U.S. for      meat products and adulterations. 
nual growth rate of 8.1%.                           its regulations on labeling requirements                                       by Keith Loria
     Food authenticity, defined in the report,
is driven by numerous factors, including vol-
atility in food prices, availability of raw mate-
rials and ingredients, economic conditions,
regulatory developments, and large environ-
mental impacts.
     According to the UK’s Food Standards
Agency, food fraud is rampant and causes
significant negative effects on both consum-
ers and businesses. This includes everything
from damage to brand reputations and reve-
nue for retail businesses and processing es-
tablishments to health complications for the

                                                                                                                                                           ©DUSAN ZIDAR - STOCK.ADOBE.COM
consumer due to its impact on food safety. That
has given rise to innovative technology that’s
utilized to monitor food authenticity and tackle
food fraud head on so more labs can confirm
the food source and stop potential problems.

Beyond Vegan Burgers: Next-Generation Protein Could Come from Air, Methane, Volcanic Springs
ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – It              accounted for 23% of total net man-made               As the liquid thickens, it is dried into a
may sound like science fiction, but in a few        greenhouse gas emissions from 2007 to            very fine powder that is about 65% protein
short years the family dinner table may be          2016, soaring to 37% when pre- and post-pro-     and tastes much like wheat flour.
laden with steak from a printer and other pro-      duction activity were factored in.                    In September, Solar Foods struck an
teins produced from air, methane, or volcanic           Livestock meanwhile are responsible          agreement with Nordic food company Fazer
microbes.                                           for about 14.5% of global greenhouse gas         to develop products using Solein, which can
    With the explosive success of vegan beef        emissions, according to the U.N. Food and        be used in existing plant-based products or
and burger substitutes developed by Beyond          Agriculture Organization.                        future offerings such as lab-grown meat.
Meat and Impossible Foods, the alternative              Enter Solar Foods, a Finnish company              Solein will cost about €5 per kilo ($2.50 a
protein sector just keeps growing.                  working on an edible protein powder called       pound) to produce and will hit the market by
    According to investment bank Barclays,          Solein that uses water, air, and renewable       2021, Vainikka said.
alternative meat sales could reach $140 bil-        electricity as a way to separate food produc-         “There’s a lot of climate anxiety,” he said.
lion—or 10% of the global meat industry—            tion from agriculture.                           “And people are looking for hope and solu-
within a decade, or a 10-fold increase from             “You avoid land use impacts like clear-      tions and they’re happy to see companies
current levels.                                     ing forests for agriculture, use of pesticides   like ours, so that’s encouraging.”
    A new generation of products in the             and use of fertilizers that release green-
works melds cutting-edge technology with            house gases and so on,” co-founder and           Fermentation, Fermentation, Fermentation
age-old fermentation processes to turn oth-         CEO Pasi Vainikka told the Thomson Reuters       Another company tackling agriculture’s
erwise harmful or everyday elements into            Foundation.                                      emissions through fermentation, Banga-
essential food ingredients, with the aim                Solein is made by putting microbes into a    lore-based String Bio, is working to convert
of reducing agriculture’s massive carbon            liquid and feeding them small bubbles of hy-     methane, a greenhouse gas more potent
footprint.                                          drogen and carbon dioxide, a process similar     than carbon dioxide as it traps 28 times more
    According to the United Nations, agricul-       to making beer or wine, apart from the lack of   heat, from waste and natural sources into
ture, forestry, and other land use activities       grapes or grains, Vainikka explained.            protein powder—initially for animals.

8        F O O D Q U A L I T Y & SA F E T Y                                                                                 www.foodqualityandsafety.com
Seafood Safety The latest in foodborne pathogen testing - PLUS New USDA Swine Slaughter Rules Robots Speed Up Food Distribution Allergen ...
is based on microbes found in volcanic hot
                                                                                                                                                   springs at Yellowstone National Park.
                                                                                                                                                        In that barren, other-worldly, and dan-
                                                                                                                                                   gerous landscape, researchers “discovered
                                                                                                                                                   a bunch of life forms that across millennia
                                                                                                                                                   evolved to survive in this environment,” he
                                                                                                                                                   said.
                                                                                                                                                        Having raised $33 million in February,
      ©SOLAR FOODS/THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

                                                                                                                                                   the company plans to produce “a hamburger
                                                                                                                                                   equivalent” next year through a “novel fer-
                                                                                                                                                   mentation” of the microbes.
                                                                                                                                                        At full capacity its 35,000-square-foot
                                                                                                                                                   (3,250 square meters) plant in Chicago could
                                                                                                                                                   produce burgers equivalent to those made
                                                                                                                                                   from cows grazing on 15,000 acres (6,100
                                                  Finnish company Solar Foods’
                                                  protein powder Solein.                                                                           hectares) of land, Jonas said.
                                                                                                                                                        For investors like Altschuler Malek, alter-
                                                                                                                                                   native proteins are all about options for con-
                                                    “We said this is probably the best im-        cial 3D printer to produce steak that can        sumers, with three essential caveats:
                                                pact we humans can have in this world,            mimic the taste and texture of meat.                  “It needs to taste great, it needs to meet
                                                where we take something that we don’t                 The printers produce three-dimensional       certain price points, and it needs to be able
                                                need for the environment and convert it into      vegan steaks using cartridge-style syringes      to be manufactured in large volume,” he said.
                                                something we do need,” said Vinod Kumar,          that extrude plant-based proteins.                    “There are amazing chefs all over the
                                                who with his wife Ezhil Subbian set up the                                                         world that are doing plant-based products.
                                                company.                                          Volcanoes and Tiny Organisms                     But if you cannot convert that into mass man-
                                                    Such environmental considerations,            Some have criticized plant-based alterna-        ufacturing it’s really hard to see how that can
                                                along with concerns over animal welfare and       tives flooding store shelves as highly pro-      actually make a change in the world.”
                                                human health, have driven both demand and         cessed and high in sodium, and Harvard                It is also an opportunity for a radical shift
                                                supply of alternative proteins, said Dan Alt-     scientists recently questioned their role in a   in agriculture which, despite incremental im-
                                                schuler Malek, managing partner at invest-        healthy diet.                                    provements, has remained much the same
                                                ment firm Unovis Partners.                            Others such as the Center for Consumer       for centuries, Jonas said.
                                                    Just 10 years ago he said retailers saw al-   Freedom, which is backed by the food and              “Fundamentally we are surviving on this
                                                ternative proteins as a risky bet, but “today     beverage industry, have launched cam-            planet based on an agricultural system that
                                                they realise there is a huge demand for all       paigns decrying so-called “fake meat” as         has barely changed in the past 11,000 years .
                                                these products.”                                  loaded with chemicals.                           . . when we domesticated a handful of plants
                                                    Unovis manages New Crop Capital, a                Proponents counter that burgers have         and animals.”
                                                fund that invests exclusively in start-ups de-    always been laden with fat and sodium and             “New technologies are really giving us
                                                veloping meat, seafood, and dairy replace-        were never exactly considered health food.       tools for a second domestication–things that
                                                ments, including Beyond Meat.                         The new generation of proteins are also      we didn’t even know were there.”
                                                    New Crop has also invested in Nova            less processed, said Thomas Jonas, CEO of                       –Thin Lei Win, Thomson Reuters
                                                Meats, a Spanish company that uses a spe-         Sustainable Bioproducts, whose protein                                                Foundation

                                                FDA Extends Deadline for Supply-Chain Approval
                                                With the clock ticking toward the implemen-
                                                tation of its new supply-chain rules, the FDA
                                                announced it is extending its deadline for
                                                food producers to implement supply-chain
                                                control programs to approve hazard-con-
                                                trol systems in place with their ingredients
                                                suppliers.
©BSD555 - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

                                                     Under the Food Safety Modernization
                                                Act (FSMA), food producers will become
                                                responsible for abiding by a series of sup-
                                                ply-chain rules (located in the Code of Fed-
                                                eral Regulations, Title 21, Subpart G). These                                                                                   (Continued on p. 10)

                                                                                                                                                              December 2019 / January 2020        9
Seafood Safety The latest in foodborne pathogen testing - PLUS New USDA Swine Slaughter Rules Robots Speed Up Food Distribution Allergen ...
(Continued from p. 9)
rules require producers that receive foods

                                                                                                                                                                ©J-MEL - STOCK.ADOBE.COM
and food ingredients from other suppliers
(called “co-manufacturers”) to keep track of
their suppliers’ compliance histories, and
only work with suppliers that consistently
meet U.S. food-safety standards.
     In November 2017, the FDA announced
an initial enforcement discretion policy for
the new rules. That policy was to last two
years, until November 6, 2019, after which
producers were expected to be compliant
with the new guidelines.
     “The complexity of the supply chain and
the number of suppliers that manufacturers
have, including facilities that manufacture         presents: Beyond the non-disclosure/con-             FDA to develop a long-term resolution for
under a brand name (i.e., co-manufactur-            fidentiality elements, producers are bound           this issue.”
ing), necessitated that food companies              by a series of other contractual demands the              In a statement, the AFFI specified it “re-
were given additional time to adjust specifi-       associations argued the FSMA would force             quested an extension to the enforcement
cations and contract details to help facilitate     them to breach. The industry associations            discretion to allow for further consultation
compliance with the rule,” Adrienne Seiling,        also argued that verifying all suppliers would       between FDA and industry to resolve these
vice president of strategic communications          require companies to hire more staff than            compliance challenges.”
for the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI),      they could afford.                                        On the day that the discretion policy
told Food Quality & Safety.                              “We commend FDA’s 2017 decision to              was to end, the FDA announced its decision
     Some producers complained the de-              provide industry with an additional two              to continue its enforcement discretion pol-
mands of the new supplier-verification rules        years to implement the Preventive Controls           icy in reflection of the challenges industry
might force them to breach confidentiality          supply-chain program requirements in cer-            faces in becoming FSMA compliant on these
agreements by requesting that ingredients           tain situations involving contract manufac-          issues. The FDA will soon publish a notice
manufacturers disclose specific processing          turing,” wrote the signatories. “However,            in the Federal Register explaining the terms
details that might otherwise be considered          even with this additional time, there remain         of the enforcement discretion policy exten-
trade secrets. In a letter to the FDA, signa-       numerous compliance hurdles that have not            sion, but no new compliance deadline has
tories from 12 food industry associations           been resolved. An extension of the compli-           been set.
explained the series of challenges the rule         ance date will allow time for industry and                                    by Jesse Staniforth

‘Creeping Silent Crisis’ Seen Menacing World’s Crops
ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A                   Scientists say water supplies are threat-             On Monday, the think tank launched
“creeping, silent crisis” is menacing the           ened by many factors, including climate               an online tool called Aqueduct Food, which
world’s food supply as water shortages could        change and mismanagement, but farming                 maps water risks for more than 40 crops, in-
jeopardize up to 40% of all irrigated crops by      is one of the largest factors, using 70% of           cluding banana, coffee, soybean, and cotton.
2040, a U.S. think tank said on Monday.             freshwater.                                               Among irrigated crops, it found nearly
     Erratic rainfall caused by climate                                                                      67% of wheat, 64% of maize, and 19% of
change also threatens the water sup-                                                                         rice could be in areas with extremely high
ply for a third of crops that rely on                                                                        water stress by 2040.
monsoon, said the World Resources                                                                                 The three crops together account
Institute (WRI).                                                                                             for more than 40% of the world’s calorie
     “Humankind is not very good at                                                                          supply, according to the United Nations’
acting before crisis happens. We’re                                                                          Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
really good at crisis management but                                                                              Urgent action is needed, be it to
that’s very reactive,” said Rutger Hof-                                                                      improve irrigation and soil, better crop
ste, an associate at WRI.                                                                                    choices, or reducing food loss and waste,
                                                                                                                                                                REUTERS/P.J. HUFFSTUTTER/

     “This is a creeping, silent crisis                                                                      it said.
and we would like to ring the alarm                                                                                Reporting By Thin Lei Win @thinink
bells before it’s too late,” he told                                                                                       Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths
the Thomson Reuters Foundation by A crop scout walks through a soybean field to check on crops during                   Thomson Reuters Foundation
phone.                                    the Pro Farmer 2019 Midwest Crop Tour in Allen County, Indiana.                             (Continued on p. 38)

10       F O O D Q U A L I T Y & SA F E T Y                                                                                      www.foodqualityandsafety.com
Book Review
                                                  Food Science for All
                                                  A new book explains food preservation and processing
                                                  in a way that the general public can understand and enjoy
                                                  Molecules, Microbes, and Meals:
                                                  The Surprising Science of Food
                                                  by Alan Kelly
                                                  Oxford University Press, 2019
                                                  ISBN 978-0-19-068769-4
                                                  REVIEWED BY PURNENDU C. VASAVADA, PHD

T oday’s consumer wants to know everything        derstand manner. Kelly describes the chem-          flavor, texture, and qualities of food, and the
about food: what to eat for weight loss, en-      ical structure of casein and its role in cheese     transformations that occur when the prod-
ergy, or a myriad of other health benefits.       making in fascinating prose without the use         ucts are cooked. The book also explores the
Consumers are also interested in safety and       of a complex diagram one would find in dairy        convergence of science and art in food and
suitability as well as where foods come from      chemistry textbooks. In explaining the many         the history of food. In this context the author
and how they’re processed. The same is true       types and roles of microorganisms, the author       describes the work of Nicholas Appert, who
for food industry professionals and artisanal     invokes the famous Clint Eastwood western,          developed the art of appertization, a process
food processors looking for basic information     “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” stating that      of preserving food by placing it in a glass bot-
about food science and technology. Finding        (cue Ennio Morricone music and distinctive          tle, removing as much air as possible, and
credible and scientifically sound information,    whistling) bacteria in food can be good (like       heating the sealed bottles in boiling water
however, isn’t easy. Opinions, commercially       probiotics), bad (like pathogens), or ugly (like    for a long period of time.
biased information, and myths and miscon-         the type that cause spoilage). He discusses              Finally, Kelly describes recipe develop-
ceptions about food and food processing           spoilage bacteria, pathogens, spore-forming         ment, formulations, and the sensory prop-
abound. While there is substantial scien-         bacteria, and viruses in sufficient detail to ex-   erties of foods, including appearance, flavor,
tific literature on the various aspects of food   plain what makes them grow and how we can           texture, and taste. In this section he also in-
chemistry, food microbiology, food process-       control their growth or kill them to preserve       cludes information about the future of sen-
ing, engineering, and technology, very little     and assure food safety. He also explains the        sory science. He covers the popular topic of
credible, non-nonsense, and understandable        Hurdle concept of food preservation in which        molecular gastronomy, which, he explains,
information is available for lay consumers.       salt, temperature, or preservatives are used to     resulted from collaborations between chefs
      In his recent book, Molecules, Microbes,    prevent the growth of microorganisms.               and scientists.
and Meals: The Surprising Science of Food,              This books covers the principles of com-           Molecules, Microbes, and Meals argues
Alan Kelly provides an overview of the sci-       mon food processing methods such as fer-            that “every food product is a highly complex
ence of food, exploring all aspects of how        mentation, concentration and dehydration,           scientific entity and our understanding of the
the foods we purchase and consume have            and freezing in a succinct yet effective way.       science of food can enhance our apprecia-
come to have the characteristics they do. The     Thermal processing such as pasteurization,          tion and wonder at it.” I couldn’t agree more.
author starts with a confession,“ I am a food     including ultra-high-temperature and com-           This book is full of interesting references to
scientist,” but presents the science of food in   mercial canning, are explained thoroughly,          history and culture while explaining techni-
a unique style that’s clear, credible, and en-    including the principles of thermal lethality:      cal aspects of food chemistry, microbiology,
joyable. Using common foods such as yogurt        – D- and Z- values. Kelly also covers novel         and preservation and processing. It is an
and cheese, the book explains the basics          food processing methods such as membrane            excellent introduction to food science and
about the chemical components of food and         filtration, high-pressure processing, and mi-       technology. I highly recommended it for
ingredients and their role in the character-      crowave heating. A separate chapter is de-          anyone interested in information and under-
istics, flavor, texture, and qualities of food.   voted to discussing food packaging, includ-         standing about all things food. ■
      The book discusses key aspects and          ing active, intelligent, and edible packaging.
                                                                                                      Dr. Vasavada is professor emeritus of food science at the Uni-
complexities of carbohydrates, proteins,                One of the main focuses of the book is        versity of Wisconsin-River Falls and a co-editor of Food Quality
fats, and other constituents in an easy-to-un-    to explain the scientific underpinning of the       & Safety. Reach him at Purnendu.C.Vasavada@uwrf.edu.

                                                                                                                      December 2019 / January 2020                11
Washington Report

The FDA Sets a Path
                                                                                             ernment agencies in the U.S. and UK at-
                                                                                             tended a full-capacity meeting on Oct. 21.
                                                                                                  “Smarter food safety is people-led,
to Smarter Food Safety                                                                       FSMA-based, and technology-enabled,”
                                                                                             Frank Yiannas, deputy FDA commissioner
The agency is incorporating technology to trace foods                                        for food policy and response, told attend-
and respond to outbreaks more quickly                                                        ees in opening remarks. While much prog-
                                                                                             ress has been made to improve safety and
BY TED AGRES                                                                                 efficiency, “today’s food system has one
                                                                                             major Achilles’ heel, and that’s a lack of

I
                                                                                             traceability and transparency,” he said.
      n early 2020, the FDA will unveil a      and data analytics to improve root cause           Prior to the meeting, the FDA had
      “blueprint” outlining plans to mod-      analyses and respond to contamination.        asked more than 100 agency staffers to
                                                                                                                                                ©TAKOBURITO - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

      ernize its approach to regulating food       To help refine its analytical approach,   brainstorm ideas for turning the smarter
      safety under the Food Safety Mod-        the agency has solicited feedback through     food safety vision into reality. The four
ernization Act (FSMA). These plans will        a federal docket and convened a public        broad areas were tech-enabled traceabil-
include use of technology-enabled trace-       meeting. Representatives from the food        ity, smarter tools and approaches for pre-
ability tools such as blockchain, new pre-     and technology industries, consumer           vention, new business models, and food
dictive analytical measures to assess risk,    groups, academia, and officials from gov-     safety culture. These then served as focal

12     F O O D Q U A L I T Y & SA F E T Y                                                                        www.foodqualityandsafety.com
points for discussion during the meeting,       about food, how it’s produced, and how it         ance document on traceability would be
with the FDA and industry experts giving        flows from farm to table is a game-changer        hugely helpful,” she said.
short presentations prior to simultaneous       for food safety,” Yiannas said in a recent            Sarah Sorscher, deputy director for
breakout sessions during which attendees        FDA publication.                                  regulatory affairs at the Center for Science
offered comments and suggestions.                    But there are serious hurdles to over-       in the Public Interest, noted that the FDA
                                                come if blockchain is to be widely adopted        needs to use its existing authority as well
Tech-Enabled Traceability                       by the food industry, said Alex Manders,          as potential new regulatory tools to pro-
Traceability and foodborne outbreak re-         head of blockchain services at Information        mote progress. “The FDA has yet to deploy
sponse involve technologies, data streams       Services Group, a Stamford, CT-based con-         additional authorities [granted] under
and processes to reduce the time needed         sultancy. These include incomplete knowl-         FSMA, key among these long-delayed
to track and trace the origin of a contam-      edge of blockchain vendors, available             water testing requirements of the produce
inated food and respond to public health        tech­nology solutions, collaboration mod-         safety rule,” she said.
risks. Much of the discussion at the FDA        els, and a lack of industry and governance
meeting involved the need for clear data        frameworks, he said at the FDA meeting.           Focus on Blockchain
standards, challenges to implementing                                                             In announcing the smarter food safety ini-
blockchain technology, ensuring protec-                                                           tiative earlier this year, the FDA said gov-
tion of proprietary data, and enhancing           “Today’s food system                            ernment and industry should cooperate to
outbreak response activities.                                                                     leverage advances in digital technologies.
     Currently, most food companies keep
                                                 has one major Achilles’                          These include blockchain to enhance
records of one step back to identify the              heel, and that’s                            product traceability, artificial intelligence
source and one step forward to where the         a lack of traceability and                       and machine learning to facilitate food
food has gone, as required by federal law.                                                        import inspections, and new packaging
And many companies keep these records
                                                      ­transparency.”                             and transportation approaches to help
on paper, not electronically. Federal and                   —FRANK YIANNAS,                       modernize the food industry and meet the
state investigators found this especially                deputy FDA commissioner                  growing demands of e-commerce.
frustrating in 2018 as they sought to deter-            for food policy and response                   The FDA will launch a pilot project
mine the source of E. coli-tainted romaine                                                        using artificial intelligence to enhance its
lettuce from the Yuma growing region.                                                             ability to review imports at ports of entry to
Had growers and shippers used electronic                                                          ensure they meet U.S. food safety require-
records and blockchain technology, trac-            Manders urged the FDA to commis-              ments. The agency will also tap into its pro-
ing the origin might have taken minutes         sion research to help industry facilitate         grams related to tracking the drug supply
or even seconds, instead of weeks and           blockchain implementation. But he cau-            chain to see whether similar approaches
months.                                         tioned against over-regulation. “New              might be adapted to tracking the nation’s
     Blockchain uses a decentralized, se-       requirements … could slow the adoption            food supply.
cure ledger that’s shared by all parties in     of real-world blockchain track-and-trace               “When you look at how other in-
the supply chain to provide transparency        solutions,” he said.                              dustries digitally track the movement of
on a product’s origins. It can greatly assist                                                     planes, ride sharing, and delivery of pack-
in warning consumers about risks with           Perspectives on the FDA’s Role                    aged goods, it becomes clear that we must
specific foods and in implementing more         While most panelists and attendees ap-            explore how these types of technologies
targeted and efficient recalls. While the       plauded the FDA’s initiative to formulate         could improve tracking when it comes to
FDA does not intend to create a govern-         the new era smarter food safety, some             food,” acting FDA Commissioner Norman
ment-run blockchain platform, it will en-       noted that the agency should do more with         “Ned” Sharpless, MD, and Yiannas said in
courage industry to adopt this and other        the tools it already has.                         a joint statement at the time.
digital technologies to facilitate rapid            “I think ‘smarter’ means more effec-               Tracing is only one area where technol-
traceability through the food distribution      tive, that we’re doing a better job, all of us,   ogy can enhance food safety. “We’ll also
chain, Yiannas said.                            in reducing contamination and reducing            be looking at how to leverage emerging
     Prior to joining the FDA in December       the burden of food-borne illness,” said           technologies and other approaches that
2018, Yiannas had been responsible for          Sandra Eskin, director of food safety at          are being used in society and business
implementing blockchain technology              the Pew Charitable Trusts. “That may in-          sectors all around us, such as distributed
for tracing produce sold at Walmart. In         volve some shiny new technologies and it          ledgers, sensors, the Internet of Things,
speeches to industry groups, he often           may involve some lower-tech but no less           and artificial intelligence,” the two officials
tells how he was able to reduce the time        important tools,” she told the conference.        explained.
needed to trace a package of sliced man-            “I don’t think [the] FDA has to wait,”             According to Natalie Dyenson, vice
goes from farm to store from nearly seven       Eskin added. “[The] FDA has to do some-           president for Food Safety & Quality at
days using traditional methods to a mere        thing now. And that something is guid-            Dole Food Co., Inc., “blockchain is a
2.2 seconds using blockchain. “An ability       ance to industry. What are those key data         journey. There is no one single provider
to deliver accurate, real-time information      elements? What are best practices? A guid-                                      (Continued on p. 14)

                                                                                                             December 2019 / January 2020       13
WA SH I N GTO N R E P O RT

(Continued from p. 13)                                                                                 The FDA has taken a leaf from its own
that will be the silver bullet for the in-                                                        book. In late September 2019, the agency
dustry. But there is a lot of potential in                                                        launched its Food Safety Dashboard, de-
the system already,” she told the FDA                                                              signed to monitor and track the agency’s
conference.                                                                                          and industry’s progress in implementing
    Major industry players have                                                                       FSMA implementation. Initial metrics
been eager to gain a foothold in                                                                       are available for the preventive control
this burgeoning field. Walmart and                                                                     of human and animal foods rules and
other retailers are partnering with                                                                    for the Foreign Supplier Verification
IBM Food Trust for blockchain ser-                                                                     Program. Data for additional FSMA
vices. Nestle is also partnering with                                                                 rules will be added over time, the
IBM in a pilot traceability program in                                                               agency said.
Europe for packaged instant mashed                                                                      “We know that we can’t stop every
potatoes.                                                                                         outbreak of foodborne illness,” Dr. Shar-
    Financial services powerhouse Mas-                                                            pless and Yiannas said in a statement.
terCard is looking to extend its block-                                                           “However, reducing the incidence of ill-
chain-based Provenance Solution system,                                                           ness and death attributed to contaminated
designed to combat money laundering,                                                              food is a shared goal of growers, manufac-

                                                                                                                                                                ©Delphotostock - stock.adobe.com
into food safety. Toward this end, Master-              “The identity of things is becoming       turers, packers, suppliers, importers, and
Card is partnering with Envisible LLC, a            even more important as consumers raise        regulators alike.” ■
food supply chain system vendor, to pilot           demands for transparency,” said Deborah
a seafood blockchain traceability program           Barta, senior vice president for innovation   Agres is an award-winning writer who covers food safety
                                                                                                  regulatory and legislative issues from the nation’s capital
with Topco Associates LLC, a leading U.S.           and startup engagement at MasterCard, in      in the Washington Report column. Reach him at tedagres@
food cooperative.                                   a statement.                                  yahoo.com.

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14       F O O D Q U A L I T Y & SA F E T Y                                                                                   www.foodqualityandsafety.com
Market Initiatives
                                  The Spices of Life
                                                                                                                                the U.S. that grow spices and ship them to
                                                                                                                                the U.S. and other companies associated
                                                                                                                                with the U.S. spice industry. “ASTA mem-
                                   Spice industry professionals are devoted to safety and quality                              bers manufacture and market the major-
                                   throughout the supply chain | BY LINDA L. LEAKE, M S                                         ity of spices sold in the U.S. for industrial,
                                                                                                                                food service, and consumer use,” Shumow
                                                                                                                                elaborates.
                                                                                                                                     Shumow points out that most spices
                                                                                                                                require tropical or subtropical conditions
                                                                                                                                to grow. “That means spices are typically
                                                                                                                                grown in developing countries where san-
                                                                                                                                itation and food handling practices may
                                                                                                                                not always be adequate,” she says. “Like
                                                                                                                                all agricultural products, spices are com-
                                                                                                                                monly exposed to dust, dirt, insects, and
                                                                                                                                animal waste before they are harvested.
                                                                                                                                Then there are additional opportunities for
                                                                                                                                contamination during primary processing,
                                                                                                                                storage, and transportation. Much of the
                                                                                                                                spices imported into the United States are
                                                                                                                                essentially a raw agricultural commodity
                                                                                                                                that will undergo extensive cleaning, pro-
                                                                                                                                cessing, and treatment for pathogens once
                                                                                                                                they enter the U.S. to ensure they are clean

                                  V
                                                                                                                                and free of microbial contamination.”
                                              ariety is the spice of life, and   eign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricul-
                                              spices add so much variety to      tural Trade System. (A metric ton equals       Salmonella Control Is Essential
                                              life. Treasured as trade goods     2,204.6 pounds.) As with other food prod-      Foodborne illness attributed to spices is
                                              for thousands of years, spices     ucts, especially ones that are exchanged       rare. But relative to potential microbial
                                  are used not only to season and preserve       globally, spices are subject to food safety    hazards that can affect spices, Shumow
                                  food, they have been embraced as medi-         and quality concerns.                          says that Salmonella, in particular, is a
                                  cines, dyes, and perfumes dating back to                                                      pathogen that must be controlled by treat-
                                  ancient times. The word spice comes from       Microbial Hazard Concerns                      ment. “Spice companies use a variety of
                                  the Latin species, which means “wares.”        The most important food safety issue that      treatment methods to control for Salmo-
                                  In the culinary world, spices are aromatic     the spice industry deals with today is the     nella, including ethylene oxide, propylene
                                  flavorings originating from seeds (fennel,     need to manage the potential for contami-      oxide, steam, and irradiation,” Shumow
                                  mustard, nutmeg, and black pepper, for         nation by microbial hazards, according to      notes. “This treatment is an essential food
                                  example), fruits (cayenne pepper), bark        Laura Shumow, MHS, executive director          safety step in the spice supply chain. Spice
                                  (cinnamon), flower buds (cloves), stigmas      of the American Spice Trade Association        companies must comply with the Preven-
                                  (saffron), roots (turmeric and ginger), and    (ASTA).                                        tive Controls for Human Food rule under
                                  other plant parts.                                 Founded in 1907, the Washington, D.C.-     the Food Safety Modernization Act.”
                                      Spices were a primary driver for early     based ASTA bills itself as “the voice of the         The FDA basically defaults to a 5-log
                                  maritime and land trade routes devel-          U.S. spice industry in the global market.”     reduction of pathogens, Shumow says.
                                  oped between Europe and Asia, and re-          “ASTA represents the interests of approxi-     “However, the FDA has advised ASTA it
©MONTICELLLLO - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

                                  main a significant focus of international      mately 200 members including companies         would accept a different approach if sci-
                                  trade. In 2018, more than 22,000 metric        that grow, dehydrate, and process spices,”     entific evidence demonstrated the process
                                  tons of spices valued at $111 million were     Shumow relates.                                would adequately control the hazard, and
                                  exported from the U.S., while imports of           ASTA’s members include U.S.-based          conversely could require a 6-log reduction
                                  nearly 412,000 metric tons were valued at      agents, brokers, and importers. There are      if it would be reasonably foreseeable that
                                  $1.76 billion, according to the USDA For-      also member companies based outside of                                       (Continued on p. 16)

                                                                                                                                           December 2019 / January 2020       15
M arket I nitiatives

(Continued from p. 15)                            “Much of the spices imported into the United States
the food could be contaminated with more
than 100 colony-forming units per gram,”
                                                  are essentially a raw agricultural commodity that will
she explains.                                   undergo extensive cleaning, processing, and treatment
     Quality issues related to spices include    for pathogens once they enter the U.S. to ensure they
the potential to contain foreign material,
as well as low levels of environmental con-
                                                     are clean and free of microbial contamination.”
taminants, Shumow says. “These issues                      —LAURA SHUMOW, MHS,
do not usually present a food safety issue,                executive director of the American Spice Trade Association
but are managed to ensure products meet
quality and regulatory standards,” she ex-
plains. “Spice companies may rely on sup-
ply chain controls such as sampling and         and good agricultural practices for spice        the U.S. “We test for most all of the ASTA
testing, specifications, and supplier audits    farmers and processors.”                         members, as well as spice companies
to mitigate these types of quality issues.          Publicly available resources include         throughout the world,” he relates.
The spice industry also employs a variety       ASTA’s Identification and Prevention of               A long-time ASTA member, Mitchell
of equipment to physically clean spices,        Adulteration Guidance Document, Good             has served on the board of directors, and
including air separators, sifters, and spi-     Manufacturing Practice Guide for Spices,         is a member and former chair of the Food
ral gravity separators that separate sticks,    Good Agricultural Practices Guide, and           Safety Committee. He was also a member
stones, hair, insects, and other debris from    HACCP Guide for Spices and Seasonings.           of the ASTA Methods sub-committee that
the spice. These techniques are designed        “Likewise, ASTA offers several resources         developed and approved the official ASTA
to ensure finished product complies with        for non-member purchase, including an            testing methods for spices.
industry and regulatory specifications.         analytical methods manual and recorded                “In the early 2000s, there was some
     “The highest priority of ASTA is en-       webinar series,” Shumow adds.                    talk in the industry about Salmonella, but it
suring clean, safe spice for American               Educational and training resources for       was not universally accepted as a concern,
consumers,” Shumow emphasizes. “The             member companies are another offering in         especially since Salmonella does not pro-
association facilitates food safety in a        the ASTA toolbox, Shumow adds. “Webi-            liferate on dry spices,” Mitchell says. “But
number of ways, including the develop-          nars and workshops are regularly offered         it has evolved to a major effort to control
ment of technical guidance, white papers,       for the industry,” she relates. “Recent          bacterial contamination, since by the mid-
research, analytical detection methods,         topics covered by expert speakers have           2000s Salmonella and other pathogens
and education.”                                 included whole-genome sequencing, new            were traced to spices. At that time most
     To this point, another ASTA offering is    research on allergens, traceability/block-       spices came into the country untreated and
its Check Sample Program, which is profi-       chain technology, and validation of spice        any bacteria present were not necessarily
ciency testing designed to evaluate spice       process controls.”                               treated upon arrival.”
laboratories for a common range of anal-                                                              Most imported spices are now cleaned
yses that are significant to the spice trade,   Changing Concerns                                and subjected to a kill step by the U.S.
Shumow explains. “Proficiency testing           Issues with spices have changed over the         processors when they take possession,
is the analysis of samples in conjunction       years, says Martin Mitchell, chairman            Mitchell continues. “And there are now
with other laboratories testing the same        emeritus of Certified Laboratories, Inc.         industry expectations for a validated kill
sample type at the same time,” she elab-        “Prior to the 2000s, 90 percent of spice         step, documented sanitation controls,
orates. “The program allows individual          industry concerns focused on product             and pathogen testing for all spices, so they
laboratories to evaluate their performance      quality parameters, like cleanliness, color      are sold to food manufacturers, food ser-
and set goals for improvement and consis-       values, and volatile oil content,” he re-        vice customers, and consumers pathogen
tency in analyses.”                             lates. “Today, as Laura Shumow points            free,” he emphasizes.
                                                out, bacterial contamination, particularly
Guidance for Industry                           with Salmonella, is the major concern.           Adulteration Issues
ASTA publishes Clean, Safe Spice Guid-               Based in Melville, N.Y., Certified Lab-     Mitchell concurs with Shumow that adul-
ance, which includes references to FSMA         oratories is an independent laboratory           teration is another major concern in the
and information related to the FDA’s Re-        specializing in microbiological and chem-        spice industry. “Some imported ground
portable Food Registry, Shumow says.            ical analyses of numerous foods and bev-         spices from Third-World countries are
“ASTA has worked and continues to work          erages, including spices. The firm also          coming in adulterated,” he elaborates.
with companies and other associations to        maintains operations in Aurora, Ill., Tur-       “For example, lead and lead chromate
disseminate this guidance throughout the        lock, Calif., and Buena Park, Calif. Certified   have been found in cumin and turmeric,
supply chain,” she relates. “ASTA also col-     participates in the ASTA Check Sample            and Sudan dyes have been identified in red
laborates with organizations in spice-pro-      Program, Mitchell notes.                         pepper. Herbs such as sumac have been
ducing regions of the world to provide               Mitchell says Certified does the major-     added to ground oregano.”
education and resources on food safety          ity of the independent testing of spices in                                 (Continued on p. 63)

16       F O O D Q U A L I T Y & SA F E T Y                                                                           www.foodqualityandsafety.com
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