When consumers purchase chicken from the grocery store, they could be bringing home more than just a drumstick. Campylobacter has crept its way up the charts to become the top bacterial cause of reported foodborne illnesses in the United States. Move over, Salmonella! But how does Campylobacter infiltrate the food supply, and why is it seemingly on the rise? We’ve answered five need-to-know questions about Campylobacter below: Continue Reading
Technical Tuesday: How to Avoid Recalls for Undeclared Allergens in Meat & Poultry
Jennifer Johnson /
Since 2009, FSIS-inspected product recalls for undeclared allergens have accounted for more than one in five recalls. In 2014, for example, allergens accounted for nearly half (46.7%) of all FSIS recalls. While the importance of properly labeling major food allergens has grown in recent years, it’s clear that the meat and poultry industry still has work to do. Continue Reading
A decade ago, allergens were an uncommon cause of meat and poultry product recalls in the United States. The proportion of meat and poultry products recalled annually due to allergens steadily increased from 8% in 2008 to 35% in 2012 due to increased awareness of the issue by inspection personnel and establishments. Moreover, the total number of recall events involving meat and poultry products due to undeclared allergens increased 103% between the calendar years 2012 and 2015. Undeclared allergens have now become the leading reason for recalls of meat and poultry products from the U.S. marketplace. Continue Reading
