Experts Offer Advice On Preventing Food Safety Calamities

Food safety practices within an organization can be a significant risk factor in causing, or preventing, foodborne illness, according to a new U.S. study. Kansas State University professor Doug Powell says the way businesses and organizations operate above and beyond minimal food safety regulations and inspections – their “food safety culture” – is often overlooked. For the study, Powell and colleagues analyzed three food safety breakdowns: an E. coli outbreak in Wales in 2005, a listeria outbreak in Canada in 2008, and a salmonella outbreak in the U.S. in 2009 linked to peanut paste that killed nine and sickened 691. Key lessons derived? Food producers, restaurants and others should know the risks associated with their products, how to manage them, and most important, how to communicate with and compel staff to employ good practices.