Food Safety

USDA lab recognized for pandemic response

The staff members at a U.S. Department of Agriculture lab in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service have been recognized for their response during the pandemic. The Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program’s staff... more »

Specialty crop program offsets $200 million in food safety costs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing specialty crop growers up to $200 million to offset certain expenses incurred to receive food safety certification. The USDA’s new Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program... more »

Penn State scientists to explore postharvest fruit rot

Scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant of nearly $313,000 to study the effects of postharvest fruit decay. The research is designed to support the mid-Atlantic... more »

Brookshire Grocery recalls peaches over listeria concerns

Brookshire Grocery Co. has issued a recall of yellow flesh peaches sold in bulk displays over concerns for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The peaches were shipped to stores from April 15-24, so none of the fresh fruit... more »

Hazel Technologies offers second Apple Quality Summit

Hazel Technologies Inc. has opened registration for its 2nd annual Apple Quality Summit. The hour-long event on May 26 will feature presentations focused on preparing the U.S. apple industry for the 2022 season. Scheduled speakers are... more »

SAVRpak extends shelf life of berries, grapes during trials

SAVRpak has released a new moisture-control technology that extends the shelf life of fresh produce by up to three times, trials have shown. The Drop-In technology is a chemical-free, biodegradable pouch that is placed in... more »

GLOBALG.A.P. introduces updated version

GLOBALG.A.P. North America Inc. is releasing a new version and scheduling webinars to discuss the updated product range. The revised Integrated Farm Assurance (IFA) standard Version 6 and the GLOBALG.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice... more »

Microbiologists receive grant to study biofilms guarding Listeria

Microbiologists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received a $605,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study how microbial biofilms protect Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterium that causes the deadly foodborne illness... more »