I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the vital role our regulatory and advisory partners play in food safety.

The FDA Food Division, USDA FSIS, and CDC have the responsibility of U.S. Food Safety which includes investigating food-borne illness outbreaks, tracing outbreaks back to the source, catalyzing innovation, gathering and analyzing data, and helping to keep our food safe. Federal regulators help guide companies to achieve sanitary facilities with safe food practices. Advisory committees such as the recently terminated NACMCF and NACMPI advance our understanding, expand information sharing, and empower food producers with guidance. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection are vital technical resources helping us making our food supply safer.

Among many other areas supported over the years, NACMCF was working on updated advice to prevent Cronobacter (2022 outbreak in infant formula that killed two babies), or the Listeria monocytogenes (2024 outbreak in deli meat that killed nine Americans). The advisory boards that were eliminated provide scientific advice to advance our knowledge and are a critical resource in developing strong food safety programs for food manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, which all protect consumers.

Sometimes I advise clients not to ask for data unless they’re ready to speak to it in any outcome. Other times I remind myself of the framed quote on the wall of one of one of my early mentors that read – “bring the data or bring your butt”. While both have specific nuanced applications, both reinforce what is most important: data-based decision making. When we eliminate knowledge sources for data-based evaluations, risk-assessments, and ultimately decision making we cast ourselves into the unknown and weaken systems against preventable outcomes.

At Brookview Consulting Group, we are committed to applying the best available science from advisory committees, public-private partnerships, regulatory agencies, and critically, the people within these organizations that connect us with the tools and resources to keep consumers safe. 

#science #foodsafety #FDA #USDA #FSIS #NACMCF #NACMPI