Every year, the USDA manages over 100 recalls (sometimes as many as 150) across the United States. These recalls are made for a wide range of issues, from something as simple as an undeclared allergen to issues as dangerous as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). Recently, a wholesale grocer recalled pre-cooked and raw meat and poultry products due to a temperature excursion along the supply chain. This in and of...

Written by Garret Weigel | July 17, 2019 | Food Safety, HACCP, FSMA, Supply Chain

In part 1 of our series on food recalls, we reviewed the overall recall process and how food companies work with federal agencies to manage contaminated foods in the supply chain and protect the public health. In this post, we now turn to the health of the food companies themselves in the aftermath of a recall. Regardless of whether a recall associated with foodborne illness is purely accidental, many manufacturers,...

Written by Garret Weigel | July 11, 2019 | Food Safety

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) uses software and artificial intelligence to automate rules-based, repetitive tasks and processes. Instead of an accountant manually reconciling two or more sets of data and investing time to understand the differences, RPA can automate the reconciliation tasks. This frees up time for workers to invest their time, intellect, and duties elsewhere.

Written by Garret Weigel | July 9, 2019 | Supply Chain

If you had to nominate only one federal agency that most effectively protects America’s wellbeing, few would argue with choosing the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC). Whether diseases start in the U.S. or overseas, the CDC’s “24/7 mission” is to fight them with critical science, provide information to citizens, and thereby safeguard communities against dangerous health threats.

Written by Garret Weigel | July 3, 2019 | Pharmacy Safety

Food recalls are more common than most people realize. But for good reason—most aren’t widely publicized, because the food products involved do not pose a threat to public health. Nevertheless, as recent notorious recalls of romaine lettuce and peanuts can only remind us, contaminated and defective food products do regularly enter the market with the potential to cause serious adverse effects. When this happens,...

Written by Garret Weigel | June 27, 2019 | Food Safety

Transportation routes and paths of travel develop over time. Such routes represent our affinity towards building paths that connect societies to one another, both domestically and globally. They also highlight the importance of established routes to transport and deliver goods and commodities.

Written by Garret Weigel | June 25, 2019 | Supply Chain