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2025 is shaping up to be a watershed year in food safety as organizations prepare for new federal traceability rules, respond to high-profile foodborne outbreaks, and integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into food safety solutions.

The horrific headlines say it all as the latest E. coli outbreak in the United States is leading to heartache and a rush for some major chains to pull onions from their menus.

While all business is risky – Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that 20 percent of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 45 percent during the first five years, and 65 percent during the first 10 years -- Food Safety magazine highlighted in January 2024 that the crucial food and beverage industry faces a number of inherent risks.

If bioengineered foods had their own relationship status it would certainly be “it’s complicated.”

KSAT reported that the National Academies of Sciences Commission said that sweeping statements about genetically engineered crops are problematic because issues related to them are multidimensional.

“In other words — it’s complicated,” said the KSAT report.

E. coli! Just the very words bring to mind danger as the headlines warn us of E. coli outbreaks that have sickened people around the country and new studies highlight the risk of the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria known as STEC in undercooked burgers.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) passed by Congress in December 2010 and signed into law in 2011 is the most comprehensive food safety legislation in the U.S. since 1937.

Listeria outbreak fears are in the news again this summer with frozen fruit recalls at Walmart, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Target, Aldi, and AWG.

The summer months are a time for hosting from backyard barbecues to lakeside picnics but it’s important to avoid sampling food that has been potentially spoiled by sitting out too long, especially in the heat.

Leaving food out too long at room temperature can cause bacteria (such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Campylobacter) to grow to dangerous levels that can cause illness,” says the United States Department of Agriculture. “Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the ‘Danger Zone.’ “

Expiration dates are more important than ever as Americans look to stretch their grocery dollars as far as they can go as food prices outpace wages. Unfortunately, there are a lot of food myths around food packaging “best by” dates, and other label information.

“Among all rising costs, sky-high grocery bills have been especially painful,” reported CNBC on Feb. 5, 2023. “Over the past year, food prices overall have risen more than 10 percent. Egg prices, alone, soared 60 percent, butter is up more than 31 percent and lettuce jumped 25 percent, according to Labor Department data through December. As a result, consumers are looking for any – and all ways to save.”

Access to food and drink is essential to human life as without it we simply could not survive.

This makes the food industry vital to our quality of life and over the past 200 years, mankind has benefited from a multitude of advances.