Dr. Alejandro Mazzotta
If we were to predict the future, I have no doubt that soon we will be surprised to found an “unexpected” outbreak related to a food that has been always considered innocuous, and has been out of the scope of food safety topics, symposia and research activities. That was the case of surprising events from botulism in yogurt in the UK (1989), Salmonella in peanut butter (2007), Listeria monocytogenesin cantaloupe (2011) and in caramel apples (2011) in the U.S.
The food safety community jumps on full investigations, research, and implementation of programs in processing plants after the devastating news. But, how can we be more proactive and establish stronger food safety management systems that rely on a realistic hazard analysis; a hazard analysis that is constantly revised to incorporate changes in practices, ingredients, operation efficiencies, distribution and consumer behavior. We have become experts in studying the past, but we need to continue to educate and promote appropriate food safety practices to prevent incidents that affect public health.