Thought Leadership

While the government shutdown seriously affected hundreds of thousands of people directly (and continues to do so), its impact is still lingering in other forms and some issues are just now coming into view. It turns out that even our holidays aren’t beyond the reach of the shutdown’s impact. If you’re thinking about sending, or hoping to receive, flowers for Valentine’s Day this year, you may be in for a bit of a shock—and that includes sticker shock. The majority of imported perishable goods enter the U.S.

In October, the FDA released new draft guidance for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) on how to meet its seven key rules for ensuring the safety of our food supply. A month later, the nation was hit with yet another major food-borne outbreak – E. coli-contaminated romaine lettuce that killed five and sickened hundreds of consumers across 36 states.

In October, Canada became the first major economy, and second country, to legalize cannabis. While this policy shift will undoubtedly have consequences for consumers, law enforcement officials and others, it also presents new challenges for the cannabis manufacturers seeking to profit from what could be a $5 billion industry. As manufacturers compete for a limited number of licenses and confront an increased level of scrutiny, recall preparedness and a thorough understanding of regulatory requirements will be crucial to success.

As we mentioned in our first blog of 2018, The Future of Recalls, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) held a workshop on how to improve recall effectiveness. In the report that followed that event, the CPSC stated that recalls with direct notifications have proven most effective.

On the 25 year anniversary of ICPHSO, much of the discussion centered around technologies most could never imagine when the organization began in 1993. Multiple sessions explored emerging technologies – both the undeniable upsides and the potential downsides when it comes to product safety. Lithium-ion Batteries During a standing room only session on lithium-ion batteries, panelists discussed the ubiquitous and potentially volatile nature of the product.