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FDA Logo
Beltway Beat

The FDA is implementing a major reorganization plan called “Simple Reform” on October 1, 2026

By Food Safety Tech Staff, Rick Biros
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The FDA is implementing a major reorganization plan called “Simple Reform” on October 1, 2026, which shifts field inspectors from specialized product roles back to generalist investigators and centralizes administrative functions. The food and beverage industry should expect a shift in audit dynamics, meaning audits will likely focus less on highly specific, niche technical processes and more on foundational, broad-spectrum quality systems. Dr. Stephen Ostroff and Frank Yiannas, both former Deputy Commissioners at FDA offer their opinions on Simple Reform.

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Women in Food Safety

Why Authenticity Wins in Food Safety: 5 Leadership Lessons from Kelly Stevens

By Kim Ring
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With a remarkable 30+ year career spanning laboratory microbiology, intense manufacturing plant roles, and global corporate leadership, Kelly shares the raw, honest milestones of her journey. For food safety professionals, her insights that we’ve boiled down to five tips, offer a powerful masterclass in leadership, navigating industry barriers, and owning your career path.

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Beltway Beat

FDA Calls on Infant Formula Industry to Better Safeguard Against Contaminants Introduced through their Supply Chain

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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FDA sent a letter to the infant formula industry and their supply chain partners highlighting multiple recent public health events where risks were introduced through the supply chain and to call for increased vigilance by industry to ensure the safety of ingredients and finished infant formula products.

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Ask The Expert

Food Safety as Business Infrastructure Series (Article 3 of 5): Can your system absorb growth without losing control?

By Azure Edwards, M.S.
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Fifteen years of preventive controls investment has produced a record detailed enough to answer a question most operations confront only under pressure: not whether a system performs, but whether it can carry what growth asks of it. Rising volume, added complexity, new customers, and shifting requirements all impact the same structure, and they reveal whether the structure was built to absorb them, or whether people have been absorbing the difference on its behalf. This five-part series examines food safety through the business realities leaders already navigate: profitability, risk, growth, brand trust, and organizational function.

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Testing methods, analysis
Testing methods, analysis

Beyond the Certificate of Analysis: What Supplier Verification Really Asks of You

By Bala Murugan
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Many food manufacturers treat supplier verification as a filing exercise collect the certificate of analysis, confirm it’s in spec, move on. This article argues that approach satisfies neither FSMA’s supply-chain program nor the scrutiny of a recall. It explains what 21 CFR Part 117 Subpart G actually requires (risk-based verification scaled to hazard severity), why a COA is an assertion rather than proof of safety, and how to build a verification program independent testing, representative sampling, and documented reasoning that matches the hazard rather than just collecting paperwork.

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Workers production line
Workers production line

Beyond Detection: Building a Multi-Layered Food Safety Defense System

By Michael Ciepiela
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Growth, continuous improvement, and increased throughput should never come at the expense of robust food safety practices. Instead, food safety programs must evolve alongside manufacturing operations to ensure both objectives advance together. The challenge arises when operational excellence begins to outpace the food safety systems designed to protect both consumers and brands.

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