NORTHFIELD, Ill.—Kraft Foods is putting prevention at the forefront of the food-safety issue, opting for better internal system design over government-mandated heightened testing.
As reported by Foodnavigator.com, some trade groups want amended food-policy legislation such as federally set, enforceable safety standards for fruit and vegetables, while other processors believe that solutions should be tailored to specific production environments.
Although Kraft said a system of comprehensive auditing was already in place through its operations, a group spokesperson claimed rolling out a ‘one-size-fits-all’ testing policy may not always be the best means to improve product safety.
“To be effective, food-safety plans must be tailored to each particular product and manufacturing condition,” the spokesperson said. “There is no one-size-fits-all as every product has a unique need and varying degree of risk associated with it. Routine testing of ingredients and finished products and environmental monitoring vary greatly from plant to plant and product to product.”
The comments come after the FDA praised Kraft Foods for showing how the country’s food-safety systems should work after it discovered a Salmonella outbreak in pistachios processed by one of its suppliers.