Insights
Food safety, reported from inside the plant. By an operator running an SQF-certified facility and a food safety director with 7,500 audits behind him.
Issue 17 · Jul 22, 2026
Food Safety Summit 2026: Seven Sessions, One Blind Spot
Food Safety Summit 2026 wrapped May 14 in Rosemont. The content was strong, the speakers credible, the case studies real. Every playbook on stage assumed you were Cargill, Nestlé, or McDonald's. The smaller operator was missing from the conversation. Notes on what worked, what did not, and where the gap was loudest.
Steven Moussawer · May 19, 2026 · 10 min read
The Brief · Weekly
Jul 22
The SQF Agents & Brokers Code, published July 6 2026, certifies the traders, brokers, and importers who move your ingredients without handling them. For the first time you can require a third-party certificate for the intermediary in your supply chain, the link that used to sit outside every audit. What it covers, who needs it, and where it fits in supplier qualification.
What the SQF Agents & Brokers Code covers
Who needs it, and who doesn't
Why this matters for your supplier qualification
The FSMA 204 angle
How the audit works
Agents & Brokers Code vs the Food Safety Services Code
What to do this quarter
Frequently asked questions
The bottom line
Edition 10 Audits Start January 2. Some Records You Can't Backfill.
Edition 10 audits arrive as early as January 2, 2027. Part of what the code asks for is time-series evidence: culture tr...
Steven Moussawer · Aug 06, 2026 · 6 min read
The SQF Agents & Brokers Code, Explained for Buyers
The SQF Agents & Brokers Code, published July 6 2026, certifies the traders, brokers, and importers who move your ingred...
Steven Moussawer · Jul 22, 2026 · 7 min read
Your Recall Can't Hinge on a Single Test Result
FDA reported a positive cyclospora result on Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce, the company recalled, and a day later FDA cal...
Steven Moussawer · Jul 20, 2026 · 5 min read
Your Supplier's Other Customer Had an Outbreak. Nobody Told You.
Nara Organics and ByHeart never shared a label, a plant, or a brand. They shared a milk supplier. Seven months after ByH...
Steven Moussawer · Jun 29, 2026 · 5 min read
The Soup Was Labeled Vegetarian. The Recall Was for Shrimp.
Kettle Cuisine recalled Whole Foods minestrone labeled Vegetarian because the cups contained shrimp. FDA called it Class...
Steven Moussawer · Jun 25, 2026 · 4 min read
Nine Listeria Cases, One Strain, Three Years Apart
Nine Listeria cases, one genetic strain, samples spanning March 2023 to May 2026, and an unopened tub of Clover Hill req...
Steven Moussawer · Jun 10, 2026 · 5 min read
The working documents.
Guide · 9 min
How to Build a Food Safety Culture Plan That Actually Passes an Audit
Food safety culture went from a talking point to an auditable requirement in 2026. If your facility needs a documented plan with measurable objectives and you are not sure where to start, this covers the four pillars auditors evaluate, with real examples and a 90-day implementation timeline.
Updated Aug 2026
Guide · 12 min
Environmental Monitoring Under SQF Edition 10: What Auditors Will Expect
SQF Edition 10 turned environmental monitoring into a mandatory core clause with double the point deductions for non-conformances. Facilities producing ready-to-eat foods need a documented risk assessment, a zone-based sampling plan, and corrective action protocols that go beyond clean-and-reswab. With audits under the new edition starting as early as January 2027, the gap analysis window is closing.
Updated Aug 2026
Guide · 11 min
What Auditors Want to See Behind Your Food Safety Culture Score
Most food safety culture surveys in use across the industry have not been validated to standards that academic reviewers consider adequate. A peer-reviewed systematic review published April 6, 2026 in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety examined 31 studies and found that no instrument has passed all of the recommended validation checks. SQF Edition 10 auditors are starting to look past the score and ask how the methodology was built.
Updated Aug 2026
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The Formula Changed. The Label Didn't. FSIS Caught It.
On May 31, FSIS announced a recall of about 71,603 pounds of frozen pork and crab soup dumplings. The problem was peanut...
Steven Moussawer · Jun 02, 2026 · 6 min read
Three Dessert Recalls in 30 Days. Three Different Hazards.
Three premium consumer dessert SKUs got recalled in 30 days for foreign objects. Lactalis Specially SELECTED Vanilla Cre...
Steven Moussawer · May 18, 2026 · 7 min read
An Unopened RTE Tested Positive for Listeria. The Cook Step Isn't What Failed.
FSIS pulled an unopened package of Daisy Brand headcheese off the line on May 9. It tested positive for Listeria. Three...
Steven Moussawer · May 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Your Sanitation Crew Sends You a Service Log. The Auditor Wants Verification.
I run an SQF-certified facility. I've pulled records in all four service categories: sanitation, pest control, calibrati...
Steven Moussawer · May 07, 2026 · 8 min read
Your Supplier's Supplier Recalled. Your COA Won't Save You.
Three brands recalled chips, beverage mixes, and meat products in eight days. The trigger wasn't Salmonella in any of th...
Steven Moussawer · May 05, 2026 · 5 min read
FSSC 22000 V7 Is Live. The 12-Month Clock Just Started.
Foundation FSSC published Version 7 of the 22000 scheme on May 1, 2026. The 12-month clock is running. Most coverage is...
Steven Moussawer · May 04, 2026 · 5 min read
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