USDA estimates that number of federal inspectors would shrink from 365 to 218

The Trump administration plans to shift much of the power and responsibility for food safety inspections in hog plants to the pork industry as early as May, cutting the number of federal inspectors by about 40 percent and replacing them with plant employees.

Under the proposed new inspection system, the responsibility for identifying diseased and contaminated pork would be shared with plant employees, whose training would be at the discretion of plant owners. There would be no limits on slaughter-line speeds.
The new pork inspection system would accelerate the federal government’s move toward delegating inspections to the livestock industry. During the Obama administration, poultry plant owners were given more power over safety inspections, although that administration canceled plans to increase line speeds. The Trump administration in September allowed some poultry plants to increase line speeds.
The Trump administration also is working to shift inspection of beef to plant owners. Agriculture Department officials are scheduled next month to discuss the proposed changes with the meat industry.

These proposals, part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to reduce regulations, come as the federal government is under fire for delegating some of its aircraft safety oversight responsibilities to Boeing, which developed the 737 Max jets involved in two fatal crashes over the past six months. Federal Aviation Administration certification of the two aircraft involved in the crashes took place under Trump, but the major shift toward delegating key aspects of aviation oversight began during the George W. Bush administration.

As online shopping is becoming increasingly popular, more and more enterprises are tapping into new business opportunities by offering various kinds of foodstuffs, groceries and food supplements for sale on the Internet. However, sellers entering this marketplace are not always aware that the EU food safety regulatory requirements governing traditional food business activities (i.e. hygiene standards and labelling) are also applicable to sales conducted online. 

A new Commission report about Member States' official controls on Internet sales of food found, that Member States have integrated these into their existing official control systems. It is further concluded that such controls are still limited and will need to be further enhanced, also due to the fast growth anticipated in the coming years of e-commerce. The report is based on a 2017 series of fact-finding missions in seven EU Member States. The overall conclusions along with some good practices and common challenges encountered by Member States can be found in the overview report.

full report

Although the EU’s system for protecting consumers from chemical hazards in food is soundly based and respected worldwide, it is currently overstretched, according to a new report from the European Court of Auditors. The European Commission and the Member States do not have the capacity to implement the system fully, the auditors say.

EU food safety policy aims to guarantee a high level of protection for human life and health, and to protect EU citizens from three types of hazards in food: physical, biological and chemical. This audit concentrated on chemical hazards in food.

The auditors found that the EU food safety model commands respect worldwide, but that it is currently overstretched. The legal framework governing chemicals in food, feed, and plants and live animals remains a work in progress, they say, and has not yet been implemented to the level envisaged in EU laws governing food production. In addition, the European Food Safety Authority, which provides scientific advice to inform European policymaking, suffers backlogs in its work in connection with chemical hazards. This affects the proper functioning of parts of the system and the sustainability of the model as a whole.

EFSA has developed a new food safety management approach that makes it simpler for small retailers to donate food. 

The simplified system would mean that retailers are not required to have detailed knowledge of specific hazards. It includes steps for checking that donated food is safe, such as shelf-life control, maintenance of the cold chain and ensuring communication between the donor and recipients.

Under the new system, retailers need only to be aware that biological, chemical and physical hazards or allergens may be present and that a failure to undertake key control activities – such as separation of raw from cooked products – could pose a risk to consumers. The approach is intended for food distribution centres, supermarkets, pubs, restaurants and other small retailers.

EWFC inspectors and Italian food inspectors have agreed to meet in December, during the MIG or "Mostra Internazionale del Gelato Artigianale di Longarone". Both sides are eager to meet and see if there is a common interest to keep up contacts or even possibilities to join the EWFC.

MIG or "Mostra Internazionale del Gelato Artigianale di Longarone" is the oldest trade show in Europe exclusively dedicated to the artisanal gelato: along the years the value of the tradition mixed with innovation led this event to a privileged position worldwide. The next 58th MIG, scheduled in Longarone (Italy) in the Dolomiti alps, from Sunday, 3rd to Wednesday, 6th December 2017 will be focused on artisan gelato made with local products.