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EXPORT & IMPORT

food technology evolves, our oversight evol-
ves along with it, to help ensure food safety.
As we look at these business models of the
future, we will also be working to help mo-
dernize food safety at restaurants and other
retail food outlets, which are one of the more
frequently cited locations associated with out-
breaks of foodborne illness.
FDA research shows the importance of sup-
porting practices in retail establishments
known to reduce the risk of food contamina-
tion, such as proper handwashing and storing
foods at the right temperature. We’re commi-
tted to exploring new approaches of food sa-
fety that go beyond traditional training and
inspection.
sing results from this pilot. Many restaurants and other retail outlets
Imagine having a tool that expedites the have had to temporarily close or change the
clearance of legitimate, compliant shipments way they do business during the pandemic. As
and improves by 300 percent our ability to they start back up and get their bearings, we
know which shipping container to examine intend to engage with the retail food industry
because that container is more likely to have and our partners in state government to help
violative products. It would save an immense change practices, including a greater focus on
amount of time, and potentially lives. how we motivate behavior changes by retail
workers.
NEW BUSINESS MODELS AND RETAIL We’ll also encourage and explore the use of
MODERNIZATION new digital tools that will support food safety
We’re also taking a look at new business mo- practices.
dels for the production and delivery of food.
In recent years, groceries and meals have in- A NEW CULTURE OF FOOD SAFETY
creasingly been ordered online and delivered Finally, the blueprint involves a focus on fos-
directly to our homes. In the past few months, tering the growth of and strengthening the
however, as consumers have heeded stay-at- food safety culture on farms and in food facili-
-home recommendations and ordered their ties all over the world.
food online from restaurants and supermar- The importance of having a safety culture is
kets, this trend has skyrocketed. something very familiar to me as the admini-
We must help ensure that as these foods strator of a medical center, as this is a central
travel to our front doors, they continue to be tenet in efforts to protect hospital patients.
safe for consumers. That concept is important The pandemic has given us a new perspecti-
an any time, but COVID-19 has accelerated the ve on what we mean by food safety culture.
need to establish best practices and an indust- We still believe that to make dramatic reduc-
ry standard of care in this area. tions in foodborne disease we must do more
New business models include novel ways of to influence and change human behavior, as
producing foods and ingredients, such as cell- well as to address how employees think about
-cultured food products, and we plan to take a food safety, and how they demonstrate their
close look at these. We intend to ensure that as commitment to this as part of their jobs.
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