Institutional Resources
www.food-safety-news.com is a monthly online newsletter produced by food-safety.com.au for the retail food industry: e.g. restaurants, fast food outlets, hotels, motels, cafeterias, etc. Their newsletter focuses on a wide range of issues such as food safety plans, food poisoning, food safety, contamination, and customer service improvements. Advice of each issue is sent via E-mail to registered users.
The Food Research Institute (or, FRI) is based at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and is both an independent research institute and an academic department in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Usually on the cutting-edge of food safety research, the FRI is a top-notch resource for obtaining the most recent scientific information about food microbiology and toxicology. The attorneys at Marler Clark regularly retain the experts here at the FRI for help in ongoing foodborne illness litigation.
National Food Processors Association
The National Food Processors Association (or, NFPA) is is the principal scientific and technical trade association for the food industry. While we normally advise people to be cautious when relying on information provided by trade associations, we have found that the NFPA remains an excellent source of information on food safety issues of all kind, both scientific and regulatory. The Marler Clark attorneys gave a presentation at last year's NFPA national convention in Chicago, Illinois, and came away quite impressed with the organization, and its commitment to food safety. We recommend this site without reservation.
Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management
This excellent website is packed with food safety information and research, with a particular focus on the retail food industry. There is also lots of information about food safety at home. Created by Dr. Pete Snyder, one of the country's leading and most outspoken food safety advocates, this website is a treasure trove of useful and important information.
National Center for Food Safety and Technology
The NCFST is a consortium organized to address the complex issues raised by emerging food technologies. It includes academia, industry, and the government to combine resources and ecourage cooperative efforts to ensure the continued food safety and quality of the nation's food supply. This is not necessarily the prettiest site around, but it contains a good amount of helpful information, especially about available educational programs.
Like the AMI, this the Food Marketing Institute (or, FMI) is a national trade association, this one representing food retailers. This website has limited utility unless you are interested in learning more about the food retailing and the laws that regulate it.
Institute of Food Technologists
The Institute of Food Technologists (or, IFT) was founded in 1939, and is a nonprofit scientific society with 28,000 members working in food science, food technology, and related professions in industry, academia and government. On several occasions, the attorneys at Marler Clark have been asked to give presentations at an IFT national or regional convention. THE IFT IS AN EXCELLENT ORGANIZATIION, AND WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS WEBSITE AS AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF RELIABLE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION.
International Food Information Council Homepage
The International Food Information Council (or, IFIC) provides reliable scientific information on food safety and nutrition to journalists, health professionals, educators, government officials and consumers. Because this website is updated regularly, the information it provides is always quite current.
Sponsored by the Food Institute of Canada, this web-site provides a wealth of information on the food industry, while also offering a global perspective. The Food Safety resource page is quite good, as is the site's section on laws and regulations.
Sponsored by the Midwest Council of Food Inspection Locals, a labor union that represents meat, poultry & egg inspectors, this site is informative, eye-opening, and unabashedly opinionated. With a perspective developed on the front-lines of the food safety war, this site does not pull many punches. For example, if you want to be shocked (and maybe even apalled),check out the article entitled "Edible S**t" THIS IS A GREAT SITE!
The American Meat Institute (or, AMI) is a national trade association that represents approximately 70% of the Nation's meat packers and processors. The AMI provides legislative, regulatory, and public relations services on behalf of the meat industry, and also sponsors scientific and economic research, and some public education programs. While this is not a website that we would recommend for researching food safety issues, or seeking unbiased information (there are several better sites for that), it is still an excellent way to find out what the meat industry is up to.
Foodborne Illness: What Consumers Need to Know
Part of a website designed to provide health and safety information for HIV-positive individuals, and persons living with AIDS, this web-page provide simple, yet important, information about foodborne illnesses and how best to avoid them.