D.L. Newslow & Associates, Inc. is excited to announce that we will be attending, sponsoring, and exhibiting at SQF Unites 2026 SQF Unites 2026 will be held at St. Louis Union Staton Hotel on March 9 - 12. As long‑time supporters of the Safe Quality Food community, we look forward to another year of meaningful conversations, shared learning, and strengthening the culture of food safety across our industry. Our team brings decades of hands‑on experience, and several of our

Verification vs. Validation is the Lesson Every Food Safety Professional Should Master In food safety, few concepts create more confusion during certification than Verification  and Validation . They appear together in standards, they sound similar, and yet they serve completely different roles in a food safety system. Understanding the difference isn’t just academic, it directly affects audit performance, employee confidence, and the credibility of your food safety plan. Whe

What Industry Needs to Know About Draft Cosmetic Recalls The cosmetics industry is continuing to evolve under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA), and one of the most significant shifts is the FDA’s expanded authority to mandate recalls. To support industry understanding and preparedness, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released a new draft guidance: “Questions and Answers Regarding Mandatory Cosmetics Recalls: Guidance for Industry.” This

A Look at the Latest Cross Contamination Food Safety Standards and What Standards Will be Shaping in 2026 Food safety is not a single checkpoint; it’s a continuous chain of responsibility. From the soil where crops are grown to the plate where meals are served, every stage presents opportunities for contamination. Cross‑contamination, the transfer of harmful microorganisms or allergens (cross-contact) from one surface, product, or environment to another, remains one of the mo

Infant formulas are more than just food; they are often the sole source of nutrition during the most critical stage of a child’s development. Parents trust that every scoop will provide safe, balanced nourishment. Yet in recent years, that trust has been shaken by a series of recalls and contamination concerns. From bacterial outbreaks to heavy metals like lead and arsenic, the risks surrounding formula highlight vulnerabilities in both manufacturing and oversight. These reca

Eating more fruit and vegetables remains one of the clearest ways to improve public health, but recent Consumer Reports (CR) analysis shows that the benefits coexist with measurable, concentrated pesticide risk in a small set of commonly eaten crops. Today, we are going to discuss three Consumer Reports  recent articles: Produce Without Pesticides - Consumer Reports ,   6 Fruits and Vegetables Loaded With Pesticides - Consumer Reports , and How to Protect Yourself From Pestic

Transport is where careful food safety work in the plant meets the unpredictable outside world. A load that left your facility safe can become a hazard by the time it reaches a customer if controls lapse during loading, transfer, transit, or unloading. This guide explains Good Transport Practices (GTP) in plain teaching language, highlights the elements you must manage, calls out problem areas where food is at risk and how to address them (in a concise bullet list as requeste

We had an absolute blast at the Food Safety Consortium 2025! From the moment we set up our booth to the final panel discussion, the energy, insights, and camaraderie were off the charts. A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat, share stories, and geek out over food safety with us. Your enthusiasm made our experience unforgettable! We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Rick Biros with Food Safety Tech and the entire crew behind the Consortium. Despite the

A concerning Consumer Reports investigation  has uncovered troubling levels of toxic heavy metals in many of today’s top-selling protein powders and shakes. Despite booming consumer demand for protein supplements across dairy, beef and plant-based lines, laboratory analyses show that more than two-thirds of tested products contain unsafe amounts of lead in a single serving, surpassing the 0.5 micrograms per day threshold experts deem tolerable. These findings demand urgent ac

The current administration has released its long-anticipated Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) guidelines, a sweeping federal strategy...

Maintaining proper temperatures during cooking, holding, cooling, and storage remains your strongest defense against foodborne illness....

A recent food safety recall has sparked concern after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr . warned that some Walmart...

Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) may not be a household name, but it’s likely in your pantry. This synthetic white pigment is widely used in food...

Ensuring the safety of your products isn’t just a regulatory checkbox; it’s the foundation of trust, quality, and long-term success for...

On August 5, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a proposed amendment to the Standard of Identity (SOI) for pasteurized...