Kraft Foods
First to the Table
Q&A on Food Safety
With Dr. Matilda Freund, Kraft Foods, Inc.
SN: More food recalls have been in the news in recent years. Does Kraft subscribe to the FMI Product Recall Portal? If so, has it been helpful? If not, does Kraft plan to subscribe? Briefly outline Kraft's recall procedures.
Freund: Kraft Foods subscribes to the FMI Product Recall Portal. In fact, we are part of a joint GMA/FMI initiative that is working on the portal.
When Kraft Foods detects a potential issue with any of our products, we immediately assemble a cross-functional team to begin gathering all of the facts. This includes identifying whether or not any product has left our control, if there are potential health or food safety risks and the source of the issue. As part of this, we have programs and systems in place to identify and trace all products and ingredients. If we determine that there is any potential for a Kraft Foods product to pose a healthy or food safety risk, we promptly notify FDA or USDA and implement a recall.
SN: What procedures does Kraft have in place to trace a food-borne illness to the source of the problem?
Freund: Kraft Foods maintains a centralized, computer based system that can trace finished product by SKU and code date from the plant to the distribution center. This process includes identification of materials, process conditions and the customers to whom the lot was distributed. To facilitate the traceability process back to ingredient suppliers, incoming materials are identified with a lot number. The lot number is clearly identified on the shipping container and recorded on manufacturing records of products in which the material is used. Kraft Foods suppliers are required to maintain a system to rapidly trace what ingredients they used and where they subsequently shipped their ingredients.
In addition, periodic mock recalls are conducted at least annually by production locations to validate the effectiveness of the traceability process.
Related Resources
- Fixing the Food Safety Net: What Will It Take?
- The Obama administration is promising many changes in the agencies that monitor the safety of the food supply. This webinar will explore how the government may change its food monitoring activities over the coming years and how that will impact food retailers, manufacturers and consumers.
- Wegmans Chooses Safer Pet Food Supplier
- Dad's Pet Care has been chosen by Wegmans Food Markets here to supply its line of Wegmans brand dry dog and cat foods.
- FMI Revamps Recall Portal
- Food Marketing Institute is scheduled to unveil today a revamped version of its online recall portal, dubbed Rapid Recall Exchange, that it hopes will facilitate the dissemination of recall information.
- USDA Launches "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food"
- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan yesterday announced a new local agriculture initiative from the U.S. Department of Agriculture called "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food," which will promote the consumption of locally raised foods.
- FMI Commends FDA for Reportable Foods Registry
- The Food Marketing Institute here is confident that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Reportable Food Electronic Portal and Registry, launched earlier this week, will compliment the industry's Rapid Recall Exchange, an electronic database designed to expedite food recall notifications amongst industry members.
- Federal Food Safety Information
Have a burning question related to food safety? Ask Kraft Foods' food safety expert, Dr. Matilda Freund, who has devoted nearly 20 years to this important issue.