Food Safety in the Heartland

Protecting America's Breadbasket: Why Safety Matters

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from food-borne diseases each year nationwide. Illnesses like this are easily preventable. Proper use of preventive controls during food manufacturing and careful oversight can lead to fewer outbreaks and a healthier society.

Safety Experts at Your Fingertips

Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska are home to hundreds of animal and human food manufacturing companies. These businesses are critical to the Heartland's economy and communities. The success of these businesses, and the safety of their customers, have a correlation to their food manufacturing processes.

The “Food Safety in the Heartland” partnership, which includes Missouri Enterprise, MAMTC and the Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership, is an initiative of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Network that includes Missouri Enterprise and MEP centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. This coalition has been brought together to help food manufacturers with food safety. Food safety covers such a broad range of issues that it’s almost impossible for one person to be an expert in everything. With the coalition’s combined resources, Missouri Enterprise is able to cover pretty much any issue that any food manufacturer in Missouri would have.

Press Release: Missouri joins Kansas and Nebraska to Launch Food Safety in the Heartland Initiative

Relevance to Your Business

Don't End Up on a Recall List! Diligence in adopting preventative safety measures can impact your company on multiple levels.

Compliance with food safety regulations can result in the avoidance of fines.
Beyond the social responsibility aspect of increasing preventative safety measures, manufacturers will benefit by elevating the standard of their product.
By safeguarding against potential outbreaks, manufacturers are protecting against the negative perception that accompanies them.
Lowering the risk of a product recall makes good business sense and helps maintain a company’s reputation with customers.

USDA Food Recalls

Tarantino Wholesale Foods Distributor Recalls Ready-to-Eat Chicken Breast Products That May be Undercooked
Tarantino Wholesale Foods Distributor, a San Diego, Calif., establishment, is recalling approximately 1,115 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken breast products due to undercooking, resulting in the potential survival of bacterial pathogens in the products.
Stuffed Foods LLC Recalls Frozen Snack Products Due to Misbranding and an Undeclared Allergen
Stuffed Foods LLC, a Wilmington, Mass., establishment is recalling approximately 1,818 pounds of snack products due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen.
Taher, Inc. Recalls Meat Products Produced Without Benefit of Inspection
Taher, Inc., a Plymouth, Minn. firm, is recalling approximately 22,096 pounds of meat products that were produced without the benefit of federal inspection.
Willow Tree Poultry Farm, Inc. Recalls Ready-To-Eat Chicken Salad Products due to Misbranding and an Undeclared Allergen
Willow Tree Poultry Farm, Inc., an Attleboro, Mass. establishment is recalling approximately 6,890 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken salad products due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen.
Cher-Make Sausage Company Recalls Fully Cooked Meat Sausage Products Due to Misbranding and an Undeclared Allergen
Cher-Make Sausage Company, a Manitowoc, Wis. establishment, is recalling approximately 429-lbs of fully-cooked meat sausage products due to misbranding and an undeclared allergen. The product contains milk (cheese), which is not declared on the packaging label.

FDA Food Safety Recalls

Maribel’s Sweets Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Milk Allergen in Product
Maribel’s Sweets of Brooklyn New York is recalling its 5oz Cacao Market Cylinder Dark Chocolate Pearls, because they contain undeclared milk.
Vegpro International Issues a Recall of Fresh Attitude Baby Spinach Because of Potential Salmonella Health Risk
Vegpro International of Sherrington, QC CAN is recalling Fresh Attitude baby spinach (5oz and 11oz) with Best before dates of Dec 4th (for 11oz) and Dec 4th & 5th (for the 5oz), because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal
Prairie Farms Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Egg in Chocolate Milk Gallons
Prairie Farms has issued a limited voluntary recall of its Prairie Farms Premium Flavored Chocolate Milk gallons and Prairie Farms 1% Lowfat Chocolate Milk gallons (Best by Date: Dec. 4, 2020) that were not labeled for an egg allergen that may be present. People who have an allergy or severe sensit
Shenandoah Growers Inc Issues a Limited, Voluntary Recall of Certain Imported Organic Basil Because of Potential Health Risk
Shenandoah Growers, Inc (Harrisonburg, VA) out of an abundance of caution, has issued a limited, voluntary recall of approximately 15,000 units in select packages, due to a possible health risk from Cyclospora.
Hy-Vee Voluntarily Recalls Two Short Cuts Vegetable Mix Products Because of Possible Health Risk
Hy-Vee, Inc., based in West Des Moines, Iowa, is voluntarily recalling two of its Hy-Vee Short Cuts vegetable mix products across its eight-state region (IL, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, SD, and WI) due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The potential for contamination was discovered duri

2011 Food Safety Modernization Act

Missouri Enterprise is working to help Missouri manufacturers become compliant with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements and reduce manufacturers’ exposure to fines, potential liability risks and negative customer impacts. FSMA, which became final in September 2015, requires food facilities to have a food safety plan in place that includes an analysis of hazards and risk-based preventive controls to minimize or prevent the identified hazards. Learn more about the FSMA through these videos:

Examples of Food Companies We've Helped

Giofre Apiaries - Fulton, Mo
Pierce Seeds - Caruthersville, Mo
Cool Canine - Shell Knob, Mo

Contact Us

To learn how your company can take the steps necessary to achieve important food safety certifications, and how to develop and implement the management systems your company needs to effectively manage food safety now and into the future, contact your Area Business Manager. Also, sign up for our "Food Safety" newsletter topic and receive notices and information on upcoming events, news, and food safety tips.