News — Cold Chain

Food Safety Recall Bulletin — August 2026

The month to 15 August 2026 was dominated by contaminated raw ingredients working their way downstream into ready-to-eat products, rather than by failures inside the factory itself. A single grower in Sinaloa, Mexico sits behind a 345-case Salmonella Javiana outbreak in the United States that has now pulled chilled dips, salsas and sandwiches off shelves in 26 states and reached as far as Ontario. In Ireland, contaminated imported sesame seed triggered six separate recalls in six days, ending with pre-packed deli salads. Sprouting seed carrying Shiga toxin-producing E. coli was recalled across at least twelve European countries and the UK. Meanwhile, Listeria monocytogenes continued its steady presence in chilled ready-to-eat foods — chilled pasta salads in the UK, soup kits in the US, and processed meats in Quebec, where one Charlevoix producer recalled a second time within four weeks. Notably, several authorities also logged explicit cold chain breakdowns at borders, with consignments rejected for temperature excursions in transit. Below is a summary of the significant recalls and alerts issued by the major regulators during the period, with links to the original notices.

Regulatory Compliance Update Bulletin: Temperature Monitoring — August 2026

This bulletin covers six regulatory developments affecting temperature monitoring in August 2026: the EMA/PIC/S Annex 15 revision, the FDA's lot-level food traceability flexibility consultation, post-transition QMSR inspections under Compliance Program 7382.850, WHO PQS E006 electronic monitoring requirements for vaccine cold chain equipment, India's Revised Schedule M now fully in force, and cold chain licensing conditions in Thailand and the Philippines. Sources checked this period included the FDA, USDA FSIS, CFIA, WHO, USP, MHRA, FSANZ, EMA/PIC/S, CDSCO, FSSAI, the Philippines FDA and the Thai FDA.

Food Safety Recall Bulletin — July 2026

The past month has seen food safety authorities on both sides of the Atlantic and across the Southern Hemisphere respond to a familiar cluster of hazards, with Listeria monocytogenes once again dominating the picture. Ready-to-eat cooked meats, soft and semi-soft cheeses, and cold-smoked fish featured heavily across the FDA, CFIA, FSA, RASFF, FSAI and FSANZ, alongside a smaller number of Salmonella and undeclared-allergen actions. Many of these recalls share a common thread that will be familiar to food producers: they concern products where the safety of the finished item depends on the reliability of a thermal process, the integrity of the cold chain, or both. This bulletin summarises the most relevant recalls and alerts from the past 30 days, organised by regulatory body, and closes with a brief reflection on what they mean for producers operating a HACCP-based food safety system.

Regulatory Compliance Update Bulletin: Temperature Monitoring — July 2026

This July 2026 bulletin covers key regulatory developments affecting temperature monitoring in food, pharmaceutical, and medical device sectors — including the FDA QMSR coming into force, FSMA Food Traceability Rule enforcement deferral, UKHSA vaccine cold chain wastage data, Health Canada GUI-0069 revisions, and proposed USP Chapter <1079.5>. Sources checked include FDA, USDA FSIS, UKHSA (UK Green Book), Health Canada, USP, MHRA, FSANZ, and ISO.