There has been an alarming rate of food safety recalls in the food industry. Typically, these recalls are related to food born pathogens (bad bacteria) like Listeria, Salmonella, and E. Coli. These bacteria are very common and potentially lethal at worst and will seriously ruin your day at best. While any food born illness is less than desirable it is dire at 10,000 feet in the backcountry. We as outdoor enthusiasts need to be particularly vigilant when it comes to food safety as we are particularly vulnerable. Unlike your standard civilian we are consuming meals far from civilization and are relying on our bodies to function at a high level sometimes just to survive.
FDA Food Safety Oversight
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has oversight on food safety guidelines and enforcement for all foods except those that contain four types of proteins. If you think you can rest easy now that the FDA is on the case think again. The sad reality is that the FDA has very loose food safety guidelines and enforcement. Typically they only get involved after a food safety incident has occurred and then it is too late.
USDA Food Safety Oversight
Fortunately, there is some piece of mind when it comes to meals that include at least one of the following four proteins: egg, chicken, beef, and pork. With these meals The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has jurisdiction and oversight. Meals that contain one of the 4 proteins must have a USDA stamp similar to (Figure 1.). A USDA stamp is required to sell meals that contain these types of proteins in store fronts such as REI or Cabela’s,. The USDA stamp indicates that the meal has been produced under the authority and supervision of a Federal US Department of Agriculture inspector under sterile conditions, is traceable in the food supply, and typically has been tested for pathogens (bad bacteria). That is why if a meal contains one of the four proteins it is imperative to only buy that meal if it has a USDA stamp.
Meals Sold Online
Unfortunately, the USDA’s oversight does not apply to meals sold online. FDA regulations are the ones that apply to meals sold online but again those regulations are super loose. You can literally have Billy Bob and Jethro making beef stew outdoor meals in their garage in Texas without the use of latex gloves, traceability, food safety standard operating procedures or any type of bacteria testing. The meals can be sold online directly to you and it is perfectly legal. One would be seriously advised to never buy any meal containing meats that doesn’t have a USDA stamp on the package. Do so at your own risk because there is virtually zero to no guarantee on food safety oversight. To take it a step further companies that sell their meals online and don’t have a USDA stamp often can and do make false claims like their meals are “Organic”, “All Natural”, “Gluten-Free”, to name a few. The FDA is providing zero to no oversight for these type of product claims. The FDA is are not typically issuing recalls or fining companies for making false claims regarding their meals. The point here is that the USDA stamp means the United States Department of Agriculture has oversight on the processing of that meal and they have also approved the claims made on the packaging.
Here at FOUDATION Outdoors, food safety is our top priority. Our company operates and creates all of our meals in our state of the art USDA inspected facility. We have invested a significant amount of time, money, and effort to ensure our meals are of the highest quality. All of our meals including those that don’t contain proteins are created by trained culinary experts under the watchful eye of our own food safety experts as well as government USDA inspectors. Furthermore our facility has an SQF food safety certification. This 3rd party certification ensures that food businesses are only producing safe and quality foods and are compliant with applicable food laws.
Trust me, writing an article about food safety sucks. I would have much preferred to tell you about my kitted out Sprinter van or skiing with TJ Schiller in the French Alps but food safety is so important; not only to your average Joe but even more so for people like all of us that are pushing the limits in the outdoors. So please be mindful of the food you eat and look for companies that operate a USDA facility (look for that USDA stamp). Even better look for those companies that are SQF certified. Till next time!
