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The article discusses changes in food-safety operations within the U.S. food industry in the wake of the April 2015 recall of ice cream made by the U.S. dairy company Blue Bell Creameries LP. According to the article, Blue Bell failed to follow practices recommended by dairy industry organizations and state and local government agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which may have resulted in an outbreak of listeria that was tied to three deaths at a Kansas hospital since 2014.

The article reports on the endorsement of draft legislation from House Democrats that would impose new fees on the food industry by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. She discussed the importance of imposing annual $1,000 fees on food facilities before members of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee. The FDA would be given power to recall foods that it thinks might cause harm under the bill.

The article reports on the move of food companies, seeking to avoid product recalls and improve food safety, to boost spending on research, technology, and expertise to fight pathogens. It states that food recalls due to contamination from bacteria are costly and embarrassing and can damage the reputation of the company or industry. ConAgra Foods Inc. spent $25 million on research, hiring experts and other outlays for food safety. According to Kellogg Co. Chief Executive David Mackay, his company has also been increasing its budget on food safety.

The article looks at the use of data collection systems by food makers to trace products containing beef supplied by Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. H.J. Heinz Co. recalled its Boston Market lasagna after discovering it contained beef from Hallmark/Westland. Products recalled by ConAgra Foods Inc. included Slim Jim meat and cheese sticks and Hunt's spaghetti sauce with meat flavor. It mentions that General Mills Inc. had to recall a version of soup containing meatballs, in part, from Hallmark/Westland.

The article reports on the financial results of food company ConAgra Foods Inc. for its fiscal fourth quarter ended May 27, 2007. ConAgra was able to offset the effects of its recall of Peter Pan peanut butter mainly due to the strong results posted by its commodities-trading division. A revenue of $659 million was generated by the commodities trading division which buys and sells agricultural commodities, fertilizer and energy.

This article reports on the steps taken by the Chinese government to address the crisis concerning food safety within the country. Zheng Xiaoyu, former head of the State Food and Drug Administration, was sentenced to death for receiving bribes of cash and gifts from several pharmaceutical companies during his tenure. The government also announced the implementation of a food-recall system to address recurring food-safety problems.