Applying Statistical Methods to Reduce Product Recalls

Recent product recalls of meat and other foods have received wide media coverage, placing the efficacy of government inspection and food industry quality assurance systems under intense public scrutiny. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and industry have been working hard to eliminate pathogens from the food chain, and the relative rarity of food poisoning outbreaks originating from processed foods testifies to their success. But even under the best manufacturing pract…