Earlier this year, Food Online Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) member Omar Oyarzabal, Ph.D., penned a column on Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) in the food industry, its benefits, and some of the challenges it’s presenting. In his column, Dr. Oyarzabal clearly offered his stance on WGS, backing it with both scientific and anecdotal evidence. Intrigued by Dr. Oyarzabal’s stance, I wondered what other food industry experts thought about WGS. I reached out to two members of Food Online’s EAB to learn more.
Earlier this year, Food Online Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) member Omar Oyarzabal, Ph.D., penned a column on Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) in the food industry, its benefits, and some of the challenges it’s presenting. In his column, Dr. Oyarzabal clearly offered his stance on WGS, backing it with both scientific and anecdotal evidence. Intrigued by Dr. Oyarzabal’s stance, I wondered what other food industry experts thought about WGS. I reached out to two members of Food Online’s EAB to learn more.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association Science and Education Foundation (GMA SEF) and Cultivate Food Safety partnered with Food Online for a live web chat, Food For Thought: Establishing, Maintaining, And Improving Food Safety Culture. Here, Lone Jespersen, principal at Cultivate and former director of food safety and operations learning at Maple Leaf Foods; and Brian Bedard, executive director of the GMA SEF, discuss some of the common barriers manufacturers face in food safety culture and how to overcome them.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is currently updating regulations and updating its inspection model to keep pace with a constantly-changing, global environment. At the 13th Annual North American Summit On Food Safety, Nicole Bouchard-Steeves, executive director for the Operations Modernization Project Office with CFIA, shared her insights on how Canada is improving its food safety efforts with five different initiatives.
What was most important to our readers in June? Take a look back at the first month of summer by reviewing the 10 most-popular articles that appeared on Food Online in June.
Food Online hosted a live web chat, Food For Thought: FSMA’s Food Defense Rule featuring, Clay Detlefsen, VP of regulatory affairs and counsel at the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF); and Warren Stone, senior director of science policy, compliance, and inspection at the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). In this 45-minute live Q&A, Detlefsen and Stone answered the audience’s questions about FSMA’s Food Defense Rule. While the session was educational and informative, there wasn’t enough time to answer every question. Here, Detlefsen and Stone address the unanswered questions from the live web chat.
Supply Chain Management is a constant struggle for food and beverage companies. Consumers want more insights about where their food is coming from, and on top of meeting consumer demands, manufacturers have two additional concerns: first, turning around inventory quickly at competitive prices while maintaining stock and supplier relations. Then, manufacturers must keep a close eye on quality, ensuring all products in the supply chain meet industry and consumer specifications. Obviously, there’s a lot to track in the data-driven supply chain. That’s where Artificial Intelligence (AI) can provide F&B companies with new supply chain insights to stay ahead of the curve.
Preventing physical hazards in food continues to be challenging, and frequently, the reason for companies and/or regulatory agencies issuing recall notices. A brief review of the recalls viewable online at Recall.gov indicates that the number of recalls for physical hazards per month ranges from zero to eight involving USDA and FDA amenable products. This article will provide steps to help food companies keep physical contaminants out of food, as well detail the latest technologies helping to reduce physical contamination-related recalls.
For years, there has been a buzz about how genome sequencing is revolutionizing food safety. It is definitely an incredible tool giving an immediate understanding of the genetic composition of microbial pathogens, including bacteria and viruses. However, there are still gaps needing filled regarding how pathogens produce disease and survive in foods. Genome sequencing brings us more tools to further characterize pathogens, but do not expect any other parts of food safety to be forgotten soon because of WGS.
There are many aspects of resource allocation to consider when developing a food safety management system (FSMS) for a business and there are efficiencies to be gained in almost every area of an FSMS. Technology and software can provide your team with the tools to monitor production targets and deviations in real-time and more efficiently than visual inspection.
Tablets and capsules that fall apart prematurely is a problem that we have all experienced as consumers. Who is responsible for the failed product?
The ability to commission tank load cells without test weights or flow meters can significantly reduce both the installation cost and improve overall weighing accuracy. Using factory calibration data instead of weights even allows the changing of load cells or instrumentation whilethe tank remains filled with material.
Making sure that final product weight is within acceptable min/max ranges is one of the critical manufacturing objectives for food, beverage, pharmaceutical and related companies. Overfills signal that the company is giving away product for which it is not being compensated; underfills mean that legal requirements are not being met which can result in recalls and regulatory action.
The Filler Feedback control on a checkweigher is crucial for several applications. This application note explains how you can automatically control the filler to adjust the weight of the product by sending an up/down signal to the filler, slicer, cutter, or dosing device for additional expensive component.
Accurate piece counting by weight is a complex combination of math, metrology and most significantly “the luck of the draw.”
Kangfa Food places great importance on food quality and has introduced various measures to improve it throughout the entire processing chain. After a significant spike in productivity, the company invested in sorting and inspection technology to boost efficiency and constantly improve its food quality.
Automatic control system which reduces energy consumption, improves yield and quality by optimizing operating point in a multivariate process.
The Thermo Scientific™ Versa Flex and Versa Flex GP checkweighers are designed to improve accuracy and reliability, decreasing maintenance and product giveaway. Our global manufacturing and service teams enable a high level of solutions and service support wherever you do business.
Ross V-Blenders are most often used for the intimate dry blending of free flowing solids. The solids being blended in these units can vary in bulk density and in percentage of the total mixture. Materials being blended are constantly being split and intermixed as the shell rotates. Normal cycle times are typically in the range of 15 minutes, however can be less depending on the difficulty of blending.
Ross Double Cone Blenders design is most often used for the intimate dry blending of free flowing solids. The solids being blended in these units can vary in bulk density and in percentage of the total mixture. Materials being blended are constantly being intermixed as the Double Cone rotates. Normal cycle times are typically in the range of 10 minutes, however they can be less depending on the difficulty of blending.
Ross is the leading supplier of Ribbon, Tumble and Vertical Blenders for dry powder blending and drying for the process industries. Many products including pharmaceuticals, foods, chemicals, fertilizers, plastics, pigments, and cosmetics are manufactured in Ross dry blending equipment.
Food manufacturers rely on Ross for a wide range of processing objectives including dry blending, emulsification, high-speed powder induction, dissolution, dispersion, high-viscosity mixing and many more. Our well-proven mixer and blender designs contribute to the growing success of food companies, meeting their requirements for consistency, quality and freshness, helping them develop new innovative products, while lowering production costs and simplifying maintenance.
Dymond Bulk guarantees precise X-ray inspection of bulk materials in the food industry. Foreign bodies such as stones or metal are consistently detected and removed from the material flow to protect both products and machines.
Protect your product and your reputation in today’s competitive marketplace with Thermo Scientific™ Metal Detectors. Our customized metal detection systems provide reliable, cost-effective protection from even the smallest metal contaminants found in food production anywhere in a process. The Food Safety Modernization Act plays a large factor in how metal detection systems will be viewed in the future for food manufacturers and their suppliers.
A fully automated molecular pathogen detection system dedicated to the food safety industry.
Alchemy’s food and workplace safety training solutions help millions of frontline workers keep food safe, avoid recalls, stay alert to hazards, and reduce injuries and associated costs. Alchemy solutions keep clients audit ready 24/7 and maximize production potential.
In January 2017, Schreiber Processing Corp., a Maspeth, N.Y. company, recalled approximately 2,330 pounds of chicken tender products due to possible plastic contamination and misbranding.
Effective Inventory Management (EIM) and JustFoodERP pair up to bring you Best Practices for the Food Industry.
Once harvested, produce and fruits often comingle at packing and processing plants, which can complicate the contamination potential, not to mention other factors such as workers and handling, which can lead to other foodborne pathogen introduction. Industry, researchers, and trade groups are constantly innovating to develop good agriculture practices (GAPs) and means to control/minimize the risk associated with potential contamination. But, can pathogens be completely eliminated from fresh produce?
If you’re in the food manufacturing industry, you’re at risk of a combustible dust explosion. View this handy infographic outlining the most common National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes for those in the food manufacturing industry.
Integrated Management Systems help food organizations optimize performance throughout the entire company with the goal of achieving operational excellence by prioritizing food and workplace safety, quality, yield, and productivity — in that order. But as anyone in the food industry knows, facilities often become so focused on maximizing yield and productivity that safety and quality are put on the back burner. This is where performance culture enters the picture.
Welcome to Food Online, the premiere Internet resource, helping build a community to advance the production of safe and healthy food and beverages. We provide best practices and solutions in food safety, food processing, automation, packaging and the supply chain.
The site is designed for plant engineers, production managers, manufacturing engineers, processing technicians, operations supervisors, and business managers, it provides daily news updates, reports, and solutions on business and technology trends vital to the industry. We provide plant managers, quality control/quality assurance technologists, and research and development experts with up-to-date information and industry solutions in the areas of food safety and regulatory issues, metal contamination, x-ray inspection, check weighing, and bacterial detection.
Both process and production engineers and technicians, along with marketing and business managers will find, case studies, white papers, and other technical solutions and product information on mixers, blenders, filling equipment, homogenizers, conveyors, sorters, graders, flow meters, pumps, tanks, valves, freezers, chillers, heat exchangers, moisture controls, pH meters, and sensors.
Food Online also covers quality control and quality assurance systems, information management systems, process control systems and equipment, as well as clean-in-place systems, measurement systems, sanitation systems, end-of-line packaging, packaging equipment, primary packaging, secondary packaging, and contract packaging. Transportation and logistics professionals will find valuable information concerning the supply chain, cold chain, traceability, and, sustainability.
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