Food Online's Top 10 Of June

By Sam Lewis

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.

1. Inside Kraft Heinz’s FSMA Inspection Readiness
   While compliance with FSMA and being ready for FDA inspections may seem like a sprint to satisfy FDA directives, the path to complying with the regulations is a long, methodical, marathon-like endeavor. Here, Lauren Di Menna, scientific & regulatory affairs manager at Kraft Heinz, explains how Kraft Heinz has prepared for FSMA and gave insight into the company’s experience with FDA inspections.
    
2. The ABCs Of Building A Food Safety Plan From HACCP To HARPC
   The FDA required hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) for juice and seafood, and the USDA for meat and poultry. The Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) proposed Preventive Controls rule for Human Food requires a written Food Safety Plan (FSP) be developed using the hazard analysis risk-based preventive control (HARPC) approach. A preventive approach to food safety is nothing new. But the HARPC approach is a new paradigm shift in thinking. This article will explain this new thinking, define, what HARPC approach is, explain how HARPC is different than HACCP, and how employing this thinking helps you arrive at developing a Food Safety Plan.
    
3. 5 Current Events Impacting The Food Industry
   Current events outside of the food realm can have a lasting impact on how the food industry approaches business. Here, Miriam Maxwell, senior principal regulatory scientist, corporate scientific and regulatory affairs at Ocean Spray Cranberries offers insights into some current world and U.S. events and how they’re impacting the food industry.
    
4. Food For Thought: FSMA’s Food Defense Rule (Part One Of Three)
   On Tuesday, May 23, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) partnered with Food Online for a live web chat, Food For Thought: FSMA’s Food Defense Rule. In this 45-minute live Q&A, Warren Stone, senior director of science policy, compliance, and inspection at GMA, and Clay Detlefsen, VP of regulatory affairs and counsel at NMPF joined Food Online’s editor, Sam Lewis, to answer the food industry’s questions on the topic.
    
5. How Do You Foster A Food Safety Culture?
   Nearly every food industry conference holds a workshop or panel discussion on food safety culture and those discussions tend to focus on the need for food manufacturers to assess, manage, and communicate food safety risks to foster a strong food safety culture. Here, Lone Jespersen, principal at Cultivate Food Safety, answers my questions on taking the necessary steps to foster a culture of safety at your company.
    
6. 9 Ways Technology Aids FSMS Implementation And Continuous Improvement
   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.
    
7. Whole Genome Sequencing Will Make Food Safer… Just Not Immediately
   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 to be 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 whole genome sequencing (WGS).
    
8. FSMA: Engineering For Food Safety
   Due to consumer pressure and changing preferences, the food industry has morphed from one that operated in a relatively stable setting to one that operates in a very fast-paced manner where flexibility and cost are key. But safety is non-negotiable. High variations in product offerings can create quality and safety challenges. This article will explore the factors that food engineers face in designing and creating environments for modern food safety systems.
    
9. 3 Ways Food Manufacturers Can Tackle Combustible Dust
   Most people don’t consider pantry staples, such as flour, sugar, and corn starch, as hazardous materials. However, for food manufacturers, combustible dusts constitute a serious safety concern for manufacturers and their employees and these hazards are generally not as well recognized as they should be. This column will explain three ways food companies can begin tackling the challenge of combustible dust within their manufacturing facilities.
    
10. How To Stay Ahead Of The FDA In Pathogen Detection
    The alarming volume of over 500 food recalls in 2015 has compelled Congress to impart judicial powers to the FDA and the Department of Justice with the ability to bring criminal charges against companies and their management for food safety violations relating to foodborne pathogen outbreaks. This article offers insight about what food manufacturers need to know regarding pathogen detection, preventing recalls, protecting consumers, and complying with the FDA regulations.