Food Online's Top 10 Of May

By Sam Lewis

What was most important to our readers in May? Take a look back at last month by reviewing the 10 most-popular articles that appeared on Food Online.

1. The ABC's 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.
    
2. Cargill Meat Plant Eliminates Waste Being Sent To Landfills
   Cargill’s meat-processing facility in Hazleton, PA, ships more than 10 million pounds of packaged meat each month, yet it sends zero waste to the local landfill. However, it wasn’t always that way, according to Aaron Humes, the plant’s general manager.
    
3. New FSMA Rules Require Agencies To Collaborate And Integrate
   Implementation of FSMA’s new rules — with an emphasis on integration and collaboration — was the primary theme of the recent Food Safety Summit held April 27-30 in Baltimore.
    
4. The Nation’s Largest Food Safety Inspection Database Is Up And Running
   Food safety inspection data has traditionally been difficult to aggregate as each regulating agency has compiled its own data in individual databases. While it is fairly simple to find publicly available inspection data on the USDA and FDA websites, local and state agency information hasn’t been so easy to find… until now.
    
5. FSMA’s Implementation Will Bring Changes To Food Safety Labs
   The Food Safety Modernization act will require research and regulatory laboratories to integrate information and work together in harmonizing standards and expanding surveillance programs.
    
6. Food Pathogen Testing: The Pros And Cons Of Culture-Independent Diagnostics
   As CIDTs experience increasing popularity, labs can more-rapidly and -easily reach test results, but some potential issues with the testing method may necessitate the assistance of the CDC.
    
7. Food Safety Culture: Influencing Behavior With A Foundation Of Values
   Reducing foodborne diseases will require the food industry to possess a culture that strives to reduce them. It is obvious that organizations need to actively perform safe food-handling practices, realize the impact of actions in a food-safety context, and care enough to make the right decision.
    
8. What’s Happening With Mondelez International’s Supply Chain Makeover
   Since 2012, Mondelez International has been deep with a company-wide supply chain renovation aiming to boost productivity while expanding margins and creating cash to induce growth. Here is how it’s shaping up.
    
9. FSMA Fridays: Everything You’ve Wanted To Know About FSMA, But Were Afraid To Ask
   Safety Chain’s Barbara Levin is joined by the Acheson Group’s Dr. David Acheson for a question and answer session regarding the food industry’s most-pressing questions and concerns of the Food Safety Modernization Act.
    
10. How Can Your Packaging Line Benefit From Automation?
    Automating a packaging line may seem like a daunting task, but with the availability of technology and benefits including improved efficiency and decreased costs, automation may be the right choice.