Food Online's Top 10 Of November

By Sam Lewis

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

1. FSMA's Sanitary Transportation Rule: Compliance Guidelines For Shippers & Brokers
   In spring 2016, the FDA released its long-awaited Final Rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food. The regulation, which constitutes one of seven final rules implementing FSMA, was closely watched by many throughout the industry — and for good reason. Many commentators feared the Rule, in its final form, would be an inflexible regulation with the potential to impact the very way that food transporters operate. Instead, the Rule, “Builds on current food transportation best practices” rather than dictating those practices. Will your company be in compliance?
    
2. Preparing For The FDA's Upcoming Labeling Requirements
   Mislabeled food products are the number one cause for food recalls and we all know what that can mean to your bottom line. Adding to an already complicated landscape, the FDA announced forthcoming changes to the nutrition facts of food products that need to be complied with by July, 2018. Needless to say, food manufacturers are seeking guidance to meet the terms of the new requirements. Here, Kimberly Wingfield, director of science policy, labeling and standards, at the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) answers my questions about complying with upcoming FDA food labeling requirements.
    
3. How To Overcome The Challenges Of Food Industry Traceability
   Traceability is both a necessary and complicated endeavor for the food industry. Beyond knowing where your products are and assisting your food safety efforts, traceability undertakings can help your company become more efficient and can help bolster its profits. But, getting to a point where traceability works to do all those things for you can be a long, winding road filled with questions. Luckily, there are an abundance of resources to help get you where you want to go. Here, Dr. Jennifer McEntire, VP of food safety & technology at United Fresh Produce Association, answers a few of my questions about traceability in the food and beverage industry.
    
4. 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.
    
5. Under Pressure: Novel Technologies Are Preserving Food Extending Shelf Life
   The key advantages of elevated pressures present an attractive and powerful tool to implement processing of food products and beverages at mild and ambient temperatures. However, many food processors don’t necessarily know that different types of pressure specifications and applications may lead to different microbial inactivation effects. In addition to well-known pressure homogenization and hydrostatic pressure processing, there are a few other pressure-based techniques that can be used for different categories of products in food preservation operations. Do you want to pasteurize or sterilize? Do you simply want to extend shelf life? What about added value? Here’s what you need to know about food preservation under elevated pressures.
    
6. FSMA Begins — Reactions And Support From GFSI Benchmarked Schemes
   FSMA, for some, is now a regulatory compliance issue. For others, it comes into effect over the next couple of years. The intention of this article is to identify current responses GFSI and benchmarked schemes (BRC, FSSC 22000 and SQF) have put into place and to support companies in meeting the various requirements within the Food Safety Modernization Act.
    
7. SQF Edition 8: What To Expect
   SQF has gone through many changes to keep up with industry standards and the benchmarking requirements of GFSI. When the eighth edition of SQF comes out next month, will you be ready for it?
    
8. Avoiding The Pitfalls Of Recordkeeping and Sanitation Under FSMA
   Two cornerstones of FSMA's final rule on Preventative Controls for Human Food are record keeping and sanitation.  This article will detail what food manufacturers and processors, along with companies importing goods into the U.S., need to know about the elevated standards of sanitation, documentation under FSMA.
    
9. Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Traceability But Were Afraid To Ask
   In this web chat, Jennifer McEntire, VP food safety & technology at United Fresh Produce Association joins Kristen Spotz, senior manager of food safety & quality assurance at GMA to talk all things traceability related to the food industry. In addition to providing leading traceability practices, the 45-minute session focuses heavily on McEntire and Spotz answering questions from the web chat’s audience.
    
10. What Can Vision Inspection Systems Do For You?
    Robust inspection systems are most successful when they are designed with many support methods and principles. A previous article mentions a second such inspection method with metal detection. This article will explore vision inspection systems and how they can help your company improve its food safety program, maintain or improve your brand’s reputation, and even save your company a few bucks.