In 1997, I was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Vet Corp responsible for the Central Mediterranean Branch in Italy. A bright Veterinarian, Leslie Huck, took me aside and showed me a checklist he was developing. The checklist was focused on intentional contamination and it made me think about how the military is always a target for acts of violence — as long as there have been armies, intentionally adulterating food has been a way to hurt them. “We are trying to protect the military’s food chain, of course this is important,” I thought.
Though progressing cavity pumps are not the most-common pumps used for conveyance in food and beverage production, certain applications, such as those requiring high-pressure or conveying highly-viscous media, require this pump type. Progressing cavity pumps can be well-suited to food and beverage applications’ needs regarding contamination avoidance, but require an additional pump be included in the system for effective Clean-In-Place (CIP) procedures. With the right system design, progressing cavity pumps can reduce cost, lower maintenance needs, and achieve better results in complex conveying applications within food and beverage production.
The success of high pressure process (HPP) implementation by a large number of companies demonstrates HPP is an effective food safety measure that can be applied to mitigate risk for a variety of foods.
The FDA and food manufacturers are both on the same mission: make food safer. But, increased scrutiny during FDA inspections has left many food industry professionals with increased anxiety. Here, food industry attorney Shawn Stevens answers my questions about the FDA’s process of microbiological sampling, how the agency is incorporating Whole Genome Sequencing into its sampling processes, and what food companies can do to alleviate regulatory worries. Stevens will be speaking at the 2017 Annual AAFP Conference held September 19 to 21 in Springdale, AR.
Flash back to 2007 — two 20-somethings stop at a burger joint. They order and eat thinking only of taste and price. Imagine that scenario today, but with assistance from smartphones offering data on the establishment’s source of beef and other data. This column will explore how consumer demand for transparency is critical to remaining competitive.
What was most important to our readers in the last full month of summer? Take a look back at last month by reviewing the 10 most-popular articles that appeared on Food Online in August.
In the unfortunate event of a foodborne illness outbreak, public health and regulatory officials must act quickly to collect data, determine a cause, and prevent further illnesses. Here, Matthew Wise, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), answers my questions about the role the CDC, and other agencies, play in foodborne illness investigations.
It’s no secret; FSMA compliance is challenging. And for facilities under both FDA and USDA jurisdiction, there are plenty of grey areas needing addressed. Here, Craig Henry, founder of Intro Inc., answers my questions about the challenges and grey areas of FSMA implementation, some of the differences between USDA and FDA regulations, and how uniformity between the agencies could address some of the ambiguity of compliance.
Believing your food safety processes are of the highest standard isn't enough. Can you be certain every employee made the best food safety decisions every time they faced one? Can you support this with data? If not, ask another question: “Do you want to sit in front of a jury relying on a belief your company produced food at the highest possible standards?”
The Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) has meandering requirements and exemptions leaving some in the food industry befuddled regarding compliance. Here, Dr. Janie Dubois, director of the laboratory program at JIFSAN, answers my questions on FSVP requirements, misconceptions of FSVP, as well as its role in laboratory testing.
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