Food Manufacturing Guest Contributors

31. The Food Manufacturer - Retailer Collaboration Adding Supply Chain Flexibility 5/22/2018

    Facing unprecedented pressures to keep up with e-commerce growth and demand, the retail grocery industry is focusing on accelerating the flexibility of supply chains. This column details one of the food industry's efforts to modernize the supply chain and eliminate outdated business processes that add unnecessary time and cost.

32. How Artificial Intelligence And Big Data Are Bolstering Food Safety 4/18/2018

    We're all familiar with China's past food safety issue with infant formula. But, past food safety events have taught many lessons for China, as well as the rest of the world. This article will detail some recent legislation that has led to advancements in food safety alerts, including liability insurance, and how artificial intelligence is helping shape the future of food safety.

33. What Can Be Done To Prevent Fraudulent Supply Chains? 4/5/2018

    Food fraud is a big topic at the moment and there are multiple challenges within any supply chain, especially these days where supply chains are global, have multiple players and where profits can be huge. In this column, I will detail some of the major obstacles in the organic food supply chain and show some practical applications which can reduce fraud within it.

34. Update Current Preventive Controls To Bolster Your Pest Control Programs 3/26/2018

    Spring has arrived, and while that means warmer days are ahead, it also means the return of the risk of pests to food manufacturing facilities. Rodents, birds, and insects are risks to food and can be sources of contamination by transmitting pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli and Salmonella, to your products.

35. The ABCs Of An Allergen Control Plan 3/6/2018

    One way or another, most of us are subject to the statutory and regulatory provisions of FSMA. While some of these provisions are merely codifications of good manufacturing practices (GMPs), others are new and different requirements. Here, I discuss allergen control plans, why you need one, and some of the things that should be included within one.

36. GTINs, Barcodes, And Blockchain: What’s The Future Of Food Traceability? 2/9/2018

    Food manufacturers are working to improve traceability programs and minimize the impact of food recalls, driven in part by FSMA, cost savings, and brand protection. Boosted by the capabilities of today’s technology, such as Blockchain, the industry is moving closer than ever before to swift and precise recalls.

37. Modernized cGMPs To Hazard Analysis: The Backbone Of A Solid Food Safety Plan 2/2/2018

    In my previous column, I described the first step to convert a HACCP plan into a PC food safety plan. Once you have addressed cGMPs and other key requisite programs (SSOPs, etc.), you are ready to start creating and implementing a food safety plan. This article provides the broad brush strokes to create and implement a FSMA-compliant food safety plan.

38. Food Packaging And Brand Protection: It’s Simple, Right? 1/23/2018

    Everyone knows packaging is primarily about the product itself; protecting, presenting, and conveying it. But, what does packaging do for brand integrity? The answer is more complex than you may think.

39. New Product Development: The Challenges Of Decoding The Consumer Voice 1/8/2018

    In the food industry, the consumer’s voice is extremely important to keep in mind as new products and quality improvements are devised every day. We all strive for customer satisfaction, but the customer’s voice, documented through consumer surveys, complaint tracking, and social media, isn’t always satisfaction per se. To interpret the feedback and translate it into formulation changes and flavor concepts can be a skill in and of itself.

40. Why Food Manufacturing Needs An Unorthodox Approach 12/19/2017

    Food manufacturing is not a typical manufacturing operation; it faces unique dilemmas compared to conventional manufacturing. Because of this, the mindset of food manufacturers must also be unique. This article relates conventional manufacturing operations with food manufacturing, shows why the food industry needs a different mindset, and provides approaches to change the mentality of the industry.