Preventing physical hazards in food continues to be challenging, and frequently, the reason for companies and/or regulatory agencies issuing recall notices. A brief review of the recalls viewable online at Recall.gov indicates that the number of recalls for physical hazards per month ranges from zero to eight involving USDA and FDA amenable products. This article will provide steps to help food companies keep physical contaminants out of food, as well detail the latest technologies helping to reduce physical contamination-related recalls.
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 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 WGS.
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.
Back in January, Food Online’s editor, Sam Lewis, penned a column covering a few predictions for the food industry in 2017. One of these predictions was the impact President Trump would have on the FDA, FSMA, and other food safety policies and legislation. In this column, I will illustrate the influence the President’s Executive Orders have had on the industry over the last several months, as well as how the industry is responding.
Unfortunately, food recalls aren’t a matter of “if one happens,” they are a matter of “when one happens.” And when one happens to your company, will you be able to quickly and effectively communicate it with the FDA? This article will illustrate the recall process and offer suggestions to help you get through it.
When it comes to developing a new food product, there are two main categories: new-to-market concepts and new flavors of existing products. Of the two, new flavors often require less legwork to make the sale, but the innovative products (if done properly) may have the larger return on investment. Both categories of products are risky though, in their own ways. This column will weigh each approach and offer insights to help you bring new products to your portfolio.
Food fraud, or Economically Motivated Adulteration (EMA), costs the food industry billions of dollars annually. Fraudsters intentionally misrepresent the true identity of food ingredients, artificially enhancing them with illegal dyes, concealing the use of undeclared banned biocides, or palming off counterfeits while evading detection. But, you can fight food fraud with powerful proactive tools that can help you anticipate and reduce your company’s vulnerability to EMA.
Rapid methods of pathogen testing have been gaining acceptance in the food industry. Recent advances in technology result in faster detection and identification of pathogens, more convenient, more sensitive, more reproducible, and more specific than conventional methods. This article will detail several rapid pathogen detection methods, their benefits, and offer guidance to which ones your company should choose.
Bridging the gaps between the food industry and law enforcement, along with creating long-lasting, mutually-beneficial partnerships is essential in food defense efforts. This article will explain some of those efforts, their benefits, and how the food industry can continue to collaborate to protect the food supply chain.
Short-wave ultraviolet irradiation (UV-C, 200−280 nm) offers one of the most promising, non-thermal technologies that could provide food processors with a safe, energy-efficient, and cost-effective way to gain an added measure of safety and extended shelf life. This article will discuss pros and cons of the existing UV units and introduce new commercial UV technology that can be used to treat products with low and extra low UV-C light transmission (UVT).
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