Food Safety

Bakery kill-step validation drives consumer confidence

Mon, 18 May 2020 09:00:00 -0400

Though the baking industry has a very safe record for the production of shelf-stable food products, Salmonella continues to be a pathogen of concern.

Traceability and recall planning: a necessary exercise

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 09:00:00 -0400

There is never a "good" time to initiate a recall. But the worst time is when you are forced to remove unsafe food from commerce and haven’t effectively planned for it.

Regulatory perspectives on labeling coconut and sesame as allergens

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 08:00:00 -0500

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) identified eight major food allergen categories that accounted for more than 90 percent of all documented food allergies in the U.S.

Managing snack and bakery recalls and traceability to comply with FSMA

Fri, 17 May 2019 13:00:00 -0400

If your food safety plan has identified critical control points and/or preventive controls per your hazard analysis, the FDA'’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requires you to have a documented recall program.

Preparing for impending FSMA regulatory deadlines

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 13:24:00 -0400

Do you have your food defense plan in place? July 26, 2019 is the compliance deadline for the FDA's final rule on Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against International Adulteration under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

How does air affect food safety in snack and bakery facilities?

Tue, 15 May 2018 10:50:00 -0400

The air around your product should be maintained just like all equipment and product itself. The air intake system should be part of your sanitary design program, evaluating the design to ensure inspection and cleaning hatches are installed at various points for proper maintenance.

Practical tips to excel at snack and bakery facility food safety audits

KBEACH@aibonline.org (Stephanie Lopez) — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 10:00:00 -0400

The more plant personnel who participate in your facility’s food safety audit, the better. These educational experiences allow your staff to engage with the audit process and improve their food safety knowledge.

How to measure your food safety climate

KBEACH@aibonline.org (Stephanie Lopez) — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Ever since Frank Yiannas of Walmart's Food Safety Leadership published his insightful book "Food Safety Culture" in 2008, the food and beverage industry has embraced the reality that having a strong food safety culture is essential for success.

Food safety regulations extend to transportation

Thu, 18 May 2017 00:00:00 -0400

As of April 6, 2017, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule goes into enforceable compliance.

Verifying dairy-free label claims

Mon, 17 Apr 2017 00:00:00 -0400

Dairy-free products appeal to consumers who have milk allergies or lactose intolerance. However, these two types of dairy product intolerance are quite distinctly different.

Top food safety GMPs while implementing FSMA

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -0400

As 2017 is underway and Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) implementation is in progress, food manufacturing facilities have an opportunity to review and revise their good manufacturing process (GMP) programs.

How to prepare for FSMA regulatory inspections

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 00:00:00 -0500

Handling FDA and state regulatory inspections has never been easy, but at least companies knew what records they had to share and how to deliver a uniform company message by using designated plant spokespeople.

Confirming the gluten-free status of snack or bakery products and ingredients

Thu, 18 Aug 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Gluten-free products abound in the marketplace. While consumers might select gluten-free products for several reasons, the manufacturers of gluten-free products must protect the segment of those consumers who are highly sensitive to the ingestion of gluten.

What FSMA means for R&D and product development teams

KBEACH@aibonline.org (Stephanie Lopez) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Snack foods are one of the most-innovative food categories, with countless new stock-keeping units (SKUs) introduced each year. As food manufacturers face stricter controls related to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), questions loom as to whether their innovation will be diminished.

Kill-step validation for the baking process

Wed, 09 Dec 2015 00:00:00 -0500

In September, FDA issued the final rule for preventive controls for human food as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). As expected, validation that the baking process provides a kill step for pathogens was part of the rule.

New regulations hold bakery owners accountable for food-safety violations

Fri, 06 Nov 2015 00:00:00 -0500

The sentences handed down in September to two Georgia peanut butter manufacturers for distributing Salmonella-tainted peanut products should be a profound lesson for not just the food industry, but for the industry in general.

The many benefits of product traceability

Wed, 16 Sep 2015 00:00:00 -0400

Consumer confidence in product quality and safety requires coordination of many efforts by individuals and organizations throughout the food industry.

A look at the FDA's final new regulations for the food industry

Mon, 10 Aug 2015 00:00:00 -0400

FDA is scheduled to release the final new preventive control regulations for the food industry this month.

Taking baked goods safely into the future

Thu, 07 May 2015 00:00:00 -0400

Implementation of FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is fostering new expectations of food-safety programs in food manufacturing facilities.

Undeclared allergens continue to plague bakery industry

Wed, 08 Apr 2015 00:00:00 -0400

Product recalls in bakery and snack categories have remained consistent over the years, with undeclared allergens the primary cause. These costly recalls are preventable!

Preparing for employee training/education in 2015

Thu, 05 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500

As 2015 takes off in full swing, many companies are planning employee development training and education for the year.

Sanitation: A food-safety culture basic

Wed, 07 Jan 2015 00:00:00 -0500

Your customers expect your food production facilities to be clean. They take this for granted when they purchase your products. If they arrived at your plant unexpectedly, would it live up to their expectations?

FSMA: The Pathway to Compliance

Mon, 08 Dec 2014 00:00:00 -0500

Final rules for the remaining sections of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that require rule-making will start rolling out in 2015.

Is open-date code labeling increasing food waste

Thu, 06 Nov 2014 00:00:00 -0500

There are concerns that open-date coding of foods has increased food waste. The food industry and consumers use the dates printed on food packages to manage stock rotation from food manufacturing plants to the consumer’s kitchen. Variation in terminology associated with open dates on consumer packages can result in the disposal of good food.

A look at kill-step validation

KBEACH@aibonline.org (Stephanie Lopez) — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0400

Food safety is increasingly becoming a global challenge. Recent foodborne illness outbreaks involving a wide range of food products have clearly shown that food pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli have breached their natural habitats.

Controlling foreign material contamination

Wed, 06 Aug 2014 00:00:00 -0400

The number of firms recalling product due to foreign material contamination has increased by 157% in the past six years. While metal fragments have been the leading cause, there have been several food product recalls related to plastic fragments.

The benefits of sanitary equipment design

Thu, 08 May 2014 00:00:00 -0400

During Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) inspections, the most commonly found nonconformities are associated with food-safety maintenance.

Keeping up with proposed FSMA regulations

Fri, 04 Apr 2014 00:00:00 -0400

Since the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law in January 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published in the Federal Register nearly 800 pages of proposed regulations on the act’s implementation.

Food safety first

Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:00:00 -0400

The landscape is changing for commercial bakers and snack manufacturers as the Food Safety Modernization Act grants the Food and Drug Administration a wider reach. Will the act shift the responsibility for food safety of imported foods to the importer? And do all companies have the expertise they need to handle preventative measures?

Fads’ and trends’ effects on food safety

Wed, 12 Feb 2014 00:00:00 -0500

One of the more challenging aspects of food manufacturing is food processors’ ability to discern between a fad and a trend, be they consumer- or industry-driven.