Supply Scan
In addition, the CFIA is proposing to develop an internationally recognized standard for ice wine, which would deter sales of fraudulent ice wine. Specifically, the standard would require ice wine to be made only from grapes naturally frozen on the vine.
Pakistan’s Food Not Meeting Global Standards
Speakers at a recent discussion group held at the University of Agriculture in Faisalabad, Pakistan say the country is not meeting the standard of Safe, Quality Food (SQF), despite being the eighth largest world food consumer market in the world.
Managed by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the SQF (Safe, Quality Food) Code is designed for use by all sectors of the food industry, and meets the safety standards of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). The Code utilizes standardized HACCP principles and guidelines, which are proven methods and best practices used by the food industry to reduce the incidence of unsafe food reaching the marketplace
While Pakistan does have regulations in place related to food safety, including the Pakistan Pure Food Ordinance (1960), the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority Act (1996), and the Hotels and Restaurants Act (1976), more recent legislation has given the country’s provinces the responsibility of regulating the manufacture, transport, and sale of food items, which observers say threaten overall food safety in the country.
LoBue Citrus Boosts Food Traceability with Automation
LoBue Citrus, a California-based grower and distributor of oranges, recently boosted its food traceability with the implementation of an automated system at its two warehouses.
The company chose Intermec’s industrial printers, mobile label printers, handheld scanners, rugged mobile computers, and the FoodLogiQ PTI Traceability system, which improved the company’s accuracy to between 98 and 99 percent, according to Tom Clark, operations manager for LoBue Citrus. Labor expenses have also been drastically reduced “by hundreds of dollars a day,” he reports.
Bruce Stubbs, Intermec’s director of industry marketing distribution center operations, added that: “Food traceability legislation will continue to bring more demands to the industry in the coming year and being able to track food directly from field to fork is absolutely crucial not only for farmers and food operators, but for the entire industry’s supply chain network. Implementing new food traceability technologies will not only allow companies to comply with these increasingly demanding legislations, but offer faster, more productive operational efficiency.”
Tropicana Goes Back To Using Only Florida Oranges
PepsiCo Inc. is returning to using only oranges from Florida in its Tropicana Pure Premium orange juices, a decision made several months ago, before low levels of fungicide were found in oranges from Brazil, the company confirmed.
Tropicana Pure Premium had used 100 percent Florida oranges until 2007, when problems with the Florida crop caused the company to look at alternative sources, according to the industry publication Beverage Digest, which first reported the switch.
“This transition to production for Tropicana Pure Premium is well under way and will be completed by the end of the month,” a Tropicana spokesman told Reuters in January. “As the largest buyer of Florida oranges, this is a minor supply chain adjustment for our Tropicana Pure Premium product.”
PepsiCo and rival Coca-Cola Co., which makes Minute Maid Orange Juice, have said they have found low levels of carbendazim in juice shipments from Brazil.
Carbendazim is used in Brazil to combat blossom blight and black spot, a mold that grows on orange trees.
In the U.S., its use is limited to non-food items such as paints, textiles, and ornamental trees, although U.S. authorities allow trace amounts of carbendazim in 31 food types including grains, nuts, and some non-citrus fruits.
The Food and Drug Administration stated that it would temporarily halt orange juice imports and remove any juice found to have dangerous amounts of the fungicide carbendazim.
Coca-Cola said the company always uses the highest quality oranges, so it sources many of its oranges from the U.S.
