Blog Archives
-
Concerns With GMO’s: What’s Next?
By Maria Hoffman - Monday November 12, 2012
By Maria Hoffman Last Wednesday, California voted on whether to approve Proposition 37 , which would require all food manufacturers, distributors and retailers to add labels that identify genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). Proposition 37 has been defeated by 53.7 percent of voters against the mandatory labeling of GMO’s, but the campaign is far from over. “It was really a historic victory for the non-GMO movement,” says John W. Roulac, CEO and founder of Nutiva. “The fact that we got 47 percent of the vote, [and] almost fought the GMO giants to a standstill in spite of them spending $50 million dollars in misinformation, I think is a major victory.” Opponents of the legislation stated that Prop 37 would have a... -
The Invisible System: Moving To A Cloud-Based WMS
By Chuck Fuerst - Tuesday November 6, 2012
By Chuck Fuerst Moving from an on-premise to cloud-based warehouse management system (WMS) is a giant undertaking, but with significant benefits: A cloud-based WMS will help you focus entirely on business operations rather than back-office systems. This can lower labor costs or free-up IT resources for customer-facing applications rather than managing a warehouse. Food and beverage companies have particular warehouse challenges due to the number of unique items managed, storage requirements and strict tracking and reporting regulations. This makes it even more important to carefully consider specific features when moving to a cloud-based WMS: Flexibility : Parameters for put-away and let-down logic must be in place to ensure... -
Recall?! Quick - Check Your ERP And CRM Systems
By Heather Angus-Lee - Monday October 22, 2012
By Heather Angus-Lee The word “recall” strikes terror in the heart of food manufacturers and distributors; ask any company that has participated in a recall, and they’ll tell you they wish they’d had more efficient traceability and recall processes in place beforehand. A food company’s ERP (enterprise resource planning) system should have built-in advanced lot traceability and recall functionality so users can meet – or exceed – the legislated minimum time of 24 hours to complete a recall. Some ERP systems, such as JustFoodERP, allow for bi-directional recalls (forward and backward on the supply chain) that include immediate integration to Microsoft Word and Outlook for letter writing and notification of customers and... -
Food Recalls Don’t Shake Americans’ Concerns
By Lara Sowinski - Friday October 19, 2012Americans are a resilient bunch—for better or worse. It seems despite increased food recalls and outbreaks of contamination, consumers in the U.S. are not any more concerned over the safety of the food supply. Research firm NPD’s latest Food Safety Monitor report shows that for the period of January through August of this year, on average, 60 percent of U.S. consumers were somewhat or slightly concerned about the safety of the U.S. food supply, 25 percent were extremely or very concerned, and 15 percent were not concerned at all. These results are pretty much consistent with previous years, says NPD. However, there are spikes when a significant recall or outbreak does occur, but the annual averages remain relatively constant... -
Time Running out for CARB Compliance on Trailer Aerodynamics
- Thursday October 11, 2012
As New York’s famous Times Square Ball drops at midnight, a global audience of more than 1 billion will watch New Yorkers ring in the New Year. For truckers and fleets across the United States, Canada and Mexico, New Year’s will also christen in healthy fines should they cross into California without SmartWay verified aerodynamic devices, like side skirts or boat tail fairings, that improve fuel economy 4 to 5 percent on their 53-foot or longer box and refrigerated trailers and low rolling resistance tires that improve fuel efficiency even more. (Note: reefer model years 2003-2009 have a delayed GHG compliance schedule). SmartWay verified tires cannot be used to help meet the 4 to 5 percent requirement, but will add an additional 3... -
Is Our Food Supply Chain Still As Vulnerable As Before 9/11?
By John Renison - Tuesday October 9, 2012
By John Renison Enough money has been invested in border security to prevent another terrorist attack. We have seen an increase in human resources, hi-tech equipment and international agreements. Airports have implemented strong security measures and have a government agency that screens 100 percent of passengers with doubtful results. The question is - how safe is the food we eat? Is the Food and Drug Administration applying full force in regulating importers? In 2002 the FDA presented the Bio Terrorism Act and a few changes throughout the importation process which would enhance consumer safety. Each shipment that wishes to be imported into the U.S. must provide the FDA with a Prior Notice which enables consumer safety officers... -
Fresh from the Oven: Bakery Implements Rugged Handhelds to Streamline Route Delivery
By Mike Mcguriman - Wednesday October 3, 2012
Deploying rugged handhelds within the food supply chain can create multiple benefits, including cutting costs, saving staff hours and increasing the efficiency and accuracy of transportation and delivery. One of the largest independent bakeries in western Canada recently deployed rugged handheld devices for its route drivers in Calgary. The bakery is an early adopter of technology that first incorporated handheld computers into their delivery system in 1990. By 2009, the bakery’s second generation of handheld computers had become obsolete. The mobile devices, mainly used by the bakery’s truck drivers, were prone to breaking, hard to read and unable to capture the pricing and order information essential to the business. Because... -
Traceability and Recall: Operations Employees Like to Take Vacation, Too!
By Heather Angus-Lee - Monday October 1, 2012
By Heather Angus-Lee “We used to have only a few employees who were specialized in food recall, but we like to go on vacation, too!” says Lindsay Palmer, supply chain coordinator at Sahale Snacks based in Seattle, WA. That bottleneck got resolved when the food processor got a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that features recall and traceability functionality. “Now anyone in our company can type in a lot number and hit the ‘trace’ button,” Palmer says. “Product traceability and recall functionality was one of the top priorities in our selection of an ERP vendor.” The requirement for traceability is often at the top of the list of criteria when food processors and distributors are looking for ERP... -
Tidying up Your Company's Credit
By PACCAR Financial - Tuesday September 25, 2012
By: PACCAR Financial It may seem like the only companies that can get credit to buy new or used trucks are those that don’t need it, particularly in a recovering economy. However, by taking proactive steps, such as gathering financial statements, dusting off the company business plan or completing one, and improving or maintaining your company’s safety fitness ratings, there’s little reason why companies shouldn’t be able to get a loan, said Karen Pembroke, director of credit for PACCAR Financial. Particularly if they work through a lender that understands trucks, fleets and the trucking industry. “It’s a good idea to share your company’s story with your truck dealer so that the dealer can share your goals and needs... -
Traceability Throughout the Entire Supply Chain
By Samantha Hornby - Tuesday September 18, 2012
By Samantha Hornby Update Sept 24, 2012 (Mon) : Click here to view the Traceability & Recall Infograph Food traceability can be a logistical nightmare for many companies, but as recent recalls and new legislation have proven, the ability to track products is a growing concern that will continue to be an important part of supply chain logistics that must be done. Regulatory bodies in Canada and the US such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have recently launched far-reaching initiatives to address increasing product recalls. These initiatives (and all lot tracking processes) aim to make businesses more accountable for product traceability throughout the entire supply chain...
