• Food Supply Recall and How IT Increases Efficiency
    By Grant Davis - Tuesday February 12, 2013
    The American food supply industry is both interesting and massive. With large operations such as food production and delivery, there is a lot of information both processed and maintained. Information Technology (IT) is what makes the machine tick, and without it, businesses across the industry would be faulty at best. A particular focus of this conversation relates directly to supply chain recall, and how the food industry in 2013 can utilize sound technology in the identification and retrieval of defective products. Identifying a Recall A huge step of a recall is identifying the affected area or product. If this is not done correctly and in a timely manner, lawsuits can spring up and the country’s health can be affected. If someone...

  • Accelerating Developments in Certified Chocolates
    By Maria Hoffman - Wednesday February 6, 2013
    Last October Hershey, Pennsylvania-based Hershey Company revealed their plans to a global commitment of having 100 percent certified cocoa beans by 2020. Additionally, at the start of 2013 all of Hershey’s Bliss Chocolates are to be made with cocoa beans sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. Farms that are certified through the Rainforest Alliance are ecological farms that support safe farming conditions for farmers and their families. According to Andy McCormick, VP of cocoa sustainability for Hershey , 5 percent of the world market currently uses certified cocoa ingredients. This sustainability plan will help the expansion of certified cocoa gain momentum throughout the chocolate industry. Driving...

  • Optimization Tools Find Redemption
    By Anthony Vitiello - Wednesday February 6, 2013
    Remember the grandfatherly Shawshank Redemption character Brooks Hatlen – incarcerated since youth – lamenting his new life outside, on parole, in a letter to his former prison-mates saying, “The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry”? Well, it’s true! Supply chains are being called on to become more efficient and responsive to keep up with the demands of ever stiffening competition. And sorry, Brooksie, but the pace is only accelerating; especially when it comes to the food supply chain. Yet it wasn’t until recently that shippers began to really embrace the agility enabled by optimization software. So why weren’t shippers in a “big damn hurry” to adopt optimization and what made them come around? Back in...

  • Food Waste is Just Plain Ugly
    By Kevin Payne - Friday February 1, 2013
    by Kevin Payne 2,000,000,000 is a big number and when applied to tons of food waste it’s a massive problem.  A recent report , published by The Institute of Mechanical Engineers ,  a U.K.-based engineering society and think tank, states that of the four billion tons of food produced annually worldwide up to half of it goes to waste – that’s 2 billion pounds of food into landfills. Among the causes: Poor harvesting, storage and transportation methods Plain old consumer waste (people buy too much and throw it out) Overly conservative and misunderstood “sell-by” dates, driven mostly by grocers looking to avoid legal actions to reduce risk due to poor food quality I italicize the last part because part of the...

  • FDA Announces FSMA Rules: The Industry Responds
    By Mike Rozembajgier - Friday February 1, 2013
    by Mike Rozembajgier Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed two food safety rules mandated under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) – exactly two years to the date that President Barack Obama signed this sweeping food safety legislation into law. The implementation of the FSMA, which establishes rules pertaining to fruits and vegetables, imports and outbreak prevention, came more slowly than what was originally expected following a flurry of activity and promises of sweeping reforms. What has happened during this two-year delay? According to recent Pew Health Group statistics, 15 foodborne illness outbreaks have been attributed to FDA-regulated products since the signing of the FSMA. Such...

  • New Food Labels Create a Safer Food Supply Chain
    By Maria Hoffman - Wednesday January 16, 2013
    By Maria Hoffman Newhouse, Lanarkshire-based Insignia Technologies will be launching their color-changing labels in the UK with the purpose of decreasing food waste and boosting food safety. Their first product that is set to launch this Spring, is called the Novas Embedded Label , which is integrated into the food packaging film. When the package is opened the color-changing label is triggered due to the exposure to carbon dioxide. With the timer activated, this shows the consumer how long the package has been opened. “Our color-changing labels will give a clear indication as to how long the packet has been opened and if it’s still fit for consumption,” said Stephen Currie, chief operating officer of Insignia...

  • Recalls Highlight the Importance of Ensuring Food Safety Throughout the Supply Chain
    By Mike Rozembajgier - Wednesday January 2, 2013
    By Mike Rozembajgier In the coming year, millions of Americans will gather with their families around the table to share meals. Most won’t remember the number of food recall notices of 2012, but this remains top of mind for retailers. Any given grocery retail store will face between 75 and 100 recalls every year. This, along with the fact that these companies are often the direct line of communication for consumers, puts retailers on the front lines when it comes to food safety. They are the ones responsible for ensuring that recalled products are removed from shelves and providing information to consumers. But what happens when one retail chain is mentioned more often than others in news reports of recalls? Should this be a cause...

  • Four Easy Ways To Save Money When Shipping Truckload
    By Kellie Morgan - Wednesday December 12, 2012
    By Kellie Morgan By and large, truckload is the standard mode of domestic transportation for the food and grocery supply chain industry. For many suppliers and manufacturers, the costs of shipping truckload make up a large portion of their transportation budget. When you’re shipping hundreds (or even thousands) of loads per month, saving a little bit of cash on each load can quickly add up to a significant overall savings. 1) Know the details. This one should go without saying, but make sure you provide as many details about the load as possible to the carrier. You should always be sharing what product the load consists of and the number of pallets or boxes, but most importantly, you must provide an accurate weight for the...

  • FDA Exercises New FSMA Authority – What’s Next?
    By Mike Rozembajgier - Monday December 3, 2012
    By Mike Rozembajgier For the first time since the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently exercised its authority and shut down operations at a peanut processing plant suspected of producing unsafe food . Before the food safety law was enacted, the FDA would have had to go to court to suspend a company’s registration. But despite this latest effort by the agency to take action against repeat offenders, this new authority wasn’t used for well over a year after FSMA was passed. In fact, none of the major regulations mandated by the food safety law have been released in their provisional form. Even a lawsuit filed against FDA by the Center for Food Safety and...

  • 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...