PRODUCE SHELF LIFE: ISSUES AND EXTENSION METHODS FROM HARVEST TO RETAILER

Produce is a highly perishable commodity making shelf life a race against the clock for growers, processors and retailers. With national averages of produce shrinkage at 6%, according to the Produce Marketing Association, shelf life costs US retailers in excess of $2.1 billion per year. This paper will review factors that shorten and extend shelf life, and multiple methods to extend and measure produce shelf life as it pertains to produce processed from harvest to delivery to the retail facility. more

FOCUSING THE SPOTLIGHT ON PREVENTION: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE FOOD SAFETY MODERNIZATION ACT

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) S. 510 was signed into law in 2011. The law significantly expands the powers of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with respect to foods it generally oversees and its main goal is to focus the department on food contamination prevention. The bill is considered to be the first major federal legislation on food safety since 1938 when the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act was passed giving the FDA authority to oversee the safety of food, drugs and cosmetics. Since then the FDA has had only a limited role in controlling food safety as the industry regulated itself. With the passage of time however U.S. food production has become more centralized and the importation of foods has risen significantly. more

FOOD SAFETY: PREVENTING FOODBORNE DISEASE THROUGH PROPER COOKING, COOLING AND STORAGE RELATED TO DELTATRAK PRODUCTS

Foodborne disease from biological contamination can happen at any time during the food preparation process. The processes of cooking, cooling and storage are particularly susceptible to contamination as preparers are required to prepare, move and store food. This paper will look at the food cooking, cooling and storing stages within a restaurant environment and address how some specific bacteria, viruses, and parasites can thrive and exist at each stage. more

FOOD SAFETY: WHAT IS SAFE FOOD

Safe food is defined as food free of contamination with contamination occurring at any point in the growing, preparing, processing, storing, selling or serving of food. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 70% of all foodborne disease is due to viruses spread by direct or indirect contact with infected individuals. The CDC further states that 5,000 people die each year from tainted food, 325,000 are hospitalized and 76 million people become ill annually from food contamination. more

FOOD SAFETY: SANITATION ISSUES, METHODS & SOLUTIONS

Foodborne disease on a global scale is very difficult to quantify however, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention announced in December of 2010 new estimates on foodborne disease illness, hospitalization and deaths. The CDC reports that approximately 48 million people fall ill with 128,000 requiring hospitalization and 3000 individuals dying each year. Additionally, a World Health Organization report in 2004 listed that disease associated with diarrhea was the 5th leading cause of death worldwide with the majority of those deaths attributed to food and water contamination. more

FOOD SAFETY: FOOD HANDLING PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS FROM DELIVERY TO CONSUMPTION

According to the World Health Organization industrialized countries are reporting that the percentage of their population suffering from a foodborne disease each year is up to 30%. Even if just a portion of that percentage is directly tied to unsafe food handling practices restaurants must be keenly aware of their safe food handling practices. The FDA reports that food being stored or cooked at improper temperatures & times was the number one food safety problem restaurants are failing to address. more

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2011 CALIFORNIA FOOD HANDLER CARD LAW: NEW FOOD SAFETY TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION LEGISLATION (SENATE BILL 602)

Effective July 1, 2011 the state of California will require all employees that handle food in restaurants earn a California Food Handler Card. This legislation will affect more than 1.4 million food industry jobs. Senate Bill 602 is intended to benefit food facilities and their employees, boost consumer confidence and significantly improve food safety in the state. Similar programs have been successfully implemented in Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Texas and Florida. more

PATHOGENIC BACTERIA TESTING IN THE FIELD USING ENZYME DETECTION TECHNOLOGY: NO LAB NEEDED

Foodborne illness outbreaks and new estimates on foodborne disease from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, could possibly have been the impetus that spurred the recent passage of the food safety bill S. 510. As part of that legislation the FDA will be required to create new produce safety regulations for producers of the highest-risk fruits and vegetables. This heightened sense of urgency for safe food has food growers and processors reevaluating their options for testing food at the source or in the field. more