the feed

For the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution industries, the 11^th Annual Engage Conference was the place to be this September! Hundreds of safety, quality, operations, and human resource professionals all met in the live music capital of the world to learn the newest trends and best practices for driving employee engagement.

Foreign material prevention is among the most talked-about topics these days in the food safety world. After years of industry focus on this topic, prevention and mitigation of foreign material seems to be emphasized more now than ever.

Operational Excellence is a common term that is used in a variety of manufacturing operations. OE has been employed for quite some time in the automotive and parts manufacturing industries and has recently been more of a focus in the food and beverage industries. Operational Excellence is a business methodology which involves making continuous improvements to a company and its processes to achieve a competitive advantage. Although it seems like a straightforward definition, implementing and sustaining continuous improvement is challenging.

Verification and validation seem similar. Both are included as part of HACCP Principle Number 6 for verification. Both are talked about simultaneously. So, is there really a difference? Yes! A big difference!

On behalf of my fellow Alchemists and consumers in every corner of the world, we extend a big thank you to the hard-working food safety professionals around the world in celebration of today – the world’s first ever annual Food Safety Day.

 Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is a process used to identify, evaluate, and assess the levels of risk using a systematic approach for determining probability or risk and the consequence of that risk. 

 It’s that time again! The Alchemy Engage Conference is back in full swing! Register early to save your seat (and some dough) with a ticket for this unique and exciting 3-day event focused on engaging employees to drive culture, compliance, and bottom-line results! 

What to expect?

Environmental monitoring has become the center of attention for good reason lately. New requirements by FDA and GFSI standards have raised the importance of environmental monitoring programs (EMP’s).

Growing up, my grandfather used to tell us that we had to learn from the mistakes of others because we will not live long enough to make all the mistakes on our own. That said, US-based companies need to stay informed on what is going on around the world related to intentional adulteration.

Today’s manufacturing workers are diverse, spanning generations, education, and cultures. Finding universal ways to effectively train all workers is key to maintaining quality and safety on the floor.

When it comes to food manufacturing, the pet food industry isn’t always in agreement on how to properly test and inspect pet food products. While it’s true that pets aren’t people (although some might argue with that!) it’s still critical to reduce the number of pet food recalls that have been steadily rising in recent years. Setting standardized industry guidelines that improve safety in pet food manufacturing can do much to reduce pet illnesses and fatalities due to foodborne illness.  

Food safety is more important than ever — and not following proper protocol can lead to lives lost, not to mention hurt profits, tarnished brands, and low consumer trust. The new SQF Fundamentals Code outlines 6 common causes of food safety hazards to watch out for and account for in your food safety plan. Learn how to spot if they apply to you, and how to implement a solution before you risk failing an audit, or worse, compromising consumers’ safety. For more on the new SQF Fundamentals Code, watch the full webinar with SQFI.

2018 has been the year of the Good, the Bad and the Ugly in the food industry. The Ugly is still going on right now with the two major foodborne illness outbreaks and product recalls plaguing the industry. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) advises not to serve or sell any Romaine Lettuce contaminated with E. Coli O157:H7 from the Central Coastal growing regions of North and Central California. This outbreak has resulted in 52 cases in 15 states with 19 hospitalized and two of the 19 experiencing kidney failure. The CDC expects these numbers to rise as more cases are brought to light.

Imagine this: your best frontline worker is promoted to floor supervisor. Yet, after weeks on the new job, juggling unfamiliar tasks such as managing former peers and dealing with compliance paperwork, they become overwhelmed. When frustration rises, they throw in the towel, leaving management scrambling to find a replacement. But what happens when the new supervisor is also underprepared? 

• Have you ever heard these comments during an incident review?

• “We have walked by that hazard hundreds of time and never saw it!”

• “We can’t see the forest through the trees! We need fresh eyes on our facility to see the hazards we no longer see.”