Best wishes for a Happy New Year filled with health, happiness, and spectacular success!
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
2017 Food Industry: 4 Trends to Watch
From a more connected supply chain to recall readiness, food companies can expect technology to play a larger role in the coming year.
From countless recalls, to FSMA deadlines, to the rising demand for transparency, 2016 has been a monumental year in the food industry. With 2017 knocking, here are the top trends and predictions to watch out for in the food industry next year.
1. Moving Toward a Fully Digital, Connected Supply Chain
The food supply chain in many ways is still lagging behind in technology compared to other supply chains. In 2017, many companies will begin or continue on their journey to fully digitize their supply chain, whether that is simply getting their list of approved suppliers out of an Excel spreadsheet and into a supplier management software technology solution or fully capturing every step of their products along the journey from farm to fork.
The spectrum of digitization across the supply chain is quite broad. But bottom line, supply chain analytics will empower food companies to create useful KPIs, allow them to truly measure the ROI of their supply chain initiatives and give consumers the transparency that they demand. And systems that fully support the daily monitoring, sharing and interpretation of those analytics needed to help companies will experience tremendous growth in 2017.
Collaboration with your supply chain partners is an absolutely critical element, and we can expect to see more companies fully integrate throughout their network of suppliers and customers. Food companies that will succeed in 2017 will need a fully integrated supply chain network, with access to the same information, working towards a shared mission to deliver results and be ahead of their competitors. A connected supplier network will allow food companies to be agile when faced with an issue, responsive to recalls, as well as be flexible and efficient.
2. Recalls, Recalls, Recalls
We saw a high volume of recalls this year, and this trend is not going away anytime soon. As more and more advances in food testing are made, companies will have access to new technologies across their supply chain that will identify issues early. Consequently, more products will need to be pulled out of the supply chain because of that increased testing in order to maintain consumer sentiment.
The companies that are able to roll out these capabilities quickly and efficiently—armed with the data needed—will be well poised to manage their supply chain, potential recalls and the impact to their customers. With the knowledge that we can expect to see several recalls in the new year, food companies should be looking to mitigate risks and better manage their supply chain.
3. Full-force FSMA Is Here Whether You Like It or Not
FSMA focuses on amplifying preventive controls for food production in order to alleviate potential food contamination outbreaks, and the past two or more years have been focused on this preparation. This preparation will come to a pinnacle in 2017, the first full year of FSMA implementation worldwide, with the FDA starting audits for larger companies. This could lead to the FDA requesting required records, conducting audits and in the worst situation for food companies, shutting down operations if they feel it’s necessary.
FSMA will require detailed record keeping when a recall or outbreak occurs, with clearly defined corrective actions in place. Companies will see an increased need for technologies that help supply preventive processes such as food allergen and sanitation controls, as well a prepared recall and supply chain plan. Tracking and traceability will be the two key parameters that will offer manufacturers the ability to examine specific foods and trends to improve their overall process. In order to comply with these new FSMA regulations at every step of the process, food companies will increasingly look to utilize these technologies to account for full traceability of the supply chain.
4. Growth in Foodservice At the Consumer’s Doorstep
Brands like Starbucks and Panera have been testing the food home delivery waters, but more companies seem to be jumping onto the trend of bringing gourmet food directly to the consumer’s doorstep—Blue Apron, Plated, HelloFresh just to name a few.
Article Source: FoodSafetyTech.com
From countless recalls, to FSMA deadlines, to the rising demand for transparency, 2016 has been a monumental year in the food industry. With 2017 knocking, here are the top trends and predictions to watch out for in the food industry next year.
1. Moving Toward a Fully Digital, Connected Supply Chain
The food supply chain in many ways is still lagging behind in technology compared to other supply chains. In 2017, many companies will begin or continue on their journey to fully digitize their supply chain, whether that is simply getting their list of approved suppliers out of an Excel spreadsheet and into a supplier management software technology solution or fully capturing every step of their products along the journey from farm to fork.
The spectrum of digitization across the supply chain is quite broad. But bottom line, supply chain analytics will empower food companies to create useful KPIs, allow them to truly measure the ROI of their supply chain initiatives and give consumers the transparency that they demand. And systems that fully support the daily monitoring, sharing and interpretation of those analytics needed to help companies will experience tremendous growth in 2017.
Collaboration with your supply chain partners is an absolutely critical element, and we can expect to see more companies fully integrate throughout their network of suppliers and customers. Food companies that will succeed in 2017 will need a fully integrated supply chain network, with access to the same information, working towards a shared mission to deliver results and be ahead of their competitors. A connected supplier network will allow food companies to be agile when faced with an issue, responsive to recalls, as well as be flexible and efficient.
2. Recalls, Recalls, Recalls
We saw a high volume of recalls this year, and this trend is not going away anytime soon. As more and more advances in food testing are made, companies will have access to new technologies across their supply chain that will identify issues early. Consequently, more products will need to be pulled out of the supply chain because of that increased testing in order to maintain consumer sentiment.
The companies that are able to roll out these capabilities quickly and efficiently—armed with the data needed—will be well poised to manage their supply chain, potential recalls and the impact to their customers. With the knowledge that we can expect to see several recalls in the new year, food companies should be looking to mitigate risks and better manage their supply chain.
3. Full-force FSMA Is Here Whether You Like It or Not
FSMA focuses on amplifying preventive controls for food production in order to alleviate potential food contamination outbreaks, and the past two or more years have been focused on this preparation. This preparation will come to a pinnacle in 2017, the first full year of FSMA implementation worldwide, with the FDA starting audits for larger companies. This could lead to the FDA requesting required records, conducting audits and in the worst situation for food companies, shutting down operations if they feel it’s necessary.
FSMA will require detailed record keeping when a recall or outbreak occurs, with clearly defined corrective actions in place. Companies will see an increased need for technologies that help supply preventive processes such as food allergen and sanitation controls, as well a prepared recall and supply chain plan. Tracking and traceability will be the two key parameters that will offer manufacturers the ability to examine specific foods and trends to improve their overall process. In order to comply with these new FSMA regulations at every step of the process, food companies will increasingly look to utilize these technologies to account for full traceability of the supply chain.
4. Growth in Foodservice At the Consumer’s Doorstep
Brands like Starbucks and Panera have been testing the food home delivery waters, but more companies seem to be jumping onto the trend of bringing gourmet food directly to the consumer’s doorstep—Blue Apron, Plated, HelloFresh just to name a few.
Article Source: FoodSafetyTech.com
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Merry Christmas!
This season, may you be blessed with laughter, peace, and love...
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Thursday, December 22, 2016
FSPCA Preventive Controls For Human Food February Class - Early Bird Ends January 20th
FSPCA Preventive Controls For Human Food
February 1, 2017 - February 3, 2017
Register HERE
3 sessions
#1. 01 Feb 2017, 8:00 AM 5:00 PM (PST)
#2. 02 Feb 2017, 8:00 AM 5:00 PM (PST)
#3. 03 Feb 2017, 8:00 AM 12:00 PM (PST)
Location
Hampton Inn & Suites Napa, 945 Hartle Court, Napa, CA 94559
Registration
1-4 Attendees Early Bird Ends Jan 20th - Save $60 per attendee – $790.00 (USD) Registration code required Registration is for 1 attendee, additional guests/attendees can be added during the registration process.
5+ Attendees Early Bird Ends Jan 20th- Save $110 per attendee – $740.00 (USD) Early Bird discount for 5+ only available for attendees from same company.
The FSPCA training materials are designed to meet the requirements for training under Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations Part 117.155 for the Preventive Controls “Qualified Individual” who conducts Food Safety Plan activities such as developing and reviewing a food safety plan, validating preventive controls, verifying and validating process controls among others. Attending an FSPCA course will provide assurances that the course content and resulting knowledge is consistent with regulatory expectations. Each facility registered with the FDA is required to have a Preventive Control Qualified Individual PCQI.
A preventive controls qualified individual is a person who has successfully completed training in the development and application of risk-based preventive controls at least equivalent to that received under the standardized curriculum from FSPCA.
The FSPCA program is based on collaboration among federal and state regulatory officials (FDA), academic food safety researchers and educators, and U.S. food industry representatives. This program is delivered by a FSPCA Lead Instructor.
This course meets the Preventive Controls Qualified Individual Training requirements. The participants will receive FSPCA Preventive Controls Qualified Individual certificate issued by AFDO.
Includes: Morning and afternoon snack breaks, Lunch, Course Materials and Certificate of Attendance.
Parking – Free parking
Hotel Booking - Hampton Inn & Suites 707-690-3075
REGISTRATION closes, no refunds will be given after January 30. Registrations may be transferred to another person from the same organization for the scheduled class. Cancellation fee before January 30, 2017 $250.00
Monday, December 19, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
Five Errors That Impact GFSI Compliance
By Jason Dea
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is a global initiative for the continuous improvement of food safety management systems. From a functional standpoint, you might be surprised to learn that one of the most challenging elements of keeping up with GFSI compliance for many food producers is sufficient document control. In fact, data compiled by SQF shows that document control-related issues are one of the most common sources of a non-conformance during GFSI-benchmarked audits. Examples of these non-conformances are associated with documentation of training requirements, business continuity planning, and corrective and preventative actions.
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is an industry-driven initiative providing thought leadership and guidance on food safety management systems necessary for safety along the supply chain. This work is accomplished through collaboration between the world’s leading food safety experts from retail, manufacturing and food service companies, as well as international organizations, governments, academia and service providers to the global food industry. They meet together at technical working group and stakeholder meetings, conferences and regional events to share knowledge and promote a harmonized approach to managing food safety across the industry. GFSI is facilitated by The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF), a global, parity-based industry network, driven by its members.
So what exactly are some of the most common causes for document control issues as it relates to non-conformances? Keep an eye out for the following five errors that can affect compliance.
1. Lack of document control altogether
Lack of correct usage of document control in the context of GFSI compliance is a common error. This is an issue that often occurs as a result of document sprawl—specifically as it pertains to duplicate documents and supporting documents. For example, an organization might create internal reference material designed to be cheat sheets or summaries of larger policies. These could include simple charts that list key equipment set-up parameters or charts summarizing abbreviated information from product specification sheets. Many organizations fail to realize that because of the nature of the information in these files, these reference documents must also be included in their document control program to ensure that the information in them is current and universally applied.
2. Document version control
From using outdated forms to referencing outdated employee procedures, lack of proper document version control and enforcement is the most common GFSI compliance-related non-conformance. These issues can arise from operational errors (employees don’t know where to find up-to-date documentation or how to ensure that it is being used) to technical errors (the document control system is unable to properly manage document versioning, or in the case of home-grown document control software systems, they may be unable to do so altogether). To avoid these errors, it’s necessary to establish where controlled versions of documents are located and ensure that they are kept up to date. It’s also important remove obsolete versions of these documents—this is a basic principle of document control, but it’s often an area where errors compound over time. Reinforcing training so employees are made aware of document control best practices and policies is critical to keeping your compliance activities current.
3. Document revision errors
One of the most common activities and most common sources of error within any document control program involves publishing revisions to documents. These errors include:
- Updating the contents of a document but forgetting to update information such as the version number
- Improper tracking of revision history
- Adding new documents to the database rather than revising or updating existing documents
4. Inclusion of documents from external sources
If your food safety management system includes or makes use of external documents, these must be controlled in the same manner in which you control internal documents.
Some examples of external documents that may need to be included in your document control program include:
- Sample labels provided by your chemical and pest management suppliers
- Raw material specifications provided by your suppliers
- Customer expectations manuals provided by your customers
5. Improper identification of approval personnel
A best practice of document control is for the person knowledgeable about the content of a document to be assigned the responsibility of approving updates to it. In many organizations, this is interpreted to mean that all approval responsibilities are assigned to a single person across the organization. This could be the food safety coordinator or the document control administrator, despite the fact that it is not reasonable for a single person to be knowledgeable about all the procedures across the organization.
A better approach to approval responsibilities is to identify individuals who can be responsible for authorizing changes based on function or discipline. By spreading the responsibilities across more people, your document control program is more likely to be current and accurate.
When it comes to food safety compliance and best practices, particularly as they relate to GFSI, it’s often the basic principles that get overlooked once your organizations processes and systems are up and running. Setting up a process for document control and maintaining this process over time is a key to achieving and maintaining compliance. As such, it’s important to revisit your controlled document process and library regularly to ensure things are operating as designed and avoid costly compliance surprises at the same time.
Article Source: https://foodsafetytech.com/feature_article/five-errors-impact-gfsi-compliance/
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
FSPCA Preventive Controls For Human Food February Class - Early Bird Ends January 20th
FSPCA Preventive Controls For Human Food
February 1, 2017 - February 3, 2017
Register HERE
3 sessions
#1.
01 Feb 2017, 8:00 AM 5:00 PM (PST)
#2.
02 Feb 2017, 8:00 AM 5:00 PM (PST)
#3.
03 Feb 2017, 8:00 AM 12:00 PM (PST)
Location
Hampton Inn & Suites Napa, 945 Hartle Court, Napa, CA 94559
Registration
1-4 Attendees Early Bird Ends Jan 20th - Save $60 per attendee – $790.00 (USD) Registration code required
Registration is for 1 attendee, additional guests/attendees can be added during the registration process.
5+ Attendees Early Bird Ends Jan 20th- Save $110 per attendee – $740.00 (USD)
Early Bird discount for 5+ only available for attendees from same company.
The FSPCA training materials are designed to meet the requirements for training under Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations Part 117.155 for the Preventive Controls “Qualified Individual” who conducts Food Safety Plan activities such as developing and reviewing a food safety plan, validating preventive controls, verifying and validating process controls among others. Attending an FSPCA course will provide assurances that the course content and resulting knowledge is consistent with regulatory expectations. Each facility registered with the FDA is required to have a Preventive Control Qualified Individual PCQI.
A preventive controls qualified individual is a person who has successfully completed training in the development and application of risk-based preventive controls at least equivalent to that received under the standardized curriculum from FSPCA.
The FSPCA program is based on collaboration among federal and state regulatory officials (FDA), academic food safety researchers and educators, and U.S. food industry representatives. This program is delivered by a FSPCA Lead Instructor.
This course meets the Preventive Controls Qualified Individual Training requirements. The participants will receive FSPCA Preventive Controls Qualified Individual certificate issued by AFDO.
Includes: Morning and afternoon snack breaks, Lunch, Course Materials and Certificate of Attendance.
Parking – Free parking
Hotel Booking - Hampton Inn & Suites 707-690-3075
REGISTRATION closes , no refunds will be given after January 30. Registrations may be transferred to another person from the same organization for the scheduled class. Cancellation fee before January30/2017 $250.00
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Santa Train, A Magical Night Awaits
The Napa Valley Wine Train celebrates the return of the Santa Train.
Guests will embark on an all new musical and interactive journey to Santa's Workshop accompanied by some of Santa's best friends. Magical wristbands will transform the experience, while guests enjoy hot chocolate, and a cookie.
Reservations are currently being accepted by calling 800-427-4124
Sunday, December 4, 2016
FSPCA Queretaro, MX
Les Invita a Participar en el Curso Taller en QUERETARO, MX
Diciembre 13, 14 y 15 del 2016
FSPCA CONTROLES PREVENTIVOS
DE ALIMENTOS PARA HUMANOS
Clase oficial y certificado omitido por FSPCA
PROGRAMA OFICIAL PARA LA INDUSTRIA DE
ALIMENTOS Y EXPORTADORES
- 2 dÃas y medio de Capacitación
- Diciembre 13 de 9am-6pm
- Diciembre 14 de 9am a 6pm
- Diciembre 15 de 8am-12pm
Mencionar Superior Food Safety para recibir la tarifahabitación/noche.
Direccion: Luis Vega y Monroy 410, Querétaro, Querétaro, 76030
MéxicoTeléfono: 442-368-3000
Thursday, December 1, 2016
There's Still Time to Register for Our December Class!
FSPCA Preventive Controls For Human Food
December 7th - December 9th, 2016
3 sessions
#1. Dec 7th, 2016, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (PST)
#2.
Dec 8th, 2016, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (PST)
#3.
Dec 9th, 2016, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM (PST)
Location
Hampton Inn & Suites Napa, 945 Hartle Court, Napa, CA 94559
Registration
1-4 Attendees - $850.00 (USD)
Registration is for 1 attendee, addtional guests/attendess can be added during the registration process.
5+ Attendees - Save $60 per attendee – $790.00 (USD)
Early Bird discount for 5+ only available for attendees from same company.
The FSPCA training materials are designed to meet the requirements for training under Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations Part 117.155 for the Preventive Controls “Qualified Individual” who conducts Food Safety Plan activities such as developing and reviewing a food safety plan, validating preventive controls, verifying and validating process controls among others. Attending an FSPCA course will provide assurances that the course content and resulting knowledge is consistent with regulatory expectations. Each facility registered with the FDA is required to have a Preventive Control Qualified Individual PCQI.
A preventive controls qualified individual is a person who has successfully completed training in the development and application of risk-based preventive controls at least equivalent to that received under the standardized curriculum from FSPCA.
The FSPCA program is based on collaboration among federal and state regulatory officials (FDA), academic food safety researchers and educators, and U.S. food industry representatives. This program is delivered by a FSPCA Lead Instructor.
This course meets the Preventive Controls Qualified Individual Training requirements. The participants will receive FSPCA Preventive Controls Qualified Individual certificate issued by AFDO.
Includes: Morning and afternoon snack breaks, Lunch, Course Materials and Certificate of Attendance.
Parking – Free parking
Hotel Booking - Hampton Inn & Suites 707-690-3075
REGISTRATION CLOSES ON December 6, no refunds will be given after October 30. Registrations may be transferred to another person from the same organization for the scheduled class.
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