So you’ve started the process of becoming GFSI certified. You’ve chosen your platform and taken the training course. Now you are setting up your system and realize that you need to test your product. GFSI-benchmarked food safety programs, such as BRC, SQF, or Primus GFS, have specific requirements for the testing of finished products or
The need for a third party or contract laboratory is almost a must in today’s marketplace. The word laboratory, first used in the 1600’s, comes from the Latin laboratorium, aplace that is set apart for scientific experiments, a place for labor and work. Today, we continue to see laboratories as scientific epicenters, only with much
By: Joseph Nicholl When submitting a sample for testing which option should you choose: Listeria spp. or Listeria monocytogenes? That is a good question. One is very broad (Listeria spp.) and will give you a lot of information about the bacteria in the genera and the other is specific (L. monocytogenes) one species in the
The impact of an E. coli outbreak is far-reaching. It spreads through the entire supply chain, leaving consumers, farmers, and retailers in a bind. Losing 45% of your sales overnight is a massive loss to any industry. This is what happened in 2018 regarding the E. coli outbreaks in romaine. Struggling to boost consumer confidence
Each year roughly 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne illnesses according to the CDC. As our food supply becomes progressively more globalized, the need to strengthen food safety systems in and between countries has become much more apparent. Legislation like the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) now enables
Written by Thomas Jones, Senior Director of Analytical Services and Pam Cooper, Quality Assurance Manager for Safe Food Alliance Detention; a word associated with childhood pranks, the principal’s office, guilt, and remorse. In a similar fashion, receiving notice from the United States (US) government that your facility’s products have been detained can also trigger those
Written By Wiley A. Hall, 4th, Ph.D. Recently there has been a heavy focus on pesticides throughout the United States and the World, specifically on glyphosate. While pesticides are used to protect food and consumers from various diseases, there are also serious environmental and health concerns associated with them. If you keep up with the
