Food Online's Top 10 Of May

By Sam Lewis

What was most important to our readers in May? Take a look back at last month by reviewing the 10 most-popular articles that appeared on Food Online

1. Cleaning Fruits Using Micro-Bubbles
   Foodborne illness impacts about 1 in 6 Americans every year, and is caused by the consumption of foods contaminated with foodborne pathogens. Fresh fruits and vegetables are increasingly implicated in foodborne outbreaks and lack a step to “decontaminate” or remove any foodborne pathogens that may be present. Moreover, a rapid growth of farmer’s markets in the U.S. expedites potential foodborne outbreaks if produce-sanitization methods are not easily accessible. This highlights the need for rapid, efficient, and low-cost sanitation methods that decontaminate the produce, but allow it to remain fresh with great tastes.
    
2. What Are Your Responsibilities Under FSMA's Sanitary Transport Rule?
   The FDA recently finalized one of its seven proposed rules under FSMA: the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food. Proposed on February 5, 2014, the final rule was published in the Federal Register on April 6 this year and includes nearly 200 comments from industry, interest groups, and individual stakeholders. The rule aims to minimize public health risks associated with the transportation of food and beverages by building on the transportation industry best practices, such as properly refrigerating food, adequately cleaning vehicles between loads, and properly protecting food during transportation.
    
3. Mock Recalls: What Are They, Why Are They Important, And How Do I Perform One?
   In part two of Mock Recalls: What Are They, Why Are They Important, And How Do I Perform One? Jennifer McEntire, Ph.D., VP of science operations at GMA, began handling questions from the web chat’s live audience. Here, in the third, and final, portion of the series, Dr. McEntire continues answering questions from the audience.
    
4. Have You Risk Assessed Your Third-Party Auditors?
   FSMA’s final rule on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) says that importers are responsible for fully determining risk, understanding and assessing it, and evaluating preventative controls over any hazard the importer identifies that could foreseeably occur in the products they purchase. Where there is a hazard controlled by the foreign supplier that has a probability of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals (SAHCODHA), an annual onsite audit is recommended. But who, outside of local certification bodies, are ensuring the competence of these auditors?
    
5. The Difference Between HACCP And HARPC: A Case Of The Emperor's New Clothes?
   What does a child’s tale by Hans Christian Andersen have to do with a piece of American legislation issued regarding food safety? In my efforts over recent weeks to get to grips with the new FSMA Rules, I believe quite a lot. This article will compare the concepts of HACCP and HARPC and offer some insights to what your company should be doing to comply with FSMA’s Preventive Controls rule.
    
6. 4 Themes From The 12th Annual North American Summit On Food Safety
   I had the opportunity to attend the 12^th Annual North American Summit On Food Safety in Toronto on April 20 and 21. In addition to an opportunity to network with more than 150 attendees, the conference featured more than 20 educational sessions from industry and government executives. The presentations addressed an array of obstacles the food manufacturing industry is currently facing and offered solutions to address them. Here are four topics from the summit I found to be top of mind for the food manufacturing industry.
    
7. Don't Be The Weakest Link: Improving The Food Industry's Supply Chain
   The food industry’s supply chain is a difficult landscape to traverse. New technologies seem to arrive on a monthly basis, logistics always presents its own unique challenges, consumers are becoming increasingly demanding, and food safety legislation is constantly evolving — it’s a lot for food manufacturers to stay on top of. Here, Daniel Triot, Senior Director of the Trading Partner Alliance of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), answers my questions about supply chain obstacles food manufacturers and retailers are facing and offers guidance on how to overcome them.
    
8. The ABCs Of Building A Food Safety Plan: From HACCP To HARPC
   The FDA required hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) for juice and seafood, and the USDA for meat and poultry. The Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) proposed Preventive Controls rule for Human Food requires a written Food Safety Plan (FSP) be developed using the hazard analysis risk-based preventive control (HARPC) approach. A preventive approach to food safety is nothing new. But the HARPC approach is a new paradigm shift in thinking. This article will explain this new thinking, define, what HARPC approach is, explain how HARPC is different than HACCP, and how employing this thinking helps you arrive at developing a Food Safety Plan.
    
9. Small Growers Require Big Food Safety
   Small growers always have to fight to be viable businesses. They don’t get the bulk discounts that larger growers get on rents, supplies, chemicals, water, or even labor. During the growing season — even if everything else goes well — they must wear all hats, all the time, and the work never stops. This puts small growers at a major disadvantage when thinking about and implementing food safety practices. But, what can small growers do to level the field?
    
10. How Well Is The U.S. Handling Food Safety Import Challenges?
    International supply chains are becoming increasingly complex. As the supply chain landscape continues to expand, it also faces greater risks and more regulations to manage them. Here, Bill Marler, U.S.-based food safety attorney, answers Global Food Safety Forum (GFSF) Chairman Rick Gilmore’s questions on behalf of Food Online regarding U.S. food safety in terms of the food imports sector.