Food Safety
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- December 13, 2017
This past November, Nelson-Jameson and one of our key suppliers, 3M™ Food Safety, launched an experiment aimed at critically looking into understanding and seeking out solutions related to food safety. Contingents from both 3M and Nelson-Jameson were able to sit down with representatives from several major West Coast food production facilities at the Fess Parker Doubletree in Santa Barbara, California.
The aim was a simple one…to hear out the challenges that customers are facing, and to dig into ways that Nelson-Jameson, a supplier focused on helping our customers deliver safe, quality food to the market could be of assistance. Along with that, working with 3M, an innovator in research and development of food safety-focused products (including Petrifilm™, the
- December 06, 2017
Have you contemplated starting a color-coding program in your facility? Have you ever asked yourself the question, why color-code? Even though it is not a standard or requirement, the peace of mind it can give you, regulators & auditors, and ultimately your end consumer has made it one of the biggest industry trends in recent years. Having the proper color-coded products can promote organization and efficient work flow, reduce the risk of cross-contamination, designate critical control areas, and avoid bacterial and allergen migration. By implementing a color-coding program, you’re building a strong foundation for your facility.
- May 16, 2017
In February I had the opportunity to attend the “Artisan Dairy Producer Food Safety Initiative Workshop” to learn about the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) along with other leaders in the dairy industry here in Wisconsin. It was put on by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and was offered at no expense thanks to a generous grant from USDA-NIFA. Marianne Smukowski, from the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) and Matt Mathison from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) were the trainers for the workshop. The workshop was a brief overview of the expectations that the FDA has put before every business in the food industry, from the large to the small plants. This workshop was geared towards the dairy industry, focusing on the hazards that arise, and how to put a detailed plan together to prevent them. One of the hazards that was of special interest, especially due to the sheer amount of news coverage that it has gotten in the previous months, was the elimination and prevention
- May 08, 2017
The National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) is scheduled to meet in May 12-17 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and will be considering a proposal for lowering the maximum allowable somatic cell count (SCC) in milk to 400,000 cells per milliliter. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) has long been a proponent of lowering the SCC threshold to 400,000 cells/ml. The current threshold is 750,000 cells per milliliter. The European Union (EU) and other countries have adopted the 400,000 cell/ml standard, placing import bans on any dairy products sourced from farms with SCCs above that level.
SCC levels measure dead white blood cells in milk, an indication of mammary gland infections. Lower levels of somatic cells indicate higher quality milk. Some federal milk marketing orders have a 350,000 cells/ml threshold to determine milk quality premiums. Dairy processors believe that lower SCC thresholds impact cheese yield, taste and shelf life.
Nelson-Jameson
- December 06, 2016
If you are in a position of responsibility for your company’s food safety program, you may be faced with deciding which sampling products
- August 30, 2016
When I joined the lab team in May I was familiar with lab equipment and testing but I wasn’t familiar with luminometers and ATP. I had heard
- June 17, 2016
Food safety concerns are on all food manufacturers’ minds (and, honestly, probably in their dreams too), so it is critical to know how bacteria grow. Armed with that knowledge, we are better able to stay ahead of bacterial contamination in the food manufacturing facilities.
Often, when I was in the plant environment, I would refer back to a case study put together by the Royal Society for Public Health in 2010. It laid out some excellent basics on growth factors for bacteria in a concise manner that readers
- May 26, 2016
What is the difference between water activity and water “moisture” content? Well, it all depends on what you want to achieve. Do you want to monitor the amount of water and dry matter present in a product? Or do you want to increase and monitor the shelf stability of a product?
“Water ‘moisture’ content is the amount of water contained in a product”. Measuring water “moisture” content is better used to determine quality of the process. For example, if the product is a cheese powder that is spray dried, it is common practice to measure the water “moisture” content to determine yield and to ascertain if your drying process is running according to the diagnosed plan.