Industry Insights

In the food industry and in food safety, accuracy is key. To be able to sample, test, and conduct other lab-related operations on-site or via a third-party lab, is no longer

This is the conclusion of Dan Strongin's series of columns.

This is the final post of my series, and I intend to tie together some of the earlier pieces, and hopefully leave you all with a clearer picture of just what makes Nelson-Jameson such a special company.

Dan: What are the advantages of buying from a family business?

Jerry: Over the years I've asked or have been asked "Who is most responsible for bad cheese being made?" The answers generally range from "cultures" to this, that, and the other. But a wise person once gave me an answer that I think is most accurate: "the accountants." This person had lots of experience in cheesemaking and consulting; it is a

In the past several years we’ve seen an unprecedented amount of debate as well as cooperative planning amongst governmental agencies, health researchers and healthcare providers, food industry interests, and many others to address concerns regarding the amount of salt Americans are consuming. The potential fallout, according to the CDC, of our national taste for salt includes hypertension (high blood pressure), “a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases, which are a leading cause of death, disability, and health-care costs in the United States.”

For cheese-makers this poses a few problems. The use of salt in cheese-making, a necessary part of the process, has been a focus in this debate. In cheese, salt

October is a month of crunchy leaves, harvest festivals, and refined sugar. Thankfully for cheese lovers, it is also a time to bask in the glory of cheese. American Cheese Month, presented by the American Cheese Society, is this October! Get out your cheese tester, your cheese slicer, and your general regard for this food staple. Across the nation, folks are gearing up for tastings, workshops, meeting their favorite cheese makers, and many other events. You can check out the full calendar of events occurring across the nation right here.

The American Cheese Society site features ideas that can help you get your operation and/or love of cheese involved in this national celebration. Chefs, cheesemakers, cheese enthusiasts, and many more are encouraged to spread the word on appreciating cheese. The celebration is meant to:

For the next three months, “The Wide Line” blog will feature a series of columns authored by Dan Strongin, a well-known name in the food industry.

In 1947, when Nelson Jameson was founded, there were 3000 cheese plants in the state of Wisconsin. As I write this, in 2012, there are 140. The same thing has happened in the rest the country, and not just in dairy, but in most industries, with the exception of computer electronics.

We're all in the same boat even if it sometimes feels like it’s sinking. Survival in consolidating markets is usually bought at the price of lower margins. As “commodity” markets mature, the choice is almost always made to compete on price. Dollars profit per pound becomes pennies, and companies are forced to find ways to survive on ever-smaller, already razor-thin margins at greater volumes of production.

Food plants in 1947 operated in a far simpler environment than that of today. The computer and the Internet have sped things up so much, spitting data at us faster than we can swallow it; I don't need to tell you!  Just look at how logistics has changed.  The food economy now depends on exports, not just imports. Who would have thought, fifteen years ago, that would be the case in today’s market?

And the icing on the cake is the burden of requirements to keep up with, including: safety audits, environmental standards –the challenge of keeping up with all the forms, all the information, and the rapid pace of change, and the ever increasing complexity of choosing the best possible product. Remember, you also still need time to make that product, and to figure out how to make a profit from it!

All of you know this, but what you may not know is according to the Bureau of Labor standards, only a fraction of businesses are profitable even after a decade in business. It’s tough, and there is little room for error.

There is a silver lining in all of this, if it were easy you have a lot more competitors. No one can afford any longer to manage by shooting from the hip, or going with his or her gut. In the old days, you could get away with simplistic notions like buy low sell high. Today, buying on price alone will put you out of business. Have I lost my mind? How can cost-cutting put you out of business? We need real knowledge to survive, to understand business in new, more effective ways.