Celebrating 20 Years

PLUS Taylor Farms Wins 12th Food Quality Award ■ The Implications of Food Fraud ■ Testing Sprouts

Volume 20 Number 3 JUNE/JULY 2013

CELEBRATING 20 YEARS

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Features

Cover16 Story 20 YEARS IN FOOD SAFETY: A LOOK BACK AND BEYOND A look back at some important events in food safety and a glimpse forward at what the next 20 years might hold BY TIM DONALD

24 27 At Taylor Farms, CIP: The Industrial- New Technologies Grade Dishwasher Modern CIP systems are heavily Make Produce automated and integrated to Safer reduce manual intervention while The most recent winner of the ensuring efficiency, repeatability, Food Quality Award attributes its high standards for and overall quality food safety to investments in technology and training BY CHAD ENCK BY LORI VALIGRA

Food Quality & Safety (ISSN 1092-7514) is published 6 times a year in Feb/Mar, Apr/May, Jun/July, Aug/Sept, Oct/Nov, Dec/Jan by Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., a Wiley Company, 111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774. Periodical postage paid at Hoboken, NJ, and additional mailing offices. Subscription for U.S. is $126 per year. International subscription is $160. Food Quality & Safety is a proud member of: United Fresh Produce Association Folio Ozzie and ASBPE award winner for editorial and graphics excellence. POSTMASTER: Returns and address changes to Food Quality & Safety magazine, PO Box 9051 Maple Shade, NJ 08052-9651 © Miroslav Beneda - Fotolia.co m

June/July 2013 5 CONTENTS JUNE/JULY 2013

Features cont. Columns Safety & Sanitation In The Lab Washington Report 30 Dry Floor Products 42 Analytical Trends in 12 iFT’s Traceability Pilot Won’t Slip Up Measuring Food Quality Projects: Should All Food Be Treated Equally? Various dry floor treatments are New instrumentation that gaining ground when it comes improves speed and accuracy, Most major food industry to enhancing sanitation and and novel approaches that organizations are supporting preventing cross contamination leverage better equipment recommendations for food are driving advances of traceability made to the FDA BY ALEX JOSOWITZ analytical methods BY TED AGRES 33 Protecting the Hands BY JOHN SZPYLKA, PHD that Feed How do you determine what glove to use for each application in such a multifaceted industry? Manufacturing & BY SHARON ANN QUINN Distribution 45 Maintaining the Cold Chain: Links in Review © m dworschak - Fotolia.co 35 How to Know if a Pest Management Company Keeping your product cold in is the Right Fit the most comprehensive, cost- effective manner Six essential questions to ask Industry Insights during your search in finding the BY NEIL CANAVAN 14 the Implications of best pest management provider Food Fraud for your facility Who’s horsing around with our BY ZIA SIDDIQI, PHD, BCE food and what can we do about it? Equipment BY KAREN EVERSTINE, PHD, MPH, 48 t he Future of Allergen AMY KIRCHER, DRPH, Testing with Mass AND ELIZABETH CUNNINGHAM Spectrometry Mass spectrometers offer accurate allergen identification while also enabling the detection Innovators

of multiple allergens in a single 66 Gail Borden Jr. ‘Got Milk’ j r_casas - Fotolia.co m analysis A New England businessman and BY MAYBELLE COWAN-LINCOLN inventor turned his attention to developing condensed, portable Testing food that didn’t spoil 37 Reducing the Unique Risks Food Service & Retail BY LORI VALIGRA in Sprouts eMbracing HACCP Best practices for sampling 52 and microbial testing during Implementation grows as retail sprout production and food service facilities look Departments to shore up food safety in an BY STEPHEN GROVE, PHD evolving market 8 From The Editor

BY ANDY TENG 10 News & Notes Product Focus: Quality Fresh Approaches to 60 56 Contract Lab Services 40 Handy Contract Labs: Not Food Safety Training Just For Testing Anymore for Grocers 63 New Products Contract labs serve as multi- Technology training platforms allow employees to develop a 65 Trade Show Preview: faceted verification tools, IAFP 2013 technical resources, and partners sense of commitment toward in the quality and food safety achieving proper safety policies, management system procedures, and behaviors 55 ADVERTISER DIRECTORY BY VIRGINIA DEIBEL, PHD, BY LAURA DUNN NELSON 65 EVENTS AND JOSEPH D. MEYER

COVER: © Artenauta - Fotolia.com facebook.com/FoodQualityandSafety

6 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com waters.com

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©2013 Waters Corporation. Waters, UPLC, ACQUITY UPC,2 UPC,2 UltraPerformance Convergence ChrChromatographyomatography and The Science of What’s Possible are trademarks of Waters Corporation. Publishing Director Heiko Baumgartner, [email protected] Associate Publisher Ken Potuznik, [email protected] Editor Marian Zboraj, [email protected] Design Maria Ender, [email protected] From The Editor Production Claudia Vogel, [email protected] Christiane Potthast, [email protected] Elli Palzer, [email protected]

Advertising Sales Manager Sciences, Corporate Sales, Americas elcome to our cel- Joe Tomaszewski th 111 River St. 8-01 ebratory 20 an- Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 niversary issue! (201) 748-8895 • Cell: (908) 514-0776 [email protected] This issue marks Wthe introduction of a few new Sales Office U.S./Canada/International names. Let’s start with me, Ken Potuznik Marian Zboraj–the new editor. 29822 N 51st Place, Cave Creek, AZ 85331 (480) 419-1851 • fax (480) 718-7719 I join the magazine with over a [email protected] decade’s worth of editorial experience in publishing, however Editorial Office I’m fairly new to the food safety and quality arena. Fortunately, 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, USA I’ve recently been able to attend two major industry events: Reprints: E-mail [email protected] the Global Food Safety Conference in Barcelona and the Food Editorial Submissions: E-mail [email protected] Safety Summit in Baltimore, both of which opened my eyes to Editorial Advisory Panel key issues and trends in the industry. One topic on everyone’s Betsy Booren, PhD Jennifer McEntire, PhD Chief Scientist Senior Director, Food & Import Safety minds at both events was the “Era of Globalization.” The glo- American Meat Institute Foundation Leavitt Partners

balization of our food supply has no doubt complicated efforts Gerry Broski Mary Ann Platt Sr. Marketing Director, Food Safety President to ensure its safety and quality. Consequently, food safety has Neogen Corp. CNS/RQA, Inc. become a joint responsibility. In fact, in his keynote presen- Christine Chaisson, PhD Director Mike Robach tation at the Food Safety Summit, Earthbound Farms’ Will The Lifeline Group Vice President, Corporate Food Safety, Quality, & Regulatory Daniels, sr. vice president of operations and organic integrity, Virginia Deibel, PhD Cargill Director, Microbiological Consulting challenged everyone in the audience to make a pledge to find Covance Laboratories Bob Swientek a common ground on Trust, Transparency, and Collaboration. Caroline Smith DeWaal Editor-in-Chief, Food Technology Food Safety Director magazine This calls for industry, academia, and government agencies to Center for Science in the Public Interest Institute of Food Technologists develop effective ways to share information. Sara Elhadidy Purnendu Vasavada, PhD Food Quality & Safety will continue to do its part in report- Senior Food Scientist PCV & Associates and Professor of Unilever Bestfoods Food Science ing on important topics, which brings me to the second new Philip H. Elliott, PhD University of Wisconsin Food Safety, Global Quality Assurance name. This issue is the debut of the publication’s official name W.K. Kellogg Institute Patricia A. Wester Vice President Regulatory Affairs change to Food Quality & Safety. For 20 years, Food Quality has Daniel Y.C. Fung, MSPH, PhD Food Safety Net Services Professor, Food Science & Animal Sciences indeed always encompassed safety; the new name simply puts Kansas State University Craig Wilson Vice President, Food Safety it at the forefront to make it more apparent on what the publi- Steven Gendel & Quality Assurance Food Allergen Coordinator cation is all about. Costco Wholesale FDA In addition to an editor and a name change, a Facebook Tim Jackson Steven Wilson page (www.facebook.com/FoodQualityandSafety) is now Director, Food Safety U.S. and Canada. Chief Quality Officer Nestle USDC Seafood Inspection Program available so you can stay connected to the latest news and join in on discussions that interest you. The Editorial Advisory Printed in the United States by Dartmouth Printing, Hanover, NH. Copyright 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., a Wiley Company. All rights reserved. No part of Panel has also been updated to help ensure Food Quality & this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written Safety’s content stays relevant. In fact, some of the members permission of the publisher, or authorization through the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 are featured in this issue’s special cover story, sharing their Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923: (978) 750-8400: fax (978) 750-4470. All materials published, including but not limited to original research, clinical notes, thoughts on food safety’s past and future. editorials, reviews, reports, letters, and book reviews represent the opinions and views of the authors and do not reflect any official policy or medical opinion of the institutions with I’m honored to be joining Food Quality & Safety at such an which the authors are affiliated or of the publisher unless this is clearly specified. Materials exciting time and I hope to continue to share valuable content published herein are intended to further general scientific research, understanding, and discussion only and are not intended and should not be relied upon as recommending or to you during the magazine’s next 20 years! promoting a specific method, diagnosis or treatment by physicians for any particular patient. While the editors and publisher believe that the specifications and usage of equipment and devices as set forth herein are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the Marian Zboraj time of publication, they accept no legal responsibility for any errors or omissions, and make no warranty, express or implied, with respect to material contained herein. Publication of an Editor advertisement or other discussions of products in this publication should not be construed as an endorsement of the products or the manufacturers’ claims. Readers are encouraged to contact the manufacturers with any questions about the features or limitations of the products mentioned.

8 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com So Revolutionary, it’s Auto-Magical! Introducing RFID technology so advanced, it works like magic.

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Improving Import Food Safety re-benchmarked by GFSI and has achieved Published by Wiley-Blackwell, the recently released Improving recognition against the GFSI Guidance Doc- Import Food Safety book gathers together vital information on the ument Sixth Edition. food safety programs of national governments, the food industry, and the testing industry. Chapters have been contributed by Release of SQF Code, Edition 7.1 authors from the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Readers Edition 7.1 of the SQF Code applies to all in- will learn about a variety of regulatory approaches to food safety dustry sectors and replaces the SQF 2000 at the federal and state levels in the U.S., as well as in selected Code edition 6 and SQF 1000 Code edition 5. countries and within the food industry itself. They will also gain A few significant changes include the addi- insights into the nature and source of safety problems, in addition of the feed and pet food modules (mod- tion to approaches to food safety around the world. ules 3 and 4) and the harmonized produce standard (module 7H); the requirement for auditors to review the entire facility, Online CORE HACCP Series Best Practices for regardless of the scope of certification CERT ID is offering CORE HACCP online Stored Grains (Part A, 2.7); the addition of a require- courses that are recognized by the Inter- Many of the world’s lead- ment for facilities to report all regula- national HACCP Alliance. These self-paced ing experts on food and tory warning letters to SQF (Part A, 5.3); courses are ideal for HACCP team leaders, commodity storage have and an added element that requires team members, or anyone responsible for combined their efforts in the facility to follow the requirements monitoring and verification activities re- a new publication that of Appendix 3: SQF Quality Shield and quired to maintain a HACCP plan. CERT ID is available from Kansas Logo Rules of Use (2.4.4.2). Edition 7.1 CORE HACCP helps students quickly under- State University. The book, takes effect on July 1, 2013, to which the stand what they can do to identify and control Stored Product Protection, new modules will be available for use. the possible food safety hazards that might provides the industry’s most updated guide- impact the safety and quality of finished lines for safely storing durable food (or, food Business Briefs products. A few learning objectives include not needing refrigeration) and raw commod- understanding how Good Manufacturing ities, as well as managing the pests that can Eurofins collaborates with AB SCIEX Practices support a successful HACCP plan, potentially contaminate stored foods. It and Phenomenex to develop methods to and learning what documents are required covers such topics as biology and ecology analyze animal feed for the presence of for a HACCP plan and how to write them in of insects, molds and vertebrates in storage antibiotic and fungicide residues. The first plain English. Course information is available systems; pests of grains and legumes, dried output of this collaboration is an application for the analysis of nine antibiotics on the new CERT ID online shop (www.cert-id. fruit and nuts; prevention and monitoring of and four insecticides in poultry feeds, cov- com/Online-Shop.aspx). pests; economics; regulations; marketing of ering five different antibiotic drug classes. stored commodities; insect-resistant pack- Pollution Insurance Protection aging; and more. DuPont recently combined three of its To recover from accidental ammonia dis- food-related units (Danisco, Solae and charges, pathogen contamination, or waste- GFSI Recognizes GLOBALG.A.P.’s Qualicon) into one business called Du- water treatment gone awry, the food and Standards and GAA Pont Nutrition & Health. This newly orga- beverage industry now has a new pollution The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) has nized business is dedicated to delivering premier ingredients and advanced diag- insurance policy option from XL Group’s recognized the GLOBALG.A.P. North America nostics that help food companies deliver Environmental team that helps address en- Inc.’s (GGNA) Integrated Farm Assurance safer, healthier, and more nutritious food. vironmental liability, cleanup, and disaster (IFA V4.0 - Fruit & Vegetables Sub-scope) response concerns. XL Group’s Environmen- and Produce Safety Standard (PSS V4.0) ac- SAI Global Limited expands its food tal Food and Beverage Industry policy adds cording to GFSI Guidance Document Sixth assurance activities with the completion protection for both disinfection and disaster Edition, BI and D Scopes (Farming of Plants of its purchase of the Supply Chain Cer- response expenses including costs to clean and Pre-Processing Handling of Plants re- tification Services business assets from and disinfect storage areas and processing spectively), for food safety and traceability. the Steritech Group. This business offers a range of auditing, training, and other equipment, disaster response advisory ex- In addition, the Global Aquaculture Al- services to companies seeking to better penses, medical expenses, and temporary liance (GAA) Seafood Processing Standard manage food safety risks throughout their living expenses. Issue 2 (August 2012) has been successfully supply chains.

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12 ashington Washington T Angela Fernandez, vice president ofretail are sufficient anddirectly onpoint,” says tracking more efficient. as lot or batch numbers, to make product key dataelements(KDEs),such so-called and to identifyandmaintainrecords of and exercise its own product tracing plan should berequired to develop, document, company involved inthefoodsupply chain the firminvolved. tions basedonriskcategories orthesizeof FDA-regulated foodsandnotallowexemp set ofrecordkeeping requirements forall mends thattheagency establish auniform by theFDA. theIFTrecom Initsreport, - covers two foodtracing projects sponsored mendations for food traceability made to theFDA | Most major food industry organizations are supportingrecom- TreatedBe Equally? Projects: Should All Food IFT’s Traceability Pilot

“We think these recommendations In addition, the IFT recommends every FOOD Supply System—Final Report” proving Tracing Along theFood gists’ (IFT)“PilotProjects forIm- he Institute ofFood Technolo QUALITY & SAF ETY - - outbreak occurs. become “high-risk” when anunexpected because “low-risk” products can quickly should beextended to all foodcategories foods, theIFTrecommends thatthis ing requirements only for“high-risk” requires the FDA to establish recordkeep ActModernization (FSMA). Whilethelaw oftheFood quired 204 bySection Safety prepare proposed regulations—steps re- ity requirements to Congress andthen own recommendations onfoodtraceabil July 3, 2013, after which itwillsubmitits comments onthe334-page report through lenges thatcompanies are facing.” recommendations address allofthechal inside ofthefoodsupply chain today. The validated thereality ofwhat’s happening tion standards organization. pilots “The GS1 international supply-chain informa- and grocery forGS1US, amember ofthe The FDA iscurrently accepting public

Ted Agres

Report - - - multiple ingredients implicated in out processed foodtest because theycontain ucts, red pepperspice, andchicken forthe dishescontainingPao-style peanutprod complex. Theagency chose frozen Kung andtheirsupply to chain 2010 canbe 2005 in a number of significant outbreaks from duce test because they’ve been implicated foods. FDA selected tomatoes forthepro volving produce andtheotherprocessed conducting two traceability pilots, onein- theFDAIn September 2011, tasked IFTwith Butter Peanut Tomatoes, Kung Dishes, and Pao when item descriptions were inconsistent definitions were lacking; delays occurred found thatconfusion arose when data hundreds ofpages ofdocuments. IFTalso was “tedious anddifficult” through to sort company-supplied data,IFTfoundthatit wrote in aMarch 7, blog posting. 2013 they usedforrecordkeeping,” Dr. McEntire cords theyhad,andexaminedthesystems industry andworked members withthere- We assembledadiverse group ofabout 45 procedural changes withintheirfacilities. ple to implement hardware, software, or “We simply didn’t have thetimeto askpeo the pilotsandcoauthored thefinal report. safety practice who worked withIFTon a seniordirector atLeavitt food Partners’ recalled Jenniferiment,” McEntire, PhD, analyses. was notalaboratory exper “This University helpedconduct cost-benefit pilot data. Deloitte Consulting and Auburn to showcase their capabilities using blinded fromdors companies thathadvolunteered pilots. IFT also selected 10 technology ven- tarily submitted datato beanalyzed inthe all, 45 foodindustry volun participants - involvedeffort in various investigations. In of the time and lish an historical “baseline” and localtraceback investigators to estab of thepilots,” according to IFT. were included “to enhance thecomplexity butter anddry, packaged peanut/spices of supply channels. Finally, jarred peanut breaks andtheytoo move through avariety Using current technologies to analyze IFT convened agroup state, offederal, www.foodquality.com ------

© mdworschak - Fotolia.com or wrong or when information was incom- transformation or creation or manipula- Other recommendations. FDA should plete; and sources were hard to identify tion of products, and depletion or exit from clearly identify the types of data that in- because companies often went by different system) during a specific food safety inves- dustry needs to provide during an out- names. The pilots highlighted many areas tigation. “The pilot project verified that if break investigation; coordinate traceback for improvements and in its final report, all the information is stored electronically, investigations and develop response pro- submitted to the FDA in August 2012, the the tracing process can be sped up signifi- tocols between and among state and local IFT made 10 recommendations. They in- cantly compared to having to manually go health and regulatory agencies; and offer clude the following. through paper records and manifests by extensive outreach and education around Uniform recordkeeping require- hand,” says Ed Treacy, vice president of future regulations and expectations. ments. FDA should establish uniform re- supply chain efficiencies at the Produce cordkeeping requirements for all FDA-reg- Marketing Association (PMA). “Electronic Costs and Benefits ulated foods and not permit exemptions records could be Excel spreadsheets. This The IFT report devotes 57 pages to cost-ben- based on risk classification. While FSMA should not be a burden on companies as efit analyses but determines that conclu- restricts FDA recordkeeping requirements there are very few companies that do not sions are not possible to draw because the to high-risk foods, the IFT anticipates that use computers in their business,” he tells pilots were narrow and represented, by confusion will arise if companies maintain Food Quality & Safety magazine. definition, “an artificial view of reality.” different standards. GS1 US’s Fernandez Nevertheless, while having data in Nevertheless, the report described several explains why. “If we have to maintain dual electronic format would be ideal, IFT be- companies that had instituted traceabil- processes based on high-risk and non- lieves industry shouldn’t be required to ity technologies. For example, a small high risk foods, people will have to have maintain electronic records, especially produce grower in Mexico who shipped multiple methodologies in place. One-size- since small and large firms have different 100,000 cases annually installed a barcode fits-all can be more efficient. It will also- ad needs and capabilities. However, provid- tracking system. First-year costs, includ- dress future scenarios: A food is non-high ing data in a standardized and structured ing equipment and installation, totalled risk only if it hasn’t been subject to a recall. way may be required of all companies, says $5,500. The company estimated ongoing If a new non-high risk product does get IFT. In the baseline study, most traceback annual costs of about $1,500 plus a half- recalled, we won’t have to change tracing records consisted of printed and handwrit- cent per label. “That’s not bad at all,” says processes for it,” she said. This recommen- ten documents sent by fax to regulatory PMA’s Treacy. While other larger growers, dation “bubbled up” from industry itself, agencies. In the pilot studies, most records producers, and shippers have spent any- Dr. McEntyre adds. were submitted in Adobe Acrobat pdf for- where from tens to thousands to millions Product tracing plans. FDA should mat. But even then, a pdf of a handwritten of dollars implementing advanced control require each member of the food supply note could not be analyzed in a structured systems, these are large systems not specif- chain, regardless of its size, to develop, and standardized way, the report noted. ically installed because of FSMA. document, and exercise a product trac- “The key point is, different size compa- Overall, GS1 US, the PMA, and other ing plan. While product tracing plans are nies in the food chain are going to capture members of the Produce Traceability currently not required by federal agencies, and hold that data in different ways,” says Initiative (PTI) were highly supportive of some companies have them as best prac- Fernandez. “Not everyone has robust da- IFT’s recommendations. “Many of us in tices, IFT says. Product tracebacks are tabases and electronic capabilities, but if the grower/packer/shipper community different from product recalls in that the they can make sure their records are cap- are pleased to see that the IFT recom- details of the product of interest in a trace- turing those elements around a product or mends a uniform set of recordkeeping back are not known. Having and exercising transaction, however they choose to do so, requirements, encourages current in- a product tracing plan “will increase the that is going to help FDA when a product dustry-led initiatives, and suggests the speed with which a firm can respond to an is identified around a possible outbreak.” development of standardized electronic investigation and reduce the likelihood of Technology platform. FDA should mechanisms for the reporting of traceabil- errors,” IFT says. And while FSMA limits adopt a technology platform that will allow ity data,” said Sabrina Pokomandy, mar- the FDA’s reach in seeking data to “one up, it to aggregate and analyze data reported keting and public relations manager for one back” in a company’s supply chain, in response to a specific request. Such a JemD Farms and cochair of PTI’s Commu- the IFT recommends the agency should secure platform could be a central repos- nications Working Group, in a statement. request additional information from com- itory of information for investigators and “These recommendations are in align- panies in hopes that “capable supply chain for other regulatory agencies. It could re- ment with the goals and vision of PTI and partners” will have the extra information duce the need for companies to send their help us move forward with industry-wide and will make it available. data to multiple agencies. Because such traceability implementations.” Standardized, structured, electronic a platform would require submissions in To submit comments on the IFT re- recordkeeping. FDA should develop electronic format, it may not become a report, go to www.regulations.gov and en- mechanisms for industry to provide key quirement, Fernandez notes. “But some of ter docket number FDA-2012-N-1153-0002. data elements (date, time, item, lot, or the larger and mid-size firms do have these Comments are accepted by July 3, 2013. ■ batch number) and critical tracking events electronic records and it could definitely Agres is based in Laurel, Md. Reach him at tedagres@ (transportation or exchange of goods, help in doing a traceback,” she adds. yahoo.com.

June/July 2013 13

14 A roo—or even endangeredroo—or mountain zebra. actually pork,beef,giraffe, kanga horse, - AfricankuduSouth (antelope) jerky was hoo! News reported that90percent of in aschool’s halalchicken sausages. Ya- on March 14 thatporkDNA hadbeenfound cording to the isn’t theonly meatbeing substituted. Ac recent exampleoffoodfraud, andhorse substitution isunfortunately only themost European horse meat scandal. Horse meat European meat scandal. Horse horse meat cheaper meats. takeout restaurants were bulked upwith seven in10lambkabobs soldinBritish Who’s horsing around with our food and what can we doabout it?

The Implications of Food Implications The I FOOD ndustry ndustry to contain horse meat in the to contain meat in the horse products that have been found news reports every day ofnew s we write this, there are more QUALITY By By Daily MailDaily Karen Food Manufacture & SAF ETY

Everstine, PhD on February 25, and

Elizabeth Cunningham reported reported Fraud - , MP H these risks be identified and they can only supply chain. Food safetydemandsthat and mitigating potential risksalong the Ensuring food safety requires identifying in changes to thesupply chain structure. ble to adulteration since theycanresult can alsoleave thefoodsupply- vulnera ination or adulteration. Increased prices chain canleave usvulnerable to contam- deficiencies inany ofthefoodsupply part countries. Regulatory orqualityassurance liant uponthefoodsafetysystems ofthose products from other countries makes us re sector. Importing large quantitiesoffood in foodandagriculture than inany other ing from andexporting to more countries infrastructure, withtheU.S. bothimport , Am y Food comprises aglobally distributed Kircher,

I DrPH nsights ,

- - food safetyanddefense. protection program thataddresses both assured withoutacomprehensive food tive fooddefense,qualitycannotbe have complete foodsafetywithouteffec or generate Since profit. extra we cannot withtheintent totion—either cause harm deliberate contamination andadultera- ized supply chain, andthepossibilityof food defenseisheightened bythe global is authentic. Furthermore, theneedfor ing ofthesupply chain and theproduct be addressed if there is a good understand Unfortunately, by not understanding their motivation isnot intended to cause harm. ation doesn’t poseahealth risksince the be adulterated. In most cases, the adulter cent ofthefoodwe buy ontheshelfmay Agency oftheU.K. hasestimated 10per to bewidespread. The Food Standards ayeardollars andtheproblem isthought food products cost industry 10to 15billion Association estimates thatadulterated try oforigin. TheGrocery Manufacturers ing duties byfalsely declaring thecoun- avoided almost $80 million in anti-dump honey,import thedefendantsallegedly nies accused of conspiring to illegally In theongoing caseinvolving sixcompa- strong financialmotivation forfoodfraud. be exploited forintentional harm. and qualityassurance systems thatcould they illustrate vulnerabilities inregulatory serious publichealth consequences, and some foodfraud incidentshave resulted in far back as1784. Whileusually harmless, that was addressed by U.S. foodlaws as in recent months, butitisanoldproblem be receiving heightened mediaattention labeling offoodproducts. Food fraud may dilution withwater, ortheintentional mis inferior orforeign substances to afood, nomic gain. Thisincludes theadditionof not upto recognized standards foreco intentional saleoffoodproducts thatare ically motivated adulteration (EMA), isthe Food fraud, orwhat theFDA callseconom EMA In today’s environment, there isa www.foodquality.com

------

NC F PD Number of incidents of EMA in each of 13 food categories (218 incidents total). for relatively few resources. Inspection, laboratory testing, and other crucial and cost-prohibitive resources can then be targeted towards the riskiest food products. Individual industry members and regulatory agencies have much of the information and food system knowledge that could help early identification an adverse food event, but it is not currently compiled for real-time analysis. Collaboration and information sharing between public and private interests are also essential to ensure that the food supply remains well protected and resilient. actions, perpetrators have created risks to sold as olive oil in Spain caused more than The development of data manage- human and animal health. 20,000 illnesses and at least 300 deaths. ment technologies in which the food and agriculture stakeholders can regularly and Understanding the Scope of the How Do Incidents Go Undetected? proactively share real-time information Problem EMA incidents are challenging for indus- across the globe is key to identifying risks Since the perpetrators of food fraud do not try and regulators to prevent because the and initiating the appropriate response to intend to cause health harm and know adulterants are usually innocuous and the mitigate adverse consequences. Various how to get around quality assurance test- adulteration is designed specifically not data sources, compiled and analyzed to ing methodologies, food fraud incidents to be detected. Often, the most successful detect a signal, can serve as a trigger for frequently evade detection. This makes it adulterants are novel; therefore, quality decision makers to take action. Using data challenging to know the true scope of fraud assurance testing methodologies are not sources such as weather information, in the food supply. The National Center designed to detect them. For example, in global trade data, pricing indexes, policy for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD) the mid-1980s, sweet white dessert wines changes, and indications of political and has conducted an extensive literature and in Austria were adulterated with dieth- civil unrest, we can build algorithms that media search for documented incidents ylene glycol (an industrial solvent) because can assist in identifying the environments of food fraud since 1980. This search has it improved the body and sweetness of the where food fraud is likely to occur or may resulted in over 200 isolated incidents of wines. At the time, there was no reason to already be in the system. food fraud in many categories of products, test for the presence of diethylene glycol The NCFPD has initiated research and including seafood, oils, wine, dairy prod- in wines because it was not an expected development of technology solutions, ucts, and fruit juices (see chart above). The adulterant. Since there were no short-term known as the FIDES and EMA projects, U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention has also health effects, the adulteration could have which support data fusion, analytics, compiled a food fraud database, using a continued if a tax inspector hadn’t uncov- and dissemination within and across or- different methodology (www.foodfraud. ered the fraud by investigating tax refunds ganizations to help identify and warn of org). Both databases contribute valuable claimed by a wine producer for large quan- food threats such as EMA, provide risk information about what is known about tities of diethylene glycol. Testing method- management assessments, and provide the history of food fraud. However, what ologies for more commonly adulterated decision makers tools to make informed is represented in the databases is almost products, such as honey and olive oil, are assessments and decisions. certainly only the tip of the iceberg when it continually evolving to keep up with ad- Increased awareness of and research comes to the true scope of food fraud. vances in adulteration methods. However, on food fraud provides an opportunity The adulteration of beef products with analytical methods for food products can to improve testing methodologies and horse meat has fortunately not resulted be expensive, and it is not practical or fea- develop new capabilities for rapidly iden- in public health consequences; however, sible to test all food products for every pos- tifying adulteration in the system prior EMA is not always benign. Melamine adul- sible adulterant. to seeing adverse health and economic teration of wheat gluten in 2007 caused consequences. These dedicated efforts illnesses and deaths in thousands of pets Getting Ahead of the Problem will serve as a deterrent to those seeking in the U.S., and melamine-tainted feed en- Identification of EMA events must come to adulterate our food supply. ■ tered the supply chain for animals intended sooner to mitigate human health conse- for human consumption. A year later, quences and economic loss. Better detec- Dr. Everstine, [email protected], is research fellow at National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD). melamine adulteration of dairy products in tion methods are important, but they are Dr. Kircher, [email protected], is acting director for NCFPD. China resulted in hundreds of thousands not the only solution. Early warning anal- And Cunningham, [email protected], is the communica- tions manager for NCFPD. of illnesses and at least six infant deaths. In ysis that takes advantage of multiple data 1981, industrial-grade rapeseed oil that was sources has the potential to alert us to ele- REFERENCES furnished upon Request

June/July 2013 15 Cover story

20 Years in Food Safety: A Look Back and Beyond Food Quality & Safety magazine takes a look back at some important events in food safety and also considers what the next 20 years might hold

By Tim Donald

n celebration of Food Quality’s (now asked members of the Panel to offer their Jan. 1993 - E. coli FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY) 20th an- predictions—hopes, wishes, challenges, O157:H7 outbreak at niversary, and with the help of its Edi- fears—for various segments of the industry Jack in the Box torial Advisory Panel, we reflect on the for the next 20 years. This event brings food Ievents in food safety that has helped shaped safety and foodborne today’s food and beverage industry and also PART 1 disease emphatically to the attention of the look ahead to what future developments Food Safety’s Past nation and introduces the organism Esche- might bring to the market. A statement from Panel member Purnendu richia coli into the public consciousness. The The first part of this article provides a Vasavada, PhD, makes a good introduction outbreak, traced to undercooked hamburger food safety timeline spanning 20 years based to the timeline, “The past 20 years, in regard meat containing E. coli O157:H7 served by the on news reports as well as insights offered by to food safety and food microbiology, remind fast-food chain, sickens more than 600 peo- members of the Food Quality & Safety Edito- me of Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities. ‘It was the ple in four western states. Four children die

rial Advisory Panel. In the second part, we best of times, it was the worst of times…’” of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). © Gunnar A ss m y - Fotolia.co

16 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com “It was the first time people focused on contamination. We know that the ultimate July 1996 - The “Mega-reg” the pathogen E. coli 0157:H7, and that out- solution to the O157:H7 problem lies not FSIS enacts the final rule implementing break really created the urgency for the fed- in comprehensive end-product testing “Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and eral government to take action,” comments but rather in the development and imple- Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems” for Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director, mentation of science-based preventive meat and poultry facilities. This landmark at the Center for Science in the Public Inter- controls with product testing to verify pro- ruling establishes requirements for meat est (CSPI). cess control.” and poultry facilities to reduce the occurrence and numbers of pathogenic organisms Feb. 1993 - “Assay for motile facultative 1995-1996 - Creation of several food on their products through implementation anaerobic pathogens” patent safety networks of sanitation standard operating proce- This patent, on a method to detect L. mono- In response to the E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak, dures, regular microbial testing, and the cytogenes in a total time of 24 to 36 hours, is several government initiatives to improve development of preventive controls known the first of several issued to Daniel Y.C. Fung, food safety intelligence were founded, in- as HACCP. PhD, a charter member of the Food Quality cluding PulseNet, FoodNet, and NARMS. & Safety Editorial Advisory Panel and one of PulseNet is a national network of public Oct. 1996 - Recall of Odwalla juice the originators of rapid methods and auto- health and food regulatory agency laborato- E. coli 0157:H7 is identified in stool sam- mation in microbiology, and Linda Yu. ries coordinated by the Centers for Disease ples from people with HUS who had drunk Control and Prevention (CDC). The name Odwalla brand unpasteurized juice. The Late 1993 - Efforts begin to develop steam derives from the use of standardized pulsed- products had been distributed in several pasteurization of beef carcasses field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) molecular western states and British Columbia. The Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak prompts subtyping (DNA fingerprinting) to identify “As we continue to test and examine ill- Panel member Craig Wilson, who at the and distinguish foodborne disease-causing nesses, we will continue to discover foods as- time was working at Frigoscandia (Bellvue, bacteria. This allows ability to establish links sociated with illness that we never thought Wash.), and others to begin discussion of among illnesses occurring in different times caused illness before,” says Jennifer McEn- ways to prevent such outbreaks. They be- and locations. tire, PhD, senior director, food and import gin development of steam pasteurization of Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance safety, Leavitt Partners. “A case in point is beef. By late 1994, they file a U.S. patent ap- Network (FoodNet) tracks trends in infec- the outbreak associated with Odwalla apple plication, “Method and Apparatus for Steam tions commonly transmitted through food juice. Apple juice was considered an acidic Pasteurization of Meats.” and reports the number of laboratory-con- product: No pathogen was supposed to grow firmed illnesses caused by foodborne infec- in it. And yet there was an outbreak of E. coli Sept. 1994 - E. coli 0157:H7 declared an tions. By estimating the incidences of food- 0157:H7 because the organism changed. We adulterant in raw ground beef borne illnesses and their associations with didn’t know that 0157 had a slightly different

In a landmark speech to specific foods, and monitoring trends over acid tolerance than other pathogens. Bacte- the American Meat Insti- time, the network provides a foundation for ria evolve; that’s what they do.” tute, Michael R. Taylor, food safety policy and prevention efforts. then administrator of The National Antimicrobial Resistance Sept. 1997 - CSPI Outbreak Database the USDA’s Food Safety Monitoring System (NARMS) is a public The CSPI establishes its Outbreak Alert! and Inspection Service health surveillance system that tracks anti- database to allow CSPI to independently (FSIS), states “we con- biotic resistance in foodborne enteric bac- evaluate problems and progress in the U.S. sider raw ground beef that is contami- teria from humans, retail meats, and food food supply. The database contains infor- nated with E. coli O157:H7 to be adulterated animals. NARMS collaborates with similar mation and analysis on outbreaks that have within the meaning of the Federal Meat In- monitoring efforts in other countries. It also been fully investigated, i.e., in which both spection Act…We plan to conduct targeted examines foodborne bacteria for genetic re- a pathogen and a food are identified. CSPI sampling and testing of raw ground beef at latedness using PFGE and contributes this also regularly publishes Outbreak Alert! and

June/July 2013 17 Cover story - 20 Years in Food Safety: A Look Back and Beyond

(Continued from p. 17) containing less than 100 percent juice, Aug.-Oct. 2006 - Multi-state E. coli analyzes state reporting practices in reports only the juice ingredient must apply to 0157:H7 outbreak in spinach such as All Over the Map. HACCP principles. The outbreak results in 205

“Today the outbreak database con- confirmed illnesses in 26 m tains 7,000 outbreaks, tracking more than 2005 - ISO 22000 management standard states and three deaths, 20 years, starting in 1990, and cataloguing The International Organization for Stan- according to the FDA. more than 200,000 illnesses in the U.S.,” dardization (ISO) promulgates ISO 22000, The CDC reported that comments DeWaal. addressing food safety management to 102 people were hospitalized and 31 devel- Fotolia.co - nito © help facilities identify and control safety oped HUS. All spinach implicated in the Dec. 1997 - Seafood HACCP rule hazards. The standard stresses interactive outbreak was traced to a California firm. The HACCP Regulation communication, systems management, “One thing that really came to light in for Fish and Fishery and HACCP principles. It emphasizes a the 2000s was the risks that are carried on Products, requiring combined effort of all parties in the food our fresh produce, like fresh leafy greens processers of fish and chain is needed since hazards can occur at and fresh vegetables,” comments DeWaal. aths - Fotolia.co m © A lexander R aths fishery products to de- any point. “Fresh produce is linked to a large number velop and implement HACCP systems for “When ISO 22000 came out, that was of outbreaks and illnesses in our database, their operations, becomes effective. a milestone, not just in seafood but foods but consumers didn’t really become aware “For food safety in seafood, the major in general,” says Wilson. “It was the first of it until the spinach outbreak in 2006.” milestone was the 1997 HACCP regulations,” time a private management standard for says Steven Wilson, chief quality officer, food safety was internationally recognized. 2008 - Melamine in infant formula USDC Seafood Inspection Program. “That has That standard made a number of regula- China reports melamine contamination in in- been the model for the FDA putting out other tory agencies sit up and take notice. Also, it fant formula, causing kidney problems and HACCP regulations. After the seafood HACCP made differences in ISO’s way of thinking. kidney stones in babies. Melamine was inten- regulations came those for fruit juice.” At that time they had quality management tionally added to milk to artificially increase in ISO 9001, environmental management the measured protein content. 2000 - Founding of the GFSI in ISO 14001, and now here was a new The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) management standard. This was when ISO 2008-2009 – Salmonella and peanuts is an industry initiative devoted to con- decided through their business plan to get The Peanut Corp. of America’s (PCA) tinuous improvement of food safety man- more involved in management systems.” products were the source in an outbreak agement systems to ensure confidence in of Salmonella typhimurium illnesses that the safety of the food supply worldwide. Jan. 2006 - Food allergen labeling killed nine people and sickened more than Experts collaborate in numerous working The Food Allergen Labeling and Con- 700. The recall prompted by the outbreak

groups to address food safety issues de- sumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA), an involved thousands fined by GFSI stakeholders. amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and of products made Cosmetic Act, requires the labels of foods by more than 300 Jan. 2002 - HACCP rules for juice that contains a “major food allergen” to de- companies. This

Effective in 2002 (January 2003 clare the presence of the allergen. February, crim- © photocrew - Fotolia.co m for small businesses), the “FALCPA was the culmination of an inal charges were FDA circulates HACCP increasing awareness of the importance of filed against the former owner and other rules for production providing clear and simple information to company employees, charging that they of fruit juice and juice food-allergic consumers so they can make misled customers—not revealing when concentrate. Proces- safe food choices without having to worry tests detected Salmonella in products from sors making 100 percent juice or a concen- about misunderstanding what is on the la- a plant in Blakely, Ga.

trate for subsequent beverage use must bel or what is in their foods,” says Steven © Marius Gra f - Fotolia.co m apply HACCP principles. For beverages Gendel, food allergen coordinator , FDA. (Continued on p. 20)

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(Continued from p. 18) Response. Mandatory recall authority by Jan. 2013 – Undeclared horse meat “The PCA scare really had an effect on FDA for all food products. Irish food inspectors detect horse meat in auditing processes, and that will have an Enhanced partnerships. Recognition of beef burgers and shortly thereafter similar effect on how third parties are accepted by the importance of strengthening existing col- incidents occur in more than 10 other Euro- regulatory agencies,” says Wilson. “Those laboration among food safety agencies, from pean countries, propelling food fraud into kinds of events have ripples throughout the local to federal to international; directs FDA the public spotlight. The scandal shakes entire food chain, not just one particular to improve training of state, local, territorial, consumer confidence, prompting proposed product group.” and tribal food safety officials. penalties for this type of labeling fraud. “FSMA is once-in-a-lifetime regulation,” May-Nov. 2010 - Outbreak of Salmonella says Virginia Deibel, PhD, director of micro- enteritidis in eggs biology, Covance. “We likely will not see PART 2 The CDC identifies a another change in FDA law this significant The Future of Food Safety nationwide, sus- in our lifetimes…the FDA no longer needs What does the future hold? A few of our Ed- tained increase in to prove an adulteration. They can instill itorial Advisory Panel members offered up cases of Salmonella regulatory action if they believe a facility is their thoughts on possible developments enteritidis infections producing food in unsanitary conditions.” during next 20 years for the segments of in- uploaded to the PulseNet “The FDA calls the new FSMA regula- dustry they specialize in. Here’s what they E xQuisine © Fotolia.co m database. The CDC estimates that approx- tion HACCP on steroids,” adds another Food had to say. imately 1,939 reported illnesses are likely Quality & Safety Panel member. associated with the outbreak. Epidemio- Caroline Smith DeWaal, logic investigations pointed to eggs as the 2011 - Germany’s E. coli outbreak Food Safety Director, source, and a nationwide recall followed. A deadly strain of E. coli kills more than 40 CSPI, Washington, D.C. By August, according to a CNN report, the and sickens more than 4,000 in Germany recall included half a billion eggs. and other parts of Europe. On June 10, Ger- Our focus at the CSPI is man authorities stated epidemiological on modernizing the food safety system in July 2010 - Egg safety regulations and food-chain evidence found bean and the U.S. in ways that maximize and pro- Food safety requirements for egg producers seed sprouts were the vehicle of outbreak. mote consumer protection policies and with 50,000 laying hens or more take effect. programs. There are opportunities, for Among other things, the new rules require Aug.-Oct. 2011 - Multistate outbreak instance, to modernize how meat and producers to adopt preventive control mea- of listeriosis in whole cantaloupes poultry are inspected—the legal basis for sures and to use refrigeration during egg An outbreak of Listeria meat inspection is still based on a 1906 storage and transportation. monocytogenes infec- model—and to bring inspections under a tions (listeriosis) sick- more scientific legal framework. A second Jan. 2011 - FSMA signed into law ens almost 150 people emphasis is to continue to look for op- The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), in 28 states. The out- portunities to merge the U.S. food safety the most sweeping U.S. reform of food safety break was blamed for 33 deaths reported to agencies into a unified agency, combining

law in more than 70 years, was signed into CDC, and one miscarriage in a woman preg- programs at USDA and FDA. A final focus, - Fotolia.co m V iktar © Malyshchyts law by President Obama. The reform, which nant at the time of infection. one that already takes a lot of our time, is to is still in the process of being implemented, “We continue to find new pathogens, work in the international sphere to ensure is intended to improve the safety of the U.S. or find old pathogens in new places, caus- consumer protection is considered in the food supply by shifting the focus of regula- ing problems that we had not seen before,” development of international standards tors to prevention of contamination. Major notes Gendel. “The outbreak of L. monocy- by Codex Alimentarius and other interna- components include the following. togenes infections linked to whole canta- tional bodies. Preventive controls. FDA has a legis- loupes is an example of such a situation. We The wide distribution of food products lative mandate to require comprehensive, continue to find that Mother Nature and the is a challenge, but not a new issue. The fact prevention-based controls across the food microbes are very good at exploiting new a food safety problem can enter a product in supply. opportunities.” one plant and be shipped all over the world Inspection and compliance. The law certainly poses challenges. CSPI has advo- specifies how often FDA should inspect food Dec. 2012 - Hold-and-test strategy cated for the adoption of rapid alert systems, producers, calling for risk-based and inno- The USDA FSIS announces that beginning in similar to those in Europe, to notify national vative inspection approaches. 2013 producers will be required to hold ship- authorities. We’d like these rapid alerts to Imported food safety. Importers must ments of non-intact raw beef and all ready- go all the way to the consumer, so we can be verify that foreign suppliers have adequate to-eat products containing meat and poultry made aware of problems as they occur. preventive controls in place. The FDA will be until they pass USDA testing for foodborne The rise in use of social media poten- able to accredit third-party auditors to cer- adulterants. Products will not be allowed to tially provides the food industry and gov- tify that foreign food facilities are complying enter the market until they test negative for ernment with the means to get information with U.S. standards. Shiga-toxin producing E. coli. to the public rapidly. The tools to accom- (Continued on p. 22)

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&ůĞǆŝďůĞ͗>ĞĂĚŝŶŐĞĚŐĞŇĞǆŝďůĞǁŽƌŬŇŽǁĂĚĂƉƚƐƚŽĂůůďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐƉƌŽĐĞƐƐĞƐ͕ ǁŝƚŚŽƵƚƉƌŽŐƌĂŵŵŝŶŐ /ŶƚĞŐƌĂƟŽŶ͗/ŶƚĞŐƌĂƚĞƐǁŝƚŚϯrdƉĂƌƚǇďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐƐǇƐƚĞŵƐ ,WDŽĚƵůĞ͗DĂŶĂŐĞƐĂŶĚƚƌĂĐŬƐWƌĞƌĞƋƵŝƐŝƚĞWƌŽŐƌĂŵƐ͕,ĂǌĂƌĚŶĂůǇƐĞƐ͕ ĂŶĚƌŝƟĐĂůŽŶƚƌŽůWŽŝŶƚƐ ŽŵƉůŝĂŶĐĞDĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚ͗DĂŝŶƚĂŝŶƐĐŽŵƉůŝĂŶĐĞƚŽƌĞŐƵůĂƚŽƌǇŝŶŝƟĂƟǀĞƐ͗ &^D͕,W͕^Y&͕Z͕/&^͕ĂŶĚ/^KϮϮϬϬϬ ϴϬϬͲϯϱϰͲϰϰϳϲͻ info@ĞƚƋ͘ĐŽŵ www.etq.com/foodsafety Cover story - 20 Years in Food Safety: A Look Back and Beyond

(Continued from p. 20) Continued advances in rapid methods will require ingenious plish this exist, but a strategy is needed to put such a system in thinking and innovation in microbiology, immunology, electronics, place. If consumers know information isn’t being hidden from them lab-on-a-chip technologies, and perhaps other areas not yet envi- but rather is provided at the earliest opportunity, this increases their sioned. The field of food microbiology has developed very well in the confidence in the government and food supply. past 30 years, and there is no reason to think that it will not continue to progress as new microbiologists and food scientists innovate and Gerry Broski, Senior Marketing Director, build on what has been done in the past. Food Safety, Neogen Corp., Lansing, Mich. Steven Gendel, Food Allergen Coordinator, The next 20 years are going to be interesting as we FDA, College Park, Md. set the stage to address the food and nutrition requirements for a growing population while recognizing we have finite One of the themes of [this year’s Food Safety and precious resources. A projected 15 percent increase in the global Summit] meeting, in some cases explicitly stated, population, from 7 billion currently to 8 billion by 2025, is becoming in other cases implicit in the things people talked about, was the con- a concern of many in the field of food safety. We’ll have to proactively nectedness of the food system and food safety. Everyone is part of the manage food safety plans and production to meet growing needs. same system, and everybody’s food safety problem affects everyone FSMA is a step forward in addressing the needs of modern food pro- else. In the future we are going to recognize this more and more. In duction and distribution systems. coming years the food safety system will become more networked, Technology continues to advance as new technology and solu- integrated, and interactive than ever before. tions from the clinical, research, and life science areas are applied to There was a lot of discussion at the meeting around variations of food matrices. Food is a complicated product that can be made from this theme: More interaction is needed, whether among the federal many ingredients sourced from many areas, and food contaminants agencies, between the federal agencies and the states, or among in- can be difficult to detect. Because many foods are perishable, the ternational bodies. We use terms like globalization and integration, need for speed in testing will continue to be a target for improvement, but it really comes down to the fact that we are all now operating in a and, because food safety is a basic requirement and not a competitive networked world. People are increasingly beginning to recognize that advantage, the cost of testing will be an area where simplicity and food production, food safety, and food sales are all part of a networked performance determine the adoption of new technology. system. In the future, all the pieces of this system will need to commu- Having spent much of my career in food-related industries, my nicate well with each other in order to make sure everyone knows what biggest fear is that looking forward we may not have enough qual- is going on so that we can keep the global food supply safe. ified people at all levels to support the growing needs of the food safety industry. From lab technicians and analysts to managers, to Jennifer McEntire, PhD, Senior Director, quality control, to sales and marketing, qualified, educated, and Food and Import Safety, Leavitt Partners, Wash- trained people are needed to support the growing food and nutrition ington, D.C. needs of the next generation. Over the past 20 years the extent of global food Daniel Y. C. Fung, MSPH, PhD, Professor trade has increased dramatically. With that increase, people are han- of Food Science and Animal Sciences, dling and consuming different types of foods, and the proper prepa- Kansas State University Manhattan, Kan. ration and handling of those foods, as well as the pathogens and other contaminants that could be associated, might not be fully understood. Using standard microbiology methods, several The industry is in a state of flux with the pending implemen- decades ago, it could take a week to identify an organism—to say tation of FSMA. Importers now have to ensure the food they bring definitively, for example, that this sample containsSalmonella ty- into this country is produced safely under applicable regulations. phimurium. As methods were improved, the time needed for these Other countries too are weighing in with their own food safety laws determinations was shortened. Within the past three or four years, and plans. How these changes will affect the global supply chain the time for identification of an organism has been shortened to 12 remains to be seen. hours. Within the next five to 10 years, we hope to further shorten The use of technology shows great potential for development: that time to four hours. Then two hours, one hour—and eventually How we alert people to a hazard, how we track products, how we to get results instantaneously. monitor temperatures in real time, how we analyze data—in short, Microbiology is a very dynamic field. Processes are continually how we make decisions rapidly about a product—can be facilitated getting faster and more efficient. The basic problem in microbiology by technology. New technologies will give us a better grasp over is we must start with a pure culture to identify an organism. Many what’s happening with a product to ensure food safety. researchers’ efforts now are centered on ways to achieve that pure There are tremendous opportunities to leverage technology culture: Perhaps a laser can pick out from a sample a single micro- for these purposes. And in fact, developing economies, where the drop containing a single organism, and a puff of air can blow that mi- physical infrastructure for food safety (including the communication crodrop into a tube or well for multiplication of the organism. Once infrastructure) is still taking shape, may perhaps have greater ability this or some other method is used to isolate the pure culture, PCR and to leverage some of these new technologies than more established other tests can be performed to identify the organism. economies where the infrastructure is already set.

22 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com Cover story - 20 Years in Food Safety: A Look Back and Beyond

A recent trend likely to continue in the future is interest in nat- Virginia Deibel, PhD, Director of Microbiology, ural, local, and organic products, including raw and unprocessed Covance, Madison, Wis. foods. Industry will be pressured not only to provide these foods, but to provide them safely. Hopefully we’ll see the development of Most food companies would find significant innovative processes to ensure this safety. value with the capability of real-time microbiological detection. Quality assurance staff could analyze products and Purnendu Vasavada, PhD, Professor Emeritus product contact equipment and immediately determine whether or of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-River not a contaminant or adulterant is present. While real-time bacterial Falls, River Falls, Wis. detection isn’t available today, the time to results has diminished considerably over the past five to 10 years. Many of the advances Twenty years ago, isolating and characterizing have been the move from cultural to genetic detection. There are ge- Salmonella from ground beef could take seven to eight days. Now, netic detection platforms currently in use that mainly utilize PCR or because of the advances in molecular biology and DNA-based meth- antibody capture. There are other models to detect ribosomal RNA ods, we can do this in less than a day. With improvements in instru- (rRNA) rather than DNA used with PCR. Manufacturers suggest rRNA mentation, reagents, automation, etc., projects that used to take PhD platforms provide greater sensitivity and less enrichment time even students months or years to do are now done by high school students with rapid and sensitive assays. Current confirmation methods for for their science fair. So we’ve come a long way. pathogens still rely on many cultural techniques, which require time Within the next few years it is not unreasonable that we could and scientific expertise. There’s a continued race against the clock to have multiplex assays to identify pathogenic organisms within a find ways that reduce overall assay time while maintaining or even single shift. The challenge then, as now, is what do we do with this increasing sensitivity, however the cost-per-test of these models is information? If you don’t use the information to improve your oper- ever increasing. High test costs make the Environmental Control ation, to manage your inventory or improve food safety, then that Program design and execution critical. Choosing where and how to information is useless—no matter how sophisticated the instrument test in a plant environment continues to be a key component of the or how quickly the information is generated. testing process. So as much as a company may wish to have real-time Another challenge for the future is the threat of bioterrorism detection, the road leading to this end-goal will be costly–financially through intentional contamination of food or water. The envelope and with needed scientific expertise. Partnering with a contract lab containing anthrax or ricin may be a threat to individuals, but how will be of value. widespread is the havoc that it causes? Intentional contamination of food or water could cause a major disaster. Early warning systems will Steven Wilson, Chief Quality Officer, USDC be vital to manage the situation in the event of something like that. Seafood Inspection Program, Silver Spring, Md.

Craig Wilson, Vice President, Food Safety When it comes to seafood, right now the best and Quality Assurance, Costco Wholesale, analysis is achieved by the nose, eyes, ears, and Issaquah, Wash. taste buds of the human inspector or auditor—sensory analysis. No mechanical method has been able to challenge the sensitivity of the I am excited about the advent of new intervention human sensory apparatus, from a quality standpoint. That will con- strategies, mainly in the produce area. Fresh-cut produce is a rela- tinue to be the case for the foreseeable future. The challenge is to train tively weak area right now from a food safety perspective, and the inspectors well. That is hard work. produce industry is working on some marvelous intervention strat- I see potential positives in the movement of regulatory assess- egies. Some of these technologies, such as use of chlorine dioxide ment to third parties. Audit reports from certifying bodies can be used gas to inactivate pathogens on green leafy vegetables, are already as intelligence, and trend analysis can help to pinpoint problems geo- being deployed today. There are other strategies being investigated, graphically to allow adjustment of import strategies. This true buy- not only in produce but in every area of food production, to improve er-supplier information can provide a better picture of what’s going the overall microbial quality of food items. on in the field. A potential concern, however, is the use of those third I do not think the globalization of the food supply is a concern. parties in lieu of government inspection. Whenever there is a profit Globalization of the food supply should be based on specifications. motive involved, one must be careful of perceived bias. Certifying As a food safety professional for a major grocery retail chain, I am at bodies are in fact a business. So this can be a negative or a positive the end of the food chain, so to speak. I can develop specifications depending on how regulators use it. and say to suppliers that if their food item does not meet those specs, I also hope to see the USDA move away from its 100-year-old we are not going to buy them. With those specifications in place and practice of carcass-by-carcass inspection and focus more on system being met, whether the source of the food item is domestic or inter- evaluation, auditing, and other advanced methods. USDA has had a national is not an issue. dramatic impact on the world, and if other bodies would follow its The advancement of technologies for rapid pathogen detection is lead in this area and combine forces on food inspection, this would very exciting. We are constantly looking at rapid detection methods help move toward a strong method in general for evaluating foods in and how our systems can be improved, and I think that’s going to be the future. The question is, how long will it take to get there? ■ an area of continual improvement in the future because its impor- Tim Donald is a veteran journalist with extensive experience covering a variety of industries. tance is recognized. Reach him at [email protected].

June/July 2013 23 At Taylor Farms, New Technologies Make Produce Safer The most recent winner of the Food Quality Award attributes its high standards for food safety to investments in technology and training | By Lori Valigra

aylor Farms, a major producer of value-added fresh vege- Fieldale Farms, West Liberty Foods, Hormel Foods, Tyson Food, tables based in Salinas, Calif., won the 12th annual Food and Sysco. Quality Award based on its focus on food safety and “What brings us ahead is our allocation of resources,” com- quality, employee training, and beneficial use of new ments Angelina Estrada, food safety technical support manager Ttechnologies such as a clean wash and a data acquisition system. at Taylor Farms, a subsidiary of Taylor Fresh Foods Inc. “A great Mark Borman, president of Taylor Farms, and Jason Kawata, di- part of our commitment goes to resources such as equipment, rector of quality assurance, accepted the Award on behalf of their chemicals, R&D, and getting self-motivated, qualified personnel.” team on May 1 during a special reception at the 2013 Food Safety That has impressed David Charest, vice president of biopro- Summit in Baltimore, Md. tection at DuPont Nutrition & Health, which sponsors the Award. “I’m super proud of winning the Award and of our team here,” “Taylor Farms has made impressive investments in sustainable says Borman. “Food service operation customers worry about technology and training to improve both the quality and safety of their own brand, so food safety is paramount.” their products,” says Charest. Some past winners of the annual Food Quality Award include Paul Grothe, produce vice president at Diversified Restaurant aul D es m ond Hans Kissle, Mastronardi Produce, Michigan Turkey Producers, Systems Inc., a San Diego food consulting group that is respon- P

24 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com Food Quality Award

Taylor Farms recently started using SmartWash, a food wash solution it developed to help prevent cross contamination.

sible for all Subway store procurement, including Taylor Farms to monitor its processing room floor in real-time for parameters products, agrees. “Taylor Farms is always ahead of the game when such as temperature in cold storage, the distribution warehouse, it comes to food safety and the quality control aspect of everything and in areas specified by its hazard analysis and critical control they do. They’re probably one of the more innovative in staying on points (HACCP) program. top of food safety,” comments Grothe. “I can look at pH readings in any of the wash lines and the And that goes beyond the company’s own facilities. According operating status of the dryers, whether they are running, stopped, to Grothe, Taylor Farms hired a person in California who is solely or in cycle,” says Estrada. “It picks out what product is being run, responsible for going into Subway stores and teaching employees metal detection, how many bags are rejected, and the cut settings. there how to handle produce. “They do a really good job with store I manage all of this from my computer.” visits, getting hands on with franchisees, and helping them tackle The investment in technology has been especially heavy re- problems,” he explains. “There are usually quality problems when cently, Borman says. Revenue for the last year ended June 30, 2012 you’re handling produce. It’s the nature of the business.” and was about 11 percent higher than the previous year. The com- Privately held Taylor Farms was established in 1995 in Sali- pany was profitable, but costs ate into earnings. “There was a head nas. It operates there from April to November, and then moves its wind in the food industry overall,” Borman explains. “Pulp and operations to Yuma, Ariz., from the end of November to the begin- paper and fuel and fertilizer drove costs. And we’ve had a heavy ning of April to follow the growing season. The company makes reinvestment strategy the past couple years.” In Salinas and Yuma, value-added produce such as lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower 12 percent of revenue is ploughed back mainly into food safety R&D that is washed, ready to eat, and sold to broadline distributors each year, he says. including Sysco, produce specialist distributors like FreshPoint, SmartWash started as an internal R&D project seven years quick serve restaurants like McDonald’s and Subway, club stores ago. Also known as T-128, the food-grade chemical solution helps like Sam’s and Costco, and casual dining restaurants like Ruby assure consistent levels of contamination-fighting agents in wash Tuesday and Chipotle. water. When the water becomes too turbid (dirty), the chlorine Taylor Farms claims to be North America’s largest supplier of isn’t as effective. SmartWash stabilizes the chlorine, says Borman. fresh cut fruits and vegetables to the food service industry, with a Taylor Farms validated SmartWash through third parties and raw product harvest topping 1,800 acres per week. Some 22 million the USDA. A spin-off company called SmartWash Solutions LLC pounds of fresh cut vegetables are produced every week through- now sells the chemical, which Taylor Farms has been rolling out out all of its operations, with 12 million produced in California the past two years. “Return on investment is hard to quantify,” alone. Taylor Farms sources raw materials from 17 U.S. states and Borman admits. “But we feel it’s helped us grow our systems with Mexico, and has 12 processing plants across North America, 11 of customers.” Taylor Farms recently completed implementation of them in the U.S. and one in Mexico. SmartWash in all of its leafy greens wash systems. Borman views SmartWash as a a good start toward a “kill step,” a holy grail for Investing in Technology killing all pathogens. The company recently started using SmartWash, a food wash solu- SmartWash is not proprietary to Taylor Farms, and Scott Hor- tion it developed to help prevent cross contamination. It also in- ton, the company’s vice president of food service sales, says he’d m s Far aylor stalled a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system (Continued on p. 26) T

June/July 2013 25 Food Quality Award

Taylor Farms has set its sights in addressing school lunch programs’ move to healthier, greener foods.

Mark Borman, Taylor Farms president, accepted the Food Quality

Award during a special reception at aul D es m ond P E ddie A rrossi P hoto g raphy this year’s Food Safety Summit.

(Continued from p. 25) Commitment to Training like to see all companies in his business use it. “Consumer confi- The greatest challenge for Taylor Farms is making sure every per- dence is eroded even if we don’t have a problem, but other compa- son on the floor understands what the company is doing for food nies do,” says Horton. safety and why it is important, says Estrada. “For every product, A watershed event for produce food quality occurred in 2006, we have a specification from the customer as to what they expect. when a major E. coli outbreak in a competitor’s spinach caused the We have a quality evaluation for every production run looking for entire U.S. spinach industry to shut down. According to Borman, defects like decay and cut size.” Taylor Farms was the largest U.S. spinach producer at the time, According to the company, training has improved results; for and while its spinach wasn’t contaminated, it still couldn’t sell its example, Taylor Farms was among the first in the fresh-cut in- product for three weeks. “There was a slow ramp-up after that. We dustry to become Safe Quality Food Institute Global Food Safety took a huge hit in consumer confidence,” Borman adds. Initiative (SQF GFSI) certified in 2009. It earned an SQF Level 3 certification in 2010. Following the Harvest Training is done weekly, monthly, and yearly for management With its twice-yearly moves, Taylor Farms needed a SCADA sys- and hourly workers. It includes refresher education in developing tem that could handle the moves from Salinas to Yuma and back and applying good manufacturing practices, HACCP, raw mate- again with as little disruption and reconfiguration as possible. rial and finished product specifications, customer requirements, About 100 truckloads of equipment are moved, and the SCADA a food quality plan, and food regulatory issues. The company also system must be able to detect the location of each piece of equip- sends key managers to food safety and quality seminars across ment on the floor and reconfigure it accordingly. The company North America, and brings in professional trainers for specific key has about 1,100 employees, but only 250 travel between the areas such as sanitation and microbiological testing. plants, with most of the remaining seasonal workers returning each year, Borman says. Each move allows the company to im- Tangible Results prove its systems, add technology, and perform maintenance on Taylor Farms cited some environmental benefits to its programs, the facility left behind. including SmartWash, which impacts its chlorine use. The SCADA The company also recently invested in optical sorting tech- system has enabled significant reductions in energy use and re- nology to remove foreign materials and quality defects from its duced the amount of water used. And the romaine lettuce harvester baby spinach products for the food service industry. It plans to uses higher pressure in the water knife system, limiting water use. buy more optical sorting technology for more fresh-cut processing The company says the 15 to 16 day shelf-life for its value-added lines. “About one year ago we added optical sorting of romaine produce exceeds the industry benchmark of less than 14 days, and iceberg lettuce to find foreign materials such as bugs. The pay- an improvement it attributed to its investments and attention to back is more customer assurance and confidence, and a volume food safety and quality. It also conducts modified atmospheric increase from customers,” says Kawata. readings and sensory evaluations to validate and verify its shelf- In addition, Taylor Farms recently began using a lettuce har- life performance. vester, which is checked daily for bacteria counts. The harvester Going forward, Borman points to two major market trends is made entirely of stainless steel, including all working parts, the company will address. One is the 13 percent growth in people not just the contact points. The machine cuts at 17,000 pounds switching to Taylor Farms organic foods, more in the retail arena per square inch (high pressure, low volume) and utilizes about than food service. The second is the change in the school lunch 3 gallons of water per minute, which the company says is lower programs to healthier, greener foods. ■ than conventional harvesters. Valigra is a writer based in Cambridge, Mass. Reach her at [email protected].

26 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com Layout Forwarding: Figure 3.bmp inimages (all folder) Images: Figure 1.bmp, Figure 2.bmp, and dishwasherded/dirty Image:Lead find please image of overloa- Amount of Pages: 3 Safety &SanitationSection: Issue: FQU June/July‘ 13

Safety &Sanitation T the purposeof dishwasher? Whatpro around. After all to Tim’s point—isn’t that tion TheToolman couldn’t wrap hishead them into the dishwasher. This was an ac wife pre-rinsing thedishes priorto putting Toolman”Tim “The Taylor observes his baked onmeatloaf,etc.…In thisepisode, grit burntonto thebottom ofthepan, it’s thepeanutbutter spoons, thecharred ter they’ve supposedly beencleaned… the dishwasher at home. You know, af while ensuring efficiency, repeatability, and overall quality Modern CIPsystems are heavily automated and integrated to reduce manual intervention DishwasherCIP: Industrial-Grade The provement hit comedy show here isanepisodeofthe’90s time I pull out dirty dishes from dishesfrom time Ipulloutdirty that Ithinkofevery Home Im - - - - man himself. grunt “ooo, ooo, ooo…” from Tim TheTool to gain theapproving nod,andprim tem, anindustrial-grade dishwasher sure pointto theclean-in-placethey’ll (CIP) sys ensuring foodsafetyisintheirindustry and or qualitymanager what theirsolution to sanitation technician, process engineer, any dairyfarmer, production supervisor, the foodandbeverage industry. Just ask address thisissueisaseriousmatter within tions. Andwhile humorous, Tim’s goal to horsepower to handlethosesticky situa- to “beef-up” thedishwasher withextra ceeded from there isTim’s extreme attempt C lean In Plac e |

By By itive Chad - - monly usedterm ofCIPskid. stainless steel skid,giving way to thecom- ditionally assembled onto aprefabricated control systems. Thesecomponents are tra flowmeters, chart recorders, and automated level/pressure/conductivity transmitters, instrumentation such astemperature/ pumps, heatexchangers, andassociated selves are anarrangement oftanks, valves, and beverage products. Thesystems them- processing, andmanufacturing offood used in the receiving, delivery, distribution, with theobjective to clean theequipment Enck CIP systemsCIP are process systems tasked June/July 2013 (Continued onp.28)

27 - SAFETY & SANITATION Clean in Place

(Continued from p. 27) • Accurate flow monitoring using flow signatures permits supervisory “sign-off” The primary advantage of CIP systems meters instead of flow switches; of the overall effectiveness of the cleaning is they relieve the burden of having to tear • Tracking total water usage; process. Industry regulations such as the down equipment to be cleaned. Instead of • Ensuring proper supply and return tem- Pasteurized Milk Ordinance recognize the running ingredients through the process peratures are achieved; benefits of electronic chart recorders. Ad- system, as would be done while in pro- • Conductivity monitoring to verify de- ditionally, pin-sheets are being improved duction, the line and/or equipment is con- sired chemical strengths are satisfied; upon functionally by their electronic coun- nected to the CIP skid which runs the clean- • Level and pressure monitoring; terparts. Electronic pin-sheets, through the ing solution through the process. Therefore, • Allergen-wash categorization; and use of spreadsheet software or the HMI, they are used to clean virtually everything, • Electronic records, reporting, alarm/ have been embraced as a valuable tool for including the pipes, valves, fillers, homog- fault logs, and time/date stamping. supervisory level staff to create and modify enizers, pasteurizers, tanker trucks, and all the CIP process. other associated equipment. To gain a better understanding of these Q: What defines the CIP automated industrial-grade dishwashers, here are the process? answers to frequently asked CIP questions. A: In many ways, the CIP process Consider the quality can be likened to the batch pro- Q: Are CIP systems automated? assurance gained cess used to make a product. A: Yes, but they weren’t always this way. in comparing Batching is comprised of reci- Early CIP systems consisted of a CIP skid pes, steps, ingredient additions, with wash and rinse tanks like they do today. active trends to a and timed holds/agitations se- However, those early systems were inde- previously captured quences. Similarly, CIP processes pendent islands of control that lacked au- “ideal” trend. are comprised of circuits, phases, tomation and integration with the systems steps, and sequences. Circuits can being cleaned. Once upon a time, device be categorized as to the function and/ sequencing was made possible with rotary or equipment they are cleaning. Some cam switches and other electro-mechanical common circuit types can be Line, Tank, devices. These mechanical sequencers lim- Tank and Line, or a specific piece of equip- ited control capabilities to the skid devices Q: What components comprise the CIP ment like Filler, for example. Circuits are only. Field devices relied on isolated relay control system? comprised of cycles or phases. Common valve pulsing that could never be fully syn- A: At the heart of the control system is the phases include Prerinse, Wash, Postrinse, chronized with the skid sequence—resulting programmable automation controller and Sanitize. These are easily remembered in improper and inefficient cleaning. (PAC) that runs the program(s) controlling by thinking how the dishwasher cycles For example, due to the disconnect be- the operation. The devices (i.e. valves, (pre-rinse the plates to drain before wash- tween skid and field device sequencing, wa- pumps, sensors, meters, etc.) on the CIP ing, wash, rinse-off the detergent, then san- ter-hammer would result. This occurs when skid are wired to the PAC as analog or digi- itize). Phases are made up of steps. Steps the skid’s supply pump is running at full tal inputs/outputs (I/O) points. Tethered to might include rinse to drain, pump down, speed and the field routing valves close at the PAC is the operator interface, or human caustic wash, acid wash, fresh water rinse, the wrong time, causing liquid in the line to machine interface (HMI), which is used to and air blow. The specific sequence exe- abruptly slam like a “hammer.” Water-ham- monitor the CIP system, select the circuit to cuted involves the “pinning” of the devices mering is detrimental to valve seals and clean, and to start/stop/abort the process. through the use of the pin-sheet. pipe welds. Additionally, because of a lack Additional components include the chart The pin-sheet is a spreadsheet that of instrumentation and monitoring, often recorder and the pin-sheet. serves as the master schedule for the CIP length of time for a run had to be extended Chart recorders are used to monitor and process. The pin-sheet identifies the system just to ensure the circuit was cleaned. record the system’s key performance indi- name, the circuit name, and contains de- Some chemical engineers and process cators (KPI) as they pertain to temperature, tailed sequence information per its phases: engineers still see the skid and field as two level, pressure, conductivity, and flow. Pin- step description, number, time, targeted separate entities. But that limits the advan- sheets are used to document the system’s supply line temperature and flow rate, and tages a fully automated system can provide. circuits, phases, and device sequences. The return line conductivity. Furthermore, the Automated system advantages include: Information Age has enveloped both the pin-sheet contains a bit position within the • Integrated skid and field device se- chart recorder and pin-sheet. Many systems sequence word(s) for every device residing quencing, resulting in coordinated and now feature “chartless” electronic records on the CIP skid and within the field. This optimized routing paths (the elimina- and trending. Refer to Figure 1. These trends bit position represents the “device pin” for tion of water-hammer); provide the same information as a chart which the sheet gets its name. • Use of valve position feedbacks to gen- but with the added advantages of being re- Recall that a primary advantage of erate routing path faults to halt the CIP trieved, viewed, and stored with the click of modern CIP systems is the integration of

process; a mouse. Additionally, the use of electronic the CIP PAC with the production system G ES A uto m ation

28 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com Figure 1: Trends Figures 2: The CIP Setup Screen Figure 3: The CIP Overview Screen

PACs. The pin-sheet has the ability to reach The Setup screen provides a means to comparing active trends to a previously across into the production controller to set configure and control the process. Here the captured “ideal” trend. and cycle process equipment as part of the operator selects the circuit, can further re- Monitoring the time taken to clean a cir- CIP program. fine the type of wash, and control the pro- cuit is merited because it affects the plant’s cess via start/stop/pause alarm reset and indirect costs in many ways. Cleaning too Q: How is the data in the pin-sheet abort buttons. Pertinent status informa- long increases labor requirements and chal- brought into the PAC? tion and alarms are displayed for the user lenges production/cleaning schedules. By A: The fields on the pin-sheet are trans- to show what is happening in the process. adding simple time and date stamps, reg- lated into programming parameters that The cycle name, current step and descrip- istered at the completion of a CIP run, will are downloaded into the PAC. The PAC ex- tion, remaining time and started/paused/ ensure the circuit won’t be cleaned prema- ecutes the CIP program based on this data. stopped status are displayed. Additionally, turely and quality is not short changed. The data takes on two forms: discrete (dig- all “hold for conditions” are populated. Usage reports showing the amount of ital 1s and 0s) and analog values (percent- The Overview screen is very similar to water and chemicals consumed in the pro- ages, flow rates, time, temperature, etc.). that found on many process control sys- cess can be investigated so that circuits can Discrete signals passing from the pin- tems in that the environment is shown be optimized to reduce costs. For instance, sheet to the PAC are used as run requests. through the use of graphical symbols rep- strategies can be launched to use the least Devices are assigned a bit position within resenting the real world devices on the CIP amount of fresh water necessary, reclaim the sequence word that corresponds to skid. Tanks and their levels, pumps and post-rinses for subsequent pre-rinses, and the column assignment for the device. speed feedbacks, valves, and instrumen- adjust chemical doses to their desired If a device is required to run on a specific tation KPIs are displayed and animated strengths for proper cleaning. These cost step, then its bit position will be assigned accordingly. Navigation buttons to the saving efforts also contribute to water treat- a logical “1.” The device is now considered setup and past cycles screens provide the ment as well. “pinned” and when the logic sequencer user with access to the CIP cycle currently The CIP system has come a long way in executes that step, the bit position is ref- running and access to logged data trends recent years with advancements in auto- erenced as a run condition for that pump on previously cleaned circuits. mation, integration, and data collection. or valve and it is commanded to turn on. If These tools have taken a once self-contained assigned a logical “0” then the condition Q: How does data collection benefit the process and enhanced it to become the in- is not true and the device is not requested CIP system? telligent system it is today. Because of those to run. A: Simply stated, it closes the loop by using combined efforts, CIP systems are handling Analog values passing from the pin- the data already available for purposes of the most challenging cleaning requirements sheet to the PAC are used as set points. For verifying food safety and efficiency. Consider that industry demands while benefitting example, on a hold for temperature step, when the production line is being cleaned, it from the highest level of performance, qual- the return water temperature set point is worse than downtime. It is not just losing ity, and efficiency being offered.■ specified in the pin-sheet is referenced and money—it is using money. Data collection al- Looking for more information on CIP technology? the actual temperature transmitter is mon- lows the users to investigate the process and Then check out this issue’s online exclusive, “A itored to satisfy that targeted value. optimize their return on investment. Straight-Forward Approach to CIP Automation,” which explores the benefits of a recipe managed Most importantly is food safety. Trend- CIP system. Available online under the June/ Q: What are some user interface features? ing the instrumentation KPIs on electronic July issue. A: The HMI is the primary interface for op- chartless recorders allows technicians, Enck is the sales engineer and quality manager at GES Auto- erations personnel interacting with the CIP engineers, and quality personnel to confi- mation Technology, a certified member of the Control System process. Figures 2 and 3 show two graphic dently review the CIP for compliance and Integrators Association (CSIA), www.controlsys.org, a global non-profit professional association that seeks to advance the display screens: The CIP Setup screen and diagnose areas of concern. Consider, for industry of control system integration. He can be reached at the CIP Overview screen. example, the quality assurance gained in [email protected].

June/July 2013 29

30 H SAFETY tics andapprovals foruse. with differenton themarket, characteris variety ofdryfloortreatment chemistries oncesanitize floors activated.a There are and deodorizing activity, orinsomecases, floor to prevent slipping, provide cleaning has recently beenintroduced byseveral law. Anewclass ofsanitizing products other thantheseisinviolation of federal izing. Marketing theseproducts foruses cleaning, removing stains, and deodor mance and marketing claims that include Rodenticide Act ( the Federal Insecticide,Fungicide, and deodorizing formulationsare limited by sanitizing. andcleaning Anti-slip and ries: cleaning/deodorizing, anti-slip, and mented into thefollowing three catego Dry floor products can generally be seg FloorTypes Products ofDry Dry Floor Products Dry when it comes to enhancing sanitation and preventing cross

Various floortreatments dry are gaining ground infacilities FOOD Won’t Slip Up &SANITATION can beapplied to adryorwet formulationsthat granular products are powdered or istorically dryfloortreatment QUALITY contamination throughout theprocessing day FIFRA) to making perfor & SAF ETY

FLOOR T By By Alex REATMENTs - - - - -

Josowitz contain sodium bicarbonate as a primary floorpowders anti-slip Most traction. down oils, fats, andgrease to increase are usedto absorb moisture andbreak sanitizing claims. and therefore are allowed to legally make be effective antimicrobial control agents EPA. Theseproducts have beenshownto manufacturers thatare registered withthe products (withorwithouturea), sodium including quaternary ammonium-based available forcleaning and deodorizing, number ofchemistries are currently classified as cleaners/deodorizers.A majority ofdryfloor treatments canbe lasting, slow-dissolving granules. mance, moisture absorbance, andlong powderanti-slip are: degreasing perfor ard. Thekey components ofaneffective tosmall granules avoid aslipping haz free flowing powders orformulated into Dry products to are aidtraction normally ingredient, and are relatively inexpensive. The The Cleaners/Deodorizers. Floor Anti-Slip Powders. powders Anti-slip

- - dium percarbonate-based floor cleaners clean and whiten/bleach floors, dry so solution. Used asanoxidizing agent to producing analkaline hydrogen peroxide peroxide once activated bymoisture, release sodium carbonate and hydrogen ter ifusage levels are notmonitored. in high ammonialevels inplantwastewa- urea produces ammoniawhich canresult wastewater. Whenactivated bymoisture, reasons butcanhave negative effectson QAC-based dryfloortreatmentsa includes contact withmoisture. Theadvantage of once thepowder comes orgranule into provide cleaning anddeodorizing activity QACs are frequently blendedwithurea and dium bicarbonate aswell. to aidintraction floor arecleaners alsoformulated withso forfloorsanitization.Manyregistration dry have approval withoutanEPA assanitizers used to clean and to deodorize, and do not however, thattheseproducts canonly be blends, and acids. It to is important note, percarbonate-based products, surfactant tizers, or anti-static products.tizers, or anti-static In dry form, that are often usedindeodorizers, sani- (QACs) are aclass ofcationicsurfactants isms such as Listeria theytestedand drains were positive for meat plantsandfound27.8% ofthefloors ducted anaudit of 31USDA inspected RTE the University ofWisconsin-Madison con- 2004, aredrains.” “floors” and “floor In findings in USDA inspected meatplants comparable to dry QAC based compounds. cleaning anddeodorizing residual profile bonate basedformulationsdonothave a ter, andoxygen. However, sodiumpercar break downinto sodiumcarbonate, wa- urea/QAC blendsbecause theyultimately are more compatible withwastewater than cation forpositive documented thatthemostprevalent lo environments, andinclude other organ- studies have been conducted in non RTE longer residual deodorizing activity once activated by moisture as compared to Sodium percarbonate-basedSodium cleaners Quaternary ammoniumcompounds Floor Sanitizing. ItFloor hasbeenwidely other formulations. However, QACs are rapidly consumed in the presence ing formulationsare usedforcost of organic soils and under hard (32 positives/115 samples).Similar water conditions. Urea contain- Salmonella Listeria monocytogenesListeria

spp . and www.foodquality.com E. coli spp - - - - .

© Johanna Goodyear - Fotolia.com While the use of cleaners and sanitiz- proval as floor sanitizers: a powder-based provide broad spectrum sanitizing activity ers during sanitation are designed to miti- upon a proprietary PerQuat formulation in the presence of organic soils as well as gate the risk of these pathogens, floors and (Sterilex Corp., Hunt Valley, Md.) and a residual activity. This product has EPA ap- drains are notoriously difficult to clean and blended QAC-based bead (Ecolab Inc., St. proval to kill organisms such as Listeria, are easily re-contaminated during produc- Paul, Minn.). Salmonella, and E. Coli. tion. Used correctly, dry floor sanitizers can QAC based floor sanitizers differ from If your HACCP plan includes the use of be a valuable tool in eliminating patho- available dry QAC floor cleaners in that a dry floor sanitizer to prevent pathogens gens on floors, in drains, and in entryways QAC sanitizer manufacturers have submit- from surviving on the floor, one of these by providing a continuous residual sani- ted the required efficacy data to the EPA to two products must be used in order to be in tizer in cracks, crevices, and other difficult demonstrate at least a 3 log reduction to compliance. If you intend to use your ex- to clean areas of the floor. kill food pathogens such as Listeria, Sal- isting dry floor product to kill microorgan- In order to use a dry floor treatment monella, and E. coli on floors. QAC based isms, make sure to ask the manufacturer as a floor sanitizer in a USDA or FDA in- floor sanitizers have broad spectrum ac- for a copy of the EPA registered label with spected plant, the product must be reg- tivity on clean floors but are less effective use directions for “floor sanitization.” Floor istered with the EPA with specific claims in areas of high organic load such as when sanitizers should always be applied as per as a “floor sanitizer.” Under the FIFRA, a mixed with dairy residues or if biofilms are the use instructions on the product label. product must be registered with the EPA if present on a surface. it is intended for “preventing, destroying, Another product approved by the EPA Product Attributes repelling, or mitigating any pest.” Further as a floor sanitizer is a proprietary dry for- Dry floor treatments are available in a num- clarifying, any agent used to “disinfect, mulation based upon PerQuat technol- ber of forms. Most dry products are either sanitize, reduce, or mitigate growth or de- ogy. PerQuat based products have been sold as beads, large granules, or as free velopment of microbiological organisms” marketed for several years in liquid form flowing powders. Beads and large granules on hard surfaces is considered a pesticide as hard surface disinfectants and biofilm are generally less dusty than free flowing and must be registered with the EPA. removal agents, and that same technology powders but can make the floor slippery. To date, only two products have sub- is now offered in a dry form for floor saniti- Free flowing powders, on the other hand, mitted the required efficacy data to kill zation. This dry product contains both per- are commonly designed to crush when organisms on floors and received EPA ap- carbonates as well as QAC components to (Continued on p. 32)

Is your granular fl oor treatment EPA Registered to kill Listeria, E. coli, and Salmonella? Sterilex® Ultra Powder is one of the only EPA Registered granular fl oor sanitizers approved to kill organisms such as Listeria, E. coli and Salmonella. Easy to apply and not slippery, ensure your sanitation needs are met with the next generation fl oor sanitizer! Sterilex® Ultra Powder is approved to sanitize fl oors in USDA and FDA inspected food facilities and animal environments. Email [email protected] for more information.

For more information: 1-800-511-1659 PER UAT® Technology Q [email protected]

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR MICROBIAL CONTROL

June/July 2013 31 SAFETY & SANITATION Floor Treatments

(Continued from p. 31) ing equipment are ideal areas for applica- However, if your goal is to clean and walked on or when a forklift drives over the tion of dry floor treatments. In addition, deodorize, your options are less limited. treated area, and should aid with traction. many processors are now incorporating Your choice of an ideal active agent de- In addition, unlike larger beads, smaller dry floor sanitizers in footbaths and floor pends upon the organic load you expect to granules and free flowing powders are mats at the entrance to processing areas. be on the floors, the residual cleaning, and more likely to fit into small cracks in con- As personnel walk through the activated deodorizing activity provided by your floor crete floors, treating difficult to reach areas. dry products, the bottoms of boots are san- treatment, as well as your wastewater sen- A number of dry floor products are mar- itized, preventing cross contamination. sitivity to QACs or high levels of ammonia. keted as “time release.” Dry floor products It is common practice to “broadcast” Another factor to consider is the size of are typically reapplied once most of the ap- dry floor treatments onto a floor using either granule. Larger granules are generally less plied powder has been activated by mois- large scoops or fertilizer spreaders. While dusty than powders and may last a longer ture and/or are no longer on a surface. Time these methods may be efficient in spreading period of time in dry form before needing between re-application varies depending large quantities of dry compounds in a short to re-apply. However, they can also make upon the amount of water on the floor, the period of time, it is highly recommended to a floor slippery. amount of moisture in the air, the size of apply a dry product as per the label instruc- When comparing the cost of dry floor the dry product’s bead or granule, and the tions (for EPA registered floor sanitizers, it is treatments, price per pound is usually not microbial/soil load on the floor. In general, required that label dosage directions be fol- the best method to estimate the total cost of the larger the bead, the longer it will take for lowed). Simply broadcasting large quanti- a dry program. Instead, look at each prod- the bead to dissolve in moisture. ties of a floor cleaner or sanitizer can result uct’s label for dosage recommendations Some dry products are available with in unnecessarily wasted product. and instead compare price per square foot. a dye to help differentiate the cleaner/san- When applying any dry product, proper For example, if a floor sanitizer costs $3.00/ itizer from edible ingredients. If choosing PPE should be worn by anyone applying lb. and has label instructions to apply 4 a dry product with a color, it may be best to the product. By their nature, dry products oz./100 SF, the total cost of this program is trial the product in a small inconspicuous will release some dust when applied. At a $0.75/SF. However, a floor sanitizer sold at area to ensure that the dye in the product minimum, dust masks, gloves, and eye $1.50/lb. but labeled to apply at 4 oz./10 SF, does not stain the floor surface. protection (goggles/face shields) are rec- would cost $3.75/SF to apply. ommended when applying dry products to Finally, it is important to set clear met- Application a floor and application should be done in rics for success when trialing a new dry floor Unlike liquid cleaners and sanitizers which a well-ventilated environment. In addition, treatment. If trialing a floor sanitizer, hav- are typically applied as a spray, foam, or dust can be minimized by avoiding shaking ing baseline microbiological data on floors soak during set sanitation shifts, dry floor the drum of dry chemical which can cause and drains for pre- and post-treatment com- treatments often remain in place during granules to break up into smaller, dustier parison is valuable. When comparing floor production, providing residual activity particles. If possible, applying the product deodorizers, choose two similar areas of the between sanitation shifts. Therefore, the to a damp floor can also help to diminish plant and document odors and cleanliness use of dry floor treatments offers particular dust particles and activate the product. over the course of a two-week period. Note benefit for plants with extended produc- It is also important to be aware of your how many re-applications were needed tion runs or very dry environments where dry product’s compatibility with floor ma- over those two weeks, any changes to the wet cleaning is seldom performed, if at all. terials such as concrete (treated and un- floor’s appearance, slipperiness, and if any All dry floor products currently require treated) as well as terrazzo tiles. Treated as wastewater effects were seen. moisture to be activated. As moisture gen- well as untreated concrete floors are gener- In summary, dry floor products are a erated from production, on the bottom ally compatible with most QAC-based and valuable tool as part of a comprehensive of boots or forklifts, or from the general percarbonate-based dry floor products; plant sanitation program. The ability to environment comes into contact with a however, individual products should be apply a product that is slowly activated by dry floor compound, the chemicals are tested in a small area prior to general use moisture over time offers a clear value to released. Without moisture, dry products to verify compatibility. plants with extended runs, infrequent or have the potential to clean or sanitize, but nonexistent wet cleaning shifts, and in ar- water is always needed in order to solubi- Choosing a Floor Treatment eas that are difficult to clean and prone to lize the active agents. However, the mois- The first factor in choosing a dry floor treat- contamination during production includ- ture needed to activate a dry product does ment to use in your facility is determining ing high traffic areas. However, it is crucial not always have to be manually added. In required product performance attributes; that attention be paid to label claims, effi- some cases, environmental moisture may what do you expect the product to accom- cacy parameters, and regulatory approv- be sufficient to activate the floor product. plish? If you wish to use the dry treatment als of the products under consideration. ■ Dry cleaners and sanitizers are most to sanitize floors and prevent organisms active in areas that will be coming into from cross contaminating, you are limited Josowitz is the director of business development for Sterilex Corp., a provider of proprietary sanitation solutions to the contact with water during the day. Floors to a dry product which is EPA registered to food industry. He can be reached at 800-511-1639 ext. 103 near and around drains, trench drains, sanitize floors, of which there are two cur- or by email at [email protected]. and difficult to reach areas under process- rently available on the market. References Furnished Upon Request

32 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com Safety & Sanitation Personal Protection

exposed to animal blood, fats, and bacteria, which make efficient liquid protection an absolute priority. The rapidly changing legislation concerning food processing and contamination risks backs up that requirement. Last but not least, the carpal tunnel syndrome debate has lowered the proportion of repetitive work in food and other industries. As a result, one worker now has several tasks to attend to, each with their own safety hazards and equipment requirements.

Rethinking the Selection Process Intensive market research has shown that the classic approach of selecting protection gear through risk categories— mechanical, chemical, and liquid protection—does not work for the food industry. Protecting the It is rather the protection need—cut resistance, thermal resistance, puncture and Hands that Feeds abrasion resistance, and liquid resistance that determines which glove is the most How do you determine what glove to use suitable. Users need to consider the type for each application in such a multifaceted of operation (e.g. meat processing, bev- industry? | By Sharon Ann Quinn erages, dairy products, cereal, and mill- ing), the primary type of food handled, and the worker task (e.g. reception of live animals, sawing machines, slicing, clean- requent contact with blood and amount of choices. This is especially true ing). In this way, it makes far more sense bacteria, extreme fluctuations in for hand protection and gloves, where for manufacturers as well as end-users to temperature, sharp knives, and terms like “gauge,” ”dexterity,” “grip,” categorize the equipment by application dangerous cutting machines… “cut resistance,” and “cut protection” may segments that define the gloves’ purpose: Fit’s hardly surprising that the food indus- cause confusion. Picking the wrong glove Cut-resistant, thermal-resistant, liners, try accounts for roughly 15.3 percent of can be expensive—a nightmare for a cost- general-purpose, puncture- and abra- all manufacturing injuries. At the same driven industry like food—and can have a sion-resistant, and liquid resistant gloves. time, food regulations are getting more negative impact on productivity. Keeping stringent every day. Personal protective in mind a few key aspects will stand you Cut Resistance equipment (PPE) therefore is more im- in good stead. Despite their immediate link with food portant than ever in the food sector. With quality, cut injuries continue to be one of the majority of food handling operations A Unique Set of Circumstances the most common risks in food process- being manual, efficient hand protection is Before determining the necessary steps ing. Prevention requires a thorough un- an excellent starting point. to assign the right glove to the right task, derstanding of the influences that cause Recent statistics from the U.S. Occupa- there is one important consideration to these injuries. Obvious risks are the han- tional Safety and Health Administration make: The food industry differs greatly dling of sharp objects like knives, blades, (2010) show that the incidence rate for from other sectors when it comes to hand and cutting tools. Still, there are other con- manufacturing injuries in the food indus- protection. In most other industries, au- tributing factors too, such as the weight of try lies considerably higher than in general tomation continues to increase while the the object being handled, grip, and han- manufacturing: 5.8 compared to 4.4, per need for human intervention diminishes. dling angle, and the fact that workers often 100 workers. Not only do these numbers In contrast, many tasks in the food pro- have to stand close to each other, which give an insight into the often risky condi- cessing industry are still done by hand. As heightens the risk of accidentally hurting tions on the floor, they also define a clear workers’ hands are in direct contact with one another. These cannot be tackled by need for more adequate protection. cutting and slicing machinery, cut- and equipment alone, but require an analysis When considering the procurement of puncture-resistance is key but the com- of the working conditions, including ma- protective equipment, purchasers are of- plexity of the tasks demands dexterity chine guarding, setup, and training.

June/July 2013 33 Safety & Sanitation Personal Protection

(Continued from p. 33) management. Flock-lined means the being handled and which grip pattern is In the case of safety gloves, cut resis- gloves have an internal coating of short best suited for it, when choosing dispos- tance is a function of the material com- cotton fibers that promote easier donning able gloves. position and, to some extent, thickness. of gloves as well as improved comfort. In many food processing applications, Ensuring that workers wear the proper Not only do lined gloves offer a higher workers wear a disposable or liquid pro- cut-resistant gloves or sleeves is the first degree of dexterity and tactility than un- tective glove over a cut-resistant or ther- step in lowering the number of cut injuries lined gloves, depending on what type of mal glove to increase grip or help protect in the workplace. coverage you are seeking, glove length is the under-glove from becoming wet or also something to consider. Essentially, soiled quickly. Because disposables are Liquid Protection the longer the glove, the more protection relatively thin and flexible, they are well- Through an abundance of moisture, oils, it offers the wearer. suited for this purpose as bulkiness is kept and fats, food-processing operations can In many food processing operations, to a minimum. get pretty messy. Most importantly, these workers choose to wear a liner for warmth substances can make it difficult to handle or moisture management under a cut-re- Thermal Resistance materials and food particles, thus creating sistant glove with a liquid-resistant glove The environment ambient temperature major challenges for hand protection and on top. Depending on the type of opera- where the gloves will be worn, the tasks productivity. In this case, proprietary mation, the reverse (a cut resistant over a the workers will be performing, the length terial blends and surfacing methods can liquid-resistant glove), is also possible. In of contact with extreme cold or heat, offer a solution for wet, dry, and oily con- PPE, manufacturers are constantly con- and the type of materials being handled ditions. Each surface pattern or webbing ducting research to develop a glove that (wet, chemicals, or raw food products) is specifically intended for a certain kind combines the functionalities of several are things to consider when choosing of food processing application. For exam- different products. the right glove for thermal protection. ple, a fish scale pattern could offer a good Closely linked to liquid protection For example, working outdoors in the suction grip for working with wet or fatty is chemical resistance; an application cold or working in a freezer environment food, such as poultry and fish processing, that’s not too common in food processing will require two different pairs of gloves. while a sand patch design channels fats but still worth considering when working The same holds true for heat protection and greases away from the surface of the with harmful chemicals to sanitize food gloves. In both cases, the greater the pro- glove and makes handling beef or lamb a processing operations. Protecting work- tection required (extreme heat or cold and lot easier. ers’ hands is vital to a successful sanita- more than 15 minutes of continual con- Apart from surface and grip, cuffs tion program. tact), the thicker and heavier the gloves greatly impact the functionality of a liq- will need to be. uid-resistant glove as well. The design Disposable Gloves Some thermal gloves are designed to of the cuff is applied to a specific type of When looking at gloves for the food probe used along with others. In many meat glove to solve problems associated with cessing market, there’s a relatively even processing applications, a cold protective the environment and applications for mix of both high performance gloves for thermal liner is worn under a cut protec- which the glove is used. For instance, interacting directly with raw food prod- tive glove or a liquid protective liner over most disposable or single-use gloves are ucts and commoditized single-use gloves. a cut protective glove. For cold storage or used in applications that are wet or oily, In this heavily regulated industry, it is freezer applications, a cold protective liner thus making a beaded cuff design (which hardly surprising that disposable gloves is sometimes worn under a general pur- catches droplets of liquids, oils, and take up such a big part of the market as pose or liquid protective glove. chemicals) the most logical solution. they significantly diminish the risk of Other variables of importance include contamination. Some of the most com- In Summary material, liners, abrasion, length, and monly used materials are NRL, PVC, and There are many different factors at play thickness. In materials, natural rubber nitrile. Each has its own advantages. For when hand protection is really taken se- latex (NRL) and nitrile are the two most instance, NRL is known for its elasticity, riously. Going through the entire cycle of common options. NRL is most frequently sensitivity, and liquid resistance, while analyzing your own specific needs and used in poultry and fish operations, while vinyl feels less restricting, and nitrile con- picking the right product may seem like nitrile is recommended when working tains no organic proteins that can cause a daunting task. However, making the with the types of fats inherent in meats allergic reactions. wrong choice can prove to be an expen- like beef, lamb, and pork. When making One of the most common miscon- sive mistake. And it’s not just in the em- a choice, keep in mind potential latex al- ceptions is that a thicker glove is a better ployees’ interest. Taking the right safety lergies as well. glove. Nowadays, through advances in measures will increase your business’ ef- Lined gloves have an internal knit- research and development, many 3 mil ficiency, improve productivity, and help ted or woven liner. They are also a good gloves offer the same or even better ten- lower costs. ■ choice for a liquid-resistant glove when sile strength than a standard 5 mil glove. worn over cut protection gloves. That adds Therefore, it is important to consider other Quinn is senior director, specialty markets, Global Business Unit at Ansell. She can be reached at sharonann.quinn@ increased protection and improved sweat factors, such as the type of food product ansell.com.

34 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com Safety & Sanitation Pest Control

How to Know if a Pest Management Company is the Right Fit Six essential questions to ask during your search in finding the best Your pest management provider for your facility By Zia Siddiqi, PhD, BCE Partner for Lab Supplies Editor’s Note: This is the second in a five-part series of articles that will provide a practical approach to various pest control topics. >Quality Products hen you’re interviewing candidates for a position at your facility, you make sure to ask plenty of questions to see if they’re competent and compatible, >Valuable Services right? And you do it because it’s important to ascer- Wtain what type of quality and performance you can expect from the >One Dedicated Supplier candidates if they are hired. But what do you do when searching for a pest management grainger.com/lab provider? Do you simply choose the most affordable option? Do you automatically go with the most popular brand in local area? Or, do you treat the situation as you would treat an interview with a candidate for a job opening—asking the right questions to determine whether the company is a good fit for your facility? Every pest management company is unique, offering different services and products to food processing facilities. However, there are six important questions you should ask while meeting with pest management company representatives to ensure their work will address your needs and exceed your expectations. They include the following.

1. Are your pest management solutions customized based on the customer’s situation? To put it shortly, a “one-size-fits-all” solution to pest management for food processing facilities does not exist. Facility managers should understand that pest management solutions must be customized based on the size of the facility, type of pests, and severity of pest activity. If the pest management company does not customize treatment programs based on the facility’s specific needs (by conducting an initial assessment), then that raises a huge red flag. Further, pest management companies should have technicians that thoroughly understand pest behavior and how to manage pest activity. This means science plays a major role in the creation of effective treatment programs. If the solution

June/July 2013 35 Safety & Sanitation Pest Control

would also be helpful for your pest management provider to offer step-by-step assistance in regard to what you can expect from—and how you can prepare for—the third- party auditor based on complying food safety standards. For example, three common third-party audit standards for food processing facilities are Safe Quality Food (SQF) and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) under the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) scheme, and the American Institute of Baking (AIB).

5. How do you guarantee your pest management professionals comply with company standards? Ensure the pest management professionals who service your facility are performing in a manner that complies with company standards. Look for a pro- (Continued from p. 35) vider that monitors their pest manage- 2. Do your pest management pro- ment professional in one way or another, grams take a proactive or reactive Do you treat your whether through internal performance re- approach? Facility managers should views or audits. This process helps to cer- remember a proactive approach to pest search for a pest tify that your pest management program management is the key to establishing a management provider is being implemented in the most effective safe food processing environment. By pro- as you would treat and efficient way possible. actively performing facility maintenance procedures and implementing a sanita- an interview with a 6. Will your team help to educate tion regime, your facility will have already candidate for a staff members about their role in the taken a large step toward preventing pest job opening? pest management plan? Part of building activity. Integrated Pest Management a great relationship with a pest manage- (IPM) is an approach that focuses on pro- ment provider is working on establishing active and preventive measures, limiting actions, results, and more. As facility man- a true partnership. Your provider should conditions conducive to pest infestations. agers, it’s important for you to understand go above and beyond routine service vis- IPM also reduces the need for traditional that the pest management professional its and treatments. A provider should also chemical-based treatments. A true IPM should be completing thorough documen- take the time to educate your employees program should be dynamic, rather than tation of the service visits and enforced about the role they play in the facility’s static. If the pest management provider solutions. A copy of this documentation pest management program. During your only begins treating a pest infestation after should remain onsite at the facility at all meetings with potential providers, ask if it has taken root, rather than proactively times in case an inspector is auditing. they offer staff trainings or educational -ma working to prevent pest activity in the first terials such as tip sheets, checklists, and place, it may be in your best interest to con- 4. Do you offer third-party audit informational pamphlets to help your staff tinue the search for a provider. support? Pest management plays a major put pest management into perspective. role in third-party audits. In fact, up to 20 3. Do you provide documentation percent of the total audit score is attributed If the pest management provider can that details every service visit and action to the success of the pest management answer each of these questions affirma- taken to manage pest activity? This year, program. Along with providing thorough tively, you’ll be on the right track to finding the FDA announced a major change to the documentation of every service visit and a suitable team for your facility. ■ Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). A corrective action, your pest management new rule under FSMA will require facilities professional should work with you to en- Dr. Siddiqi is director of quality systems for Orkin, LLC. A board certified entomologist with more than 30 years in the industry, to develop and execute written food safety sure those documents are in proper order he is an acknowledged leader in the field of pest manage-

plans that detail likely hazards, corrective and presentable for auditors to review. It ment. Dr. Siddiqi can be reached at [email protected]. j r_casas - Fotolia

36 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com

S causing atleast2,500 illnesses. outbreaks related to consumption ofsprouts were recorded between 1990and2011, According to theCenter forScience inthePublicInterest 46 (CSPI, 2011), linked to anumberofoutbreaks offoodborneillnessinthepasttwo decades. in the U.S. onsalads and in sandwiches. However, sprouts have also been prouts are considered ahealthy andhighly nutritiousfood, often eatenraw Reducing the Unique Best practices for sampling and microbial Risks in Sprouts Risks in Sprouts testing during sprout production By By Stephen Salmonella Testing

Grove, PhD andpathogenic Produc E. coli e were responsible

monocytogenes a high level. growth ofeven asmall numberofcells to trient-rich conditions willpromote the sprout seeds. Thewarm, moistandnu der thesameconditions thatare usedto industry in1999. entitled “Guid Thefirst, to issue two guidance documents to the 1,000 casesof illnessprompted theFDA of large outbreaks resulting in more than In thesecond halfofthe1990s, anumber FDA Guidance for themajority ofoutbreaks, and These bacterial pathogens thrive un- the cause ofone. June/July 2013 (Continued onp.38) Listeria Listeria 37 - -

(Continued from p. 37) ing the sprouts themselves, for several reasons. First, bacteria are ance for Industry – Reducing Microbial Food Safety Hazards For often distributed sporadically in sprout seeds, but are generally Sprouted Seeds,” outlined preventive controls that sprout produc- distributed uniformly throughout spent irrigation water. Second, ers should undertake to minimize the risk of sprouts being a vehi- testing spent irrigation water is easier than sprouts because no cle of foodborne illness (FDA, 1999 a ). The guidelines were largely additional steps to release microorganisms into the liquid are based on recommendations provided by the National Advisory needed. Therefore, proper sampling and testing of spent irriga- Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF, 1999), tion water is important to detect bacterial pathogens that may be including that seeds should be grown under good agricultural present in sprouts. practices (GAPs), sprout producers should employ good sanita- Many varieties of sprouts are grown around the world and in tion practices, seeds should be treated with an approved sanitizer the U.S., requiring various growing times and conditions. The FDA to reduce the number of pathogens that may be present on the guidance document on spent irrigation water testing was written seed surface, and that spent irrigation water during sprouting with a focus on alfalfa and mung bean sprouts, where pathogenic should be tested from each production lot. bacteria, if present, are likely to be at their highest levels at or af- The second guidance document, entitled “Guidance for In- dustry: Sampling and Microbial Testing of Spent Irrigation Wa- ter During Sprout Production,” was written specifically to guide Testing spent irrigation water sprout producers through the steps necessary to test the spent is easier than sprouts because no irrigation water for the two major pathogens of concern in raw additional steps to release micro sprouts, Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 (FDA, 1999b). organisms into the liquid are needed. Recommendations Spent irrigation water is water that has flowed over and through sprouting seeds and then drained off. The array of microorganisms ter 48 hours from the start of the sprouting process. Collection of in this water is a good indicator of the types of microorganisms samples for testing was therefore recommended to be performed present in the sprouts. It’s generally recommended that sprouters at least 48 hours after sprouting, including any length of time that test spent irrigation water for pathogenic bacteria rather than test- seeds are presoaked prior to irrigation. Testing should be performed at an appropriate time that ensures the sprouter will obtain test results before product is FQ1306 shipped. A number of rapid test kits are listed in the FDA guidance and these screening tests can provide a presence or absence result for Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 within 48 hours. Therefore, by collecting samples at least 48 hours prior to shipping product, the test result can be known to the company prior to making a decision on whether or not to ship the product. The FDA guidance document recommends that spent irrigation water be sampled from each production lot or batch, described as “sprouts from a single lot of seed that were started at the same time in a single growing unit (i.e., a single drum or rack of trays).” Generally, 1 liter of water is recommended for sampling spent irrigation water, collected as the water leaves a drum or trays during the irrigation cycle. Pooling from different production batches is discouraged since any pathogens present may be diluted with samples that are not contaminated. In addition, if a presumptive positive is found in a pooled sample, the sprouter would need to either discard all batches represented by the pooled sample or retest each individual batch in order to determine which is/are contaminated.

Hurdles and Solutions Other types of sprouts present a challenge in recommending a best practice for testing. Some types of sprouts are commonly irrigated for less than 48 hours, and if microbiological testing is performed, results may not be reported to the sprout producer prior to the product entering the food supply. In such a case, a sprout producer may instead sample the sprouts themselves, rather than the spent irrigation water. The concern in this case is that detecting a low level of contamination present in the sprouts is challenging.

38 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com It’s generally recommended that sprouters test spent irrigation water for pathogenic bacteria rather than testing the sprouts themselves.

tices, and strive to improve their practices surrounding sprout safety. Mock sampling and testing plans are expected to be part of the SSA training program, in order to assist the sprout industry, and particularly the small sprout producers, with developing their own individual plans. Raw sprouts will continue to have safety concerns due to the inherent issues f rias - Fotolia.co m © valle surrounding their growth, which also promote the growth of any pathogenic The recommendations in the two FDA In each case, a written sampling plan must bacteria that may be present. Testing guidance documents, along with other be prepared and include considerations of sprout spent irrigation water for bacterial resources, including documents from when, how, where, and what to sample, pathogens has long been known to be an international scientific bodies, interna- and for spent irrigation water testing, how effective tool, amongst others, that can be tional regulations, training material, etc., much sample to collect. used to improve the safety of sprouts. ■ relating to best practices for sprout safety The SSA is working with sprout pro- Dr. Grove is manager, industry projects/research assistant are currently being evaluated and used to ducers, academic researchers, and other professor for the Institute for Food Safety and Health, Illinois develop a core curriculum by the Sprout stakeholders to develop best practices for Institute of Technology. He is also the coordinator for the Sprout Safety Alliance, www.iit.edu/ifsh/sprout_safety. Safety Alliance (SSA), a public-private alli- sampling so sprout producers large and Dr. Grove can be reached at [email protected]. ance between stakeholders from the food small can benchmark their current prac- REFERENCES FURNISHED UPON REQUEST industry, academia, and federal, state, and local food protection agencies. The SSA was created by the FDA in cooperation with Illinois Institute of Technology’s In- stitute for Food Safety and Health in 2012 to enhance the sprout industry’s understanding and implementation of best practices for improving sprout safety. The SSA aims to develop a core curriculum and training program for stakeholders in the sprout production community for improving sprout safety and understanding the requirements outlined in the FDA Proposed Rule on Standards for Produce Safety.

Under FSMA Sprout producers will likely need to adhere to the appropriate requirements in the Pro- posed Rule covering fresh produce safety under the FDA’s Food Safety Moderniza- tion Act (FSMA), and in particular, in the specific section on sprouts (FDA, 2013). The proposed requirements include using a scientifically valid method to treat seeds immediately prior to sprouting in order to reduce pathogens that may be present on the seeds. The FDA also proposes that sprout producers perform environmental testing for Listeria spp. or L. monocytogenes, and test spent irrigation water or sprouts for Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7.

June/July 2013 39

40 T quality andsafe foodproduction byserv multitude ofroles inthe collaboration of food safety system. labs Contract play a ered ascollaborators inthemanufacturer’s changed andcontract labs are nowconsid play anintegral part. safety. To aid in this goal, contract labs can are atanall-time high to ensure qualityand and expectationsofconsumers, thestakes vide qualityproducts thatmeettheneeds goalWhile afoodmanufacturer’s isto pro results were generated. Theend.” quality and food safety management system verification tools, technical resources, and partners inthe Contract labs helpfulfill many roles by serving as multi- Not Just for Testing Anymore Handy Labs: Contract By

Virginia The specific roles for laboratories have Today, thestory isquite different. FOOD places where tests were runand time, contract laboratories were vices usedto read: “Once upona he story about contract lab ser QUALITY Deibel Q & SAF ETY , PhD uality , and C ont Joseph D ract Lab - - - - Good Manufacturing Good Practices (GMPs), and CriticalControl Points (HACCP) plan, process to verify that a Hazard Analysis materials allembody arobust monitoring plantinfrastructure, andraw equipment, Ongoing testing of finished products, services thatassistinfoodmanufacture. function when considering contract lab Quality andsafetytesting isaprimary Multi-Faceted Verification Tool as tangible benefitsthatcanbeprovided. but thefollowing are someareas to explore vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, comes inthemanufacturing process will technical resources. ing asamulti-faceted verification tools and . Meyer The scope of how integrated the lab be S

faceted -

as designed. Tasks caninclude: and prerequisite programs are functioning ods unavailable inaninternal lab due to contract lab canprovide access to meth- going qualityandsafetyimprovements. A with lacticacidbacteria. isms thataffectquality, asmay bethecase able to test foracomplex group oforgan- specific organism ornomethodsare avail only onemethodisavailable to test fora on theirtesting capabilities. For example, lab ortheirinternal labs have limitations ufacturers either do not have an internal ortechnical knowledge.ment, Many man of additionalmethods, specializedequip ers. Theseresources may come intheform technical resources to foodmanufactur ity andsafetybyproviding additional A contract lab canhelpensure food qual Technical Resource viewed asbeing “unbiased.” additional benefitofproviding test results of importance, a contract lab provides the volumes required bytheseactivities. Also to handlethelarger thannormaltesting tionally, thecontract lab hasthecapacity and safetyprograms are Addi ontrack. - ity andcapacity to verify thatthequality manufacturer increased testing capabil in-house. Acontract lab canprovide the tical orfeasibleto doallverification testing • • • • • • • • • • tion testing,tion Supplier/co-manufacturer qualifica- working asintended, GMPs itation, traffic control, are and Environmental testing to verify san- or external product specifications, Finished product tests against internal operating withinspecification, In-process tests to ensure the process is baseline orhistorical values, Periodic testing ofmaterials against purchase specification, Testing incoming materials against a Utilizing thebesttools helps drive on- For many manufacturers, itisnotprac New equipmentvalidation. Change-over practices, and Process start-up, New product verification, www.foodquality.com ------

© Christos Georghiou - Fotolia.com equipment costs, lack of scientific expertise, time constraints, or further action, the lab may be able to provide resources to assist high reagent costs because of decreased volume purchasing power. with those actions. Access to specialized equipment increases access to additional Supplier management. Contract lab integration may work method options. As test methods become more specialized and directly with the food manufacturer’s raw material suppliers to sensitive, entering into new test methodology can become cost schedule testing and provide direct communication of results prior prohibitive, and upkeep costs further add to the barrier to new to release of materials for shipping. As stated above, when com- technology. However, the advantages are that new methods may bined with the finished product testing, the compiled data can be provide increased sensitivity or specificity, which may be critical used to quickly flag potential issues. in lot disposition determinations. Product and process development. Contract labs can sup- Contract labs may also conduct testing that provides further port product and process development by providing consulting or information such as when routine tests results are inconclusive, onsite resources to design a test regime, collect and test samples, presumptive, out of spec, or point to other potential concerns. This perform a data review, and assist with further actions based on additional level of information can provide insight and direction the results. into the root cause investigation of potential issues. Similarly, these The contract labs of today offer a wide variety of collaborative methods may aid in verifying the effectiveness of corrective/preven- options to help ensure the safety and quality of the foods manu- tative actions, when taken. Consider a Salmonella assay: To aid with facturers produce. They should be viewed as an extension of the trending or investigations, serological information is an important manufacturer’s own capabilities. Developing a good working re- tool that enables a producer to know if a harborage site is present, if lationship with shared expectations is the key. Knowing all of the contamination was removed during sanitation, or if cross-contam- capabilities that the contract lab has to offer will help maximize ination is occurring from one area of the plant to another. the benefit that a contract lab can bring to a quality and safety Having a choice of methods also allows for an opportunity to management system. The benefit should go well beyond “a place readily compare methods, identify, and then choose the one that where tests were run and results were generated.” ■ best suits the product, process, time restraints, information, and cost needs. Dr. Deibel is the director of microbiology, nutritional chemistry and food safety, for Covance Inc. She can be reached at [email protected]. Meyer is the director, microbiology, The area perhaps the least explored, but potentially the most at Covance. He can be reached at [email protected]. valuable, is the technical knowledge that is available to the food manufacturer through the contract lab staff. Contract labs have the educational background and experience within their personnel who can assist in understanding method limitations, identifying the best method for a specific product matrix, or identifying the best method based on testing objectives. They are also a source of information on newly available methods. The technical knowledge available in the contract lab often goes beyond methodology and may include areas such as product specific knowledge (i.e. quality defects, causes, troubleshooting, and solutions), process experience, and food safety and quality programs. Contract labs may also have access to additional knowledge networks through their external relationships. Their staff are typically exposed to a wide range of products and matrices which adds to their ability to solve analytical challenges.

A Partner in the Quality and Food Safety Management System As a manufacturer’s relationship with a contract lab matures, it can go beyond transactional and become more consultative. The contract lab can play a more active role in the manufacturer’s food safety system and become an extension of the management system. In this regard, the contract lab is a collaborator. Potential types of management systems include the following. Test result management. One example of test result management is the contract lab’s direct management of test results and historical data. Online visibility, data trending, and tracking are examples of data management. This could include data compiled from multiple manufacturing locations or from multiple suppliers. The typical contract lab has an advanced data management system that can provide direct communication of results and also communication of results requiring action. For those results requiring

June/July 2013 41

42 A quality continue to bedeveloped along changes. New methodsoftesting forfood these tools mustkeep upwiththe

FOOD I Measuring Food Quality faster, theindustries sensitive, more specific,and surement continue to get more s thetools ofanalytical mea- QUALITY n the L Analytical Trends in that leverage better equipment are driving New instrumentation that improves speed & SAF ETY and accuracy, and novel approaches advances of analytical methods Ad v By By anc John using es in - Szpylka Lab to planforwhat liesahead. ing someof the general trends isneeded is definedandmonitored. Understand quality offoodsandtheiringredients new standards and protocols on how the analysis. Allofthese advancements set side improving methods of traditional Method , PhD s

- tifying formoffolicacid of vitaminB9including thecommon for lates (vitaminB9)doesquantifysixforms March 2011 issue of March 2011 ination was publishedintheFebruary/ LC-MS/MS to monitor forfoodcontam- faster throughput. methods due to itshigh sensitivity and as aflexiblealternative to traditional food company qualityandR&Ddivisions ing. LC-MS/MS isbeing utilizedmore in has grown rapidly inthefieldoffood test trometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) Use ofliquidchromatography-mass spec TechnologyLC-MS/MS availability ofisotopic standards. Anad ity, selectivity, accuracy, andincreased due to thetechnique’s high sensitiv LC-MS/MS are being rapidly developed sis offoodnutrients. have leveraged beenfurther fortheanaly Since that publication, those advantages the advantages ofLC-MS/MS technology. Andre Schreiber Simshighlighted andArt is various bioactive forms. Thecommon derway to measure other vitamins present 2011.06 tions. Therecently adopted method,AOAC of those forms typically in low concentra- are bioactive inseveral forms, withsome mins iscomplicated forvitaminswhich vitamin D3. also usedto quantifybothvitaminD2and of the vitamin. The daughter ion levels are daughters are usedto confirm theidentity by fragmenting theparent ion,andthese is identified,two daughter ionsare created being tested. After avitamin’s parent ion to MS confirm theidentityofvitamins of LC-MS/MS simultaneously using MS/ above alongside theadditionaladvantage takes advantage ofthepointshighlighted 2011.13, 2012.11). Each of these methods ysis ofvitaminD(AOAC 2011.11, 2011.12, opted LC-MS/MS methodsfortheanal the newmethods. interferences istaken advantage ofby detectorthe MS to “filter out”potential tors increase andimprove, theability of resolution of and softwareMS detec for spectrometer’s high specificity. As the of clean-up required because ofthemass ditional advantage isthereduced amount An excellent overview ontheuseof Analytical methodswhich use LC-MS/MS analysis ofcertain vita- AOAC International hasrecently ad 2 forthemeasurement oftotal fo Food Quality 3 . Research isun- www.foodquality.com 1 where where ------

© Jörg Beuge - Fotolia.com approaches include converting the different forms into one form (i.e., saponification converting the multiple forms of vitamin A into the retinol form, and conversion of multiple forms of vitamin B12 into cyanocobalamin).

UPLC and UHPLC Technology Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) and its equiv- alent Ultra High Performance Chromatography (UHPLC) are recently developed companions to traditional high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). UPLC and UHPLC can separate compounds in less time than HPLC while using less solvent. This is due to the development of columns containing uniform, smaller particle sizes (in the 1.7 µm scale) which increase the column’s the- oretical plates, thus improving peak separation efficiency (better peak resolution). The time needed for peak separation is therefore decreased. To use these columns, higher pressures are needed to push mobile phase through the bed of smaller particle-sized sta- tionary phase. When this technology first appeared, a somewhat limited number of columns were available. As the efficiency and reliability of this technology was recognized, the number of columns has increased dramatically. Use of this technology is becoming more common.

The QuEChERS method is a streamlined version of extracting pesticides combined with GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/ MS separation and quantification. Our technical and customer service staff averages over 20 years of Advances in Methods experience, ensuring you: In the world of pesticides testing, the QuEChERS extraction is becoming more prevalent. The acronym of Quick Easy Cheap Ef- ͷ The right testing protocol, fective Rugged Safe highlights desired method attributes by the for your food and feed analysis laboratory, by the customers, and by management who sets fi- nancial budgets. ͷ The most cost-effective solution Early pesticide methods were targeted for specific pesticides. (only the tests you need) A welcome development was the development of methods which extract and quantify a broader scope of pesticides. One common ͷ A personal commitment to work example was the Luke extraction with rapid extraction followed in partnership with you by pesticide detection using a number of chromatographic systems with specific detectors. Confirmation of detected pesticides Trusted Testing Solutions Since 1916 was performed by subsequent analysis using a mass spectrometer detector. This approach is being used less often, however, it is still available due to its versatility in testing for some matrix types. The QuEChERS method is a streamlined version of extracting pesticides combined with GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS separation and quantification. This approach is very common today. The original method was developed in 2001/2002 by Michelango An- astassiades while at USDA in the laboratory of Steve Lehotay4 and has since been standardized as AOAC 2007.01. This method has To put us to the test, visit our website at been demonstrated to reliably test for more than 300 pesticides www.npal.com in fruits, vegetables, and most grains. The scope of pesticides covered by the method can be expanded as needed. or call us at 800-423-6832. (Continued on p. 44)

June/July 2013 43 (Continued from p. 43) When analyzing foods and ingredients outside the original scope, an “on-the-fly” method validation is performed. For example, if a laboratory is testing eggplant for the first time, the sample is analyzed alongside a spiked eggplant sample (matrix-match standards). Acceptable recovery of the spiked amounts demonstrates and documents the method’s applicability for testing eggplant by the laboratory.

Improvements in Sensory Analysis At one point in my career, I was a quality engineer for a yogurt company. On my first day at this new position, my boss told me to taste every type of product we make, including every product style, every flavor, and samples from all our production locations. I became quite the yogurt-tasting connoisseur, which was the in- tent of this exercise. The more someone understands their products, the faster quality issues can be identified. More and more companies are asking production site personnel to taste finished products. Fully trained Sensory Panels are also becoming more common at production sites. Members of these panels receive training to calibrate their tasting of the foods with focus on identified key characteristics. For example, if a product’s creaminess is recog- ENABLE nized as a critical attribute, a commercially available product (i.e., a baby food) can be used to “remind” panel members what DISCOVERY the desired creaminess level is. Additional Thought Encapsulation of nutrients to improve stability can challenge analytical methods. Traditional extraction techniques may need to be improved for use on these new ingredient forms, both on the base ingredients and on finished products. Some encapsulating agent(s) require more dedicated dispersal to safely liberate the WILEY ONLINE LIBRARY protected nutrient. Some approaches include enzymatic diges- Access this journal and thousands tion of the encapsulating agents (i.e., proteins, fats, starches), use of alternate solvents to break the encapsulation, adjusted heat of other essential resources. treatments, sonication of the sample in the extraction solution, and more aggressive agitation. Featuring a clean and easy-to-use interface, this online service delivers intuitive navigation, In Closing enhanced discoverability, expanded The food industry has benefited greatly from the constant improvement of the tools and processes to monitor food quality. functionalities, and a range of personalization This does require keeping abreast of what is occurring in the sup- and alerting options. porting area of analytical testing, but in the long run will result in Sign up for content alerts and RSS feeds, access better quality and safer foods. ■ full-text, learn more about the journal, ﬁnd related Dr. Szpylka is the director of chemistry NA, Silliker Laboratories, a Merieux NutriSciences Co. content, export citations, and click through to He can be reached at [email protected]. references. REFERENCES 1. Schreiber, A., Sims, A., “Advances in LC/MS for Food Safety Testing: New Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spec Technologies Make a Difference in the Lab,” Food Quality, Feb/March 2011. 2. AOAC International Official Methods of Analysis. 3. Szpylka, J., DeVries, J., Cheney, A., House, S., Determination of Total Folates in Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals by Trienzyme Extraction and UPLC-MS/MS Quantitation, J. AOAC Int, 95(6), 1547-1554, (2012). 4. Anastassiades, M., Lehotay, S. J., Stajnbaher, D., Schenck, F.J., Fast and Easy Multiresidue Method Employing Acetonitrile Extraction/Parti- tioning and “Dispersive Solid-Phase Extraction” for the Determination of wileyonlinelibrary.com Pesticide Residues in Produce, JAOAC Int, 86(2), 412-31, (2003).

www.foodquality.com Manufacturing & Distribution Cold Chain

Serco Vertical Storing Dock Levelers directly contribute to environmental efficiency, security, and cleanliness.

where they are not quite ready to receive Maintaining the Cold Chain: and distribute the product. Domestically, there is burgeoning interest in automation due to increasing Links in Review labor costs and expanded environmen- Summer is here as temperatures steadily rise across the U.S., tal regulations. “We’re watching this so it’s time to think about keeping your product cold and doing very closely with the increased pressure, so in the most comprehensive, cost-effective manner particularly here in the U.S.,” says Rosen- busch. Though as yet, he observes that, By Neil Canavan unlike the European Union, the U.S. is lag- ging behind in the adoption of automation for cold chain management. or the most wide-ranging advice the challenges, and the innovations to At the same time, Americans love their on cold chain management, a that end. gadgets. The most important technologi- membership in the Global Cold One growing concern is the needs of in- cal changes Rosenbusch has witnessed Chain Alliance (GCCA), based frastructure—domestic and international. involve product tracking and warehouse Fin Alexandria, Va., might be a good first Internationally, the concern involves management systems. “There’s no pa- move. “It’s critical that all parties work the growth of the middle class in countries per anymore,” he says. “It’s all radio fre- together to insure the maintenance of like China and India, and the inherent in- quency tags [RFID].” This enables a cus- proper temperatures from the point of crease in demand for higher quality food tomer to have real-time electronic data production to the point of the consumer,” products. “You’ve got apples that come interchange regarding location and rela- says GCCA president, Corey Rosenbusch. (refrigerated) all the way from Washing- tive condition of product. “It’s our mission to promote that cause.” ton state that come off a container ship Not all the GCCA has to offer is broad With an eight-year tenure at GCCA, and then sit in the sun because they don’t in scope. For example, Rosenbusch just and a membership encompassing stake- have the temperature control infrastruc- recently talked one of his members off a holders from 67 countries, Rosenbusch ture in place.” The challenge is trying to ledge after an ammonia leak (ammonia is conversant in the scope of the mission, coordinate successful export to markets (Continued on p. 46)

June/July 2013 45 Manufacturing & Distribution Cold Chain

(Continued from p. 45) perature Indicator). “This combines two is a commonly used refrigerant). “Leaks well understood technologies,” explains only happen on rare occasions, but it’s a Caron, those being the ubiquitous bar- real crisis.” And GCCA has a step-by-step code, and, a bit less common, a chem- plan in place to deal with such a crisis—re- ical label that is physically altered by an moval of ammonia, evaluation of poten- environmental change. In this case, the tially exposed product, etc. chemical expands and migrates, altering the barcode. The combination of technol- Automation, Infrastructure ogies results in a single-use TTI label that Xylem’s ebro brand Having the experience of building auto- of data loggers offers changes the barcode when exposed to mated infrastructure, Gavin Sargeant, critical visibility of the temperatures exceeding a given threshold. storage and transport vice-president automation, Conestoga conditions over time. “The data can be retrieved by any bar- Cold Storage, Ontario, Calif., can com- code reader, or now, even smartphones,” ment on the slow uptake in the U.S. “Au- Caron says, and it can be integrated into tomation is the predominant method of FDA mandates that value chain partici- any existing cold chain program. cold storage in the E.U., but it’s hard to get pants track and keep a record of the prod- off the ground in the U.S. due to the capital uct temperature history…and they have Reefer Gladness expenditures,” says Sargeant. the authority to penalize those who do In keeping with the adage, “necessity is And it can be risky. “If you don’t know not comply. This is pushing all the value the mother of invention,” refrigerated what you’re doing, even if an otherwise chain participants to adopt and imple- transport (reefer) units for trucks have successful company invests in it and ment RFID.” been recently improved. The necessity in makes a mistake, it can be catastrophic.” This trend is not lost on Ray Caron, this circumstance is being supplied by the Beyond capital outlay, the risk is in vice president of marketing and business impending deadline for compliance with the initial design. For instance, if an auto- development at DeltaTRAK, Pleasanton, the EPA’s Tier IV emission standards for mated cold storage facility doesn’t account Calif., a purveyor of RFID technology. diesel engines; in response, the invention for product throughput you had in mind, For several years the company has been is a suite of technology improvements you can’t add more people and equipment promoting the ColdTRAK system, a cloud- called, EcoFORWARD, launched last year to scale up. “You don’t have that ability in based application, available by subscrip- by Carrier Transicold, Matawan, N.J., a an automated facility that’s incorrectly de- tion, for retrieving, analyzing, and sharing provider in refrigerated transport systems. signed—if the fundamental design of the temperature data. The application enables “What started out as a compliance system is incorrect, you’re done.” viewing of trip data within minutes of the project turned into an opportunity for Thus, third-party automated stor- product reaching its destination. fleets and customers,” says Transicold’s age. “We determine our clients through- More recently, DeltaTRAK has launched director of marketing, David Kiefer. As put needs, we design and manufacture the ThermoTrace, TTI (Time and Tem- Kiefer explains, rather than just tweak ex- the automated equipment, we build the isting systems, why not look at compliance buildings…they don’t have the risk.” And as a byproduct of improved performance. running the show is Conestoga software. “We figured as long as we have to redesign “We hold our software very close to our the equipment, lets do it top to bottom.” hearts because that’s key to the success of The results of the extra time and effort the tracking, throughput, and reliability of are high-efficiency refrigeration compo- the system,” says Sargeant. nents with smarter (2.2-liter diesel) engines, operating under the watchful eye of, Tech Trak and controlled by a distributed electronics Perhaps there’s been no bigger and ongo- “APX” system. “The computer is talking to ing impact on the industry than radio fre- the engine and all the other high-efficiency quency identification (RFID). According to components to make sure it all runs opti- the just published report, “Strategic Anal- mally,” Kiefer says. The APX even has a ysis of Global RFID in Cold Chain Market,” USB dock to facilitate data downloads. (Frost and Sullivan, Mountain View, Calif.) EcoFORWARD technology has en- the estimated revenue from RFIDs in the abled the reduction of a unit’s need of en- cold chain market was $361.6 million in gine power by up to 20 percent, while im- 2012, and this use is projected to expand proving cooling capacity by as much as 10 by 27.5 percent through 2017. percent. Further, the units are lighter and What’s driving the increase (besides use 24 percent less refrigerant. “Altogether, simple utility)? Responding to the ques- not only are you compliant with better ca- Carrier’s trailer refrigeration model tion via email, Nandini Bhattacharya, 7500 from the X4 belt-driven series pacity, but units consume less fuel, and Frost and Sullivan analyst stated, “The benefits from ecoFORWARD technology. that’s better for the environment.”

46 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com Temping cal Control Points) but had few ideas about Inc., Ontario. Steve Kalbfleisch, director To keep track of the environment your prod- implementing or enforcing it.” Taking the of Canadian sales, explains, “Instead of ucts been living in, consider investing in a regulatory lead, such policies abroad mean storing a leveler in a position parallel to few data loggers. These small devices, like it’s common in Germany and other coun- the floor, this one stands straight up be- the ones from ebro, a division of Xylem An- tries to have data loggers within a walk-in hind the overhead motor.” Among other alytics, Beverly, Mass., operate wirelessly, refrigerator in stores and restaurants. things, this provides for a better seal than will automatically notify the user in case It’s been Teich’s observation that conventional levelers. “This preserves of a temperature excursion, and, once up- temperature recording in non-transport cooling and conserves energy because the loaded, the data can be accessed from any- situations is often done with a handheld overhead door comes down to the bottom where with an Internet connection. thermometer, with results recorded by of the pit as opposed to say the top of the “It’s a very simple system,” says Rob- hand. Perhaps the recently passed Food leveler where you have all kinds of gaps.” ert Teich, managing director at ebro, “You Safety Act is applying the needed pressure Recently added to the standard verti- don’t need extra software, it’s easy to con- for change, as Teich notes an uptick in his cal dock offering is the new Serco Thermal figure…” Teich acknowledges that the unit sales. “We see more interest now in smaller Guard Package that allows for truck doors may not be for everybody—some compa- stores and restaurants in the U.S. for data to be opened from inside the building after nies lack the necessary IT infrastructure, loggers,” he says. “You always have that the truck is positioned at the door, thereby or, alternately, it may be the case that third- complete digital record, so anytime a food retaining the thermal seal at the dock. party logistics are too diverse, harder to or- inspector comes you have an automated “People are becoming far more con- ganize; in these circumstances the stand- report that you can quickly produce.” scious of energy consumption,” says alone version of the data logger is advised. Kalbfleisch, “so with that in mind, we’re Either way, the technology is on the Dock Worker recommending the appropriate equip- order of standard practice in Europe, says All the technology in the world won’t help ment for our customers to help them reach Teich (based in Ingolstadt, Germany). “It’s you if someone left the door open, thus, that goal.” ■ funny, the FDA came up with this great con- the vertical storing dock leveler, such as Canavan is a science/medical writer based in Brooklyn, N.Y. cept of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Criti- those made by Dock Products Canada, Reach him at [email protected].

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June/July 2013 47

48 F uct labeling andinaccurate testing meth - with death,relying onincomplete prod what theyare about to eatreally is. the nearfuture they can know how safe has given allergy sufferers hopethatin ods. Butanewfocusforanoldtechnology

FOOD food allergies, itcanbeadance consumers withpotentially fatal is adeliciousadventure. Butfor or many people,trying newfoods QUALITY & SAF ETY also enabling thedetection of multiple allergens inasingle analysis The FutureThe of Allergen Testing Mass spectrometers offer accurate allergen identification while Equipment Equipment with Mass Spectrometry - sive. TheFood Allergen Labeling and place, buttheyare hardly comprehen- shellfish. The problem arises when the nuts, soy, tree nuts, fish, andcrustacean eight”“big list: Eggs, pea- milk, wheat, are definedasallergens in the U.S. bythe aclear listofingredientsstatement, that manufacturers to include a“contains” Consumer Protection requires Act of2004 By By Federal labeling regulations are in Maybelle Cowan Allergens -Lincoln

was produced inafacilitythatalsopro advisory statements revealing thatafood contamination, companies often adopt cross-contaminating other foods. dangerous ingredients may wind up ing allergens, someofthesepotentially on thesameequipmentasfoodcontain- the foodismadeinsamefacilityand allergens are notintended ingredients. If To warn consumers ofpossiblecross- are indicated. the four peptides for milk detected. As an allergen with each (except walnut) of seven allergens in one run, The simultaneous detection

having four peptides having four peptides www.foodquality.com example, example,

Photo courtesy of Eurofins. cesses allergens. But these statements tional analytical testing company which are completely voluntary; they are not re- Another reason mass is known to have pioneered the use of MS quired by labeling laws. for food allergen testing, explains the re- spectrometers are liability of results by MS equipment from Conventional Testing Tools more accurate is they the way they detect peptides rather than Warning statements cannot be a substi- directly detect compo- entire protein structures. Proteins can be tute for Good Manufacturing Practices. degraded by processing, cooking, etc., and Companies are still expected to make a nents of the allergen, an altered structure may not be recognized good faith effort to ensure foods that are unlike PCR or ELISA. when an assay is looking for an allergen. not supposed to contain allergens are, in (Continued on p. 50) fact, allergen-free. That is where allergen testing comes in. But just how reliable are conventional testing technologies? Typically, companies rely on two types of tests: polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). PCR is a fast and inexpensive method to identify DNA. It amplifies, or copies, small segments of DNA until a Recall Readiness large enough sample is grown to determine if an allergen is present. Although the method can identify the DNA of milk, Are you ready for the call? peanuts, soy, walnuts, hazelnuts, fish, and crustaceans, there are several pitfalls RQA’s Recall Planning and Simulation processes challenge to this method that can allow an allergen your organization's capabilities, training and readiness, to slip through the cracks. The most no- from initial incident identification to product recovery. table is that PCR detects the presence of DNA, but not proteins. Egg whites and milk, significant allergens, contain little or no DNA, but high quantities of protein. RQA’s assessment includes: Therefore, this method is not reliable for these foods. s Initiation, investigation and The ELISA method, on the other communication process hand, detects antibodies in a sample that s Team roles and responsibilities indicate the presence of allergens, but a separate kit is required for each allergen, s Process flow and lot traceability which can get expensive. Consequently, s Retrieval capability and companies often do not test products for effectiveness checks the presence of all possible allergens. They do a cost-effectiveness analysis and s Recall Plan review and optimization select the top one, two, or three allergens most likely to be present. Any others can go undetected. RQA Congratulates Food Quality Magazine on Mass Spectrometer Advantage A newer technology for detecting aller- 20 Years of Publishing Excellence! gens is mass spectrometry (MS), a process that identifies proteins and peptides with a high level of accuracy. Unlike other methods, MS directly detects allergens For more information by breaking them down into peptides, Email us at: [email protected] or short strings of amino acids that link or contact the Crisis Management together to form larger proteins. This plat- Hotline at: 630.512.0011 x400 form offers several advantages over conventional detection methods. www.rqa-inc.com Bert Popping, PhD, director, scientific development at Eurofins, an interna-

June/July 2013 49 EQUIPMENT Allergens

(Continued from p. 49) so the peptide is detectable. And it is safer indicate an office building. Similarly, the However, the shorter peptides are more because instead of relying on finding just peptides that remain after the protein is likely to be still intact after processing and one target, you are looking at several.” broken down by MS determine what pro- therefore remain detectable by MS. And To look at this another way, think tein existed before the test. MS detects more than one peptide per al- of a protein as a building. Imagine the Another reason mass spectrometers lergen, so should one be degraded, the of- building being “broken down” by an are more accurate is they directly detect fending substance can still be discovered explosion. If someone wanted to iden- components of the allergen, unlike PCR by at least one or two other peptides. tify what kind of building it had been, or ELISA which indirectly detect them Dr. Popping sums it up by stating, “The they need only to look at the pieces. A through DNA or antibodies. This allows beauty of mass spectrometry is that you jumble of couches, bedroom furniture, high-protein, low-DNA allergens like are looking at much smaller sequences, and kitchen appliances points to a resi- milk and egg whites to be detected. In so even if some part is broken away, usu- dential apartment building, while desks, addition, mass spectrometers can mul- ally you still have sufficient structure left filing cabinets, and computer hardware tiplex, detecting all of the big eight in one

The Smartphone: A Tool for Allergen Testing?

special solvent allowing it to incubate for a little more than 10 minutes. iTube passes a light through the test tubes and the smartphone camera quantifies changes in the intensity of the red light illuminating from the test and control tubes. An app on the smartphone then uses this comparison to determine if peanuts are present, even in quantities as small as 1 ppm. The benefits of this platform for those with food allergies is obvious, but Dr. Ozcan envisions his invention becoming a valuable tool for members of the food industry that include manufacturers and restaurants, offering them fast, accurate, and cost-effective allergen testing. The public health arena and local governments can also use iTube to protect consumers and en- force regulations. But Dr. Ozcan’s vision extends beyond testing isolated samples for individual allergens. He imagines the creation of public, spatio-temporal Mass spectrometry adapts existing allergens in foods are available, they allergen maps to provide vital infor- technology to a new purpose. Simi- are complex and require bulky equip- mation for allergen sufferers and their larly, the iTube, now in the prototype ment, making them ill-suited for use in families. phase at time of print, turns an ordi- public settings. The iTube was devel- Dr. Ozcan explains, “Our iTube plat- nary smartphone into a portable al- oped to address these issues.” form will provide accurate and sensitive lergen testing lab. Currently designed The iTube works by quantifying measurements of allergens, and the re- to detect peanuts, this small attach- changes in the intensity of passing sults could one day be uploaded to se- ment—22 mm x 67 mm x 75 mm and through a solution containing a pos- cure servers for long-term use in public weighing a mere 40 grams—is a col- sible allergen. Certain solutes absorb health settings.” Users will be able to orimeter that measures the intensity of certain light frequencies, and peanuts enter a zip code into a Google maps in- light to determine if an allergen is pres- absorb red, 650 nm. iTube has two terface to discover what allergens have ent. Its inventor, Aydogan Ozcan, PhD, small test tubes, one control and one been reported in which location within associate professor at UCLA, states, assay. The user takes a small amount a given timeframe, or search for inci- “Although several products that detect of food in question and dissolves it in a dences by allergen type. © b onninturina/Fotolia.co m

50 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com MS Drawbacks? Thermo Scientific’s Q Exactive There are, however, a few obstacles prevent- is an example of a MS unit. ing MS units from taking their place as a first-line allergen detection method. Consid- ered a newer platform in the food industry, it suffers from the perception that it is highly expensive and technically complicated. While it is true MS equipment requires a significant capital outlay, most testing labs already own the machines, and their technicians are well-versed in their operation. This technology has been in use for other purposes and other industries for years. According to Dr. Popping, “When people in a community are confronted with change, it takes time for them to adapt. But I am confident that MS will take its place as a first-line detection method because we are seeing more research done and more funding dedicated to developing this technology.” ■ test–making them faster, easier, and less more allergens, MS technology provides expensive to test for multiple allergens a cost savings opportunity that becomes Cowan-Lincoln is a science/technical writer based in New Jersey. She is a frequent Wiley-Blackwell contributor who than a series of ELISA assays. more efficient with each additional tar- has been featured in numerous publications. Reach her at A recent study performed by Dr. geted protein. [email protected]. Popping confirmed the reliability of the method. Seven allergens, including eggs, milk, and soy, were baked into bread and tested with PCR, ELISA, and MS. The accuracy of PCR and ELISA tests was mixed; sometimes they detected the allergens, but sometimes they did not, and they often underreported how many parts per

Mass spectrometers can multiplex, detecting all of the big eight in one test–making them faster, easier, and less expensive to test for multiple allergens.

million (ppm) were present in the sample. Conversely, MS results were unerringly accurate, detecting each allergen every time and in the correct ppm. Cost is another potential benefit of MS, especially when testing for multiple allergens. One MS test performed by a third-party lab can possibly cost a food manufacturing company more than one ELISA kit, but less than three kits. There- fore, once a company is targeting three or

June/July 2013 51 Food ServiceEducation & Retail

Jack in the Box relies on its HACCP program to help identify and monitor the preparations of its products.

Embracing HACCP Implementation grows as retail and food service look to shore up food safety in an evolving market By Andy Teng

roduce and agricultural manu- Retailers and food service providers and restaurants by providing them a time- facturers and processors have also play an important role in ensuring tested framework, some observers also say long embraced Hazard Analy- food safety, but most are exempted from it’s difficult to measure the net impact on sis and Critical Control Points FDA and USDA HACCP requirements even consumer safety and the benefits to busi- P(HACCP) principles since they were first though they deliver finished products nesses that embrace it. developed in the 1960s. For those produc- into the hands of consumers. Regulated “Clearly people are moving in this ing meats and poultry, seafood, juices, and by state and local authorities, this im- direction if they haven’t already,” states a few other high-risk categories, following portant segment of the continuum is in- Robert Gravani, a professor of food science a HACCP plan isn’t just a good practice; it’s creasingly turning to HACCP in response at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. “Most required under federal regulations. But to business trends, greater awareness of people want to raise the bar; they’re not as only one link in the farm-to-fork food potential risks, and regulatory changes going to want to do just the minimum.” safety continuum, manufacturers and at the state level, industry observers say. A faculty member at Cornell’s depart- processors alone cannot protect consum- While broader HACCP adoption may even- ment of food science, Gravani teaches ers from foodborne illnesses. tually help improve food safety in stores HACCP principles to businesses through

52 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com the university’s extension program. While ters for Disease Control’s FoodNet, which companies to “take a proactive role in anecdotal, there is evidence to show that tracks foodborne illnesses across the U.S., ensuring that the food served or sold in more companies are expressing an interest the number of confirmed cases rose sharply your establishment is safe” by develop- in how HACCP can improve food safety at last year in two categories: Campylobacter ing a HACCP plan. their stores and restaurants, he says. This and Vibrio. Most alarming was that the in- HACCP can be intimidating to smaller rise, he points out, stems from the fact cidences of Campylobacter infection rose retailers and food service operators, some that many retailers offer a growing menu to the highest level since 2000 even as the observers note, because it’s perceived as of fresh and prepared foods—through a rate of infection for STEC O157, Salmonella, overly complex. Many of these organiza- traditional salad bar, a hot food stand, or and other major food-related illnesses even a sushi bar. For example, a visit to a remained unchanged. With high-profile Whole Foods supermarket is akin to a stop outbreaks becoming a regular occurrence, As convenience stores at a food court because it offers a variety of many companies are concerned for their have expanded traditional and ethnic foods. customers and their brands. “Today the number of freshly prepared their food selection, the foods and menu items are just absolutely HACCP At A Glance potential for problems astounding and tremendous. There are While HACCP is a way of life for many rises without proper eat-in restaurants within retail stores. processors and manufacturers, those in There are a lot of foods available for carry food service and retail are less enlight- training and protocols. out in a variety of places, so it makes great ened. That’s because the U.S. Food Code sense to apply the HACCP principles to the makes it a voluntary exercise for most re- preparation and services of these foods,” tailers; however, the FDA has encouraged tions lack internal resources or knowledge Gravani points out. participation by issuing a HACCP manual and so stay away. But as some trainers This shift among retailers and concerns for retail businesses entitled Managing point out, HACCP offers a rigorous ap- about the growing number of foodborne Food Safety: A Manual for the Voluntary proach to food safety that isn’t necessarily illnesses have the industry reviewing and Use of HACCP Principles for Operators of burdensome. They simply need to adhere stepping up their practices. After all, there Food Service and Retail Establishments. to its seven principles: is cause for concern. According to the Cen- In this document, the agency does urge (Continued on p. 54) Half Page Landscape - 8.5 x5.5

ADVANCES IN THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

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Discover these titles and more at www.wiley.com/go/food 13-52254 FOOD SERVICE & RETAIL Education

(Continued from p. 53) service operators, including Wendy’s and to drive by their Cenex store and say, ‘Isn’t • Perform a Hazard Analysis, Dairy Queen as well as school districts and that the place where people got sick eat- • Identify Critical Control Points (CCPs), others. Bob Gumatz, manager of retail solu- ing their food. Let’s go across the street,’” • Determine the Critical Limits, tions, explains that the company decided to poses Gumatz. “We don’t want to react. We • Establish Procedures to Monitor CCPs, become HACCP-certified as a way to main- are being proactive.” • Establish Corrective Actions, tain quality and food safety throughout In working with various companies, • Establish Verification Procedures, and its Cenex locations, which are owned and Gumatz says the level of HACCP under- • Establish a Record Keeping System. operated by co-ops and standing among retail and While the system was originally devel- independent dealers in 22 food service businesses oped by Pillsbury in conjunction with NASA states. About 80 percent and state and local inspec- and the U.S. Army to ensure food safety for of the stores offer food tors varies widely. Typi- astronauts, its principles are suitable for the items such as fresh sand- cally, large corporations broader industry. By following them, orga- wiches and salads and with a dedicated safety nizations can prevent rather than just react roller grill items. Some sell staff are well-versed in to problems in their food safety programs. fried chicken, pizza, and HACCP principles, but oth- It is mandatory for seafood, meat and poul- other hot foods. The com- ers had trouble with even try, fresh-cut produce, juice, and some spe- pany this year will offer the acronym. His experi- cialty producers to develop and implement take-home dinner items in ence with health inspec- a HACCP plan, but retail and food service some locations. tors is similar, with some establishments such as restaurants, grocery Gumatz says by invest- states actively promoting stores, prisons, health care facilities, child ing in a HACCP program, “Certainly a lot of a HACCP approach in the and adult care centers, convenience stores, the company wanted to our most engaged, retail and food service seg- and others are exempted from federal re- ensure the Cenex brand fully committed ment while others strictly quirements. However, a growing number maintained the highest clients embrace it.” abiding by the Food Code of businesses are embracing some or all safety culture. With food- (see sidebar). The disparity of these principles as part of their overall borne incidents on the —Bob Gumatz, manager in knowledge is reflected in safety and quality programs because of rise, CHS management of retail solutions, CHS, Inc. the commitment that dif- HACCP’s proven effectiveness. sought to make sure one ferent organizations make incident doesn’t end up tarnishing the en- to food safety and quality. Expanded Food Offerings tire brand. Additionally, as convenience “Certainly a lot of our most engaged, One such organization is the Cenex brand stores have expanded their food selection, fully committed clients embrace it. They of convenience stores, which is owned by the potential for problems rises without want it, and they understand what it CHS, Inc. Two years ago, the company cer- proper training and protocols. means for food quality and safety. We tified a number of its employees in HACCP “If someone at a Cenex store in Wis- also have people on the other end of the to enhance its food safety program. Since consin ate food and got sick and that got spectrum who jump on the bandwagon then, the company has expanded its ser- publicized, don’t you think people in because everyone else is doing it,” he adds. vices beyond Cenex stores to other food Washington State or Montana are going For HACCP to yield results, operators must commit and adhere to a well-delib- erated process, Gumatz says. They must The Cenex brand of convenience stores certified employees in understand that in retail and food service, HACCP to ensure the brand maintained the highest safety culture. HACCP may require businesses to simplify their offerings. For instance, Gumatz’s biggest client offers more than 350 menu items—which can certainly make implementation unwieldy. Furthermore, this segment of the industry poses particular challenges because of its wide variety of products, its types of operations, and its organization sizes. Retailers and food service establishments can range from those with a simple single store to the national chains that operate thousands of facilities across the country. For larger chains, economy of scale af- fords them the resources to embrace HACCP early on. For San Diego-based Jack in the Box, HACCP has been part of its food safety

54 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com rants in the chain, Jack in the Box relies on effort to effectively design and adhere to HACCP at State Level: its HACCP program among others to help best practices and monitor and verify their Colorado Enacts Regulations identify and monitor the preparations of processes, they can achieve the desired for High-Risk Foods its products. results regardless of the type of products McNamara explains HACCP is perva- they make or the size of their operations, While most food service and retailers are sive throughout its restaurant operations she adds. exempt under the U.S. Food Code from and all employees are trained to adhere As food service providers and retail- having a HACCP plan, some local and state authorities now mandate its im- to its principles and held accountable. ers continue to evolve and broaden their plementation for specific products.F or “Every job has critical control points asso- offerings, and as the industry and regula- example, Colorado as of March 1 began ciated with it, so we train each employee tors continue to grapple with a growing requiring HACCP for high-risk foods pro- in the steps important to producing safe number of foodborne illnesses, initiatives cessed by modified atmospheric pack- food,” she says. such as HACCP will likely gain adopters aging, sous vide, or cook-chill methods. McNamara notes that even though seeking a proven and effective method of In some instances, preapproval from food processing and manufacturing are food safety assurance. ■ state or local inspectors are required; in different from food service and retail, others, the plan must be made available Teng is a freelance writer and former interim editor of Food HACCP principles are universally appli- Quality & Safety magazine based in New Jersey. He can be upon inspection. cable. As long as organizations make the reached at [email protected]. Nicole Grisham, the direct service compliance and LAP coordinator within the Division of Environmental Health & Sus- tainability at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, says the new rules are part of the state’s risk- Advertiser Directory based approach to ensuring food safety. Advertiser Page # Website In requiring HACCP for these foods, regulators want to minimize the potential AOAC 67 aoac.org for outbreaks. With this segment of the food industry increasingly broadening its AOCS 47 aocs.org offerings, especially in products at high Bio-Rad Laboratories Cover Flap bio-rad.com risk of contamination, Colorado wants to make sure those businesses at least have Brookfield Engineering 51 brookfieldengineering.com good operating procedures in place. One reason for concern is the state’s EMD Millipore Corp. 11 emdmillipore.com passage of the Colorado Cottage Foods Act last year, which made it easier for Eppendorf North America 19 eppendorfna.com small, home-based producers to sell EtQ 21 etq.com products. Grisham says while it was a boom for the cottage food industry, Grainger Inc. 35 grainger.com some of those producers have “pushed the envelope” of what they can sell, cre- Invisible Sentinel 4 invisiblesentinel.com ating safety hazards in some instances. The act “has really encouraged people to Nasco 38 whirl-pak.com push that envelope and start expanding Nelson Jameson 41 nelsonjameson.com and doing unique things that fall under specialized processes,” she notes. Neogen 9 neogen.com While the state’s HACCP mandate is one way to ensure producers follow good NP Analytical 43 npal.com practices, Grisham also laments that most small and even some midsized Roka Bioscience 59 rokabio.com companies don’t understand it and how Romer Labs 68 romerlabs.com to comply. To help, the state offers annual training courses for regulators also RQA Inc. 49 rqa-inc.com open to industry. Silliker 3 silliker.com

program for years, and the company re- Spartan Chemical 39 spartanchemical.com quires all of its food manufacturers to have Sterilex 31 sterilex.com their own plans in place, explains Ann Marie McNamara, the company’s division T&D Corp. 2 tandd.com vice president of food safety and regulatory Waters Corp. 7 waters.com compliance. With more than 2,500 restau-

June/July 2013 55

56 FOOD

Safety TrainingSafety for Grocers Technology training platforms allow grocery employees to develop asenseof commitment toward achieving proper Fresh Approaches to Food SERVICE FOOD QUALITY safety policies, procedures, and behaviors & RETAIL & SAF ETY

Education By By Laura Dunn Nelson M are juggling customer demands, experi- thorough handwashing when employees but thatdoesnotguarantee there willbe ited from touching foodwithbare hands, spread ofbacteria. Employees are prohib potential forfoodcontamination andthe to publichealth are numerous due to the with foodonadaily basisis the deli. Risks because oftheextent ofhumancontact thatdeservesdepartment specialscrutiny 9 percent forhygiene. Thesefigures have time andtemperature holding andnearly proved with34percent for non-compliant improper holding was only slightly im- for hygiene. For the seafood departments, percent were foundto benon-compliant comply due to improper holding and19 poultry departments, 35 percent failedto in theotherdepartments. Inthemeatand hygiene.” The figures aren’t much better what the FDA describes as “poor personal encing equipmentchallenges, orboth. perature, and a surprising 26 percent perature, andasurprising 26 for proper holding interms oftimeandtem cent were outofcompliance due to im- somewhat disturbing. Nearly 57 per bars, andfresh seafoodcounters, are need for training employees about particularly thosewithdelis, hotfood title. The findings for retail groceries, While managers the understand 2008 in all the facilities listed in the inallthefacilitieslisted inthe 2008 report trends tracks from 1998to cility Types.” Thelengthy FDA the genuine risksto health and rant, and Retail Foodrant, Store Fa- tutional Foodservice, Restau Risk Factors in Selected Insti- rence ofFoodborne Illness sis onReport ontheOccur cery owneroroperator. One responsibilities ofevery gro is oneofthemostimportant anaging riskandexposure safety thatcanresult from a FDA study, “Trend Analy case basedonresults from would appear to be the they’ve learned. That they’ve learned. That retain the information retain theinformation they have beengiven or cording to thetraining oversights, employees do no always act ac www.foodquality.com ------

© Dmitry Lobanov - Fotolia.com to be viewed as less than satisfactory and issue of Progressive Grocer notes that a Another issue to consider is the meth- in need of improvement. Grocers who rec- national survey of best practices in retail odology used to conduct training, which ognize the seriousness of this situation groceries found that a glaring reason for many stores have not changed in more should start by looking at the one require- low performance management scores was than a decade. Training may include ment where most shortcomings can be inadequate training. “Specific comments miscellaneous paperwork in the form of traced—the lack of effective training. on the survey…described a lack of training sign-in sheets, spreadsheets, and the oc- for themselves and especially for manage- casional PowerPoint presentation. In ad- Food Safety Pitfalls ment,” the article reports. It also finds a dition, the documentation of training, if it Food handling is one training discipline “correlation” between the low performance exists at all, may be inadequate and incom- that deserves examination. According to plete. As the time-consuming paperwork the Center for Disease Control (CDC), im- piles up, training organization tends to proper food handling is the cause of 97 Whether the retail busi- erode, particularly when it comes to proof percent of food poisoning incidents. Many ness is part of a grocery of comprehension. Verification of knowl- of these foodborne illness outbreaks have edge is difficult to substantiate especially been traced to food manufacturers and pro- store chain or an inde- if a simple passing grade on an examina- cessors, but that does not eliminate risk at pendent store, training is tion is considered acceptable. Training is the retail grocery level. The CDC warns that often limited and not supposed to positively influence employee vegetables and fruits can become contami- fully understood. behavior, but that is unlikely when there nated during storage—a point of concern to is no way of ensuring that all food safety anyone selling fresh produce or deli meats. issues associated with handling are com- The CDC attributes other incidents to im- pletely understood and applied every day proper disinfecting of food preparation management scores and “how well they on the job, particularly when the training surfaces and cross contamination, all of score in overall operations and profits.” is inconsistent. which require training in proper handling A study conducted by the University of Many retail grocers, who are quite and contamination avoidance. Another Kentucky in 2004, but still relevant today, aware of these deficiencies, have turned subject of obvious concern to the CDC as establishes a correlation between training to a modern training technology to im- well as the FDA is inadequate hand-wash- and employee turnover in the grocery in- prove their employees’ knowledge and ing—an issue that is widespread. dustry. “Grocery stores with lower levels comprehension. Cross contamination in salad bars of training (less than 20 hours per year) from such allergens as seafood, shellfish, experienced higher voluntary turnover Training Technologies and and peanuts is another public health risk than those with higher levels of training,” Retail Grocers for grocers. “You have to train employees the study states. It also notes a “weak but Technology training platforms have been to be aware that they can’t have one salad negative relationship” between voluntary developed specifically for retail groceries, close enough to contaminate another turnover rates and store performance, effi- regardless of size. These platforms are de- salad,” says Scott Esqueda, assistant vice ciency, and safety. signed to be interactive and engaging. Em- president of Argo Insurance—U.S. Grocery The study reports average turnover ployees do not merely listen to a one-sided and Retail, Portland, Ore. “They have to be rates at more than 43 percent and part-time lecture; they use the platform to interact trained to place the salad in another sec- employee turnover significantly higher at and respond to questions throughout the tion of the case so that there is no chance of 58 percent. These turnover rates present training session. Courses cover the gamut cross contamination.” The insurance exec- yet another challenge for maintaining con- of food safety issues associated with every- utive also emphasizes the need for ongoing sistency of knowledge throughout the staff. day operations, including understanding training in two other areas: Accurate time Stores with high turnover rates may find cross contamination and how to avoid and temperatures for heated food and per- training requirements “slipping through it, preventing the spread of foodborne sonal hygiene. “I think everybody could do the cracks” because of some ongoing per- illnesses, hygiene and hand-washing, more training,” Esqueda says. sonnel changes. (Continued on p. 58) Whether the retail business is part of a grocery store chain or an independent store, training is often limited and not fully understood. One reason may be because the employees are overwhelmed with responsibilities and they do not completely absorb the concepts of proper hygiene and food safety. Similarly, food handlers at a deli or meat counter may not always recognize the risk posed from touching a cell phone even though their hands may be covered. An article in the April 2010

June/July 2013 57 FOOD SERVICE & RETAIL Education

(Continued from p. 57) sanitation, importance of time and temperatures, and equipment cleaning. Since retail food involves many departments with varying training needs, the platform is designed to be flexible to accommodate both single-employee and group training. Employees trained in groups can respond by using a remote control and the system gives the instructor immediate feedback on how many employees answered correctly and incorrectly. When the latter occurs, the platform and/or the instructor can make sure the concept is understood. For those stores with employees for whom English is a second language, the platforms offer multi-lingual presentations as well. The technology reduces (if not elimi- to be standardization of training and the clear. Grocers should consider food safety nates) nearly all of the paperwork associ- platform allows us to do that.” training every bit as important as the other ated with previous training methods. All According to Popoola, the training steps they take to alleviate risks and the lit- defensible records from every training ses- technology platform rectifies a previous igation that is bound to follow if they don’t. sion are electronically stored and easily ac- problem with grocery employee train- “You should factor what the costs would cessible for instructors and management, a ing—information overload. “The em- be if a foodborne illness would be traced to valuable tool not only for proving compre- ployee used to be required to watch video your store,” Topco’s Popoola says. hension of food handling safety but also after video and it was counterproductive,” Most retail grocers constantly fight the for future employee performance reviews. Popoola says. battle of low margins, which is all the more Technology platforms save time previously reason to consider the positive impact that lost due to searches, reviews, and cross ref- Cross contamination training technology can have on cost re- erencing of extensive paperwork. duction as well as food safety. Through an Why is this so important? Consider the in salad bars from such interactive training module, workers can amount of paperwork necessary to docu- allergens as seafood, learn, for instance, how to reject produce ment training and comprehension for shellfish, and peanuts that doesn’t meet standards and greatly each individual employee without train- reduce the potential for waste, spoilage, ing technology. For example, a store with is another public health and the costs associated with both. Studies 50 employees, each having undergone five risk for grocers. have shown operations that engage their training sessions, would have to correlate employees also lessen the amount and fre- a minimum of 250 separate pieces of pa- quency of turnover, which is why there is so per—a time consuming, labor-intensive The Topco executive reports that re- much emphasis on the interactive compo- process that falls far short of efficiency. sponse to the platform from supervisors nent of training. It turns the employees into Today’s technology eliminates all of the and employees is overwhelmingly pos- active participants rather than disengaged paperwork and time to process it through itive. “It’s very specific to what we do and and bored listeners who probably will nei- instantaneous storage and all records are our members who have used it, love it,” he ther retain nor apply the information. easily accessible. Most important, the data says. “They especially like the fact that all Store owners and managers should confirms actual comprehension of all key their current training courses can be used not assume that training has been success- learning objectives. within the platform, which preserves the in- fully completed because an employee has The value of technology as a food vestment they have made over many years.” signed an attendance document or barely safety training tool has not been lost on Another factor that corroborates the passed a test. Training has to be presented, Topco Associates. This major grocery ag- importance of thorough training and repeated, and updated so that employees gregator with 52 member-owners located validation of comprehension is risk. The can develop a sense of commitment to in Elk Grove Village, Ill., opted to improve cost of risk to retailers nationwide is $21 recognize and avoid cross contamination, its employee training for all of its mem- billion according to a December 2011 ar- maintain cleanliness of hands and equip- bers. “Some of our members have relied ticle in Risk Management. It identifies li- ment, and promote a safe workplace. ■ heavily on verbalized one-on-one train- ability as the second highest operational Dunn Nelson, director of industry relations for Alchemy ing and you can’t expect too much from expense. Only workers compensation is Systems, LP, has more than 25 years’ experience in food that,” says Howard Popoola, Topco vice higher. While these figures apply to all re- safety and quality control programs for foodservice and retail operations. She can be reached at laura.nelson@ president of quality assurance. “There has tail operations, the message they convey is alchemysystems.com.

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Mass Appeal: What’s Hot in Contract Lab Services More contract labs are working with mass spectrometry as they feel the pressure of providing quicker and more efficient results

Mass spectrometry has assumed anT essenitlesto-ry: SUBTITLEAs the Asilomar conference demonstrated, many tial role in ensuring food quality and safety—so much labs are working to move food allergen testing into so that last year’s Asilomar Conference, hosted by the LC/MS as well, although most food allergen testing American Society for Mass Spectrometry, focused remains PCR- and ELISA-based at the moment. its agenda on mass spec in food safety and quality. GMO (genetically modified organism) detection Topics included LC/Q-TOF Mass Spectrometry in de- and quantification is also in high demand. ELISA tection of peanut and tree nut allergens in processed assays and strip tests are sometimes used in GMO and unprocessed foods; UHPLC/high resolution MS detection, but the current gold standard for indus- in analysis of food contaminants; and the use of LC/ try worldwide is PCR-based GMO detection. Mass QTOF-MS for identification of unknown spectrometry could dramatically en- contaminants for food defense. hance a lab’s ability to quantify minute By Gina Shaw Many of the contract laboratories concentrations of GMO proteins, and working with the food industry today are it’s currently under investigation for focusing on doing as much as possible with combined this purpose but it’s not yet in common use at most liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) contract labs. for its lightning-fast speed combined with powerful For more information on contract labs, see sensitivity, says Christie Brewe, laboratory and quality “HandyContract Labs: Not Just for Testing Any- manager with Romer Labs, which operates four fully more,” page 40. It explores how today’s contract labs accredited laboratories in the U.S., Austria, Singapore, are offering a wide variety of collaborative options to and the U.K. ensure the safety and quality of the foods manufac- “A lot of what we do is mycotoxin-based, and we turers produce. ■ are trying to go beyond what’s regulated worldwide to Shaw is a writer for Food Quality & Safety’s eUpdate enewsletter. She also look at other mycotoxins with synergistic effects, and writes frequently about science, medicine, and health while serving as a getting those to mass spec,” says Brewe. regular contributor on notable medical publications.

60 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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Romer Labs - Your trusted global partner Better, Safer, Smarter Food Testing for reliable analytical service rtech laboratories, a division of Land O’Lakes, is a Our laboratories offer a broad spectrum of ISO 17025- comprehensive food safety and technology research accredited analytical services, including: facility providing clients with microbiology and chemistry testing, nutritional analysis, pilot plant, • Multi-Mycotoxin Analysis (+ mycotoxin binder and information research services.Our laboratory studies + mold/yeast count & identification) is ISO 17025 accredited. • Allergen Screening www.rtechlabs.com • GMO Analysis • Other Contaminants including melamine, antibiotics, steroids and more State-of-the-art instrumentation including LC-MS/MS for routine analysis and 30 years of expertise insure the highest accuracy in results. The Analytical Laboratory is ISO 17025:2005 accredited through the American Association for Laboratory. www.romerlabs.com

June/July 2013 61 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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62 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com NEW ProducTs

Nitrofuran Screening Kits Furazolidone (AOZ), and the MaxSignal The new line of MaxSignal ELISAs improves Nitrofurazone (SEM). All of these ELISA kits the analysis of nitrofurans in feed, fish, incorporate a single extraction protocol that shrimp, meat, honey, milk, and serum. These can be used for testing samples for the detec- kits combine fast ELISA protocols with high tion of nitrofuran antibiotics—users take one sensitivity (0.025 ppb or below). Kits include sample, perform one extraction, and test for the MaxSignal Nitrofurantoin (AHD), the Max- AHD, SEM, AMOZ, and AOZ. Bioo Scientific, Signal Furaltadone (AMOZ), the MaxSignal 888-208-2246, www.biooscientific.com. Compact, Easy-To-Use Titrators EasyPlus is a compact and simple titrator specifically designed for basic requirements and Big Six STEC Controls first time users of automatic titrators in the Six non-O157 serogroups of Shiga-toxin pro- food and chemical industries. Previous mod- ducing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains have els have focused on advanced automation been added to Microbiologics’ line of ready- solutions, flexible method structures, and se- to-use QC microorganism products. The six cure networking software. EasyPlus focuses new STEC strains are the same six STEC sero- specifically on accurately automating routine groups the USDA and the FSIS recently clas- titrations. The interface is modeled on the sified as adulterants in non-intact raw beef. familiar app format. New operators already The STEC strains are initially offered in quali- know and understand this interface style, tative KWIK-STIK and LYFO DISK formats along making familiarization and operation quick with two pre-packaged QC Microorganism and easy. iTitrate guidance leads operators Gliadin and Sesame Tests Sets; one set includes the Big 6 STEC strains through setup and method programming According to Neogen, the new rapid lateral and the other includes Big 6 STEC strains plus step-by-step. The EasyPlus also features flow tests for gliadin (gluten) and sesame serogroup O157. Microbiologics, Inc., 800- 15 different operating languages.M ETTLER provide results in just five minutes after -ex 599-2847, www.microbiologics.com. TOLEDO, 800-638-8537, www.mt.com. traction. The Reveal 3-D for Gliadin R5 test detects as little as 5 ppm of gliadin (10 ppm gluten) on environmental surfaces and in rinses. The test kit is in a sensitive format Extraction of Mycotoxins from an individual foodstuff. Using a single, and conforms to influential Codex Alimen- ISOLUTE Myco SPE columns are used for the easy-to-use sample preparation product, tarius guidelines. Reveal 3-D for Sesame “catch and release” cleanup of mycotoxins along with optimized matrix specific ap- also detects as little as 5 ppm of sesame from food matrices prior to analysis by plication notes, users are able to prepare in rinses and on environmental surfaces. LC-MS/MS. The ISOLUTE Myco sorbent is a diverse samples for analysis by LC-MS/MS. Accurate results aid in cleaning validations proprietary polymeric phase optimized for The coupling of a dedicated polymer based or verification of existing procedures to pre- the extraction of a broad spectrum of my- sorbent with LC-MS/MS analysis also saves vent cross-contamination of sesame within cotoxins from a wide range of foodstuffs, time since more samples can be processed manufacturing facilities. Neogen Corp., 800- enabling chemists to utilize a single SPE each day. Biotage, 704-654-4900, www. 234-5333, www.neogen.com. product to extract all relevant mycotoxins biotage.com.

(Continued on p. 64)

June/July 2013 63 NEW PRODUCTS

(Continued from p. 63) Testing for T-2 and HT-2 The new AgraQuant ELISA test kit for T2 and HT2-toxin has high cross reactivity between both toxins (>90%). Calibrants used in this test kit are from 25 to 500 ppb sum of T-2 and HT-2 toxin and are therefore in line with the requirements set in the European Commission’s recently published document 2013/165/EU, which recommends maximum Antimicrobial Cable levels for the sum of T-2 and HT-2 toxin in var- According to the company, the DEFENDER ious food and feed matrices. Romer Labs, antimicrobial cable jacket eliminates 636-583-8600, www.romerlabs.com. greater than 99 percent of bacteria (e.g. E. coli, Salmonella) and fungus (e.g. Aspergil- lus) within 24 hours of exposure. The cable In Other Product News contains a silver ion based antimicrobial additive commonly used in many consumer Thermogravimetric Analyzer bioMérieux’s VIDAS UP Salmonella packaged goods. Adding this to the cable The TGA701 Thermogravimetric Analyzer (SPT), an automated test for the detec- jacket during the manufacturing process determines weight loss as a function tion of Salmonella species, has been provides long-term broad-spectrum protec- of temperature in a controlled environ- granted Official Methods of Analysis ap- tion from bacteria, mold, and fungus. Pro- ment. Moisture and ash are determined proval by AOAC on a wide variety of food tection is continuous and doesn’t transfer in various foods, feeds, meats, oilseeds, products and environmental samples. to skin or other surfaces. The bright green and pet foods. Complying with AOAC, The scope of this approval also includes jacket allows for easy visual inspection AACC, and ASTM-approved methodol- 375 gram samples. during required check-ups for cleanliness. ogy, the TGA701 replaces traditional an- Alchemy Systems has been awarded a It’s ideal for wash down areas, canning or alytical techniques that require vacuum patent from the U.S. Patent and Trade- bottling process lines, and conveyor sys- ovens, muffle furnaces, or microwave mark Office for its “Multimedia Training tems in the food and beverage industry. TPC ovens. Sample carousel allows 19 sam- System and Apparatus.” The patent spe- Wire & Cable Corp., 888-286-0785, www. ples to be analyzed simultaneously. cifically covers the Audience Response tpcwire.com. LECO Corp., 269-985-5496, www.leco.com. System for the interactive training program called SISTEM (Standard Industry Skills Training and Education Media).

Smart Wireless HACCP DuPont Nutrition & Health’s DuPont The Checkit wireless food safety mon- BAX System assay for detecting Salmo- nella in a variety of food types has been itoring solution is a fully-digital and recognized as AOAC Official Method of automated system that eliminates Analysis 2013.02. This molecular-based the need for paper-based manual method uses PCR technology and real- checks and time-consuming re- time detection. port generation. Smart wireless sensors ensure 24/7 monitoring Neogen Corp. now offers a raw meat of temperature, humidity, and the species identification testing service for door status for hot/cold food storage customers in North America at its labora- equipment in food service areas, while tories in Lansing, Mich. The service uses flexible handheld units collect food tem- Neogen assays to detect adulteration at as little as 1 percent of mislabeled horse, perature and hygiene data at the press of cow, pig, poultry, or sheep meat. Results a button to reduce the risk of human error. are available within 48 hours of the sam- All data is time-stamped and downloaded ple receipt. to a centralized database, which automatically generates food safety compliance InstantLabs Medical Diagnostics reports along with a full audit trail. It also Corp.’s Listeria Species Food Safety Kit sends alerts to PCs, tablets, or smartphones has received AOAC Performance Tested if there is a problem. Elektron Technology, Methods certification (PTM #041304) for 760-343-3650, www.checkit.net. environmental and food matrices. The Hunter system is a real-time PCR platform designed to be used at the point of need.

64 FOOD QUALITY & SAFETY www.foodquality.com Events Trade Show Preview JULY 13-16 IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo Chicago, Ill. Visit www.ift.org or call 312-782-8424.

AUGUST 20-22 Penn State Fundamentals of HACCP University Park, Pa. Visit www.foodscience.psu.edu/workshops. 25-28 AOAC’s Annual Meeting & Exposition Chicago, Ill. Visit www.aoac.org or call 301-924-7077 x 170. IAFP 2013 Travels to Charlotte Annual meeting centers around the protection SEPTEMBER 10-12 of the worldwide food supply Penn State HACCP for Meat and Poultry Processors West Chester, Pa. he International Association for the Ivan Parkin Lecture, followed by the Visit www.foodscience.psu.edu/workshops. Food Protection (IAFP) annual Cheese and Wine Reception held in the Ex- 18-19 meeting is set to take place July hibit Hall. This year’s honored lecturer is 2013 HACCP Certification Course 28, 2013 to July 31, 2013 in Char- David W.K. Acheson from Leavitt Partners. Dallas, Texas. Tlotte, N.C. This food safety show always Monday morning starts three days of ses- Visit www.food-safetynet.com attracts a broad mix of attendees and sions with over 800 presentations includ- or email [email protected]. this year will prove no different. Attend- ing 42 symposia, 11 roundtable sessions, ees will include professionals in quality 128 technical presentations, and more 18-20 control, processing operations, regula- than 500 poster presentations. A sample BRC Global Standard for Food Safety tory inspections, food safety consulting, of symposia topics include: Linking Pests Implementation risk assessment, research and develop- and Pathogens of Food Safety; Sanitation Columbus, Ohio. ment, microbiological research, plant Stories: Tall But True; Benefits of Food Visit www.food-safetynet.com management, technical services, and Safety Beyond Saving Lives; and Farm or email [email protected]. HACCP management. to Fork Cantaloupe Risks and Interven- Educational sessions will be dedicated tions. The Ninth Annual John H. Silliker OCTOBER to timely coverage of key issues and cater Lecture will be presented on Wednesday 16-18 to multiple experience levels. With a repu- afternoon, featuring Dane Bernard from BRC Global Standard for Food Safety tation for high-quality content, the annual Keystone Foods LLC. For additional ed- Implementation meeting features technical papers, post- ucational opportunities, IAFP 2013 will Fresno, Calif. ers, and symposia detailing information present four pre-meeting workshops on Visit www.food-safetynet.com on a variety of topics related to food safety. July 26 and July 27. or email [email protected]. The meeting will also showcase more than Online registration and program in- 140 companies demonstrating the latest formation are available on the associa- products and technologies in the Exhibit tion’s website. Visit www.foodprotection. Hall. (Food Quality & Safety magazine will org or email [email protected] for also be in attendance!) additional details. The IAFP is a non-profit IAFP 2013 begins Sunday evening, July educational association comprised of food 28, with the Opening Session featuring protection professionals. ■

June/July 2013 65

66 T had beenmany previous attempts to so venting decomposition was a key. There from themeatbiscuitexperience thatpre- about germ theory, buthehadlearned ing from 1928 to1953, wrote about Borden. Reed, chief of the USDA’s Bureau of Dairy its original purityandfreshness,” OllieE. most difficult to get tothelargein cities life, andyet themostperishable andthe which whenfact, fedalone,willsustain single article offood—the only one,in to tryto make milksafer. leveraged hisexperience indrying foods sickness. who Borden, had been a farmer, causing in theheat, milkpoisonor several inthesummer, hours itspoiled teria, andifitwasn’t consumed within consume. Cowmilkwas riddenwithbac drink today, at the time it was risky to for condensing milk. had begun experimenting withaprocess out of money. Around the same time, he abandon efforts to market it ran when he Army itin1850, endorsed hadto Borden ported to beunpalatable. Though theU.S. that would notspoil.Butitalsowas re- dehydrated meatcompounded withflour, didn’t spoil. developing condensed, portable foodthat planted to Texas, turnedhisattention to businessman andinventor who trans Jr.Borden (1801-1874), aNew England and inkeeping foodfrom spoiling. Gail proved to behazardous both physically Traveling incovered schooners” “prairie life, andmore specifically, California gold.

Reed wrote didn’t thatBorden know “He knewmilkto bethemostperfect While milkisastaple andnutritious attemptHis first was a“meatbiscuit,” Gail Borden Jr.Gail Borden ‘Got Milk’ Innovators FOOD

Great Plains insearch ofabetter from theEastCoastcrossed the great migration, when people he mid-1800s were atimeof QUALITY & SAF ETY in Food Quality & Saf ety By Lori Val - - - - tion, which is one object of my invention, and hasledme to performtheconcentra- the external air, thebetter its condition… the lessmilkissuffered to beacted uponby caused, byexposure to air.” enced andaccelerated, though notwholly the deterioration ofmilkisgreatly influ among theirconstituent elements; hence atmosphere, andare liable to reaction stances are injuriously affected bythe process, wrote, Borden “All organic sub condensed milk. ofmakingdone aspart concentrated or ranging ofthealbuminous particles coagulating andrear the preparatory in vacuo of the fluid evaporation tion withthe in combina- ous particles the albumin- rearranging ulating and milk bycoag and preserving concentrating inventions: aprocess for wroteBorden hehadtwo the abstract to that patent, 1856 andsucceeded. In fused, hetriedagain in that application was re - to itsnursing young. While air, much in the way milk a cow transfers uum inaneffort to protect themilkfrom for anevaporation process doneinavac better, according to Reed. wanted butBorden toit, make something lidify milkorfindasuitable substitute for igr He continued, “This demonstrates that demonstrates that He continued, “This In describing forthe therationale Borden’s patent first filing in 1853 was a ; and ; and - - - - - 1861 when theUnion Army bought it for den’s product took offand was boosted in milk were being feddistillerymash,Bor 1850s thatNew York cows usedforfresh milk. Whenitbecameknowninthelate wereers accustomed to watered-down lukewarm reception initially, asconsum- the new condensed milk was met with a spheric pressure through apipeleading prevent aircontamination) using atmo then drawn into the vacuum-boiler (to was brought to theboiling pointand with asteam-jacket, into which themilk straining themilkinto ametalreservoir preserved milk.He thenrecommended the end result is plain condensed milk or grees Fahrenheit, depending onwhether bath ofboiling water de- from 150to 200 in tin,brass, orcopper cansplaced ina mended in his patent abstract preheating recom albumin.Borden with extra - vacuum heating vessel from being coated ous particles coagulated. Thiskept the after milking the cows untilitsalbumin- heating ofthemilkassoonpossible atmosphere asitisbeing concentrated.” much aspossiblefrom contact withthe in such amannerasto exclude themilkas [email protected]. Valigra isawriterbasedinCambridge, Mass.Reachherat the success ofhiscondensed milk. wasBorden able to make from a fortune rations.field Unlike with his meat biscuit, The process involved apreliminary milk that has been combined with milk thathas been combined with sugar or other extracts. The result degrees Fahrenheit forconcentrated notes was the top its brand selling densed milk.Eagle Brand’s website was Eagle GailBorden con Brand - “spokescow” ElsietheCowwas in- than 147 years. In 1938, now-famous sweetened condensed milk for more troduced. isnow owned Thebrand by theJ.M. Smucker Co. plain concentrated milkandto 56 While popularworldwide now, below 50degrees Fahrenheit for cans thatusually held40quarts, a gauge, transferring itinto tin and thencooling itwithice to consistency regularly with to thepan.Themilkwas heating it, checking heating it, its then evaporated and concentrated bysuper www.foodquality.com ■ - - -

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