The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls for Human Food identifies four types of preventive controls. The first two types of preventive controls, Process Preventive Controls and  Food Allergen Preventive Controls were discussed in my October and November, 2016 columns respectively. The Preventive Controls for Human Food regulation also requires documented Sanitation Preventive Controls. […]

Part 4: Facilities and Equipment To consistently produce safe foods, facilities and equipment must be designed and maintained properly.  Some equipment may also be needed to support important food safety monitoring and verification activities. Design Cleaning and sanitation are important considerations when designing facilities or purchasing equipment.  Process, air and worker flow are essential design […]

Heat exchangers have long been a vital tool for pasteurization, sterilization, and other food processing needs. And while the technology is mature, there’s still plenty of innovation happening. To learn more about it, we talked with Melissa Fryer, an engineer with 20 years’ experience and a food industry veteran who’s currently a manager for the […]

By now, we all know that FSMA is shifting focus from response to prevention when it comes to food safety. As processing companies prepare for FSMA compliance, many are looking for direction on best practices for sanitation and hygiene. We talked with Darin Zehr, the general manager of Commercial Food Sanitation (an Intralox Company) and […]

Considerations for Validation of Thermal Processes used in the Manufacture of Low Moisture Foods Recent outbreaks/recalls due to Salmonella in low-moisture foods, and pending FSMA Preventive Controls rules, make processing interventions an imperative to ensure product safety. Technologies including, ’legacy’ technologies previously designed to achieve quality outcomes, but not designed as ‘kill steps’ (e.g., drying […]

When you think about industrial-scale food preservation, it’s unlikely that old-fashioned Mason jars come to mind. Until relatively recently, however, most food manufacturers relied on processes similar to traditional canning. While such hot-fill methods produce shelf-stable products, they necessitate expensive packaging and can compromise product integrity.  Enter aseptic processing and packaging. This ever-growing technology has […]

In recent months, we’ve looked at how food processing companies are preparing for FSMA implementation by investing in sanitary design. Equipment that ensures safe processing and clean-up is essential to a sanitary operating environment. But what about the products that actually get the cleaning done — the chemicals and detergents, even the water used to […]