Food safety, traceability and sustainability blog

Exploring the Power of Traceability at the Distribution Solutions Conference

The Distribution Solutions Conference (DSC) conference took place this week, an annual conference produced by the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA). IFDA is an authoritative voice for food distributors, an essential tenet of the food industry: “With a combined annual sales volume of over $300 billion, foodservice distributors are vital drivers of the American economy. IFDA Member Companies play a critical role in the foodservice industry supply chain, delivering food and other products to more than one million professional kitchens every day.”

The First 100 Days of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety

The FDA hosted a webinar this week taking a retrospective look at the first 100 days of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety, in addition to exploring how the initiative and blueprint will continue to build towards its key goals.

FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas led the event, which brought visibility into the two-year roadmap for the agency, and underscored how progress that has already been made fits into the FDA’s broader strategic approach to food safety and technological advancements in the food system, since the New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint was published.

Defining Traceability in the New Era

What do we mean when we talk about traceability? As the industry moves beyond one-up-one-back product tracking, how will we define and standardize transparency within the food system?

As food quality and safety standards evolve, so too do the concepts driving industry innovation. Understanding food traceability, in particular, has been a moving target for years as expectations around transparency between supply chain partners continues to evolve. However, with the FDA’s recent release of proposed FSMA 204 enhanced traceability requirements, consensus is being built around what food traceability means in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety.

30 Minute Listen: Actionable Audits for Enhanced Food Safety ft. EFI

FoodLogiQ Product Marketing Manager Kirstin Meyerhoeffer is joined by EFI Data and Impact Manager Lexie DeGrandChamp for a discussion about auditing best practices, shifting to address changes brought on by COVID-19, finding the right combination of auditing formats and successfully deploying internal audits. Listen to the conversation on actionable audits, hear more about FoodLogiQ’s new internal auditing functionality, and learn how to best utilize quality data to uphold food safety and harness trust in your brand.

Whether executed internally, assigned to suppliers or conducted by a third party, audits enable organizations within the food industry to proactively identify and resolve issues while continuously delivering on brand promise. 

The Equitable Food Initiative’s Data and Impact Manager Lexie DeGrandchamp knows this firsthand. EFI is a nonprofit certification and skill-building organization that seeks to transform agriculture and improve the lives of farmworkers. The organization brings together growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumers to solve the most pressing issues facing the fresh produce industry. Its unparalleled approach sets standards for labor practices, food safety and pest management, while engaging workers at all levels on the farm to produce Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured™ fruits and vegetables.

DeGrandchamp manages data collection and organization from certified farms and participating retail partners, and helps tell the story of EFI’s impact on farms and farmworkers in the Americas. In short, she lives and breathes the troves of auditing data collected across dozens of locations internationally.

Industry Round-up (10/16/20): Third COVID-19 Surge in the US Means Food Industry Must Stay Agile

FoodLogiQ's industry round-ups aggregate the latest updates and resources for businesses navigating the changing food industry. Learn how the industry leaders are adapting to protect and feed consumers, while building resilience in the face of global crisis.

This week the rise in COVID-19 cases has made headlines and renewed focus on how food businesses ought to cope with risk and consumer concerns. As reported in the Atlantic, “The third surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is under way. Outbreaks have been worsening in many states for more than a month, and new COVID-19 cases jumped 18 percent this week, bringing the seven-day average to more than 51,000 cases a day.” While “coronavirus fatigue” is reportedly being felt across the globe, concerns for how to navigate the pandemic safely during winter months—when outdoor gatherings are less practical and seasonal flu peaks—are also increasing.