Food safety, traceability and sustainability blog

5 Key Takeaways from the 2021 GFSI Conference

Earlier this week, FoodLogiQ had the pleasure of attending and speaking at GFSI’s annual Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Conference, hosted virtually this year. Hundreds of delegates and speakers from leading brands and organizations across the globe met to discuss the evolution, state and future of food safety between March 23 and 25. Known as one of the world’s most important conversations around food safety, the 2021 GFSI Conference focused on the theme “Food Safety: Rethink, Reset, Recharge,” and featured a wide range of sessions showcasing how each of these elements has been critical to the state of food safety, especially  through the supply chain disruption brought on by COVID-19.

Tech-Enabled Auditing in a Post-Pandemic World

Streamlined auditing is becoming a more central aspect of modern food safety compliance. Don't miss FoodLogiQ's upcoming demo on how to conduct tech-enabled audits.

Food safety audits are an essential practice for monitoring, managing and upholding product consistency, brand quality and regulatory compliance. Whether executed internally, assigned to suppliers or completed by a third party, audits enable food brands to proactively identify and resolve issues to continuously deliver on brand promise and uphold consumer trust.

RFID and Supply Chain Digitization in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety

Zebra Technologies and FoodLogiQ discuss how RFID is shaping the modernization of the food supply chain, and what food system stakeholders are doing to prepare for new regulations.

Last year, the FDA launched a new forward-looking campaign to drive long term adoption and consensus around supply chain modernization. The New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative is a major step towards building a tech-enabled food system through incremental changes in culture, proliferation of new technologies and clarity around interoperable standards. Many of these changes will soon be codified in updates to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) section 204, which have been outlined in a proposed traceability rule published in September 2020.

Longtime partners FoodLogiQ and Zebra Technologies recently released new functionality as part of the FoodLogiQ Connect Winter Release in order to achieve a more efficient and effective food technology ecosystem. FoodLogiQ Director of Content and Growth Marketing Anna Ploegh sat down with Zebra Technologies Director of RFID Business Development Susan Flake and FoodLogiQ VP of Supply Chain Strategy and Insights Julie McGill to discuss how RFID is shaping the modernization of the food supply chain, as well as how supply chain digitization will enable food companies to better participate in the New Era.

Streamlining Product Withdrawal Resolution with FoodLogiQ's New Recall + Response Functionality

The food and beverage manufacturing industry is no stranger to the commonality of product removals and withdrawals. On the contrary, leading food manufacturers and distributors execute and respond to product removal and recall events on a frequent basis – often several times a day. In addition, research shows that recalls in the U.S. have risen over the past decade. According to a report released by the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), the total number of food recalls in the U.S. increased by 10% between 2013 and 2018. Meat and poultry incidents rose by 67% during this time frame, and Class I recalls of meat and poultry increased by 83%.

FoodLogiQ Commentary on the FDA's FSMA 204 Proposed Rule

In September 2020, the FDA released a long awaited proposed rule update to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) section 204. This week the period for public comments on the rule officially closed, marking a deadline for organizations and businesses to provide feedback and guidance on the drafted record keeping requirements. Read an abridged version of FoodLogiQ's comments on the traceability rule below.