Given this fact, you may need to look up as well as down. Did you know that a rodent’s teeth is strong enough to gnaw through cinderblock? Or that they are smart enough to memorize floor plans and solve puzzles, enabling them to find multiple entrances into a facility? Did you know that a female mouse starts reproducing at only six weeks of age and can have up to 180 babies a year? That means there are 180 opportunities per mouse in your facility or home to reproduce, contaminate, and damage your products and property.
Rodent trivia can range from fun and interesting to downright shocking. The fact of the matter is that rodents are strong, agile and smart animals. The intelligence of rats is often ranked among some of the smartest in the animal kingdom. Since rodents can carry over 35 different diseases that are harmful to humans, it is a good reminder for those in food safety that these small skilled creatures require vigilance in order to keep them from spreading pathogens across your facility.
SQF certification validates a contract manufacturer’s ability to produce safe, consistent, and high-quality products. It’s a mark of distinction, which can lead to more business. But to obtain SQF certification, a manufacturer must have effective quality and safety controls.
Well-known food and beverage brands will often turn to contract manufacturers to produce the quality products that their customers expect and enjoy. With their brand names on the line, these brand owners need assurance that their suppliers can deliver safe and high-quality goods and mitigate the looming threat of recalls.
How do they know if they’re working with a reliable contract manufacturer? Well, many will look to see if they hold certifications from a reputable third-party organization, such as the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI). In fact, one in four companies today require that their suppliers have SQF certification, making it one of the most important certifications in contract manufacturing.
SQF certification demonstrates that a supplier has met benchmarked standards—set by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)—for upholding quality and controlling food safety risks. It’s a form of validation of an organization’s ability to consistently produce safe and high-quality products. Contract manufacturers that have SQF certification are more likely to win contracts and can bid for business on a national or global scale. Thus, it presents a clear competitive advantage to those certified in the various levels of SQF certification.
Level 1: The SQF Safety Fundamentals Program is an introduction to food safety standards for small- to medium-sized food suppliers. Ideal for those with low-risk food products, the program doesn’t meet GFSI standards but establishes a foundation for doing so. Suppliers certified at this level typically sell their services to smaller, local purveyors.
Level 2: The SQF Food Safety Program follows GFSI-benchmarked food safety standards. It helps sites implement preventive food safety measures according to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) regulations, which ensure scientific analysis of microbiological, physical and chemical hazards are applied at each step of the supply chain. This level is ideal for businesses that would like to work with purveyors that require adherence to GFSI benchmarked standards.
Level 3: The SQF Food Safety and Quality Program shows an ability to not only contain safety risks through the HACCP system, but also monitor and control threats related to food quality. This highest level of certification is ideal for large-scale producers, manufacturers, food packaging facilities and distributors that have successfully deployed an SQF Food Safety Program and want to go above and beyond in their quality efforts.
While it’s the most demanding of the three, Level 3 certification is what most contract manufacturers should aspire to because it’s required by many of the world’s largest food and beverage brands. In order to attain this level of distinction, contract manufacturers need an effective way to demonstrably meet all GFSI benchmarked standards and readily access their quality data during an audit. This is where statistical process control (SPC) comes in.
The SPC Gamechanger
SPC is a proven methodology for monitoring and controlling quality during the manufacturing process. SPC enables manufacturers to chart real-time quality data against predefined control limits to identify unwanted trends and product or process variations. If there is an issue, timely alerts will notify responsible parties to take remedial action early on, preventing unsafe or poor-quality goods from entering the supply chain and triggering a recall. This establishes strong controls for food quality and safety in accordance with a Level 3 SQF Program. Audits also become a breeze, as all historical data are stored digitally in a centralized repository. Suppliers can thereby quickly and easily produce auditor-requested reports showing compliance with SQF requirements and GFSI standards.
Statistical process control (SPC) is a method for monitoring and controlling quality during the manufacturing process. Image courtesy of InfinityQS
But beyond quality monitoring and facilitating audits, SPC can deliver greater impact by providing suppliers with analytical tools useful for mining historical data for actionable insights. They can run comparative analyses of the performance of different lines, products, processes, or even sites, revealing where and how to further reduce risk, improve consistency, streamline operations, and lower production costs. In this way, SPC lends itself to a profit-positive business model—driving additional savings through process improvement while increasing new business opportunities through contracts won via SQF certification.
A Snacking Success
One contract manufacturer of savory and healthy snacks previously struggled with large variations in product quality. These inconsistencies often resulted in quality holds or process aborts that generated high waste and costs. By implementing SPC, the snack supplier was able to take advantage of a wide range of data—including incoming receiving tracking and quality inspection tracking—to finetune its production processes with effective controls for food quality and safety. In addition to a 30% reduction in customer complaints, SPC has helped the supplier realize a $1 million reduction in product waste and attain Level 3 SQF certification, the latter of which has generated continued new business from several well-known snack food brands.
This snack supplier is a clear example of SQF certification as a competitive differentiator. Working with such SQF-certified and SPC-powered contractors is important to food and beverage brands because they can protect their reputations and ensure continued customer retention by way of safe, consistent, high-quality products. Ultimately, it builds greater trust and integrity in the supply chain among companies and consumers alike.
Find records of fraud such as those discussed in this column and more in the Food Fraud Database. Image credit: Susanne Kuehne
Nearly 800 tons of minced meat worth more than $5.5 million was adulterated in a way where the meat was replaced with soy, beef fat, animal skin and starch. The meat was supplied from Poland and sold in France to charitable organizations like the Red Cross. The ingredients, which were of very low quality, did not pose a health risk, however, altered the taste and texture of the meat; an investigation is ongoing.
Food processing is a multi-trillion dollar industry that encompasses facilities such as bakeries, meat and poultry plants, bottling lines, dairies, canneries and breweries. For all of these food processing plants a commercial flooring system is essential for maintaining a hygienic environment. Few areas of a plant provide as much opportunity for the spread of bacteria, mold, fungi and dust as the floor. Hazardous materials from a contaminated floor can easily be spread from worker’s shoes and mobile equipment. Food processing plants present a unique set of challenges that require careful consideration of floor properties and installation.
Food processing plants floors are subjected to constant, high concentrations of salt, alkaline and oil compounds that substantially degrade the floor and thereby risk food contamination and facility shutdown. These compounds can come from common food production by-products like oils, fats, dairy products, sugar solutions, blood, and natural acids or from harsh cleaners and disinfectants. Even with frequent and thorough cleaning these substances can—and will—result in microbial growth and the spread of bacteria in untreated concrete or poorly installed resinous flooring.
A commercial flooring system is critical to maintaining a hygienic environment in a food processing plant. (Image courtesy of High Performance Systems)
Cleaning floors is an essential part of maintaining food processing operations to keep up with government standards. A proper floor coating is a necessity for dealing with the vigorous, harsh cleaning procedures that typically include very hot water and aggressive cleaning chemicals. Depending on the exposure to corrosive, temperature and moisture conditions a thin film coating may suffice; however, in most cases, a thick, durable floor coating is needed to endure the cleaning operations. If too thin of a coating is used the repeated barrage of high pressure, high-temperature hot water and steam will strip the floor coating. Only an experienced flooring professional can determine the proper floor coating for a facility.
In addition to the properties of the floor coating, proper installation is essential for maintaining a hygienic, safe facility. If a floor is not seamless even the best floor coatings are vulnerable to germ buildup within gaps and cracks. To prevent harmful substance accumulation, a seamless coving transition from the floor to the wall is needed. Not only does that make the floors unsanitary, but it also can spread to other parts of the facility, equipment and product. Coving also aids in the cleaning process by allowing for hosing around the sides and corners of the room where germ buildup is most common.
An often-overlooked—yet critical—aspect of floor installation is having the proper pitch to promote water drainage. Having pools of water is not only dangerous for workers but for product safety. Such an examples of this issue is the Listeria outbreak at cantaloupe producer Jensen Farms, which led to 33 fatalities, 143 hospitalized victims, and ultimately, the end of their business. In the 2011 FDA released a report that focused on “Factors Potentially Contributing to the Contamination of Fresh, Whole Cantaloupe Implicated in the Multi-State Listeria monocytogenes Foodborne Illness Outbreak”. The conclusion was reached that the leading cause of Listeria spreading was due to a poorly constructed packing facility floor that was difficult to clean and allowed water to pool. The best way to prevent a similar situation at your plant is to make sure you get an experienced flooring expert, who understands your facility’s needs, to choose a floor with the right properties and to properly install it.
Find records of fraud such as those discussed in this column and more in the Food Fraud Database. Image credit: Susanne Kuehne.
Booze bootleggers are still quite active since there is a lot of money exchanging hands in the high-end wine and liquor business. Fake premium Penfolds wines, which can fetch several hundred dollars per bottle, as well as acclaimed brands of adulterated whisky, were discovered and seized in a liquor store in Cambodia. Besides the fake beverages, the raid also uncovered fake labels and packaging materials.
Find records of fraud such as those discussed in this column and more in the Food Fraud Database. Image credit: Susanne Kuehne.
In many parts of India, mustard oil is widely consumed as an edible oil and for ceremonial use, and is a target for adulterations for economic gain. In a test of 20 samples, 80% of the samples were adulterated. Adulterants, some of them hazardous to human health, often consist of cheaper oils such as palm or sesame seed oil, as well as added dyes or flavor components. Tests were made using TLC Chromatography, nitric acid test, azo dye test and other test methods.
Bird droppings and nesting materials, if allowed to accumulate over time, can cause severe damage to building facades, ledges, loading docks, walkways, roofs and more. Building materials such as stone, wood and metal can be damaged due to the acidity of the bird droppings. And in extreme cases, a buildup of bird droppings can impact the structural integrity of a structure. Also, roof drains can become clogged, and fire hazards from packed nesting materials around electrical fixtures can develop. Not to mention all the possible diseases that can result from disturbing bird droppings! Rather than waiting until these bird problems develop and result in potentially expensive remediation, in most cases, it will be cheaper to consider bird prevention design elements beforehand—specifically, in the design-build stage (ideally) or the retrofit stage (alternatively).
Before we can review the building design elements, it is best to review the types of areas that birds prefer to land, roost and nest. This way, when considering a design element, considering the kinds of spaces they prefer to set up camp will make more sense.
90-Degree Ledges
Building ledges
Decorative elements
Truck bay bumpers
Knee Walls (parapet ledges)
Typical construction around most commercial buildings
Roof structure types
Flat based surface areas
Covered Overhangs
Loading docks
Building canopies
Interior building structures
Roofing Equipment
Under HVAC units
Ductwork
Roof equipment
Water Sources
Retention ponds
Decorative fountains
Any water source (natural or otherwise)
Food Sources
Fruit trees
Trash removal
Container practices
Proximity to building
Light Fixtures and Electrical Items
These items provide warmth
These items provide elevated areas to survey area and avoid predators
In the design-build phase of the project, when we work with architects, we always recommend decreasing the number of 90-degree ledges or reducing the ledge depth surface area as much as possible. In those areas that we are not able to reduce or eliminate the ledge, we would recommend a landing-based deterrent product such as a bird spike, bird wire, ledge exclusion system or electrified shock-based bird control product. Each of these types of bird deterrent items has different pros and cons.
Bird spikes (All images courtesy of Aviaway Bird Control Services & Consulting)
Bird Spikes
Bird spikes are a type of bird deterrent/and anti-roosting device that will make it hard for a bird to land on a leading ledge and close its wings as it walks onto the ledge surface. When a bird’s landing process is made more difficult, combined with a reduction of the surface landing area, the birds will be deterred from the leading ledge area. Most types of bird spikes have thin metal/plastic rods that are attached to a solid base that point in an upward direction. Bird spikes come in various widths depending upon the surface ledge width area. Bird spikes can be mounted to just about any ledge/surface. Bird spikes can be installed on numerous types of building ledge types and sizes. Bird spikes can be an effective deterrent on gutters, signs, rooflines, cameras, pipes, parapet/knee walls, and related building surfaces.
A con of using bird spikes is that bird spikes are primarily designed to deter larger birds like pigeons. Smaller birds such as sparrows or starlings will not be deterred with bird spikes. A smaller bird can move within and around the rods to use the rods to hold nesting materials within the strands of rods to hold their nesting materials within the bird spike to create a nest. Another con is that larger quantities of bird spikes are unappealing to the building aesthetics.
Bird wire
A bird wire system is a combination of stainless-steel posts that are either epoxied or tapped and drilled into the surface area (typically mortar lines/joints). After the stainless-steel post is mounted, a thin monofilament stainless steel wire is secured between the posts with a micro-spring. The wire is tensioned between the two posts. As pigeons or larger birds attempt to land on treated areas, they will not be able to close their wings and thus will be deterred from landing on treated areas.
A con of using bird wire is that it is typically only effective against larger birds.
Ledge exclusion
Ledge Exclusion
The goal is to turn a 90-degree angle into a 45-degree angle. When you have a ledge that has a base landing area and a return wall area, this allows birds a great shelter area and an ability to survey surroundings. By creating a 45-degree angle, you take a bird’s ability to land and get a foothold and land on the surface. The product is effective for larger birds such as pigeons and smaller birds, too.
The only real con of the changing the ledge structure is matching the building finish. However, this is the best bird exclusion method that is effective against all bird species.
Shock Track
Shock track is a low-profile shock track system with a minimalist low profile, and virtually invisible solution to deter and prevent birds from landing, roosting or nesting on building ledge-based surfaces. The shock track system will deliver a mild/startling electric shock when the bird contacts the strip. Shock track systems are a great option when building/structural aesthetics are a key factor for the facility.
For larger areas such as loading docks, canopies, and related covered structures, netting is the main bird exclusion method.
A few cons for a shock system are that at times, you may have some arcing with heavy snow or water collection when connection area of the strips make contact, and this system is typically only effective against larger birds.
Bird netting
Bird Netting
Bird netting is an exclusion method of bird control. It is intended to be installed on buildings, loading docks, warehouses, airport hangers, transportation facilities, barns, food silos, over building exteriors, balconies, parking garages, rooftops, HVAC units, bridges, agricultural crop applications, ponds, and any other surface that netting hardware can be installed. Bird netting is the best method for excluding all pest bird types. Specifically, seagulls, pigeons, sparrows, starlings, and crows can all be excluded from bird netting.
Bird exclusion netting will prevent birds from gaining entry above any areas that are netted off. It excludes pest birds from roosting and nesting. There are various types of netting and mesh sizes. When selecting the type of netting and mesh size, it is critical to both the target pest bird and where the netting is being installed.
By far, bird netting the best bird exclusion method to control all bird species. The only con of bird netting is that depending upon the application, and the cost can be expensive.
In conclusion, when considering the design-build phase or a retrofit project, the aforesaid areas that are attractive to birds to land, roost and nest should be considered. In most cases, birds can be prevented with a bit of planning.
Remember to also consider surrounding areas (proximity of birds), acceptable pest bird threshold levels, reducing all food and water sources, and closing off all possible entry points. The goal is to not only prevent the birds from setting up shop on the building, but we want to try to keep them an acceptable distance away, too.
Find records of fraud such as those discussed in this column and more in the Food Fraud Database. Image credit: Susanne Kuehne.
Spices claim high prices and are a popular target for food fraud. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Food Autority discarded 5,000 kg of adulterated spices in a Pakistan, and legal action will be taken against the perpetrators. The fraudulent additions included inedible items and unauthorized food colors.
Find records of fraud such as those discussed in this column and more in the Food Fraud Database. Image credit: Susanne Kuehne.
For more than three years, more than 100,000 pounds of giant squid from Peru was imported into the United States by a father-son duo who owned two Long Island food processing and distribution companies, and then marketed the squid as the more expensive octopus. The mislabeled seafood was worth over $1 million, and 10 grocery stores were defrauded during this time period. This kind of fraud carries steep fines and a possible five-year prison sentence.
Find records of fraud such as those discussed in this column and more in the Food Fraud Database. Image credit: Susanne Kuehne.
Honey is a popular item for adulteration, and honey with a specific botanical source is seen as a more valuable product. The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority took samples of organic Spanish lavender honey in a Czech supermarket, and analyzed the pollen. The analysis showed that the honey was from alternative botanical sources and certainly not lavender.
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