FoodLogiQ

FoodLogiQ Secures New Lead investor

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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FoodLogiQ

FoodLogiQ announced they have secured a lead investor for their new growth strategy, according to a press release. The Series B financing round is led by Renewal Funds, a venture capital firm focused on food and technology companies with strong values and mission.

“Renewal’s focus on food and tech companies at the forefront of social and environmental change aligns perfectly with FoodLogiQ’s mission,” says Dean Wiltse, chief executive officer of FoodLogiQ.

According to the press release, the partnership will help secure funding for FoodLogiQ’s mission “to map the world’s food chain, make it as safe as possible and empower people to make informed decisions about the food they eat.”

“We could not be more pleased to help accelerate the growth of the industry leader in food supply chain traceability, visibility and transparency,” says Paul Richardson, chief executive officer at Renewal Funds. “The platform that FoodLogiQ has built is completely changing the food industry, and Renewal Funds is thrilled to help fuel that change.”

Learn More about BRC & FSMA Readiness

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This video on BRC’s FSMA readiness module is designed to help companies understand how well their facilities are prepared for FSMA. Featuring John Kukoly, Director of BRC’s Americas, the video delivers information on what the program is, how it should be prepared for, expectations for audit time, and how to get started.

Scott Gottlieb, M.D., FDA

FDA Commissioner Announces Steps To Support Produce Safety Rule

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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Scott Gottlieb, M.D., FDA

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., announced the next steps in their approach to implement the Produce Safety Rule that was established by FSMA. During the September 12th speech at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, Dr. Gottlieb outlined new measures the FDA will be taking, including compliance dates for agricultural water standards, recognized water-testing methods, and inspections related to non-water requirements of the produce rule.

According to the press release, Dr. Gottlieb also announced steps the FDA will take to “address concerns related to the complexity and feasibility of implementing standards for agricultural water.” One proposed rule concerning agricultural water compliance dates, if finalized, would extend compliance dates by up to four years for produce other than sprouts.

The press release states the reasoning behind this change is allowing the FDA to revisit those standards, ensuring they are implementable for farmers across the country. Sprouts are an exception here because of their high risk for contamination and will remain subject to original compliance dates.

The announcement also covered key changes to produce farm inspections, water testing methods and training opportunities for producers and regulators. For more information, see the press release here and the full text of Dr. Gottlieb’s speech here.

3M Acquires Elution Technologies in Expansion of Allergen Detection Services

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3M has acquired the company Elution Technologies as of September 7, 2017. The acquisition enables 3M to add a new product to its portfolio that enables food and beverage companies to test for allergens such as peanuts, milk or soy.

“Elution Technologies’ test kits offer proven technology with an easy-to-use design that delivers fast and accurate results for companies offering peanut-free, gluten-free and other specialized foods for people with certain sensitivities and allergies,” said Polly Foss, general manager, 3M Food Safety. “We are pleased to add this technology to our broader food safety offering, and extend these important solutions to food processing companies across the globe.”

Testing for allergens has become increasingly important in the food industry. To find out more about this acquisition, please visit the 3M website.

Compliance, food safety

FDA Releases Small Entity Compliance Guide for Produce Safety Rule

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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Compliance, food safety

Learn more about FSMA implementation strategy at the 2017 Food Safety Consortium | November 28–December 1FDA has released a Small Entity Compliance Guide (SECG) to help small and very small businesses comply with the Produce Safety Rule. The SECG provides assistance for farmers in determining whether they are eligible for a qualified exemption and can help them understand the modified requirements as a result.

The compliance dates under the Produce Safety rule are as follows:

  • Small businesses: January 28, 2019
  • Very small businesses: January 27, 2020
  • Sprout operations: January 26, 2018 (small businesses) and January 28, 2019 (very small businesses)
  • There are also extended compliance dates for certain agricultural water requirements

Results: FSMA IQ Test on Foreign Supplier Verification Program

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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The results are in! A couple of weeks ago, we asked readers to take a survey to test their knowledge of the Foreign Supplier Verification Program, and most passed with flying colors. If you didn’t take the test yet, you can view it here. The following are the results:

  1. You are only required for your foreign suppliers to meet your company requirements. FALSE
    • 89% answered correctly
  2. All required records for each applicable foreign-supplied product must be maintained for each shipment. TRUE
    • 93% answered correctly
  3. Your FSVP does not require that information for each lot of each product under the program be provided. FALSE
    • 84% answered correctly
  4. Just the location of the manufacturer of the product is required for the entity. FALSE
    • 90% answered correctly
  5. Foreign supplied shipments should include records to comprise the listing of all required information. TRUE
    • 91% answered correctly
  6. A qualified foreign supplier must have a Qualified Individual over the manufacturing of food product that is shipped to the United States. TRUE
    • 83% answered correctly
  7. A foreign supplier does not need to be registered under FDA requirements if the shipment of product is going to a registered facility in the United States. FALSE
    • 78% answered correctly
  8. A foreign supplier of food to the United States must ensure that all the requirements of a FSMA Food Safety Plan under cGMP117.126 be met for the manufacture of the food being exported to the United States. TRUE
    • 94% answered correctly
  9. The product information, including COA compliance, is not required for each lot of a product on a foreign-supplied shipment. FALSE
    • 83% answered correctly
  10. A food broker of foreign-supplied product to the United States does not have any responsibility of meeting the FSMA requirements. FALSE
    • 92% answered correctly
Dollar

Pathogens Drive More Than Half of $12 Billion Global Food Safety Testing Market

By Maria Fontanazza
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Dollar

The importance of food safety testing technologies continues to grow, as companies are increasingly testing their products for GMOs and pesticides, and pathogens and contamination. Last year the global food safety testing market had an estimated value of $12 billion, according to a recent report by Esticast Research & Consulting. Driven by pathogen testing technologies, the global food safety testing market is expected to experience a 7.4% CAGR from 2017–2024, hitting $21.4 billion in revenue in 2024, said Vishal Rawat, research analyst with Esticast.

With a CAGR of 9.3% from 2017–2024, rapid testing technologies are anticipated to lead the market. Testing methods responsible for this growth include immunoassays (ELISA), latex agglutination, impedance microbiology, immune-magnetic separation, and luminescence and gene probes linked to the polymerase chain reaction, said Rawat, who shared further insights about the firm’s market projections with Food Safety Tech.

Food Safety Tech: With the GMO food product testing market expected to experience the highest growth in the upcoming future, can you estimate the projected growth?

Vishal Rawat: The GMO food product testing market is estimated to generate a revenue of approximately $5.2 billion in 2016. The market segment is expected to witness a compound annual growth rate of 8.3% during the forecast period of 2017–2024. This is a global market estimation.

FST: What innovations are occurring in product testing?

Rawat: Nanomaterials and nanobased technologies are attracting interest for rapid pathogen testing. Sustainable technologies such as edible coatings or edible pathogen detection composition can attain a trend in the near future. Also, new rapid allergen testing kits are now emerging out as the latest food testing technology in the market, which are portable and easy to use.

FST: Which rapid pathogen detection testing technologies will experience the most growth from 2017–2024?

Rawat: New and emerging optical, nano-technological, spectroscopic and electrochemical technologies for pathogen detection, including label-free and high-throughput methods would experience the highest growth.

FST: What pathogen testing technologies are leading the way for meat and poultry in the United States?

Rawat: The presence of a microbial hazard, such as pathogenic bacteria or a microbial toxin, in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat or poultry products is one basis on which these products may be found adulterated. The FSIS is especially concerned with the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157: H7, and staphylococcal enterotoxins in RTE meat and poultry products. Rapid pathogen testing for E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, for ground beef, steak and pork sausages is going to lead the U.S. market.

An overview of the report, “Food Safety Testing Market By Contaminant Tested (Pathogens, GMOs, Pesticides, Toxins), By Technology (Conventional, Rapid), Industry Trends, Estimation & Forecast, 2015– 2024” is available on Esticast’s website.

FoodLogiQ

FoodLogiQ Launches API Platform to Centralize IoT, Data

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FoodLogiQ

FoodLogiQ has announced the launch of its API as a Service offering within the company’s Connect platform. Companies can use the platform to centralize IoT and blockchain data.

“By connecting the data our customers are gathering in FoodLogiQ with other platforms serving the food industry, our customers will achieve supply chain visibility unlike any other in the industry,” said Dean Wiltse, CEO of FoodLogiQ in a press release. “Whether it is a consumer-facing loyalty app, temperature monitoring sensors, inventory management platforms or grocery delivery services, the food industry requires a centralized technology platform to connect these many complex data sources and reduce redundancies through integrations.”

The service offerings include temperature and location monitoring, blockchain, data pools, business intelligence, and food quality and auditing technology. For more information about FoodLogiQ API as a Service, visit the company’s website.

FSMA

FDA Releases Chapter 6 of Draft Guidance for PC Rule

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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FSMA

Last week FDA released the sixth chapter of the draft guidance, “Draft Guidance for Industry: Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food”. The document aims to assist food facilities in establishing and implementing a heat treatment (i.e., baking or cooking) to prevent bacterial contamination.

Learn more about FSMA compliance at the 2017 Food Safety Consortium | November 28– December 1 | The 60-page draft guidance addresses the use of heat treatments as a process control, providing information on understanding potential hazards, design and validation of the heat treatment, establishing and implementing monitoring procedures (and how often), verification, and record keeping.

FDA states that it intends to publish at least 14 chapters of the guidance. In just two weeks, the compliance date for the preventive controls for human food rule falls for small businesses (fewer than 500 full-time employees).

Question mark

FSMA IQ Test Part I: Foreign Supplier Verification Program

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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Question mark

The FSMA Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) has many elements that must be met. Do you know the correct response to these questions?

Kestrel ManagementWorking with Bill Bremer, principal of food safety compliance at Kestrel Management, LLC, Food Safety Tech is continuing its FSMA IQ test series. Results will be posted monthly in our Food Safety Consortium newsletter leading up to the 2017 event.

Confirm your company’s responsibility in meeting FSMA FSVP compliance by answering True or False.