If your company was one of those that used PCA products as an ingredient during the 2009 incident, you know how costly a recall can be. But suppliers in the US aren’t the only ones with iffy ingredients. According to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report (China Food Manufacturing Annual Report) dated February, 4, 2013, frequent reports of food adulteration problems in China continue to erode consumer confidence. In response, food manufacturers are launching new efforts to improve ingredient quality, make use of newer technologies and generally push greater innovation into their product offerings.
There are, of course, objective ways to get a handle on ingredient suppliers. Most important is that they have a HACCP plan. “FSMA is a good step forward for many smaller suppliers as it directs them toward a HACCP-based operation,” says Warren Gilbert, FSS Corp. food safety specialist. This step will help small ingredient suppliers with their internal process and assist everyone involved with brand name protection.