Food and Beverage Manufacturing Top Stories

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Batter is widely used as a coating for deep-fried foods as well as many other products such as cakes, waffles, biscuits, and pancakes. Depending on the type of food product, the processing objectives and challenges may be different but one thing is certain—food companies strive to meet their requirements of consistent quality and freshness by developing innovative products, while lowering production costs and easing maintenance.

Microbiological contamination in milk and dairy products such as cheese, yogurt or ice cream can have devastating consequences for consumers. Aggressive washdown routines using caustic detergents and high-pressure rinsing are the methods of choice for risk control in production environments in dairies and milk-processing plants worldwide.

Winter is on our doorstep and we need to prepare for a long battle against COVID-19 while keeping businesses afloat and people safe. The imposition of lockdown measures may be required in areas experiencing high positivity rates and where health professionals predict hospitalizations will exceed capacity.  However, there is a middle path where concerns over health and safety gain priority in concert with keeping businesses open.

Even in the U.S. an exhaustive track and trace system, which is available to all participants—including small producers and farms—and additional members in the supply chain, right up to the consumer, has been elusive. The FDA, in its recent proposed rule, "Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods," is a good starting point in defining what kind of data needs to be kept and where new data should originate, but it doesn't get to specifics in implementation.

As the plant-based meat category continues to grow, brands must understand that packaging is an important factor in keeping people coming back for more. Choosing flexible packaging can help align products with consumer preferences and brand initiatives.