May 2020 | Food Engineering

In the May 2020 issue of Food Engineering, our focus is on safety. From emergency planning to day-to-day operations such as cleaning and sanitation, we bring you tips on how to keep your workers and your customers safe.

Don't overlook safety issues such as slips and falls, PPE and cleaning/sanitizing during the pandemic

Sharon Spielman

May 12, 2020

Food and beverage employees on the front line need to remain safe and healthy to continue to bring the food and beverage supply to the masses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crisis preparedness

What food and beverage processors need to know about a disaster recovery plan

Rose Shilling

May 1, 2020

Let’s explore some ways to strengthen your facilities’ emergency planning and act decisively when the next crisis happens—or even to help as you adapt during the remainder of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Protecting against physical violence

Wayne Labs

May 11, 2020

While we can't pretend to cover in one article what an entire publication devoted to security does, we will look at some key pointers in keeping employees safer in the workplace.

Site Selection

3 keys to site selection for food and beverage facilities

Site characteristics, hazards and ongoing pandemic affect the process

Casey Laughman

May 11, 2020

When processors work with design-build firms to identify sites for and begin work on new construction projects, safety concerns traditionally involve factors such as ingress/egress, law enforcement and fire/EMS coverage and electrical and mechanical hazards. But the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and potential disaster scenarios add another layer of complexity to the process.

Engineering R&D

Omnichain's predictive analytics inform decisions

Wayne Labs

May 8, 2020

Though relatively new, blockchain distributed ledger technology (DLT) applied in food and beverage can speed up tracebacks from days to seconds. One innovator—Pratik Soni, founder and CEO of Omnichain—is already taking blockchain technologies to the next level.

Social distancing at a Gray construction site meeting

Editor's Note

Although coronavirus dominates the headlines, other safety concerns still matter

Casey Laughman

May 12, 2020

Day-to-day operations are still the highest priority, even as food and beverage processors work to protect employees and contractors from coronavirus.

Food Safety

Keeping employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic

Richard F. Stier

May 4, 2020

Given the ongoing issues with the COVID-19 virus and the reactions by government, which is treating the ongoing battle as if it was a war, the food industry is going to have to step forward.

Manufacturing News

FDA takes measures to promote the microbiological safety of leafy greens

Wayne Labs

May 4, 2020

To combat recurring food safety issues, FDA has come up with a plan for 2020, called the "2020 Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan."

Regulatory Watch

FDA issues final guidance during COVID-19 outbreak

Sharon Spielman

May 4, 2020

The FDA has issued final guidance for industry entitled "Temporary Policy Regarding Preventive Controls and FSVP Food Supplier Verification Onsite Audit Requirements During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency."

Regulatory Watch

Proposed rule to increase onion assessment rate

Sharon Spielman

May 4, 2020

The USDA has issued a proposed rule which would increase the assessment rate from $0.10 per 50-pound bag or equivalent of Walla Walla sweet onions handled to $0.15 per 50-pound bag or equivalent of Walla Walla sweet onions handled for the 2020 and subsequent fiscal periods.

Coronavirus

FDA eases nutrition labeling rules to help processors sell restaurant food

Restaurants also could sell some ingredients without nutrition labels to customers, retailers

Rose Shilling

March 27, 2020

The FDA is relaxing nutrition labeling requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow manufacturers to sell some packaged food that restaurants aren’t buying to retailers experiencing surging demand.

Packaging

Sun-Maid targets millennials with package refresh

Rose Shilling

May 1, 2020

Sun-Maid modernized its logo and packaging graphics for raisins and other fruit snacks to appeal to millennials and highlight key clean label benefits.

Packaging

Killing pathogens inside cut fruit and vegetable packages

Rose Shilling

May 5, 2020

A new technology for sealed packages of fresh cut produce releases an anti-pathogenic agent inside the container to protect against bacteria, fungi and viruses.

People & Industry News

People and Industry News: May 2020

May 4, 2020

Announcements about new hires, staff promotions, association news, awards, mergers and acquisitions.

Plant Openings

Plant Openings & Expansions: May 2020

May 4, 2020

Announcements about new food and beverage plant construction projects, plant renovations and plant expansions.

New Plant Products

Liquid chromatography system

May 6, 2020

Food labs can optimize routine testing and quality control workflows with the Vanquish Core HPLC system, which automatically monitors and tracks mobile phase consumption and waste accumulation.

New Plant Products

X-ray system for packaged foods

May 6, 2020

Model EPX100-S is a compact next generation X-ray system for packaged foods and other consumer goods.

New Plant Products

Dust collector replacement filters

May 6, 2020

HemiPleat filters use a patented pleating technology that exposes more filter media to the air.

New Plant Products

Brakes, clutches for food and beverage processing applications

May 6, 2020

The oil shear design allows millions of cycles with no adjustment or maintenance required.

New Plant Products

Bulk bag filling system from Flexicon

May 6, 2020

Featuring dual Swing-Down fillers fed by high capacity weigh hoppers, the system can achieve fill rates of up to 40 bulk bags per hour.

New Plant Products

Surface screening test

May 5, 2020

InSite L. mono Glo is a self-contained, environmental sampling and screening test for listeria species and Listeria monocytogenes for environmental monitoring in food processing facilities after cleaning.

New Plant Products

Mobile inline rotor/stator homogenizers

May 5, 2020

Model HSM-410—with 1-250 HP to accelerate mixing, emulsification and homogenization in both recirculation and continuous modes—is designed to handle viscosities up to 20,000 cP.

New Plant Products

Dry sanitation for footwear

May 5, 2020

DryZap! scans pulsed UV light across the bottom of footwear through quartz glass to kill pathogens.

New Plant Products

In-line ultrasonic flowmeters

May 5, 2020

The QCT Series of inline ultrasonic flow meters for low viscosity liquid applications includes sizes of 1/8 inch to 1 inch.

New Plant Products

CIP conveyor option

May 5, 2020

Clean-in-place option for sanitary conveyors assists cleaning of processing lines that convey high-risk food safety products, such as dairy, eggs, meat, poultry, fish and seafood.

On Demand Kelley Rodriguez, Editor in Chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, will be joined in this 60-minute webinar by industry experts to help unpack the latest research.

On Demand Driven by climate goals, business risk, client interest, and resilience considerations, food and beverage companies are increasingly turning their attention to decarbonizing their production processes.