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Articles by Laura Mushrush
Part four: Tips for working with remote auditors
In part four of this four-part series with SafetyChain Software, Food Safety News reviews how companies and auditors should work together to achieve a more effective remote audit. In an industry that still relies on hard-copy records and face-to-face business, navigating COVID-19 has pushed more food companies into embracing new working systems. Included in this mix are remote auditing methods. Their use has been limited due to companies preferring regular onsite visits.
Part three: Preparing for your remote audit | Food Safety News
In part three of this four-part series with SafetyChain Software, Food Safety News outlines critical steps companies should take to prepare for a remote audit. As new technologies and work methods make their way into the food industry, companies have the option to step away from traditional in-person auditing processes and switch to a remote audit.
Part Two: Assessing your business for a remote audit | Food Safety News
Editor’s note: In part two of this four-part sponsored series with SafetyChain Software, Food Safety News looks at how food companies can be assessed for a remote audit.
Part One: Stay in compliance with remote auditing | Food Safety News
In part one of this four-part series with SafetyChain Software, Food Safety News explores the role of remote auditing during the COVID-19 era. What is a remote audit? A remote audit is conducted partially or entirely off-site. Even during the COVID era with limited travel and reduced access for onsite inspection, it still covers everything that an onsite audit does but uses technology to reinforce the process.
Part Four: Strategic deployment crucial to success of OEE blueprint
Editor’s note: This is part four of a four-part series on understanding and implementing overall equipment effectiveness strategy. This series is sponsored by SafetyChain Software. While the concept of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is straightforward, the rollout can cause huge disruptions if not done strategically.
Food Safety News
Editor’s note: This is part two of a four-part series on understanding and implementing overall equipment effectiveness strategy. This series is sponsored by SafetyChain Software. When it comes to food manufacturers improving plant efficiency using overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), simply looking at output figures is not enough, says Clara Gavriliuc, Vice President of Data Analytics for SafetyChain Software.
Part One: You may not fully understand OEE, but you care about it
Editor’s note: This is part one of a four-part series on understanding and implementing overall equipment effectiveness strategy. This series is sponsored by SafetyChain Software. For many food manufactures, the concept of measuring overall equipment effectiveness, aka OEE, is a common strategy to track output efficiency. However, if not fully understood or analyzed properly, companies can be suffering significant economic losses due to operational inefficiencies that are hidden in the data.
Food Safety News
Editor’s note: This is part of a series on food safety costs for businesses. The series is sponsored by CERTUS Food Safety. This piece explores considerations when choosing a pathogen testing program. It’s pretty simple – food compromises are bad for business, says Chief Scientific Officer Douglas Marshall, Ph.D., CFS for Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories Inc.
How do I test thee? Let me count the ways
Editor’s note: This is part of a series on food safety costs for businesses. The series is sponsored by CERTUS Food Safety. This piece explores different pathogen testing methods for environmental monitoring. As food safety regulations have improved and increased within the last decade, a technology boom has given the industry access to more accurate and efficient pathogen testing methods, says Erin Crowley, chief scientific officer for Q Laboratories Inc.
Developing effective sanitation practices requires strategy and teamwork | Food Safety News
Editor’s note: This is part of a series on food safety costs for businesses. The series is sponsored by CERTUS Food Safety. This piece explores the development of effective sanitation practices.
In-house pathogen testing reduces time and cost resource | Food Safety News
Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a series on food safety costs for businesses. The series is sponsored by CERTUS Food Safety. This piece explores the question: Are hidden costs eating away business profits? When analyzing the cost required to run a profitable food processing facility, expenses like staff, equipment, and facility maintenance tend to be the most carefully examined.
Easing the growing pains of going digital with food safety records | Food Safety News
Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment of a four-part series on electronic record keeping enhancing companies’ food safety efforts. The series is sponsored by PAR Technologies. It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” digital platforms will be required for food safety records, says Matthew Botos, CEO of food safety software company ConnectFood.Com.
Food Safety News
Editor’s note: This is the third installment of a four-part series on how companies can use electronic record keeping to enhance food safety efforts. The series is sponsored by PAR Technologies. As companies transition from paper-based food safety records to digital platforms, managing the increased amount of data can become challenging, especially when passing it up and down the supply chain in a usable format.
Digital records bring greater food safety, management benefits
Editor’s note: This is the second installment of a four-part series on how companies can use electronic record keeping to enhance food safety efforts. The series is sponsored by PAR Technologies. “Today’s food supply chains have an inherent weakness: individual parties are using disparate digital systems, different technologies, and paper-based processes to bridge the gaps,” says Premal Bhatt, QA and Food Safety SME.
Break up with paper; commit to digital; embrace food safety
Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a four-part series on electronic recording keep to enhance food companies’ food safety efforts. The series is sponsored by PAR Technologies. Whether it be for improved business management, safeguarding against food safety compromises or ticking all the boxes to keep the FDA at bay, record keeping is the backbone to a food company keeping the lights on and remaining in operation.
HACCP Principle No. 5: Establish, execute corrective actions
Editor’s note: This is the fifth of a seven-part series on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points sponsored by PAR Technologies. There are seven HACCP principles outlined by the Food and Drug Administration to serve as a guideline for creating a systematic approach in the identification, evaluation and control of food safety hazards. Once a company falls out of compliance with its HACCP plan, it becomes at risk for having to issue a food recall.
HACCP Principles: No. 4 Details matter — as does training | Food Safety News
“Who is going to measure it?” “How are they going to do it?” These are just a few of the questions a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points team needs to answer when establishing monitoring procedures for a food safety plan, says Donna Schaffner.
Food safety compromises can carry costly consequences | Food Safety News
Editor’s note: This is the fourth of a four-part series on technology and food safety sponsored by PAR Technologies. Fourth-eight million — 48,000,000 — that’s how many people the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates become sick from foodborne illness each year in the United States. Another 128,000 people end up hospitalized and about 3,000 people die. Exact figures are hard to pinpoint because so many foodborne illness incidents are not reported.
Lack of food safety knowledge can be a problem for retailers | Food Safety News
Editor’s note: This is the third of a four-part series on technology and food safety sponsored by PAR Technologies. Pizza, meatloaf, pasta salad, deli sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, a full Chinese food buffet – and yes, even sushi are common fan favorites found in supermarket café’s and deli section for grocery shoppers wanting to dine in or pick up a quick and easy meal while grocery shopping.
Traceability, it's what's for breakfast, lunch and dinner | Food Safety News
Editor’s note: This is the second of a four-part series on technology and food safety sponsored by PAR Technologies. GMO Free. Organic. Free Range. Grass-Fed. Gluten Free. Locally Grown. Cruelty Free. Product of this state. Product of that state – as grocery shoppers continually become more consciences of the products they drop into their carts, who is responsible for backing source claims made by food companies and retailers?
Rise of technology in food safety | Food Safety News
Editor’s note: This is the first of a four-part series on technology and food safety sponsored by PAR Technologies. pH meters, infrared thermometers, wearable prompting guides and automatic cleaning systems are just a few of the many technology advancements the food industry has seen in the last 20 years says NSF’s Rade Jankovic, Senior Account Manager of Retail Food Services.
Omnichannel ops and IOT | Food Safety News
Editor’s note: This is Part 3 of a special series sponsored by Par Technologies Corp. Read Part 4 on Sept. 25. With just a few taps on a smartphone, a week’s worth of groceries is ordered for a family and delivered right to their door. For them, their grocery store’s adoption of the omnichannel approach to streamline in-store and online shopping experiences is about convenience and quick service.
Total Disconnect: The chasm between consumers and science widens
Editor's note: The following article was featured in the June issue of PORK Network magazine. Climate change, genetically modified organisms, animal research and pesticides have long proven to be the center of much debate amongst the common public. Is it real? Are they safe? Is it moral? In a recent poll by Pew Research Center, distinct disconnect between public and scientists’ views on science and society came to the surface with those topics.
Ranch succession-planning series: Getting the conversation started
From the June/July issue of Drovers CattleNetwork. Regardless, without a solid, thought-out succession plan, the chance of the family operation surviving multiple generations is slim. Unexpected accidents may happen, leaving behind chaos; family members may not always see eye-to-eye, resulting in legal fights and destroyed relationships; younger generations may not be equipped to take over when older generations are ready to exit; and the list goes on.
Unusual cattle markets
This makes markets unusually difficult to figure out. There is considerable variability in views across the industry about the current and coming fed cattle market for the remainder of 2015. And for good reason; we are seeing extremes in conditions and behavior that are clouding the picture. The April 1 cattle on feed inventory was essentially unchanged from one year ago. However the makeup of that inventory was unique in several respects.
Three things to expect during unannounced FDA inspections | Food Safety News
It’s not a question of if, but when, officials with the Food and Drug Administration will show up at any given food company for an unannounced inspection, with any violations outlined in a Form 483 that is handed off to company representatives as inspectors head out the door. While the Form 483 itself is essentially only a notice outlining breaches of regulations, consequences from an incorrect response can lead to criminal charges and shuttered doors.
IoT = Smarter kitchens, smarter business, safer food for all | Food Safety News
Lunch rush is just hitting full swing as a party of four walks into a buzzing fast-casual restaurant for a quick bite. After placing their orders, one of them is handed a coaster sized sensor. Hitting up the soda fountain before finding a seat, the group decides to escape the crowded indoors for the outdoor patio.
On a clear IoT day, you can see data forever and evermore | Food Safety News
It doesn’t matter whether a grower or food packing facility is 5 or 5,000 miles away from Megan Arnold’s office at Robinson Fresh, because within seconds her food safety analysis can begin with pinpointed data at the tips of her fingers. A decade ago, the food sourcing sister to C.H. Robinson, a third-party global logistics giant currently operating in 36 countries, was operating on spreadsheets and watching its growth rapidly outpace the capabilities of its technology.
Is it time to get your head — and data — in the cloud? | Food Safety News
They are everywhere, taking reliable measurements on a rigorous schedule in storage facilities, shipping containers and retail refrigerator units across the globe. From multiple temperatures at pinpoint times during transportation, to appliance maintenance of freezers at the supermarket, massive amounts of data are collected and automatically sent off to a central cloud database.
Don't play Russian roulette with your cattle genetics
A herd sire packs a powerful punch when it comes to the genetic development of a cow herd. An elementary school science lesson and plain common sense teaches the 50:50 relationship when it comes to the creation of offspring — take that logic to the cow pen, and a bad bull = bad calves.
4 tips for smart banking
Concerned about your banking relationships as the farm economy turns south? Here are four tips from banking experts.
Strong economy on beef export market
According to U.S. Meat Export Federation economist Erin Borror, the U.S. has been in a strong-dollar environment for at least the past two years. However, U.S. beef should remain relatively affordable for international customers. “A stronger dollar means that it takes more of an international customer’s currency to purchase U.S. beef and in most cases means our competitors benefit from relatively lower prices due to their weaker currencies.
Increasing interest rates? No need to panic
Just weeks after the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted to increase interest rates by 25 basis points from 0.5% to 0.75% on Dec. 14, producers were beginning to ask what long-term implications are in store for the cattle business. The widely expected interest rate hike was the only one last year, with three more projected 25-point increases to happen in 2017. First off, what triggered the increase?
Nightmare prevention: Comprehensive, compliant records | Food Safety News
Area hospitals in Chicago see a string of illnesses due to E coli O157, with more cases quickly popping up across the state. A look into the sick patients’ activities reveals they all ate sprouts at a popular sandwich chain, triggering an investigation down the supply chain. It isn’t long till the Food and Drug Administration is knocking on the door of the sprout supplier, telling company officials they have 24 hours to turn over a year’s worth of records for the outbreak investigation.
Technology gives transparency to transportation food safety | Food Safety News
There are mountains of it; fresh, nutritious, beautiful — belonging on the finished plates of high-end restaurants, school lunch trays and dinner tables across America. But instead, it’s dumped into landfills to rot into nothing — enough each year to feed 3 billion people.
Contaminated food contaminates consumers' trust | Food Safety News
A breach in food safety is enough to knock restaurants, grocers, retailers and everyone in the supply chain to their knees when contaminated food contaminates the trust consumers have in their products. Take Chipotle Mexican Grill for example, the most recent poster child for damaged customer relationships. In July 2015, the first of six foodborne illness outbreaks hit the fast-casual restaurant chain. The initial bump in the road was an E.
No magic bullet to save cattle market
It’s been a stressful time for cattle producers trying to keep their heads above water in the last several month’s volatile market conditions. Recently, Ag Day Anchor Clinton Griffiths sat down with Chip Nellinger, a risk management consultant and futures market specialist for Blue Reef Agri-Marketing, Inc, coming off the last week of September when live cattle futures dipped below a dollar. The big question: Where are cattle producers at in the markets?
Pinkeye detection and treatment
From the September 2016 issue of Drovers. As grass seeds out with the changing season, pink eye (Moraxella bovis) will be more prevalent in pasture cattle. The bacterial infection can spread fast, says Ronald Trett, The Samuel Roberts Nobel Foundation, causing temporary vision damage and even permanent blindness if not detected early. It is also highly contagious, spread through eye secretions by flies or direct contact.
8 steps to take control of year-round calving in two years
From the September 2016 issue of Drovers. The research is out there and it isn’t new—tightening calving seasons give producers many management and economic benefits. Even so, there are still many producers operating on a year-round calving season. Reining in a calving season can also cause huge management losses if done improperly.
Compare corn and corn distillers grains for supplements
From the September 2016 issue of Drovers. The incoming bumper corn crop projected by USDA for this fall will open doors for producers to use the increased availability of corn and corn distillers grain for cattle feed. According to University of Nebraska-Lincoln cow-calf range management specialist Karla Jenkins, producers need to weigh the differences between the two commodities when using them to supplement pasture cattle.
Caution: Cheap feed = high carcass weights
An incoming bumper crop of corn and soybeans has signaled the market for lower grain prices. But before cattle feeders get excited about cheaper feed, DuWayne Bosse, a livestock hedger for Bolt Marketing, offers a bit of caution. “Cheap feed – that’s what scares the heck out of me,” Bosse says, later adding “Cheap feed usually equals higher carcass weights.” According to him, carcass weights are currently below last year’s level by around 16 lbs. for steers, and weights increased by 2 lb. this week.
I'm A Drover: A good place to prosper
From the September 2016 issue of Drovers. Wind howled through the clearing as rain beat against the truck window. Bob McClaren anxiously stared out in silence with his sister, Janet, and their right hand man, James Burks. In the distance, lights of two cattle pots cut through the darkness, as they made their way up the drive. Stepping out of the pickup, the three were greeted by the cold, November chill of west central Texas and sideways rainfall.
Beef checkoff audits draw legal action
In an ongoing lawsuit filed on October 2014 by the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) against USDA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has recently announced its involvement to intervene after being made aware attorneys for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) filed on behalf of the plaintiff.
2016 cattle market update
Coming into the ninth month of 2016, cattle producers are faced with a tough cattle market, but promising future in commodity purchases for feed. Drovers Editorial Director Greg Henderson caught up with Chip Flory, host of Farm Journal’s Market Rally to discuss what producers can expect for the rest of the year.
Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame: A builder of men
Those close to him say he was tougher than nails, with a fearless business approach and reputation for pushing people to their potential and then some. Under his hard exterior, however, was a distinctive spot of compassion if you knew where to look. A $3,000 investment and a partnership with his brother to purchase a service station business were the foundational beginnings for the late Robert G.
Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame: Nothing but a square deal
Throughout Paul J. Brown’s life, the founder of Cattle Empire and a 2016 inductee into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame, distinct parallels can be drawn between the cattle feeding businessman and the ability to stick it out when times get tough. His test of adaptability began in 1949. At 20 years old, Brown was just out of junior college and in his first year of marriage to his wife, Evelyn, when he started farming wheat in Gray County, Kan., in the southwest part of the state.
Seedstock producers’ guide to contemporary grouping
A lot of time and data goes into computing EPDs—multiple weights and scores are taken for birth, carcass and maternal traits. Each number is run through a series of complex and mind blowing equations to turn raw data into reliable, user-friendly information that can be used to make bull and cow selections based on genetic potential.
Dos and don’ts of contemporary grouping on the ranch
“Contemporary group comparisons are the absolute foundation for all genetic evaluations,” says Marty Ropp, executive officer of Allied Genetic Resources and president of the Beef Improvement Federation.“Proper contemporary groups are crucial because without those comparisons being good and fair, the genetic evaluation loses value.
3 ways to preg check cows
Photo by The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation In order to run an efficient operation, cow-calf producers must know the production status of their cow herd. One basic step is pregnancy checking so the right management decisions can be made on individual cows, such as whether they get to remain in the cow herd or be culled. There are three ways for producers to pregnancy check their cow herd, says Bryan Nichols of The Samuel Roberts Nobel Foundation: Rectal palpation.
There’s a right way and wrong way to fight sexism in ag
The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of AgWeb or Farm Journal Media. The opinions expressed below are the author's own. The first time I lay laid eyes on it, a coworker had shared it on Facebook with the comment of “mansplaining…” Recognizing the column of that from a former editor, I read on with one part humor, three parts irritation.
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