What’s Right With the Food Industry

The company also has an organic integrity program that involves unannounced visits between certification audits to check for organic compliance. “We also have a scientific advisory panel, with some of the nation’s top food safety scientists, who review our program several times a year and make recommendations,” Daniels said.

At Bram Foods in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, which primarily manufactures seafood products, the company has taken steps to achieve the Marine Stewardship Council certification. It is one of the few small companies to be ISO 22000 certified, according to Navpreet Amole, director of research and development at Bram Foods.

Bram Foods has an in-house microbiology lab where it tests for any possible infectious material, Amole said. In addition, the company ensures traceability of its products and sterilization of the entire process, monitors and regularly tests certain critical control points, and trains employees to understand the importance of food safety.

What More Can Be Done?

Menke-Schaenzer said companies need to continue building partnerships and investing in new technology. More research is required to ensure longer shelf life for the “natural” food products on the market, according to Amole.

Companies must remember the basics, with “a reemphasis on some of the basic quality and food safety principles and programs like HACCP,” Ooton said. “You’ve got to protect that base and then…look for ways to improve traceability from farm to fork and think about sophisticated types of allergen management programs.”

Industry should keep looking to the future, build new capabilities, and recruit new talent who will keep safety a high priority. “How are you growing the best and the brightest minds who want to be in this space, stay in this space, and help you find those new technologies?” Ooton said.

“The food industry knows that we’re responsible,” Menke-Schaenzer said. “We understand that we have to seek new technologies, that we have to keep our roofs from leaking and have all the right tools and the best education possible. We do take that responsibility seriously, and we keep that front and center.

“It takes diligence every day. It’s not just talk; it’s actions behind the talk.” ■

DiMarcantonio is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. Reach her at [email protected].