Food Safety Tops Agenda at FPSA Operations Conference
September 18, 2009
Members of FPSA (Food Processing Suppliers Association) and the IFT (Institute of Food Technologists) met in Chicago on September 10 to discuss food safety at the Annual Operations Conference of FPSA. The two general session speakers were IFT members, Dr. Katherine Swanson, vice president, Ecolab, and Dr. Joseph Shebuski, director of global safety for Cargill Inc.
Swanson’s presentation, “Food Safety-A Never Ending Quest”, provided a global overview of the food safety issue. “It is estimated”, said Swanson, “that there are over 1 billion cases of food borne illness that result in over 1 million deaths worldwide”. The four major factors contributing to U.S. food borne illness are: food at room temperature for several hours; bare-hand contact by food handler; inadequate cleaning of equipment; and handling by infected person or carrier.
“Supplier understanding of food safety issues is essential”, said Swanson in her concluding remarks, “requiring time, commitment, communication, and training.”
Moving from the general overview to the specific, Dr. Shebuski’s presentation asked, “What is the Food Processing Suppliers’ Role in Ensuring the Safety of Food Products”? The presentation was illustrated by numerous visuals of equipment that, because of improper design, could contribute to food borne illness. He summarized his recommendations to suppliers with the following: