Everyone makes mistakes. Unfortunately, mistakes in food safety can be catastrophic. Brands can be damaged, illness and even death can occur which make it critical that businesses take food safety seriously.
“CDC estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.” – CDC
5 Food Safety Technology Trends
Food safety technology is always evolving and can help companies tackle this crucial concern. Here are 5 technologies a producer should be aware of:
1.) Monitoring automation: Simply put, they’re sensors that are located in your coolers, freezers or other food storage areas.
Food safety technology like sensors can alert and report to you any time the temperature rises above safe holding temps, and can quickly address the problem without having to throw out a freezer full of food. This kind of continuous monitoring helps ensure food is stored safely in a way that manual checks can’t do. With the right software solution they can:
- Collect automated signals and potentially use them to trigger transaction processes
- Monitor your shop-floor without the need for a user
- Collect and record sensor and telemetry data across a series of networked devices
- Automate routine environmental data collection
- Provide and supplement trend-analysis, log sinks and alerts
2.) eLearning: Training in effective food safety techniques is as important as any hardware/software technology. It is widely available and is so quick and easy to deliver, employees only have to take a minute out of their busy schedules to get food safety refreshers. There are hundreds of eLearning venues to choose from all over the world and online.
3.) Inspection Application: Complying with audits, internal and external, can be stressful to be sure. With that said, they don’t have to be filled with dread. A great way to overcome this burden would be to move audits from spreadsheets to a digital easy-access platform. Food safety technology, like food safety software, can help you with automatic HACCP logs, preventing employee fraud, recommending corrective actions and more. Coolearth’s Inspec software solution would be a great example.
4.) Labeling and Reporting: Consistent, clear labeling for prepared foods is an important part of preventing foodborne illnesses. Automated food labeling and reporting inventory at point of production will keep things real-time, accurate and traceable. CaseForge can help here as well.
5.) Light-based: Food safety technology using lights for food safety are becoming more advanced for commercial uses. New UV processes now have a focus within the supply chain. Light-based decontamination devices can be a cost-effective way of decontaminating food surfaces or clear liquids.
Protect Yourself
Avoid the cost and reputation damage of a foodborne illness outbreak. Incidents can turn into lost business – reputations with the possibility of fines and legal fees. We know food safety is stressful, but you now have a partner with many tools to help.
Coolearth’s food safety software allows you to easily record food temperatures, get notified to take corrective actions, set cleaning and maintenance schedules, and require manager sign-offs. With the advancements in food safety software, tracking trends and keeping tabs is easy. To learn more give us a call.
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