The restaurant industry has always struggled with high levels of employee turnover. And especially since the onset of labor disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the need to employ and train new and temporary workers has escalated to record-breaking levels. For example, in 2022, only 54% of QSR employees worked for 90 days before quitting.Some economic forecasters predict that labor deficiencies in...

Written by SmartSense | September 17, 2024 | Food Safety, HACCP, FSMA, Food Service

In its conventional usage, “sushi” refers to the popular Japanese delicacy in which cooked rice is formed with raw fish. Well-known variations include nigiri, maki, and hand rolls, made either manually using bamboo mats or mechanically using specialized tools.Both of sushi's main components—raw fish and acidified rice—are highly perishable and prone to pathogens that can cause outbreaks of foodborne illness....

Written by SmartSense | August 21, 2024 | Food Safety, HACCP, Supply Chain, Grocery, Food Service

Worldwide climate change is indisputable. Rising temperatures and the risk of destructive weather patterns are becoming increasingly frequent. Consequently, natural disasters such as droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes are having a devastating impact on global and domestic supply chains.Preparing for the inevitability of climate-related business disruptions has become the “new normal” for grocers,...

Written by SmartSense | July 30, 2024 | FSMA, Supply Chain, Data, Innovation

IoT-enabled Sensing-as-a-Service solutions offer valuable insights and automated, prescriptive workflows that empower employees to protect supply chain assets in real time. In this post, we examine three supply chain networks that clearly demonstrate the benefits of implementing a digitalized monitoring system: retail food service, laboratory research, and vaccine administration.

Written by SmartSense | June 11, 2024 | Food Safety, FSMA, Supply Chain, Vaccines, Data, Innovation, Healthcare

Adding sensors and digital intelligence to physical objects was introduced as early as the 1980s. But it wasn’t until 1999 that Proctor & Gamble computer scientist, Kevin Ashton, coined the term “Internet of Things” (IoT). Since then, a multitude of innovative IoT technologies have been adopted by businesses to track products across the supply chain. During the early years, however, most of these technologies were...

Written by SmartSense | May 22, 2024 | Supply Chain, Data, Innovation