Food safety programs are broken. They are largely paper based, and lag behind technological innovations realized through wireless sensors and digital checklists. Every year, roughly 1 in 6 people (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. Many of these incidents are easily preventable, but companies who lack a modern food safety solution are not doing all they can...

Written by SmartSense | June 20, 2018 | Food Safety

The supply chain, a series of product transfers between manufacturers, distribution centers, and retail locations, is a complex network of transactions. From raw material to finished product, every transfer throughout the chain requires documentation to ensure that product quality is not compromised, items are en route to their correct destination, and a number of other parameters that require monitoring to...

Written by SmartSense | June 14, 2018 | Supply Chain

In our recent post outlining the widespread outbreak of E.coli originating from romaine lettuce, we noted that the FDA has been unable to identify how or where the contamination occured in the supply chain. Since mid-March, more than 200 people across 35 states have become ill – and at least three have died. This outbreak is only one of the two outbreaks linked to leafy greens in the past six months whose source of...

Written by SmartSense | June 12, 2018 | Food Safety

In our previous post about food safety at farmers markets, we ended our discussion by noting that current regulations try to balance the needs of both farmers and consumers. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) excludes many small farmers from intensive restrictions to protect their economic interests. On the other hand, federal agencies recognize that many farmers and market managers do in fact implement their...

Written by SmartSense | June 8, 2018 | Food Safety

One of the most important aspects of facilities management is to optimize the efficient use of assets, whether it be a process or a physical piece of equipment. Ensuring optimal use of these assets is near impossible without visibility into equipment performance and a task management system to improve productivity.

Written by SmartSense | June 6, 2018 | Connected Facility

Finally, it feels like spring all over the country. Farmers markets are opening their stalls to customers who are hungry for local and organic fruits and vegetables. Goodbye to tasteless tomatoes and dry melons at the supermarket, and hello to heirloom apples and fresh-picked corn from family farms.

Written by SmartSense | May 31, 2018 | Food Safety