Twenty percent of the total United States’ food supply is imported. To break that down, 70% of our seafood is imported, as well as 35% of our fresh produce. That’s a lot, and it could likely include foods that are being distributed to your restaurants. So, how do we know that the imported food is safe? That’s why we have the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP).

Written by SmartSense | July 11, 2017 | Food Safety, FSMA

The FSMA Rule on Sanitary Transportation is one of seven foundational rules proposed by the FDA to create a risk-based framework for food safety. The overall objective of the rule is to prevent practices during transportation that create hazards, such as failure of refrigeration, inadequate cleaning of vehicles, and inappropriate packing materials. Ultimately, the rule was put in place to minimize the potential of a...

Written by SmartSense | July 5, 2017 | Food Safety, FSMA, Supply Chain

When the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) passed in 2011, it shifted U.S. food safety policy from a reactive afterthought to a proactive mission. That is, rather than responding to contamination after the fact, the law mandates preventing problems during manufacturing and transport before they occur. FSMA also provides the FDA with new enforcement authorities to achieve higher rates of compliance and tools to...

Written by SmartSense | June 27, 2017 | Food Safety, FSMA, Supply Chain

Over the last couple of years, restaurants have begun adopting wireless sensors and digital checklists to improve food safety. This has marked the beginning of the digital food safety era. However, organizations are still figuring out how digital systems impact their restaurants. What we have seen at TempAlert is that the impact of digital food safety goes far beyond food safety. Here is what we have observed from...

Written by SmartSense | June 20, 2017 | Food Safety

Food preparation, holding, serving, and storing is a complex chain of interdependent touchpoints. Perhaps no product other than food undergoes such rapid and drastic temperature changes, from freezing in storage to piping hot in the oven, often in a matter of minutes.

Written by SmartSense | June 13, 2017 | Food Safety

Recently, TempAlert exhibited at the National Restaurant Association (NRA) show in Chicago, IL. The NRA is the largest foodservice trade association in the world and supports over 500,000 restaurants. In addition to restaurants, in attendance at the show were e-commerce companies, technology companies, equipment manufacturers, and restaurant suppliers.

Written by SmartSense | June 6, 2017 | Food Safety