With each passing year of the 21st century, the restaurant cold chain continues to grow in new directions. Compared to 20 years ago, It’s less linear (similar to a chain) and more branching (resembling a tree). Plus, there are more touchpoints and more individual players involved. One significant reason for these developments is changing consumer tastes, in both food and service.

Written by SmartSense | January 16, 2019 | Food Safety, HACCP

As we’ve said before, food safety is no easy task: it requires diligence, patience, and above all else, commitment to ensuring customer safety and product quality. All food service businesses have the same obligation to safety, whether or not they are a family run restaurant, a quick service chain with stores worldwide, or a public venue that serves thousands of guests in a few short hours.

Written by SmartSense | January 9, 2019 | Food Safety, HACCP

Foodborne illness is a serious issue – 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die every year from food-related sickness. Anything that can be done to reduce human suffering can and should be prioritized, which is why it's incredibly important for foodservice organizations of all sizes to have an effective food safety strategy in place.

Written by SmartSense | December 12, 2018 | Food Safety, HACCP

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a straightforward, albeit complicated, purpose: protecting and promoting public health. In order to successfully live up to this mandate, this government agency must conduct wide-ranging investigations to better understand areas for improvement. As such, the FDA has recently released a study that analyzes the occurrence of foodborne illness risk factors.

Written by SmartSense | November 29, 2018 | Food Safety, HACCP

Thanksgiving is just around the corner – do you have your turkey and all the fixings for your Thanksgiving dinner ready to go? Better yet, do you know what your turkey has been through to make it to your dinner table!? Retailers and distributors sure do. They understand the high-demands of the holiday season better than anyone else. It's becoming increasingly important to respond to these demands with technology...

Written by SmartSense | November 20, 2018 | Food Safety, HACCP, Supply Chain

We all read the headlines about foodborne illness outbreaks at top national chain restaurants. Naturally, these big stories attract both the public and the press. But have you ever wondered if the violations that cause these infamous outbreaks are relatively rare events or more common among all restaurants, large and small? That’s a question the FDA tries to answer every fiscal year.

Written by SmartSense | November 7, 2018 | Food Safety, HACCP