Modern Food Safety Regulations
The ubiquity of smartphones is one of the most obvious indicators of this phenomenon; technological advances are impacting our lives behind the scenes as well. For instance, the food manufacturing industry is transforming and expanding in astonishing ways as technology begins to play an important role in everything from swaying consumer trends to food safety regulations.
Indeed, safety is one aspect of the food manufacturing industry that is undergoing astonishing changes at this time. In September of 2016, the American FDA implemented the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), one of the most robust food safety regulatory changes in over half a century. With the goal of preventing food-borne illnesses, the FSMA has triggered a series of changes across the industry as companies and food plant operators attempt to meet new safety standards.
Part of the new safety standards means being able to provide a higher degree of transparency to consumers and to the FDA. For example, large-scale farmers must provide documentation proving the origins of all perishable products. Indeed, all steps of the manufacturing process must be accounted for, including transportation from the farm to the factory to the local grocery store.
The Dawn of Big Data: A Double-Edged Sword
One thing is clear: the new FDA policies are simply a reflection of changing consumer demands. As technology connects consumers together, information and misinformation are spread at the click of a button. More than ever, consumers want hard facts and transparency at all levels of the food production process. They want to know exactly where their food comes from, who handled it, exactly what’s in it.
If companies don’t take charge of presenting their products with the appropriate data to back themselves up, their reputation can take a hit. This can be a particularly difficult obstacle to overcome if companies are unwilling or unable to make changes to their production line or even their product formulations in order to satisfy new consumer trends demanding healthy, ‘clean’ food. However, web-savvy consumers are more powerful than ever, as they have access to broad swaths of data at the tips of their fingers. If one brand doesn’t offer the products – and the information – that they’re looking for, it’ll take them less than two minutes to find another one that will.
Consumers aren’t the only ones benefiting from big data. Food manufacturers can leverage modern technology to ensure that they are accountable to the FDA and to the general public at all times. For instance, when it comes to transportation, making use of the Internet of Things can help keep a cold chain continuously connected to ensure that food temperatures are regulated and monitored. Modernization and automation also allows equipment like food grade metal detectors to track every contamination incident, providing users with detailed reports including the date, time and nature of a given event. Such information can be crucial in the event of a recall, as the data will allow manufacturers to quickly contain the problem and to respond accordingly.
Digital Derring-Do
While some manufacturers may hope that government regulations may slacken under new political management, they will still be accountable to the general public’s increasing demands for transparency, proper labeling and organically sourced foods. Indeed, in the last ten years, the sale of fresh products has gone up by more than twenty percent, and these numbers are only set to grow. As a result, some brands have taken the bold step of reformulating existing products, whereas others have launched entire new product lines aimed specifically at consumers who want tasty, healthy food.
Of course, taking on risky moves like product reformulations can only come about when bright minds are set to the task. As such, companies need to invest in research and development if they wish to satisfy growing consumer needs for safe, healthy products. Furthermore, everything from risk management to environmental sustainability need to be taken into consideration as the food manufacturing industry continues to grow in tandem with the population.
For countries like America to keep their foothold in the food business, companies will need to partner up with colleges and institutes to ensure that they can attract most daring innovators and technologically competent labourers. This is because basic machinery like industrial metal detectors and temperature monitoring solutions are becoming more sophisticated with every new iteration.
While many systems will be easier to operate thanks to better user experience research and user interfaces, some equipment will be so sophisticated that they will eventually require operators with a high level of technological competence. This will be particularly true in the near future, when most food manufacturing plants’ manual tasks will be entirely carried out by robotic systems, including everything from handling dough to cutting cake.
For those food manufacturers looking to thrive in this new age of modernity, it is important to stop thinking of automation as some far-fetched digital dream. The future is here, and the industry’s growth can only be secured with appropriate technological investments ensuring the safety and quality of food products, as well as the sustainability of the environment that produces it.
