Food safety and purity Trends: 3 things you need to know

Today, there’s a growing hunger for safer, purer foods, and it’s showing up in three areas: FDA rules, the popularity of foods that meet faith-based purity rules and industry initiatives requiring traceability for suppliers.

Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA):

Although FSMA was enacted more than four years ago, the FDA’s deadline for finalizing key rules was August 30, 2015. Large firms will need to comply one year after rule finalization, with smaller firms having up to three years to comply. The new rules will shift the focus from reacting to problems after they occur to preventing foodborne illness in the first place. To this end, the ISO 21469:2006 standard requires lubricant manufacturers to analyze a lubricant’s impact on hygiene throughout its entire life cycle and advise food processors accordingly.

Consumer demand for halal and kosher foods:

“Halal” is the Arabic word for “permissible” and is used to designate foods that comply with dietary rules in Islam. “Kosher” applies to foods that meet the dietary rules of Judaism. Foods that meet faith-based purity standards are becoming more popular. In Canada, for example, the halal market is growing 13 per cent a year. In the U.S., 41 per cent of packaged foods are labelled as kosher. These religious concerns, combined with worries about allergens, gluten, lactose and additives, are driving consumers to scrutinize food ingredients and processing methods.

Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI):

The GFSI is a collaboration between the world’s leading food safety experts from retailer, manufacturer and foodservice companies to drive continuous improvement in food safety from “farm to fork.” This initiative involves traceability through the entire supply chain for all vendors and suppliers ─ including the use of chemicals, such as alcohols, involved in the process.

Taken together, these three trends are putting a bigger burden on food and beverage processors. That’s why Klüber Lubrication offers KlüberEfficiencySupport, giving customers the training and best practices needed to meet today’s hunger for food safety and purity.