In the last few years, sensory testing has become more recognized in the food, beverage and cosmetics industry. This is proven by IFT offering fundamentals in sensory science courses and UC Davis teaching an applied sensory and consumer science certificate to acquire hands-on skills and sensory science training. The EuroSense and Pangborn Symposia are also…
Canadian PCP Plans for Food Manufacturing – How to get started?
The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) came into force on January 15, 2019. The food safety requirements rest on three pillars: Business Licensing, One-step forward/One-step back Traceability and Preventative Controls for food safety. The term “Preventive Controls” is now widely used, from the Codex HACCP guidelines (2020 publication) to the FDA Food Safety Modernization…
SQF Food Safety System Validation and Verification
System verification is an important component of SQF. Third-party audit stats for SQF often show that this element is non-compliant. Verification confirms that the Food Safety Management System is functioning as planned. The purpose of verification is to demonstrate that the food safety plan is science-based and that CCP is effective at controlling the significant…
How to Get Started with SQF
Safe Quality Food (SQF) is a popular food safety certification scheme that is benchmarked to GFSI international requirements. The scheme is owned by SQFI (a branch of the Food Industry Association); the standard was first published in May 1995. SQFI issues about 11,000 certificates yearly across 40 countries and 6 continents.1 According to FMI (2022),…
SQF Compliance – Best Practices in the Use of Compressed Air and Inert Gases
Compressed air requirements in the Safe Quality Food (SQF) Edition 9 Code - Food Manufacturing reference the use of inert gasses or air that contacts food or food surfaces such as packaging or equipment surfaces. In the food and beverage industry, inert gases are used for sparging (ex: nitrogen in wine or in nitro coffee)…
Road Map to your First HACCP Audit
Your food business is doing great. A potential major customer has contacted you. You receive the good news that they plan to list your food products! The only contract requirement is for you to secure a HACCP certification. You and your team have prepared for it for a long time, and the big day is…
Obtaining your PCQI credentials to work as a SQF practitioner
Ten years ago, HACCP training was a pre-requisite to working in the food industry and learning the Codex HACCP guidelines. This changed in 2011 when Barack Obama signed FSMA into law and Preventive Control Plans for Human Food became mandatory in the United States. In North America, food products under FDA oversight which are not…
SQF 9 Code Certification Updates
It’s been over a year since the SQF code edition 9 was published and implemented. The SQF Professional update for 2022 Q2 provides some insights on food safety compliance for certified sites. Audit Findings SQFI reported that over 7,500 audits were conducted worldwide in 2021. The average audit score reached 94.30/100, a “G-good” audit score…
Where To Start When Developing Your Food Safety Plan
In recent years, food safety standards in the US and Canada have become more stringent and now cover all food offered for sale in these countries. If you're new to the industry, you must first navigate intricate import, manufacturing, and labeling regulations for food. Prior to manufacturing your new product or beverage, food inspectors will…
Sensory Evaluation of Plant-Based Yogurts
The BC Institute of Technology collaborated with Tastelweb to allow students to complete a sensory evaluation of plant-based yogurts using sensory software. Vegan yogurts are popular with consumers who have allergies or sensitivities to dairy or those who choose to consume vegan food. The products that were evaluated by the students for this study were…