On September 25, 2020, the Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted the revised Code of Practice (General Principles of Food Hygiene and its HACCP annex). The Codex Alimentarius regroups internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, recommendations, and guidelines published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO). Generally referred to as “Codex HACCP”…
To protect the consumer, the FDA monitors domestic and foreign food businesses and the safety of the products they offer for sale on the US market. The data gathered from FDA inspections ensure a robust level of food safety protection. FDA is involved in various activities such as inspection, recall, sampling, seizure of food products…
On January 1, 2022, the 7th Edition of the Harmonized System (HS) nomenclature came into force. This update will affect Canadian importers and brokers who use the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS). HS codes may no longer be valid following HS structure updates by the World Customs Organization. If this is the case, a reject…
Sensory Research Context How to describe the sensory profile of food, beverages, and cosmetics quickly and intuitively. Sensory methodology created and designed by Dr. Thuillier (ABT Informatique) White paper authored by Dr. Thuillier Translated by Karine Lawrence (Sirocco Consulting) 1. How to Describe the Sensory Profile of Complex Food, Beverages and Cosmetics How to describe…
Certification audits against SQF Edition 9 officially started on May 24, 2021. Over 100 sites thus far have renewed their certification. For 35% of the sites, the audit was unannounced. Read on to know the tips to implement SQF Edition 9 and key updates. Implementation guidance is provided by a Certified SQF Consultant. Overview of…
In this sensory blog, we are featuring two cases studies to showcase the technical capabilities of Tastelweb©. The sensory applications under study comprise of a red wine and dark chocolate chips. Triangle Test The triangle test is a discriminative method that enables the comparison of two samples to determine if an overall sensory difference exists…
In the food and beverage industry, the sensory properties of food are critical in establishing market success. From wine to sodas, chocolate, or coffee, sensory evaluation has been used to assess product qualities such as bitterness, sweetness, aroma or texture. Sensory information plays an important part in the new product development cycle. Combined with consumer…
Amid COVID-19, we have seen the global pandemic’s impact on our food supply. Empty shelves, excess /shortage of supplies all happened at the same time. The food prices index has risen significantly since the global pandemic1. The report “Household Organic Food Waste ‑ COVID‑19” by Dr. Charlebois et al. indicates that an average Canadian household…
Back in March, when many of us made the shift to working from home and social distancing, consumers rushed to the grocery stores and stocked up on food and essentials. With this surge in demand came increased pressure on food manufacturing plants to provide goods quickly and safely. But when it comes to safety protocols…
What is Traceability? The Codex Alimentarius Commission defines traceability as “the ability to follow the movement of a food through specified stage(s) of production, processing and distribution”.1 For the Canadian Food Inspection agency, traceability is the ability to follow an item or a group of items - be it animal, plant, food product or ingredient…