Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Final Rule for Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration Last February, the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) released the third and last installment of the draft guidance for the Intentional Adulteration (IA) rule. The FSMA IA rule is aimed at identifying and controlling significant hazards intentionally…
The second installment of the Wine Sensory Symposium took place at VV Tapas Lounge, a brand new eatery and wine bar located at 957 East Hastings in Vancouver. Wine blogger and hospitality consultant Laura Milnes from Silk and Coupe facilitated 2 great debates about BC wine showcasing Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island wineries. Two…
Contact Information Sirocco Consulting Karine Lawrence 778-821-1392 [email protected] Release Date For Immediate Release Support Local by Drinking Local Wine: Sensory Symposium Salon Series Did you know there are over 30 wineries in the lower mainland and more than 30 wineries scattered across the islands? That means there are over 60 local wineries right…
Food Safety Plans and Third-Party Certifications The global food supply chain is changing rapidly to meet new food safety regulatory requirements. In the US, such requirements pertaining to food safety and food fraud were introduced in 2011 when President Obama signed FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) into law on January 4, 2011. FSMA has given…
What is sensory science? According to the Institute of Food Technologists1 (1975), sensory science is “the scientific discipline used to evoke, measure, analyze, and interpret those reactions to characteristics of foods and materials as perceived through the sense of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing.” Koehl et al. (2007) offered an alternative definition: “Under predefined…
The goal of an Environmental Monitoring Program, or EMP, is to reduce food safety risks by testing the food processing environment for harmful bacterial contaminants. Such a program aims to identify pathogen “niches” (harbourage sites) as well as cross-contamination points. It is a critical activity that is used to verify food safety plans, sanitation practices…
Blog post contributed by Wine Researcher Darcen Esau from Terroir Wine Consulting A sold-out crowd attended the inaugural Sensory Symposium, sponsored by Okanagan College, and created by Terroir Consulting, Silk & Coupe, and Sirocco Food + Wine Consulting. This unique one-day event included three sessions where attendees listened to winemakers discuss hot topics in the…
Popularised by Malcolm Gladwell, the ideas of consumer research scientist Howard Moskowitz have redefined the consumer goods industry. The work of Moskowitz has found applications in the food industry and more recently in the wine sector. E. & J. Gallo Winery, in 2010, recognised the importance of consumer data and “developed a framework to understand…
Last month, Sirocco food and wine consulting launched Sirocco Insights, a new consumer behaviour and trends research service, to help wineries and wine retailers collect reliable consumer preference data and effectively engage their customer base. Why Consumer Research? The United States consumes more wine in total than any other country according to the Wine Institute,…
A previous blog post provided a-step-by-step approach to developing a Food Fraud Vulnerability Assessment. For this month’s post, we introduce new resources and give you tips to train your team and satisfy the SQF code’s food fraud control requirements. One easy way to meet SQF food fraud audit expectations is to create a register of…