http://www.foodquality.com Manufacturing and Distribution Topic Rss http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/1395223/Manage_the_Extreme_Cold_Chain.html <p>Increased globalization and remote sourcing in the food industry have brought options and convenience closer to home for many consumers. Yet the boost in imports and exports of commodities has created new challenges for suppliers, shippers, and retailers. With the perishables industry constantly expanding, physical distances and shipping conditions are critical considerations in the supply chain.</p> 2011-11-15T18:15:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/972727/Increase_Overall_Equipment_Effectiveness.html <p>Comprehensive solutions that directly address food and beverage production efficiency include methodologies that manufacture without new investment. The food and beverage manufacturing industry is under steadily growing pressure. Once an investment is in place and as long as there is demand for the products, companies must produce as much as possible with existing production facilities while keeping costs as low as possible.</p> 2010-12-30T17:11:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/882871/COOL_Affects_Continuous_Supplier_Performance.html <p>Dan Rowe, product manager at JustFoodERP, suggests that since country of origin labeling (COOL) went into effect, &ldquo;sales, purchase, and manufacturing documents have designated COOL requirements ensuring that the inventory transaction associated with the shipment, receipt, consumption, and output conform to that COOL.&rdquo;</p> 2010-11-30T06:14:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/842349/Reduce_Water_Usage_Eliminate_Excess_Waste.html <p>The food and beverage processing industry is known as the largest industrial user of water, consuming up to 20,000 gallons of water per ton of product, according to the North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. And, with over 17,000 food and beverage processors in the United States alone, curbing this dependence on a community&rsquo;s clean water supply is a top concern.</p> 2010-09-10T00:24:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/842343/Track_Trace_Technology_Drives_Business_Improvements.html <p>The food and beverage manufacturing industry faces challenging market conditions on multiple fronts: product safety requirements, razor-thin margins, unique customer orders, and constantly varying stock keeping units. To meet such challenges, manufacturers turn to tracking and tracing tools. Capable of tracking materials and products within a single plant or throughout a network of plants, these tools have the potential to provide a complex range of benefits and competitive advantages. While tracking and tracing finished goods is now an established business process for food and beverage manufacturers, many manufacturers have realized that their approach can make all the difference.</p> 2010-09-10T00:17:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/842327/Sustainability_for_the_Long_Haul.html <p>Sustainable manufacturing and processing, which reduces raw materials waste and minimizes refuse, is more than a passing trend for companies both large and small during this economic recession. As companies using such practices see it, sustainability attracts consumers. But more fundamentally, it is good for a business&rsquo;s bottom line.</p> 2010-09-10T00:05:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/842317/Its_Not_Easy_Being_Green.html <p>On the first season of &ldquo;Sesame Street&rdquo; in 1970, the soon-to-be cultural icon Kermit the Frog sang the immortal line, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not easy being green.&rdquo; Kermit was of course referring to the difficulties of being a small green creature. But the difficulties involved in being green are quite familiar to most industries, including food manufacturing.</p> 2010-09-09T23:58:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/810053/ONLINE_EXCLUSIVE_Safety_Challenges_Remedied_With_New_Technology.html <p>Some things never change. In the food industry, the need to ensure the safety of all products is one of those things. With the rising number of large-scale food recalls, diminishing consumer confidence, and increasing scrutiny from regulators and the food industry marketplace itself, the need to ensure the safety of the domestic and global food supply, coupled with demands for brand-protection assurance, have never been greater.</p> 2010-08-16T01:01:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/810029/The_Case_for_Product_Protection_at_the_Dock.html <p>Quality is no longer just &ldquo;job one,&rdquo; as a popular automaker once touted. Quality is, for food manufacturers, their lifeblood. Whether it is a cold storage or dry warehouse facility, maintaining a clean, temperature-controlled environment that is ideally suited to keeping products fresh can be challenging without the proper equipment.</p> 2010-08-15T22:03:00Z http://www.foodquality.com/details/article/809987/Laser_Etching_Safe_for_Labeling_Fruit.html <p>Fruit can retain its quality and remain tamper free with a laser-labeling system that etches information for biosafety and traceability directly on the peel, new research shows.</p> 2010-08-15T20:10:00Z