United States Green Pea harvest is completed. Overall, early season pea yields came in under budget and this could reflect a 20% drop in pack for some processors. The situation is more severe for those whose fields are not irrigated and we are hearing numbers of a 50% to 60% reduction in yield due to …
Food Safety
Allergic to Sesame? It’s now # 9 on List of Major Food Allergens
Sesame has now joined eight other foods considered as major food allergens by federal law. The following list includes the nine major food allergens: milk eggs fish, such as bass, flounder, cod Crustacean shellfish, such as crab, lobster, shrimp tree nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, pecans peanuts wheat soybeans Sesame became the ninth major food …
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Trending
Cheese Producers Use Edible Microchips To Protect Against Knockoffs
Parmigiano-Reggiano producers have had enough. For years Italian producers of parmesan cheese have been fighting against imitation or counterfeit products that have been eating into market share and profits. As the demand for authentic, high-end cheese grows, so does the knock-off market with estimated global sales for counterfeit cheese now reaching $2 billion annually. The …
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Food Safety
From Farm to Table: Empowering Food Safety with AI-Driven Software
Francine Shaw is a food safety specialist, podcaster, and co-founder of My Food Source with over 20 years of experience in the food service industry. She is an avid author having written hundreds of articles for National Trade magazines and has appeared on Dr. Oz, the BBC World Series Radio and iHeart Radio as a …
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Trending
The Prickly Pear Cactus Gains Popularity With Health Benefits Galore
The Prickly Pear cactus (Opuntia spp) or Nopal is a traditional ingredient in Mexican cooking, dating back to pre-Colombian times. The word “nopal” comes from the Nahuatl word “nopalli” referring to the pads of the plant. As its name suggests, the prickly pear is characterized by its unique physical appearance with flat fleshy oval to …
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Crop News
Sweet Corn In Full Swing
United States Green Pea harvest is completed. Overall, early season yields came in under budget and this could reflect a 20% drop in pack for some processors. The situation is more severe for those whose fields are not irrigated and we are hearing numbers of a 50% to 60% reduction in yield due to lack …
Crop News
Pacific Northwest Pea Yields Down
United States Pea harvest is underway. Overall, early season yields came in under budget and this could reflect a 20% drop in pack for some processors. The situation is more severe for those whose fields are not irrigated and we are hearing numbers of a 50% to 60% reduction in yield due to lack of …
Food Safety
Genetically Engineered Food (GMO’s) – New Plant Variety Regulatory Information
All human and animal food from plants including plants produced through use of genetic engineering and genome editing are regulated by the FDA under the Federal, Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). They are held to the same standards as all foods produced, processed, stored, shipped, or sold in the USA. This regulation of …
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Lab Grown Chicken Gets Final USDA Go-Ahead
On June 22, 2023, the USDA approved lab-grown chicken for human consumption for the first time. UPSIDE Foods and GOOD Meat (a subsidiary of food tech company Eat Just, Inc.) were given the go-ahead to sell products that have been cultivated from real animal cells. Good Meat launched in Singapore in 2020, when Singapore became …
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Food Safety
Small Entity Compliance Guide for FSMA Food Traceability Rule Available Here
On May 18, 2023, the FDA published a Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Food Traceability Rule. You can also View on the FDA Website. This compliance guide describes the requirements of the Food Traceability regulation to assist small entities, including farms and small businesses to comply with the applicable …
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Crop News
Green Pea Season Beginning This Week!
United States Pea plantings in the Pacific Northwest is completed and the harvest should begin first week of June. The weather has warmed up considerably in the Pacific Northwest which has brought on the pea crop sooner than expected. Sweet Corn plantings are somewhere between 50% to 75% in the ground. Grower prices were up …
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What Irritates Consumers Most About Frozen Food Packaging
The frozen food industry continues to grow as consumers want greater variety along with increased demand for convenience foods and improvements in frozen food quality. A significant factor in the success of this industry is packaging and thus knowing the preferences of consumers is important. Today, we’ll look at what shoppers like and dislike about …
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Food Safety
USDA Takes Steps to Reduce Salmonella in Poultry
The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that “Salmonella bacteria cause 1.35 million human infections and 26,500 hospitalizations in the United States every year. Of those infections, more than 23 percent are attributed to poultry consumption. Foodborne illness can have a devastating impact, both personally and financially, on people’s lives, the cost of which …
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Trending
The BIG MAC Is About to Change
I may be dating myself…but I’m sure some of you remember this famous jingle… “Two all-beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles onions and a sesame seed bun.” It’s the BIG MAC jingle, of course. You remember it, right? I’m not ashamed to admit I still know it by heart. That’s because way back in …
Crop News
Green Pea Crop Beginning to Emerge
United States Pea plantings in the Pacific Northwest is almost completed. Due to the cooler than usual weather in the Pacific Northwest during April, we expect the crop to commence about 10 days later than usual. The recent weather over the last week or so has warmed up considerably and we expect a start to …
Food Safety
The Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce
The Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce is a publication that should be of interest to anyone in the food industry. Note that it is produced by the EWG – Environmental Working Group which is a non-profit environmental health organization. It contains testing data on 46,569 samples of non-organic fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables …
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Crop News
Pacific Northwest Plantings Continue
United States Pea plantings in the Pacific Northwest are about a third of the way through. Green Pea season expected to commence middle to end May. The first plantings of Oregon and Washington peas are now sprouting. Sweet Corn plantings have just begun. Grower prices were up about 10% to 15% this season, with prices …
Trending
Don’t Miss the Millennial Market
Millennials, also known as Generation “Y” are born between the early 1980’s and the mid 1990’s although the exact dates can vary depending on the source of information. As of 2021, they made up the largest generational group in the United States, representing approximately 27% of the total population according to the U.S. Census Bureau …
Crop News
Vegetable Prices Continue Upward
United States Plantings on peas starting this month. Corn acres are mostly contracted. Grower prices were up about 10% to 15% this season, with prices on most vegetables anticipated to go up by 6% to 7%. There are some processors who are down on pea acres and some who are down on corn acres. Industry …
Food Safety
Ready for a FDA or USDA Inspection? AFFI’s New Toolkit Provides Detailed Guidance
The latest message from Alison Bodor, CEO of AFFI (the American Frozen Food Institute) provides updates on what’s happening in the FDA including changes that are important to all who produce and sell frozen foods as noted in the following report: FDA Structural Reform: AFFI has been part of a small and diverse coalition of …
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