by Keith Loria A new bill, introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), looks to create a single food safety agency under the department of Health and Human Services that would be responsible for keeping all food safe for market. The legislation, known as the Food Safety Administration Act, would ensure that a …
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Just when I thought I knew most of the varieties of strawberries, I see yet another is about to make its appearance! It’s called the “Honeycrisp of Strawberries” – a Ruby June variety that is a deep dark red color and, according to Seal the Seasons, has a “sweet, luscious flavor.” My mouth is already …
Continue reading “Taste a Luscious “Ruby June” Strawberry! Sourcing Locally Makes Good Sense”
United States A cold and wet spring in the Pacific Northwest delayed pea plantings and the crop ran about 2 to 3 weeks late. July’s heat wave with sizzling temperatures well into the 100 degree and over mark, brought on the crop very quickly. Acres have been lost as some processors could not keep up …
United States A cold and wet spring in the Pacific Northwest delayed pea plantings and the crop ran about 2 to 3 weeks late. July’s heat wave with sizzling temperatures well into the 100 degree and over mark, brought on the crop very quickly. Acres have been lost as some processors could not keep up …
Ever Wonder Why Supermarkets Sell Flowers? In almost every grocery store across the USA from Whole Foods to smaller shops you’ll find a flower section loaded with cut flowers, plants, and orchids. I’ve always wondered why flowers have such a large presence in this type of retail environment but it’s a planned and strategic move …
The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) continues to work on behalf of frozen food manufacturers to address the control and prevention of Listeria Monocytogenes (Lm). On Friday, July 8, 2022, AFFI sent an update on this subject to all members prompted by an outbreak of Lm in Florida over the July 4th holiday believed to …
Continue reading “AFFI’s Continued Efforts on Alternative Approach to Listeria Monocytogenes”
United States A cold and wet spring in the Pacific Northwest delayed pea plantings and the crop is running about 2 to 3 weeks late. June was extremely cool and wet in Oregon and Washington and rainfall hit record highs. Along with the rain there was some wind and we have heard that some fields …
Here at Noon International over the past few years we’ve been struggling to obtain 8×40 foot ocean shipping containers to get your orders to you, yet there are others who have happily been using retrofitted shipping containers for indoor farming and new business ventures. Indoor farming is nothing new. Hydroponics (the no-soil method of growing …
Continue reading “Tech-Facilitated Indoor Farming Finds a Home in Ocean Shipping Containers”
On June 21st, we officially welcomed summer – a season of picnics, barbeques, and outdoor eating. While camping, hiking trips and family vacations abound so does the chance for foodborne illness to occur if proper food safety guidelines are not followed. Warm weather is the perfect breeding ground for foodborne bacteria to multiply rapidly, thus …
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The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was created to ensure a safe food supply in the United States using specific measures which include the FDA’s authority to mandate additional preventive controls to this end. Such preventative standards are applicable to both foreign and domestic food growers, manufacturers, processors, and packers. For example, the preventive …
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The Covid 19 Pandemic along with supply chain disruptions over the past two years has changed the way we eat, what we eat, how chefs in restaurants source and prepare foods, and the popularity/trending of certain foods and ingredients. Massively disrupting supply chain issues forced restaurants and homemakers to turn to local suppliers and farmers …
Continue reading “Vegetables and Upcycling Top the Trending List”
United States A cold and wet spring in the Pacific Northwet delayed pea planting which in turn has delayed the start of the season by about 1 or two weeks. We expect harvesting to commence in the next week or so depending on weather. In general the weather has been cool which is good for …
The official USDA website is a wealth of information if you’re willing to take the time to navigate it. From time to time, we’ll publish pertinent information from this website that we feel could be useful to you and those in the food industry. One that is of particular interest is the Food Price Outlook, …
The third installment of FDA’s new podcast series on technology and food safety focused on AI (artificial intelligence) and its potential to advance food safety. It was hosted by Frank Yiannis, Deputy FDA Commissioner for Food Policy and Response and Donald Prater, Associate Commissioner for Imported Food Safety. The experts were Maria Velissarou, Global Corporate …
United States Green pea planting is completed. Recent cold weather and snow delayed plantings and we could see some reduced crop yields due to the unusual weather conditions in April. We do not anticipate a start date on green pea harvest until the early part of June. Sweet corn plantings are underway and to date …
Continue reading “April Freeze Plus Snow Hurt Northwest Vegetable And Fruit Crops”
United States Green pea and potato planting still underway. Corn plantings are just beginning. Securing enough contracted acreage has been a struggle as growers have many other more profitable options to consider and processors are paying more to the growers this year. Most processors are planning on same volumes as last season or even a …
Continue reading “VEGETABLE AND FRUIT PRICES CONTINUE TO RISE”
It all began in 1906 with a book called The Jungle written by Upton Sinclair. Sinclair was a known “progressive” in those days and wrote his book, “The Jungle” to expose the appalling working conditions and plight of the immigrant workers in the meat-packing plants and stockyards in Chicago. At the age of 26, he …
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We’re all feeling the immediate effects here in the USA of the war in Ukraine. The sanctions imposed have cause gas and oil prices to explode compounded by the inflation we are already experiencing. But there are far more serious problems ahead regarding agricultural production and food prices. There are food shortages right now worldwide, …
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United States Green pea and potato plantings should begin this week as long as the cold and snow stay away. Corn planting should commence at the end of this month/early April. Due to logistic challenges (not being able to ship product) there are still inventories of corn available to purchase, however prices remain high with …
Continue reading “PEA AND POTATO PLANTINGS BEGIN THIS MONTH IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST”
One of the biggest continuing trends in the food arena today is plant-based foods. I’m sure you’re all familiar and may have even sampled the “Impossible Whopper” at Burger King even if just out of curiosity. Now, as more players enter this market, we’re seeing a variety of innovative foods in 2022 that will tempt …
Continue reading “Plant-Based Foods Just Keep Getting Better”