Most people don’t consider the daily convenience of freezers and refrigerators in their day-to-day lives; however, products that are kept cool and frozen must also be transported at precise temperatures, whether it be less-than-truckload (LTL) frozen e-commerce with direct doorstep delivery or full truckloads (FTL) for retail destinations such as grocery stores. Temperature-controlled transportation maintains cargo climate in transport through temperature-controlled shipping trailers, and cold chain logistics plays a role in just about every product we consume.

Refrigerated freight and goods are a growing industry these days. In fact, according to an industry report, “Refrigerated Goods Trucking Global Market Report 2022” from The Business Research Company, the industry is projected to reach more than $59 billion by 2025, up from $47.5 billion in 2020. With such a substantial market jump, many companies with perishable, frozen foods must focus on finding a cold chain logistics solution to get products to end customers in a safe and compliant fashion.

Luckily, outsourcing shipping operations to a third-party logistics (3PL) company saves you time and money, while allowing you to focus on other areas of your business, such as marketing and product innovations. Here are four things to consider when looking to invest in a 3PL partnership to move cold and frozen food products:

1. Find a 3PL with Temperature-Controlled Experience

Experience is important when outsourcing any aspect of your business, and a 3PL partnership for your temperature-sensitive shipping needs is no different. Having specialty freight needs such as temperature-controlled products and choosing the right 3PL provider can be an overwhelming process, but the right expert partner will not only take the anxiety and frustration out of your shipping processes, they’ll also save you money and time.

Experienced 3PLs have the wisdom to overcome regularly occurring challenges and will embrace new technologies such as:

• Remote, real-time, off-site temperature monitoring;
• Smart packaging;
• Cold blankets; and
• Special containment units such as portable chiller and freezer boxes.

2. Keep Cost Variations in Mind

Have you ever tried to move a refrigerator by yourself? If so, you know how difficult it can be due to the weight and design of thick, insulated walls and doors; however, this design is necessary to keep food cold and prevent waste through spoilage. Refrigerated trucks are also heavier and bulkier, leading to higher shipping costs at times.

Dry van freight can reach up to 110 degrees F, so, while they may be more efficient to move, the heavy refrigerated design elements are necessary in temperature-controlled freight. Reefer trailers are heavier than dry van and are therefore naturally more expensive to purchase and operate.

The weight of the equipment is not a major factor in increased costs for refrigerated equipment. Temperature-controlled trailers themselves are more expensive to purchase, so there is more capital expenditure required for a reefer fleet versus dry van trailers. Experienced reefer drivers require higher compensation as well, as those types of shipments need an additional level of driver knowledge to limit the possibility of potential product damage claims or regulatory challenges.

Because most refrigerated shipments are considered perishable, they have a higher probability of resulting in a claim in comparison to a dry shipment; this can impact insurance costs for the carrier. The reefer unit also requires fuel to operate the temperature controls, which further adds to higher costs for reefer carriers versus dry carriers.

Peak season also greatly impacts the circumstances—namely the price—of temperature-controlled equipment. The basic functions of supply and demand mean that spring and summer deliver a huge demand for cold chain logistical solutions. A limited number of reefer trailers are in circulation, and peak seasonal demands increase rates and makes capacity swings more dramatic compared with those that occur with dry freight.

3. Communication Is Key

It’s essential to communicate the product temperature needs to your freight carrier in advance and in detail. For example, ice cream must be kept at extremely cold temperatures to prevent melting and spoilage. Some frozen loads require continuous cooling, while others can be less prone to temperature sensitivity and can withstand slight temperature differentiations that can be maintained with a cycled reefer.

Successfully understanding the commodity entails knowing precisely how products need to be pre-cooled, loaded, shipped, and delivered. Effective and clear communication on temperature necessities helps avoid severely costly shipping mistakes and ensures quality products for end customers.

4. Hyperfocus on Food Safety

Food is a commodity that automatically comes to mind when it comes to cold chain logistics. But other products like sensitive technology equipment, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, flowers and growing bulbs, candles, paint, hazardous materials, and even products that are sensitive to humidity changes are often shipped with reefer trailers; however, not all products that require temperature-controlled solutions can be shipped together in the same container for a variety of reasons including the potential of cross contamination and differing temperature needs.

Reefer trucks are not intended to cool products, but are designed to help products retain constant temperatures. Regulations such as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and the necessary yet strenuous oversight from entities like FDA make moving refrigerated and frozen food products a tricky and precise process. For example, the legislative extension of FSMA in the 2016 Sanitary Transportation Rules details requirements like sanitation and temperature recording throughout transit for both human and animal food products and is intended to be a “modern, risk-based framework for food safety.”

Partnering with a 3PL who prioritizes regulatory compliance to ensure safe products for both human and animal consumption is a safe business decision and a logistical relief for any shipper looking to transport temperature-sensitive products.

Transportation and logistics evolve rapidly, and the embrace of new technologies is critical to success. From farm to freezer to table, the right 3PL provider will alleviate your shipping stress by fulfilling your delivery needs.

Bahr is vice president of brokerage operations for TA Services, Inc. Reach him at cbahr@taservices.com.

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FDA, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is assisting the Florida Department of Health (FL DOH) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) in investigating an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections linked to ice cream supplied by Big Olaf Creamery, which is based in Sarasota, Fla.

In response to the outbreak investigation, Big Olaf Creamery ceased production and distribution of its ice cream products on July 1, 2022. Big Olaf Creamery is now working to voluntarily recall all flavors and all lots of Big Olaf brand ice cream products, which were sold in plastic pint-sized containers, plastic half-gallon containers, and plastic 2.5-gallon tubs.

All flavors, lots, codes, and expiration dates through June 30, 2022 are included in this recall. The recalled product was sold at Big Olaf retailers in Florida as well as to consumers in restaurants and senior homes, and at one location in Ohio.

Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not eat, sell, or serve any recalled Big Olaf ice cream products and should throw the product away, regardless of the “best by” or expiration date.

FDA is concerned that retailers may still be selling the recalled products. Consumers, restaurants, and retailers who purchased or received any recalled Big Olaf ice cream products should throw the products away and use extra vigilance in cleaning and sanitizing any surfaces and containers that may have come in contact with these products to reduce the risk of cross contamination. Listeria can survive in refrigerated temperatures and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.

This is an ongoing investigation, and FDA is continuing to work with FL DOH and FDACS to investigate.

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Frozen food aisles in supermarkets contain nearly every type of food. The frozen food sector is an incredibly huge market, and it’s not surprising that these foods are popular with American consumers: They offer food preservation, reduced waste, and convenience, not to mention the fact that freshly frozen foods are just as nutritious as when they were plucked from the field or bush, or freshly made as in the case of meals, breads, and other prepared foods.

The global frozen food sector is growing at a rate of approximately 5% per year, according to a 2021 report from Mordor Intelligence. In fact, the industry has been on an upward curve since the advent of commercial food freezing in the late 1950s; it’s a worldwide phenomenon. As emerging countries continue to develop economically, they tend to transition to frozen food because it not only preserves vital resources, but it also maintains the consistency of a product for a long time. The range of food types that can be frozen is quite staggering.

Industrial freezing equipment has also evolved over the decades to help food processors produce quality frozen products. The industry has the capability to continuously monitor the frozen environment and automatically adjust freezer conditions to ensure that products leave the freezer in optimum condition. This way, customers can be confident of the highest quality output, whether freezing meat cuts or baked goods.

Industrial freezing isn’t the same as taking a fresh food and putting it in a domestic freezer, which people do all the time. The issue with this is that you can lose quality, as the process causes cellular damage and leads to drip loss. There’s a a lot of science behind industrial frozen food production—as there must be when you could be dealing with up to 30 tons an hour of frozen food. However, we also need to understand how the food was made and how it’s presented for freezing.

Industrial Freezing Systems

Freezing systems cater to any type of food, from chicken nuggets to French fries to croissants, pain au chocolat, and other niche pastries. Freezing joints of pork, beef, or poultry requires very different handling than freezing raspberries. Understanding how food freezes and how it should be handled correctly allows for an efficient solution that delivers a high quality frozen product, with maximum product yield.

Let’s take pizzas: This convenience food goes down well with Americans due to its versatility. Whether it is topped with meat, vegetables, or seafood, pizza offers something for almost everyone. You can say the same about the freezing systems on the market that keep freshness, flavor, and shape, regardless of the topping. Whatever the pizza variations are in a product portfolio, there is a corresponding cooling and freezing technology.

For example, best practices for the harvesting of broccoli for a pizza topping require the vegetable to be cooled while still in the field, because its great metabolic activity would otherwise quickly make it appear wilted. Once harvested and cooled, freezing tunnels with individually quick freezing (IQF) technology can guarantee the individual freezing of fruits and vegetables, so that toppings such as broccoli can be easily weighed and distributed over a pizza. Before this stage, of course, the yeast dough must be kneaded, formed, pre-baked, and cooled again to prevent the frozen vegetables or ground meat from immediately thawing.

Because of the constantly growing demand, industrial freezer design changes from year to year. The machinery continually gets larger, faster, and stronger and has to be more efficient in operation. Freezers can’t have too wide a physical footprint, however, so they don’t exceed the general width of processing lines. If you’re replacing old models, the best solutions will closely match their predecessors in size, while also remaining compatible with the rest of the line equipment such as fryers, ovens, and packaging machines. Of course, size for size, the newer models are far more efficient and productive than older ones.

So, what should food manufacturers be looking for from freezing equipment? Well, I see the key decision criteria being stringent hygienic requirements, high product quality and yield, minimum energy consumption, and effective frost management for long operating times. New and innovative food products, like vegan alternatives, demand new process lines, which create engineering challenges, especially in aging factories with limited space.

Off the Scale

Typically, a French fry freezer will handle 20 tons per hour, 24 hours a day, 21 days in succession before the process line stands down for maintenance and regular cleaning. That’s approximately 10 million 1 kg bags of fries destined for supermarkets in one production run. The scale and size of this type of freezer is quite a common sight around the world in the temperate potato growing and processing zone. 

As mentioned, freezing systems can freeze any type of food; however, a very different freezing regimen and a different freezer design are required for joints of pork, beef, or poultry than for other bulk foods such as ice cream. So, in essence, there are three main parameters for food freezing: temperature difference, air velocity, and freezer dwell time. Adjusting those three parameters to suit whatever product it is that has to have the heat efficiently extracted from it will result in a range of machinery that suits very different applications.

Technological developments include minimizing the use of refrigerants through automated valve control systems to extract optimum levels of heat exchange within the freezer. This process leads to intelligent control systems that automatically monitor frozen food discharge temperatures and control the refrigeration and freezer operating parameters autonomously.

Energy Costs for Industrial Freezing

Food can be frozen very quickly or slowly, depending on how fast the heat (or energy) is extracted from the food. This is dependent upon the temperature difference between the cooling medium (usually refrigerated air), the amount of time the product is exposed to the colder air (dwell time), and the velocity of the air passed over the product. The velocity is used to help break down the boundary layer surrounding the food in order to allow efficient heat extraction. This freezing time costs energy—in other words, money. Thus, energy management is just as important in freezing food as it is for the rest of the production line. To put the energy demand in context, a 20,000 kg/hr French fry freezer extracts approximately 3,400 kW of heat every hour.

Cooling a product once it has already reached the required degree of freezing, however, isn’t only unnecessary; it is also a waste of energy. Some products need to be 100% frozen, while for others, an 80% level of frozenness at freezer discharge is acceptable. Sensing technology measures the level of frozenness inline, at the freezer exit, without coming into direct contact with the food. The system then automatically adjusts the freezer parameters to maintain perfect freezing conditions according to customer and product requirements.

The current demand for freezing food equipment is just the tip of the iceberg. As more nations develop economically, there will be an increasing demand for frozen food because it offers convenience and reduces waste, and the range of foods it offers caters to everyone’s needs—whether it’s vegan, vegetarian, dairy, meat, bakery, fruits and vegetables, or prepared foods.

Factories are becoming increasingly streamlined to remain economically viable in a very competitive marketplace. That means looking for optimum efficiency and quality, and that, in turn, usually means specialization with dedicated production lines.

Hallifax is head of the EMEA region within the frozen food business unit at GEA, an industrial technology group based in Dusseldorf, Germany. Reach him at david.hallifax@gea.com.

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Shifting to a new food freezing method could make for safer and better quality frozen foods, according to a new study by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and scientists at the University of California–Berkeley.

The new freezing method, called isochoric freezing, works by storing foods in a sealed, rigid container, typically made of hard plastic or metal, completely filled with a liquid such as water. Unlike conventional freezing in which food is exposed to the air and freezes solid at temperatures below 32^o F, isochoric freezing preserves food without turning it to solid ice. As long as the food stays immersed in the liquid portion, it’s protected from ice crystallization, a major threat to food quality.

Isochoric freezing also allows for higher quality storage of fresh foods such as tomatoes, sweet cherries, and potatoes that are otherwise difficult to preserve with conventional freezing.

Another benefit of isochoric freezing is that it also kills microbial contaminants during processing.

The method was first developed to cryopreserve tissues and organs for transplants. Since then, researchers have applied for a joint patent to apply isochoric freezing to food preservation. The research team is now developing the best applications for this technology in the frozen foods industry.

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Tyson Foods, Inc., based in Dexter, Mo., is voluntarily recalling approximately 8.5 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Tyson has been working closely with USDA on this recall, and while the company says there is no conclusive evidence that the products were contaminated at the time of shipment, the recall is being initiated out of an abundance of caution.

The frozen, fully cooked chicken products were produced between December 26, 2020, and April 13, 2021. The products that are subject to recall are listed here. View the labels here.

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. P-7089” on the product bag or inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped nationwide to retailers and institutions, including hospitals, nursing facilities, restaurants, and schools.

On June 9, 2021, FSIS was notified of two people who were sick with listeriosis. Working in conjunction with the CDC and state public health partners, FSIS determined there is evidence linking the Listeria monocytogenes illnesses to precooked chicken produced at Tyson Foods.

The epidemiologic investigation identified three listeriosis illnesses, including one death, between April 6, 2021, and June 5, 2021. During routine sample collection, FSIS collected two precooked chicken samples from two establishments that are closely related genetically to Listeria monocytogenes from sick people. One of the samples was collected at Tyson Foods.

USDA is continuing to work with federal and state public health partners to determine if there are additional illnesses linked to these products.

The post Tyson Recalls 8.5 Million Pounds of RTE Chicken Due to Possible <i>Listeria</i> Contamination appeared first on Food Quality & Safety.

Demand for frozen food products are on the rise. By one recent analysis, the size of the global frozen food market will reach $185.28 billion in 2027, up from $146.79 billion in 2019, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.1%. The market research analysis by Fortune Business Insights, published November 10, 2020, found that an expanding workforce population, a rise in women’s employment rates, a change in lifestyles among younger generations, and increased consumer awareness of the health benefits of frozen foods are among the current and predicted drivers of increased demands for frozen food and ready-to-eat (RTE) products as people increasingly want food that requires less effort and time to make and is more convenient to consume.

Although acknowledging the downturn in demand and drop in frozen food market sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, after an initial increased demand when SARS-CoV-2 first emerged, the report highlights the recent demand for online shopping occasioned by the pandemic as increasing consumer awareness about new apps for online shopping are expected to drive growth in the frozen food market going forward. When looking at the type of product, the report predicted that frozen vegetables and fruits would lead in consumer demand, followed by frozen RTE meals.

What this report underscores, similar to several other analyses predicting similar or even higher growth in consumer demand for frozen food products, is the need for strong and secure safety measures within food processing and manufacturing facilities to ensure the safety of frozen food products.

Frozen food facilities inherently present optimal harborage environments for Listeria growth.—Sanjay Gummalla, PhD, American Frozen Food Institute

For food processors and manufacturers, a number of pathogens may pose a risk to frozen food products. Among the most concerning is Listeria monocytogenes. The seriousness of this pathogen on human health, particularly on more vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, neonates, people older than age 65, and those with chronic illnesses, is well documented. As reported in a recent review by Farber et al., published in October 2020 in the journal Food Control, the populations of people at risk of acquiring listeriosis, the foodborne illness caused by L. monocytogenes, is growing and may represent up to 30% of the general population.

Not only is the population at risk growing, so too is the incidence of listeriosis. Using data from FoodNet from 2004–2009 to estimate the rates of listeriosis by subpopulation, the study’s authors predicted that the overall listeriosis incidence rate would increase from 0.25 per 100,000 in 2010 to 0.32 per 100,000 in 2030. When looking at the specific vulnerable population of pregnant women, that number jumps to 4.0 to 4.4 per 100,000 women in the same time span.

To place that number in another context, the authors of the report estimated it would require a 48% reduction in exposure or infectivity to L. monocytogenes in the overall US population (or 89% for people >70 years old) to achieve the Healthy People 2020 goal of a one-third reduction rate of listeriosis.

The review, authored by an international expert panel commissioned by the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), was conducted to develop a scientific basis and rationale for regulatory policies governing L. monocytogenes. Currently, the “zero-tolerance” approach by FDA is challenged by many within the frozen food industry who do not believe it is the best approach to mitigating or preventing the presence of the pathogen, particularly in low-risk foods, given the impossibility of completely eliminating the pathogen in RTE foods, including frozen foods.

Martin Wiedmann, PhD, the Gellert Family Professor in Food Safety, in the department of food science at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., an author of the report, emphasized that “total elimination” of L. monocytogenes is impossible. “There always is a residual risk of contamination even if all food safety systems work according to plan and regulation,” he says. As such, the report advances the argument and provides a number of recommendations on a risk-based approach to mitigating and preventing L. monocytogenes in low-risk foods based on a scientific and rational approach.

Dr. Wiedmann emphasized, however, that in frozen food, the vast majority of food safety issues are due to improperly designed or inconsistently or incorrectly implemented food safety systems. As such, food processors and manufacturers can and do need to have a good food safety system in place to prevent and mitigate as much as possible the potential of selling contaminated products to consumers.

For food processors and manufacturers of frozen food products, the first step is recognizing the prevalence of L. monocytogenes and understanding how this pathogen can be introduced into frozen food products.

A Ubiquitous and Persistent Pathogen in Frozen Foods

John Butts, PhD, founder and principal of FoodSafetyByDesign, LLC, advisor to Land O’Frost and a member of the Food Quality & Safety Editorial Advisory Board, underscored that food processors really need to understand the risks of the problem. “Just because it’s frozen doesn’t mean the organism isn’t present,” he says. He also emphasized the persistent nature of the pathogen, citing an experience in a meat plant in which L. monocytogenes contaminated a product 12 years after the same pathogen had resulted in the first fatality from a contaminated turkey frank.

Dr. Wiedmann detailed two primary ways pathogens can be introduced into frozen foods. The first is through the raw material if it does not go through a “kill step,” such as blanching, to inactivate the pathogen in vegetables and fruit. The second is through environmental exposure at the processing facility, which, he said, can lead to contamination of products after the “kill step” or heat treatment.

Drilling a bit deeper, Sanjay Gummalla, PhD, senior vice president of scientific affairs at the AFFI, emphasized the risk of repeated entry of L. monocytogenes as raw produce comes from fields into facilities, allowing for the potential spread within the production environment due to movement of personnel and vehicular traffic. “Frozen food facilities inherently present optimal harborage environments for Listeria growth,” he says, emphasizing the need for food manufacturers to continually address ways to prevent and limit the pathogen by improving sanitation practices, environmental monitoring programs, and investments in hygienically designed equipment and facility infrastructure. He underscores, however, the fact that food can still be contaminated in the post-lethality environment, making it imperative that facilities establish and implement good manufacturing practices.

Environmental Monitoring

Dr. Wiedmann also stresses that a key component of a well-designed and implemented food safety system is effective environmental monitoring and “seek and destroy” programs, as well as effective root cause analysis for every time a problem is detected. He emphasized the need to verify consistent implementation of validated safety practices, which means ensuring that these practices are followed consistently day in and day out.

Dr. Butts, who developed the seek and destroy process in the early 1990s, says that the process separates verification samples from process control samples. “A positive process control sample is an opportunity to celebrate because the plant has the opportunity to intervene before product or contact surfaces are involved,” he says. “The application of process control sampling helps eliminate “firefighting” and enables preventive and predictive pathogen control.”

Dr. Gummalla also emphasizes the need for kill steps (or lethality steps) to effectively reduce the presence of L. monocytogenes in facilities, and the requirement to validate these processes as mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

The need for environmental monitoring accompanied by verification programs as key components of a food safety plan was recently discussed and highlighted in an article published in the Journal of Food Protection, in which investigators surveyed food safety professionals working in frozen food manufacturing facilities. The survey found that floors, walls, and drains were the major areas of reported concerns in facilities for finding Listeria-positive results, and that most food safety programs within the facilities surveyed focused their attention on identifying the presence of Listeria in the processing environment and mitigating product contamination, while few focused on testing active raw material and finished products for Listeria. Along with environmental monitoring, the survey also reported the need by industry to improve and develop verification programs to reduce the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in environments in which frozen food products are processed.

To help food processors and manufacturers achieve these goals, AFFI developed ways to assist companies to validate their lethality processes, particularly for frozen foods. For example, Dr. Gummalla points to research that established a correlation of key time and temperature parameters with significant log reduction of L. monocytogenes when blanching frozen vegetables. “Blanching was originally intended to be a way to stabilize the quality of the raw materials prior to freezing, but appropriate time and temperature treatment can also serve as an effective anti-microbial step,” he says.

He cites this and other research at AFFI that is available to help food manufacturers develop and implement food safety practices for their operations. Found on its Food Safety Zone website at affifoodsafety.org, resources and downloadable tools developed by food safety professionals for food safety professionals offer manufacturers an easy way to search, access, and incorporate food safety practices. The site also includes a Listeria Control Program with more than 100 recommendations to help prevent and control L. monocytogenes.

John Rusiniak, vice president of quality and product safety at Lakeside Foods, Inc., in New Richmond, Wisc., reiterates the importance of seek-and-destroy principles as a key best practice for mitigating pathogen contamination. “We employ aggressive environmental monitoring and testing practices based on pathogen seek-and-destroy principles, supported by focused corrective actions when needed,” he says.

That said, Rusiniak, who is a member of AFFI’s Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Committee, underscored the idea that the challenge faced by frozen food manufacturers to ensure safe food products is the same for all food manufacturers and is based on the essential principle of “Safe Food Always.”

“How we get there differs in terms of managing the four Ms: methods, materials, machines, and manpower,” he says. “I would also add a fifth M for “money,” because food safety only happens with commitment during the budgeting process to financially support all aspects of food safety.”

Food Safety Culture

Basically, what Rusiniak is describing is the need for food manufacturers to invest in and adhere to a food safety culture. “The bottom line is that manufacturers must build a food safety culture, which boils down to awareness, education, and commitment,” he says.

Dr. Wiedmann also stresses the need for food processors to take seriously the risk of pathogen contamination of their frozen food products and not adopt a “we never had a problem so everything must be fine” attitude. “There is a need for continuous improvement and regular re-assessment of food safety systems,” he says, citing, for example, the need to continually monitor sanitation procedures. “Often, problems can be traced back to sanitation procedures that do not include sufficient disassembly before cleaning and sanitation, which is essential to make sure cleaning agents and sanitizers reach all spots where L. monocytogenes may ‘hide,’” he adds.

Talking about food safety culture in terms of the level of cultural maturity of an organization, Dr. Butts underscores questions that companies can ask themselves about their commitment to food safety: What are our values? Are we going to apply our values to our production process? “The culture of an organization drives what they are going to do,” he says.

An article recently published in the journal Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety describes in detail how organizations can look at food safety culture in terms of moving from a compliance-oriented organization to one that is more integrity oriented, and the ways to determine the cultural maturity of an organization (see “Determining Cultural Maturity,” p. TK).

One outgrowth of organizations moving to a food safety culture built less on compliance and more on integrity (or a higher maturity level) may arguably be a more risk-based regulatory approach, moving away from the more stringent FDA “zero tolerance” approach. Some argue that this will, in turn, actually improve food safety more than a “zero tolerance” approach, in which a food product is recalled if it is found to have any trace of L. monocytogenes regardless of the product’s risk profile, by reducing the disincentive to companies to regularly sample foods in fear of a recall.

Calling the “zero tolerance” approach a “significant impasse confronting the food industry,” Dr. Gumalla says that a more risk-based approach to regulating L. monocytogenes as laid out by the expert panel in a review published in October 2020 in the journal Food Control will “enhance food safety management and improve public health.” Among the risk-based approach recommendations are the use of alternate sampling approaches for foods that are at low risk of L. monocytogenes contamination and the use of big data to improve microbial risk assessments. Among the other recommendations is the need for clear communication to consumers on safe food handling and avoidance of high-risk foods for at-risk populations.

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The World Health Organization on August 13 downplayed the danger of the coronavirus latching on to food packaging and urged people not to be afraid of the virus entering the food chain.

Two cities in China said they had found traces of the coronavirus in imported frozen food and on food packaging, raising fears that contaminated food shipments might cause new outbreaks.

“People should not fear food, or food packaging or processing or delivery of food,” WHO head of emergencies program Mike Ryan told a briefing in Geneva. “There is no evidence that food or the food chain is participating in transmission of this virus. And people should feel comfortable and safe.”

WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said China had tested hundreds of thousands of packages and “found very, very few, less than 10” proving positive for the virus.

More than 20.69 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and almost 750,000​ have died, according to a Reuters tally.

The WHO urged countries now that are striking bilateral deals for vaccines not to abandon multilateral efforts, since vaccinating pockets will still leave the world vulnerable.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on August 12 that Russia had become the first country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, a move Moscow likened to its success in the Cold War-era space race.

Moscow’s decision to grant approval before then has raised concerns among some experts. Only about 10% of clinical trials are successful and some scientists fear Moscow may be putting national prestige before safety.

The WHO does not have enough information to make a judgment on the expanded use of the Russian vaccine, Bruce Aylward, WHO senior adviser, said at the briefing.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, Michael Shields, and John Miller; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

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Capitalizing on winter frosts, consumers in cold climates have been freezing food naturally for countless centuries. The mechanical freezing of food dates to the 1860s, pioneered by Thomas Mort (1816–1878), who established the first commercial freezing works in Darling Harbor, Australia. In 1930, Brooklyn, N.Y., native Clarence Birdseye (1886–1956) patented his method to flash-freeze foods and deliver them to the public, an accomplishment considered to be one of the most important revolutions in the food industry.

Fast forward to the present.

As of June 2019, U.S. retail frozen food sales totaled $55 billion for 52 consecutive weeks, according to Nielsen Retail Measurement Services (NRMS). Not surprisingly, ice cream was the most popular frozen food during that same time frame, per NRMS, with $6.7 billion in retail sales, followed by pizza ($4.8 billion), seafood ($4.8 billion), novelty ($4.6 billion), and complete meals ($4.5 billion). Following the top five are vegetables ($3.1 billion), cooked meat ($3.0 billion), fresh meat ($2.9 billion), appetizers ($2.1 billion), and potatoes ($1.8 billion). Categories rounding out the list are sandwiches ($1.7 billion), ice ($1.6 billion), breakfast sandwiches ($1.3 billion), main courses ($1.3 billion), fruit ($1.1 billion), and handheld entrées ($1.0 billion).

In 2019, in collaboration with the Food Marketing Institute, the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), based in Arlington, Va., released a research report, “The Power of Frozen in Retail,” that examined the consumption, purchase drivers, and use of frozen foods. These research findings, along with actual sales and consumption data, provide an overview of frozen food that equips frozen food manufacturers and their retail partners with opportunities for continued growth, according to Donna Garren, PhD, AFFI’s executive vice president of science and policy.

Founded in 1942, AFFI is a national trade association dedicated to advancing the interests of all segments of the frozen food and beverage industry. Highlights from the report address the retail frozen landscape in 2018, specifically:

• Frozen foods generated $57 billion annually in retail.
• A total of 99.4 percent of households purchase at least some frozen foods.
• The top three categories for growth in sales were pizza (+$232 million), novelties (+$211 million) and dinners/entrees (+$206 million).
• The top three categories with the largest percent dollar growth include appetizers/snacks (5.8 percent), soups/sides (9.8 percent, and breakfast foods (5.7 percent).

Addressing Food Safety Challenges in Frozen Food Industry

Dr. Garren observes that, currently, Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) and enteric viruses are pathogens that challenge global regulatory agencies and food manufacturers alike. “We’re addressing issues in this area by continuing to produce resources related to control and prevention of Lm, as well as exploring ways to support the frozen fruit industry in control and prevention of enteric viruses,” she relates.

To that end, in 2017, AFFI embarked on a strategic plan that prioritized the advancement of food safety within the frozen food industry supply chain, Dr. Garren says. “This was shortly after an Lm recall for frozen vegetables,” she notes. “We knew then that AFFI could be instrumental to our members and the collective frozen food industry in developing the science and best practices to ensure that frozen foods and beverages are safe.”

For this effort, Dr. Garren says, resources were developed with the support of more than 75 food safety experts representing the frozen food industry. All of this information is available for free on AFFI’s online resource, Food Safety Zone. “This website was launched in 2019 to provide frozen food and beverage manufacturers with best food safety practices aimed at Lm control and prevention in the areas of sanitation controls, hygienic design, environmental monitoring, process validation, hygienic zoning, and freezer management,” Dr. Garren relates.

Supporting Research

Since 2017, AFFI has funded several research programs to build the body of scientific information around Lm and the public health impact of listeriosis. “Scientists at the University of Georgia [UGA], Cornell University, and the University of Minnesota are conducting these research projects,” Dr. Garren says.

For one example, a project at UGA evaluates current environmental monitoring practices being implemented across the frozen food industry to prevent and control Lm. “We’ve learned there is a need for facilities to review their sampling strategy, including the frequency and timing of sampling,” Dr. Garren relates. “A take-home message of the project is that facilities should focus on sampling for Lm at times and in places where they are most likely to find the pathogen, in order to get a more realistic assessment.”

All of the peer-reviewed publications resulting from the AFFI-funded research will be added to the Food Safety Zone, Dr. Garren notes. She shares that, since its launch, AFFI’s Food Safety Zone has resulted in some 30,480 page views, with more than 5,000 best practices resources downloaded.

Food Safety Partnerships

A recent AFFI collaboration with Mérieux NutriSciences has led to development of Lm Trend Tracker. “This program is designed to gather industry microbiological sampling data, which can be used to evaluate the implementation of our best food safety practices, develop new resources, and determine if AFFI’s recommendations should be modified or improved,” Dr. Garren explains.

A second partnership was developed with Intertek Alchemy to develop a Listeria-specific 12-month food safety training course that is tailor-made for frontline workers in frozen food manufacturing facilities and the broader food industry. “This program, called Listeria Stops Here, includes a variety of interactive content that keeps workers engaged for better retention, results, and risk reduction,” Dr. Garren elaborates, adding that AFFI ships a toolkit of training materials to participating companies.

The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA), a nonprofit trade association representing all segments of the frozen and refrigerated foods industry, is the sponsor of March Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month, Summer Favorites Ice Cream & Novelties promotion, and the Cool Food for Kids educational outreach program. Headquartered in Harrisburg, Pa., the NFRA, founded in 1945, includes more than 400 member companies.

“Through our Easy Home Meals consumer-facing website and social media platforms, NFRA talks to thousands of consumers every day about frozen and refrigerated foods,” says Julie Henderson, the organization’s vice president of communications. “We share food safety tips on our Easy Home Meals website and blog, including storage temperature and time charts, and also tips on proper refrigerator and freezer cleaning to help ensure the quality and safety of the foods stored there.”

NFRA recently began collaborating with the Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE). “We’re looking forward to sharing resources and helping to get more food safety messages out to our large consumer audiences,” Henderson says. “Our goal is to begin implementing PFSE’s Safe Recipe Style Guide, which has all recipe directions begin with the basic food safety “measure of washing your hands with soap and water and includes instructions for keeping foods separated.”

To instruct students, NFRA has partnered with Young Minds Inspired, a provider of free educational outreach programs, to create downloadable activities for middle and high school consumer science and health teachers that address both food waste and food safety. “Curriculum materials relative to these topics have been emailed to more than 65,000 teachers throughout the U.S. since 2019,” Henderson relates.

Promoting Frozen Food Quality

Relative to food quality, NFRA is consistently telling the farm-to-table story of frozen foods, Henderson emphasizes: that it’s real food, just frozen. “We emphasize to consumers and educators that frozen foods are made from real ingredients picked at the peak of ripeness and flash frozen, sometimes right on the field, to lock in all the beneficial nutrients and keep them in their perfect, just-picked state,” Henderson elaborates.

With its “Real Food. Frozen” consumer public relations campaign, NFRA focuses on changing the current conversation and perceptions about what people can find in the frozen aisles. “The campaign promotes the real ingredients, culturally-inspired recipes, fresh flavors, and smart packaging that make our category of foods unique,” Henderson says.

In 2019, the campaign achieved more than 700 million impressions through influencer marketing, media outreach, strategic partnerships, and social media efforts on the NFRA’s Easy Home Meals consumer channels and EasyHomeMeals.com, Henderson mentions.

Freezing Technique in Development

A novel technique called isochoric freezing holds promise for use in food manufacturing and preservation, according to its developer, Boris Rubinsky, PhD, a professor of biomedical and mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Rubinsky first published the thermodynamic principles of isochoric cryopreservation in 2005 in the journal Cryobiology. His initial research focuses on using isochoric freezing for human cells and tissues, and organs destined for transplantation. Collaborating with USDA since 2017, Dr. Rubinsky and other scientists have shown that freezing various foods under certain isochoric conditions results in products with quality superior to those preserved by conventional freezing.

Typically, food is frozen under isobaric conditions, which means a constant atmospheric pressure when temperature and volume vary in tandem, Dr. Rubinsky relates. “Within such a system, an unrestricted volume of water or the total water content within a given solid mass of food will freeze almost completely when held at a temperature below its freezing point,” he explains.

With isochoric freezing, a food product is immersed in an isotonic solution inside a closed chamber so that the volume remains constant during freezing, Dr. Rubinsky elaborates. “The chamber is then gradually cooled down to a preset freezing temperature,” he says. “Once the temperature reaches the freezing point of the solution, ice starts forming and growing in size, generating hydrostatic pressure inside the closed chamber until the system reaches a new thermodynamic equilibrium at the preset freezing temperature. At this point, a two-phase system exists, with an unfrozen liquid portion and a frozen solid portion.”

The most notable benefit of isochoric freezing, Dr. Rubinsky says, is that food can be safely preserved without ice crystal formation if it remains in the liquid portion of the system. To date, the technique has been successfully demonstrated with studies on cherries, tomatoes, potatoes, and tilapia, Dr. Rubinsky reports. “Additional foods that could benefit from the process include berries and leafy greens, which deteriorate after traditional freezing and thawing,” he points out. “Moreover, isochoric freezing of bacteria in solutions at minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours has resulted in a seven-log reduction of Lm and Salmonella typhimurium.”

“Energy savings is another benefit of isochoric freezing,” Dr. Rubinsky adds. “Our research shows that an isochoric system requires up to 70 percent less energy compared to conventional freezing.”

Another game-changing breakthrough is on the horizon. “Our current research includes freezing for 3D printing of food—cryoprinting,” Dr. Rubinsky says. “That will have a major impact on the food industry worldwide. One day, in the foreseeable future, instead of first making a food product and then freezing it, we will be able to freeze a food product as it’s being made, courtesy of cryoprinting.”

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New research funded in part by the Frozen Food Foundation reveals a possible solution for controlling Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in food manufacturing facilities. The findings were published in the Jan. 24, 2019, Scientific Reports.

The Cornell University study focused on developing and testing a computer model that has the potential to pinpoint locations in a food manufacturing facility where Lm might be found. The model—which Cornell researchers named Environmental monitoring with an Agent-Based Model of Listeria (EnABLe)—would allow food production safety managers to then test these designated areas for the bacteria’s presence.

“Our organization and industry are focused on better understanding potential entry points for Listeria in frozen food facilities, ultimately leading to specific food safety protocols,” said Donna Garren, PhD, executive vice president, Frozen Food Foundation. “Lm is a challenge because of its ubiquity and ability to survive freezing temperatures. Cornell’s innovative work opens a new, predictive model for the frozen food industry to better understand and develop more robust food safety programs for detecting and minimizing the presence of Lm.”

“Illness stemming from frozen foods is extremely rare. But we want to do our part to prevent a listeriosis event from occurring,” Dr. Garren added.

During the study, researchers entered all relevant food production data into EnABLe, including historical perspectives, expert feedback, details of food manufacturing equipment used, and its cleaning schedules, the job functions, and movement of materials and people within and from outside the facility.

“The goal is to build a decision-support tool for control of any pathogen in any complex environment,” said Renata Ivanek, Cornell University associate professor in the department of population medicine and diagnostic sciences and senior author of the paper. “While a single person could never keep track of all this information, EnABLe connects data and potential sources of Lm contamination with approaches for risk mitigation and management.”

While the study describes Listeria spp. on equipment and surfaces in a cold-smoked salmon facility, insights gained from seeing patterns in the areas where Listeria spp. is predicted can inform the design of any food manufacturing facilities and Lm-monitoring programs.

“This is a novel tool to simulate and design food safety systems to traceLm on equipment and food manufacturing facilities,” said Dr. Garren. “This research allows Lm to be traced in ways that haven’t been done before that will allow frozen food manufacturers to make science-based decisions when developing environmental monitoring programs and managing food safety risks in a complex environment.”

Dr. Garren added that the Cornell study will continue into 2019. The model will now be applied to and tested in select frozen food facilities as the next step in a potential industry-wide rollout.

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(Editor’s Note: This is an online-only article attributed to the December/January 2018 issue.)

Food safety has taken a front seat, and conscientious consumers are more dedicated to the cause than ever. This increased awareness has inspired industry leaders to make a concerted effort to revamp their food safety efforts in the name of transparency.

Today, however, the impetus for conversations surrounding food safety is no longer directly spurred by unsavory events within the food industry. As a true topic of interest to consumers, many have expressed their concern, imploring companies to be proactive, rather than reactive. In this way, Graeter’s Ice Cream has continued to build a high level of trust among its consumers over the course of its 145 years history; in turn, becoming an ambassador for food safety industry-wide. This is accomplished, in large part, by a dedicated team of highly skilled food safety specialists.

The Weight of Food Safety Within Today’s Culture

Within the past couple years, a growing awareness of particularly stubborn pathogens, such as Listeria, have become a distinct focus of the ice cream category. Several distinguished brands have made a public commitment to proactivity in the food safety realm, and fellow companies can strive for similar excellence by learning from and incorporating the industry-best practices these brands utilize.

For instance, dedicating the same time, attention to detail, and heart to food safety that it puts into each handcrafted French Pot batch of ice cream, Graeter’s has achieved a SQF Level 3 Certification. With that attained, the company’s best practices have become even more fine-tuned to ensure it continues to serve consumers with utter confidence in its product.

Achieving SQF Level 3 Certification

Members of the Graeter’s Ice Cream team might admit that achieving the SQF Level 3 Certification was, in fact, a challenging experience. However, the benefits are worth the effort. Consumers who purchase a pint at their local grocery store or walk into a scoop shop for a hand-dipped cone can instill their trust in Graeter’s Ice Cream—as well as the brand’s commitment to food safety.

While working towards its SQF Level 3 Certification, Graeter’s first made adjustments to fit the requirements as a result of its unique way of making and packing ice cream. While the SQF Level 2 Certification specifies food safety, Level 3 specifies food quality.

This posed challenges for Graeter’s, as it is a company that holds the quality of each small batch to only the highest standards. From texture and creaminess to the size of its signature chocolate chips, Graeter’s relies on its skilled technicians to create these parameters. As a result, an adapted process for achieving SQF Level 3 was applied. The brand implemented four critical elements into its strict food safety regimen. Companies interested in garnering the same trust Graeter’s has can focus their efforts on these tips for food safety success.

Be adaptive. Most are already familiar with the unique French Pot Process Graeter’s uses to handcraft its ice cream. It is this same precision that ensures the brand consistently produces a safe product. The industry’s most dedicated companies are following suit, calling upon food safety teams to create environments and protocols that do the same.

However, Graeter’s knew that whichever food safety certification it pursued would have to be from both a reputable and respected institution, while also allowing Graeter’s the freedom to maintain its specialty process for producing ice cream. The Safe Quality Food institute proved to be what the brand needed. SQF requires a rigorous, credible food safety management system, and simultaneously, is the only scheme to integrate a quality component.

Look at the entire process. It can be tempting to create a food safety and quality plan from a desk where you can accomplish the end result very easily and efficiently. However, it is important to create your company’s plan with each department and process in mind. If a change is made in distribution, it can negatively impact inventory control or production, among others. Consequently, all departments within a company must work together in order for the entire system to function properly.

It is also important to incorporate team members in the development of the system. If given the opportunity to assist in the creation of processes and procedures, each team member will have a sense of ownership in the system as a whole. This aids significantly in the cultural change that is required when building, implementing, and maintaining a food safety and quality system.

Integrate your food safety team. Walk through a plant that enlists such quality standards as Graeter’s, and one thing should be apparent—an intricate attention to safety protocols is given by each part of the team. By walking the floor yourself, you can better learn about even the finest details of each job, while establishing a stronger sense of team. Ask for your employees’ input to let them know you value their work and expertise.

In building a stronger food safety team, consider your vehicle for feedback. In regards to a topic as critical as this, the care you show for your team should not dwindle. Take an interest in your fellow food safety specialists and show them that you’re approachable—not many quality and food safety managers make that a priority, which ultimately distances them from the core of their work.

Open a dialogue with others in your industry. Use the resources at your disposal. Learning from fellow category leaders, as well as companies that reach beyond your own category, is a fantastic way to broaden your thinking. Whether your goal is to achieve a certification, or simply tighten up your current food safety practices, opening up a dialogue with other professionals is a key way to adapt to your present challenges.

Food safety is much more than a science—it is a passion. Brands like Graeter’s Ice Cream understand that keen listening ears and watchful eyes are needed to ensure its own program remains unparalleled in quality. It requires just as much heart as handcrafting the product itself. It entails constant forward thinking while not trampling on the tradition Graeter’s has established for four generations.

At a time when consumer awareness has piqued, the food industry must redefine the role and definition of food safety. The cost of doing business today is a food safety system that ultimately rises above industry standards. With this in mind, the frozen food category as a whole can once again regain the trust of its consumers and tactfully avoid crisis.

Kehres is a quality assurance manager, SQF practitioner, and PCQI for Graeter’s Ice Cream. Reach her at Amanda.Kehres@Graeters.com.

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