Supermarket Perimeter - May 2020 - 15

In addition, Hobart has incorporated angled sides on
the saw for water run-off. The company's double flanged
pulleys don't require tools and can be removed easily so
the operator can thoroughly clean the machine, she said.
And more innovations, Bilger added, are sure to come,
given Hobart's decades-long commitment to food safety.
"Hobart is always working to improve the user's overall
experience with our meat room equipment," she said.
"We are focused on providing enhanced cleaning and
sanitation features in our future designs. As the premier
supplier of commercial food preparation equipment
for over 100 years, Hobart is committed to providing
solutions to our users that support food safety standards
and operator assurance."

Ingredient technology: Corbion's
alternative to salt curing
New Verdad Opti Powder N350 from Corbion, which has
US offices in Lenexa, Kansas, provides an alternative to
traditional salt curing.
While salt curing, or dry curing, has been used to
preserve fish for millennia, today's longer and more
complex supply chains require better protection from
human pathogens such as Listeria, Corbion said.
Verdad Opti Powder N350 uses a patent-pending
process to combine the flavor and functionality of
salt with the antimicrobial properties of vinegar to
deliver both Listeria inhibition and extended shelf life.

The product is applied to fish in a manner similar to
traditional salting and does not create an additional
processing step for manufacturers. Its uniform particle
size minimizes dusting during application, prevents
irregular distribution and decreases susceptibility to
Listeria outgrowth.
The new offering earned the Food Tech Innovation
Award at Fi Europe in Paris in December.
"Having a label-friendly way to boost antimicrobial
efficacy without the need for processing changes will
make it easy for manufacturers to achieve their food
safety goals despite the challenges posed by modern
value chains," said Stephan Dobblestein, senior business
development manager at Corbion. "That means greater
protection for both consumer health and safety, and for
our customers' brand."

Corbion's Verdad Opti
Powder N350 is an
alternative to traditional
salt curing of seafood.

TECHNOLOGY DRIVES NEW LEAFY GREENS GUIDELINES
HOBART, CORBION, PRISS NK D - STOCK.ADOBE.COM

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
released a Leafy Green STEC Action Plan
on March 5.
Between 2009 and 2018, the FDA and
Centers for Disease Prevention (CDC)
identified 40 foodborne outbreaks of
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in
the U.S. with a confirmed or suspected
link to leafy greens.
STEC can cause potentially deadly
conditions such as bloody diarrhea, anemia,
blood-clotting problems and kidney failure.
Since most leafy greens are consumed raw,
grown outdoors and exposed to soil, animals
and water which can all be potential sources
of contamination, the FDA developed a
specific action plan to avoid outbreaks of
STEC stemming from leafy greens.
The plan focuses on prevention, response
and addressing knowledge gaps in 2020.

Prevention is geared toward advancing
agricultural water safety; enhancing
inspection; auditing and certification
programs; engaging retailers in
strengthening their buyer specifications;
better sharing data; enhanced surveys for
STEC detection and sampling protocols;
increased awareness and addressing
of concerns of adjacent land use; and
establishing outreach and communications
programs for stakeholders in growing
regions.
The plan's response tactics include
publishing an investigation report on the
outbreak in the Salinas Valley in California;
conducting follow-up surveillance during
the fall 2020 California growing season;
promoting tech-enabled traceability;
improving utilization of shopper card data;
accelerating whole genome sequencing
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data submission; advancing root cause
analysis activities; and enhancing outbreak
and recall communications.
The FDA also plans to address
knowledge gaps by conducting longitudinal
studies; data mining and analytics on
previous outbreaks; gathering information
on adjacent and nearby land use; and
compost sampling assignment with
California.
Shortly after the plan was released, it
was endorsed by FMI - The Food Industry
Association.
"FMI will champion industry efforts
to influence supplier and grower food
safety practices and enhance regulatory
engagement throughout the supply
chain," said Hilary Thesmar, chief food
and product safety officer and senior vice
president for food safety at FMI.
MAY 2020 - 15

5/5/2020 4:09:37 PM
Supermarket Perimeter - May 2020

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