Videos for Food Manufacturers to Help Maintain Food Safety

Almost a year ago, Food Processing published its food and beverage industry outlook for 2021. The article addressed changes in demand among consumers forced to shelter at home. “Demand shifted away from foodservice, as consumers found themselves having to prepare most or all of their meals at home. Nonperishable center-store items, long on the decline, saw a sudden surge in popularity, for several reasons: People who were suddenly faced with cooking at home needed staples; panic buying took hold in the pandemic’s early stages; people turned to comfort foods in uncertain times.”

Now that we are at the end of 2021, we can see that some dining out has returned, and the panic buying has subsided, but the demand for packaged snacks, canned soups, and frozen vegetables remains strong. There continues to be some supply chain issues, workforce disruption, and inflation concerns, but according to Food Manufacturing, there’s been a jump in US consumer spending. According to the article, “some large companies went to extreme lengths to make sure that their shelves are full despite widespread shortages.”

Whether it’s trying to fill the shelves or getting the regular quality supply of raw materials for processing, it is crucial to keep consumer safety at the forefront. As the food moves into the processing and packaging facility, there is potential for foreign physical contaminants if workers sidestep quality control procedures or don’t have the proper equipment in place because they are distracted by industry factors.

Manufacturers can protect against such risk by inspecting incoming materials and auditing suppliers to ensure quality at the beginning of the process, and then inspecting products after each major processing step and at the end of production before products are shipped. We’ve addressed these food safety issues and techniques in several videos we produced over the past year. We have covered brand protection, reducing vulnerability, and exceeding regulatory standards in food manufacturing. We’ve also addressed some safety concerns in growing niche markets like plant-based proteins and fresh fruits and vegetables.

The next time you’re sitting down to a meal in front of a computer, take a look at the list below and watch as many of these on-demand videos as you would like. There’s no cost and they could help prepare you for a more successful 2022..