The Visible Value Blog

Food scares and brand reputations have led to more rigorous processes across the food and beverage industry. Manufacturers have tightened up the management of their ingredient providers, with the focus firmly on the traceability and authenticity of foodstuffs. Trace ingredients back to the farm of origin, sometimes even the field, and there’s a hugely powerful and positive story to tell consumers. The less clarity around provenance, the more likely that goods will be rejected.

With the enactment of the EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation (EU FIC), there’s a whole host of allergen information that food retailers now need to provide for customers, but are retailers managing to keep it all up-to-date and accurate?  There’s evidence that many are either not aware of the new rules or are finding the challenge too great.

Fundamental to successful food and beverage and hospitality operations is the ability to ensure food safety. Improper food handling puts both employees and guests at risk of potentially serious food borne illness and disease. Poor food handling protocols can also increase liability and undermine the bottom line. Over the years — and, in many cases, still today — the norm for food safety procedures has been a system based on the use of paper logs. Logs are manually filled out by employees and consolidated at the end of the day or later. In an industry where safety is both paramount and easily compromised, these delays can lead to significant problems, potentially including outbreaks of serious illnesses such as salmonella and E-coli.