We Need to Talk About Lettuce
Oh dear green salad. Do still people get sick from contaminated leafy greens? Last year, the Canadian Public Health Agency officially asked consumers to avoid consuming romaine lettuce, until their investigation of some serious illness incidents was completed. During the [...]
Promise & perils of food safety predictive analytics
Every time that a food recall takes place, I get extremely frustrated. What if there was a way for food companies to be notified about emerging risks that really need their attention and action, before such a recall happens? Not [...]
“Remote audits have come to stay”
Let me introduce you to a fellow Canadian and former Culinary Ambassador to Russia. This is Paul Damaren, Senior Vice President Food Safety & Supply Chain at Perry Johnson Registrars Food Safety, Inc. (PJRFSI). Paul is working for an organization [...]
How could one predict the ethylene oxide recalls of sesame seeds?
I love sesame seeds. They have a nutty, slightly sweet taste and aroma which are enhanced by toasting. They are a popular ingredient of many cuisines and bakery products in the world. Unfortunately, a massive recall of sesame seed containing [...]
“Becoming more predictive means having actionable data”
Very often, I look back and realize that this pandemic got me very much interested into the digital transformation that COVID-19 has brought to the food sector. I wanted to better understand the impact that it had to all food [...]
Let’s break down the data silos
Let's find ways to break down the data silos. The food system is rapidly changing, becoming more and more digitized. Data is being generated about all food supply entities. It is critical to combine, process and extract meaning from all [...]
“There are still a number of areas where we don’t have tech solutions in place, yet”
Let me introduce you to the VP of a multi-billion company that, during her recent Link Magazine interview about the impact of COVID-19, said: "Food has ended up being in a perfect storm." It was so interesting to read [...]
5 changes in the market that are here to stay
"We are not going to think our way out of this crisis. We need to talk ourselves through it" Following the wise advice of Verne Harnish, I have spent the past months talking to people in the market. Numerous [...]
Can we really prevent food fraud and safety incidents from happening?
Predictive analytics are so cool. Nowadays, you can find their application in many sectors, for many critical business decisions. Everyone seems to be discussing the so-called ‘Prediction Machines’ that promises to enhance any type of software system with cheap and easy-to-use AI algorithmic [...]
“As the food system becomes more digitized, safety and quality tools will be much better”
It was back in 2014, while preparing for a meeting of the Global Food Safety Partnership (GFSP) leadership group at the World Bank headquarters. I let some people in my network know that I [...]
Driving food system resilience: how can technology deliver on its promise?
Α prestigious UK publication recently asked me to contribute an expert opinion. The New Business Magazine provides small and medium businesses with advice, reports and reviews on key areas of business. There, I highlight the vital role that digital technology [...]
“We have been given a glimpse of the future, thanks to technology”
I was really looking forward to talk to the person that made this statement about big data: "I like the idea that you can use some kind of tool to interrogate information to give you the real time picture of [...]
“If we add human intelligence in the mix, even the algorithm can become better in its job”
I was recently invited by John Keogh from Shantalla Inc., to share my perspective on the challenges and opportunities of the food industry, as part of his 2020 Future of Food - 10X10 CEO Interview Series. This was an amazing [...]
“Digital technologies to confirm food authenticity in real-time are critical”
My dear readers, let me introduce you to the Reynauds: the wonderful couple behind BriteScan LLC, a hardware-enabled SaaS company based near San Francisco that develops cutting-edge, affordable material verification solutions to enhance the [...]
One food safety data standard to rule them all?
The time to solve digital interoperability problems and help ensure a more transparent, interoperable and safe food system has come. Within the next few years, the vision described in the FDA's New Era of Smarter Food Safety blueprint can become [...]