COMMODITY CONCERN CONNECTION NEWS
It has been some time since we have sent out an update, but that is because we have been very busy behind the scenes, gearing up for the official launch of our new web based tracking system - ConcernTrak. We unveiled the beta version of the system at the PTNPA Convention in January, and there was a great deal of interest. Since then, our IT team has been busy tweaking, testing, and readying the program for full scale commercial use.
This inexpensive, comprehensive, web based (no software to install or purchase) system will simplify product tracking. It incorporates a user feedback module - PerformanceTrak, which will quickly revolutionize purchasing by enabling you to check the ratings of different suppliers for a variety of food and commodity based products. This user rating system allows for a transparency that has never before been possible in our industry.
We are also in the process of redesigning our website to better reflect the ever widening scope of our services. For now, please visit www.commodityconcern.com.
PLEASE NOTE: The info@cashewconcern.com email address is no longer functional. Our email is now info@commodityconcern.com .
PEANUT CORPORATION OF AMERICA REVISITED
In January of 2009 we published an article on the peanut butter recall. (HERE is a link to that article.). Peanut Corporation of America has been out of the news for several months, but recently an NBC investigative news team released a report on Stewart Parnell, the owner of PCA. HERE is a link to the article and video.
The article discusses the impact the incident had on the industry, and reports that if there are insufficient funds available from Peanut Corporation of America's bankruptcy to settle the claims, victims will pursue lawsuits against manufacturers who unwittingly purchased peanut products from PCA.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
An Inexpensive Program to Conduct Cashew Audits
January 21, 2010
When I joined this industry 20 years ago, cashews seemed be the nut category to monopolize the complaint department. Issues regarding infestation, foreign material, glass, hair, lead solder and various and other sundry items would be the topic of conversation at industry conventions. Unfortunately the progression of time, communication and technology has had little effect, and the problems we had 20 years ago still plague the industry today (although we did solve the lead solder dilemma with the advent of flexible packaging...) These issues still result in unnecessary cost to the product, in addition to wasted time and manpower.
Investigating Conditions at the Source
Several months ago we proposed an initiative to investigate conditions at the source that result in problems with cashews. During these difficult economic times, budgetary considerations must be taken into account. We have sharpened our pencil, and also have obtained a contribution that will offset costs associated with the project, so that we can offer this invaluable service for a fraction of the original price. Our hope is that the lower price will enable more participants to join the program and thus set the stage for the beginning of a new way to approach the sourcing of cashews and other agricultural commodities, while meeting new demands placed upon us as and industry by legislators, retailers and consumers.
The Need for Audits
The CCC has developed comprehensive, cost effective third-party supplier auditing programs for the nut and agricultural industry. Audits are a huge and necessary step to ensure quality and food safety.
Audits help form and cement the necessary partnership between the buyer and supplier. A good partnership helps both sides achieve their aims.
An audit is an effective way for a supplier to understand the exact needs/requirements of the buyer.
Buyers can assess the capabilities of suppliers. It's no good ordering 10 containers if the chosen supplier can only really produce 5.
Properly audited facilities can have a direct effect on a company's finances by proactively addressing issues that can have a significant effect on the bottom line, such as:
Glass: Glass found in food will cause a recall, and is particularly problematic because it is hard to detect and remove even if the food item is subject to further cleaning and processing.
Metal: Apart from being a health hazard in food (try eating razor blades) metal can damage valuable machines leading to loss of production.
Pests: Consumers absolutely hate finding live insects in their food, and dead ones receive the same response. But pests, especially rodents, birds and mammals carry a whole range of nasty diseases, such as salmonella, listeria nd E.Coli. Food contaminated with these organisms, or with live insects, will be recalled.
Personnel: It's a fact of life that humans carry many things that can contaminate food. It can be hair from someones head, or it can be more serious. Humans can carry and distribute diseases like salmonella, listeria and E.Coli.
Traceability: We need to understand where our food comes from. If we know where it has been then there is a good chance we can find out at what stage a particular problem arose and then take action to prevent the same thing happening again.
In addition, third party audits are soon going to be law. The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, HR2479, has already passed. Page 51, section xii reads:
"The qualified certifying entity shall not be owned, operated, or controlled by a trade association whose member companies operate facilities that it certifies."
That's pretty clear. No trade association can do this. It must be third party. Additionally, this project, and existing conditions require more resources than traditional certification agencies can provide.
We are all aware that there are conditions in facilities that compromise the integrity of the food products they produce. There is a need to investigate conditions in these facilities so that manufacturers can come to grips with why problems are occurring, how they can be avoided, and who is reliable. We have assembled a program and with your support, are ready to go forward. I want to make it clear that this program was developed not with the intention of exposing poor manufacturing conditions as a way to discredit suppliers, but as means to identify what conditions result in compromised product and in turn develop programs to assist these companies to make necessary improvements and raise the bar of the industry.
The Proposal
Using seasoned auditors, we will conduct audits of a representative sample of 10 cashew processing facilities in Vietnam. Supporters of this effort will receive, in a timely fashion:
- Access to an expanding data base of audited vendors
- A white paper summarizing the results and assessing the state of the industry, based on analyses from an inspector who has 30 years experience in food safety inspections with a concentration in nuts and dehydrated fruit.
- Full audit report from each facility
Prior to this round of audits (scheduled in March 2010),supporters will be able to:
- Submit questions for our inspector that directly relate to the issues they want addressed
- Submit specific shippers to be considered for inspection.
By utilizing the pooled support of the industry, the CCC inspection program can eventually provide a world-wide audit program to its supporters at a fraction of what it would cost a single company. As a result supporters can advertise themselves as companies that are taking steps to proactively improve the supply of raw cashews, and eventually other imported nut and agricultural commodities.
How to Participate
Our funding goal for this project is $500.00 per participant. The average cost of an audit, not including transportation, accomodations, meals, etc. is about $1500 per audit, making this a very reasonable price for ten audits.
If you have any questions, or if your firm is interested in participating in this collective project, please contact us at info@commodityconcern.com , or 804-745-2848, for more information. We will also have a booth at the upcoming Peanut and Tree Nut Convention.
We can do this, and we can do it cheaply if all the stakeholders participate!
When I joined this industry 20 years ago, cashews seemed be the nut category to monopolize the complaint department. Issues regarding infestation, foreign material, glass, hair, lead solder and various and other sundry items would be the topic of conversation at industry conventions. Unfortunately the progression of time, communication and technology has had little effect, and the problems we had 20 years ago still plague the industry today (although we did solve the lead solder dilemma with the advent of flexible packaging...) These issues still result in unnecessary cost to the product, in addition to wasted time and manpower.
Investigating Conditions at the Source
Several months ago we proposed an initiative to investigate conditions at the source that result in problems with cashews. During these difficult economic times, budgetary considerations must be taken into account. We have sharpened our pencil, and also have obtained a contribution that will offset costs associated with the project, so that we can offer this invaluable service for a fraction of the original price. Our hope is that the lower price will enable more participants to join the program and thus set the stage for the beginning of a new way to approach the sourcing of cashews and other agricultural commodities, while meeting new demands placed upon us as and industry by legislators, retailers and consumers.
The Need for Audits
The CCC has developed comprehensive, cost effective third-party supplier auditing programs for the nut and agricultural industry. Audits are a huge and necessary step to ensure quality and food safety.
Audits help form and cement the necessary partnership between the buyer and supplier. A good partnership helps both sides achieve their aims.
An audit is an effective way for a supplier to understand the exact needs/requirements of the buyer.
Buyers can assess the capabilities of suppliers. It's no good ordering 10 containers if the chosen supplier can only really produce 5.
Properly audited facilities can have a direct effect on a company's finances by proactively addressing issues that can have a significant effect on the bottom line, such as:
Glass: Glass found in food will cause a recall, and is particularly problematic because it is hard to detect and remove even if the food item is subject to further cleaning and processing.
Metal: Apart from being a health hazard in food (try eating razor blades) metal can damage valuable machines leading to loss of production.
Pests: Consumers absolutely hate finding live insects in their food, and dead ones receive the same response. But pests, especially rodents, birds and mammals carry a whole range of nasty diseases, such as salmonella, listeria nd E.Coli. Food contaminated with these organisms, or with live insects, will be recalled.
Personnel: It's a fact of life that humans carry many things that can contaminate food. It can be hair from someones head, or it can be more serious. Humans can carry and distribute diseases like salmonella, listeria and E.Coli.
Traceability: We need to understand where our food comes from. If we know where it has been then there is a good chance we can find out at what stage a particular problem arose and then take action to prevent the same thing happening again.
In addition, third party audits are soon going to be law. The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, HR2479, has already passed. Page 51, section xii reads:
"The qualified certifying entity shall not be owned, operated, or controlled by a trade association whose member companies operate facilities that it certifies."
That's pretty clear. No trade association can do this. It must be third party. Additionally, this project, and existing conditions require more resources than traditional certification agencies can provide.
We are all aware that there are conditions in facilities that compromise the integrity of the food products they produce. There is a need to investigate conditions in these facilities so that manufacturers can come to grips with why problems are occurring, how they can be avoided, and who is reliable. We have assembled a program and with your support, are ready to go forward. I want to make it clear that this program was developed not with the intention of exposing poor manufacturing conditions as a way to discredit suppliers, but as means to identify what conditions result in compromised product and in turn develop programs to assist these companies to make necessary improvements and raise the bar of the industry.
The Proposal
Using seasoned auditors, we will conduct audits of a representative sample of 10 cashew processing facilities in Vietnam. Supporters of this effort will receive, in a timely fashion:
- Access to an expanding data base of audited vendors
- A white paper summarizing the results and assessing the state of the industry, based on analyses from an inspector who has 30 years experience in food safety inspections with a concentration in nuts and dehydrated fruit.
- Full audit report from each facility
Prior to this round of audits (scheduled in March 2010),supporters will be able to:
- Submit questions for our inspector that directly relate to the issues they want addressed
- Submit specific shippers to be considered for inspection.
By utilizing the pooled support of the industry, the CCC inspection program can eventually provide a world-wide audit program to its supporters at a fraction of what it would cost a single company. As a result supporters can advertise themselves as companies that are taking steps to proactively improve the supply of raw cashews, and eventually other imported nut and agricultural commodities.
How to Participate
Our funding goal for this project is $500.00 per participant. The average cost of an audit, not including transportation, accomodations, meals, etc. is about $1500 per audit, making this a very reasonable price for ten audits.
If you have any questions, or if your firm is interested in participating in this collective project, please contact us at info@commodityconcern.com , or 804-745-2848, for more information. We will also have a booth at the upcoming Peanut and Tree Nut Convention.
We can do this, and we can do it cheaply if all the stakeholders participate!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Potential Salmonella Contamination found in Pine Nuts
January 18, 2010
On January 15th 2010 Hines Nut Company initiated a recall of 270 packages of pine nuts packaged under the brand name Harris Teeter Farms Market. According to the FDA press release (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm197825.htm the pine nuts were purchased from Red River Foods in Camarillo, CA and were found to be potentially contaminated with salmonella. To date there have been no complaints or any reported illnesses related to the product. However this incident is another warning about the vulnerabilities that the imported nut industry has regarding microbial contamination.
We urge any company that sells pine nuts, pine nut products, or any nut product that is sold raw for human consumption, to contact their supplier immediately to verify that the product has been tested for microbial contaminants, and that the integrity of the manufacturer can be verified.
Last year at the Peanut and Tree Nut Processors convention we mentioned that there had been an increase in rejections from customers who test for microbial contaminants in imported nut products, but emphasized that testing upon arrival was not a substitute for responsible sourcing, which includes taking steps to ensure that the overseas supplier adheres to good manufacturing practices, and that this integrity is present throughout the distribution chain. The entire presentation, entitled "An Ounce of Prevention, or a Metric Ton of Cure" can be viewed on our blog at this link: http://theresponsiblesource.blogspot.com/2009/01/ounce-of-prevention-ptnpa-2009.html.
Apparently in the present incident, a routine inspection by Red River Foods produced the evidence that the pine nuts have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. But this one step does not ensure public safety, nor does it address the potential for contamination that may go undetected. We have emphasized on many occasions that testing upon arrival is not a substitute for ensuring the good manufacturing practices of suppliers. It is merely a validation step confirm these practices.
Historically the imported nut industry has had no organized programs for inspection of overseas facilities. Little is known about the conditions that exist overseas - conditions that could have a severe impact on the safety of the consumer, as well as devastating financial consequences to any company involved in a major recall. Warning signs of any kind are an indication of serious problems. The industry has had several warning signs in various nut products, and it is important that we address these issues head on, and that we address them immediately.
Our blog, which offers insight to the problems and proposed solutions, can be viewed at http://theresponsiblesource.blogspot.com
On January 15th 2010 Hines Nut Company initiated a recall of 270 packages of pine nuts packaged under the brand name Harris Teeter Farms Market. According to the FDA press release (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm197825.htm the pine nuts were purchased from Red River Foods in Camarillo, CA and were found to be potentially contaminated with salmonella. To date there have been no complaints or any reported illnesses related to the product. However this incident is another warning about the vulnerabilities that the imported nut industry has regarding microbial contamination.
We urge any company that sells pine nuts, pine nut products, or any nut product that is sold raw for human consumption, to contact their supplier immediately to verify that the product has been tested for microbial contaminants, and that the integrity of the manufacturer can be verified.
Last year at the Peanut and Tree Nut Processors convention we mentioned that there had been an increase in rejections from customers who test for microbial contaminants in imported nut products, but emphasized that testing upon arrival was not a substitute for responsible sourcing, which includes taking steps to ensure that the overseas supplier adheres to good manufacturing practices, and that this integrity is present throughout the distribution chain. The entire presentation, entitled "An Ounce of Prevention, or a Metric Ton of Cure" can be viewed on our blog at this link: http://theresponsiblesource.blogspot.com/2009/01/ounce-of-prevention-ptnpa-2009.html.
Apparently in the present incident, a routine inspection by Red River Foods produced the evidence that the pine nuts have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. But this one step does not ensure public safety, nor does it address the potential for contamination that may go undetected. We have emphasized on many occasions that testing upon arrival is not a substitute for ensuring the good manufacturing practices of suppliers. It is merely a validation step confirm these practices.
Historically the imported nut industry has had no organized programs for inspection of overseas facilities. Little is known about the conditions that exist overseas - conditions that could have a severe impact on the safety of the consumer, as well as devastating financial consequences to any company involved in a major recall. Warning signs of any kind are an indication of serious problems. The industry has had several warning signs in various nut products, and it is important that we address these issues head on, and that we address them immediately.
Our blog, which offers insight to the problems and proposed solutions, can be viewed at http://theresponsiblesource.blogspot.com
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