fbtechreview.comAPRIL 20258The food production process has come a long way since its initial quality control days. In 2024, the food safety and quality assurance team at Tyson Foods isn't just monitoring ­ we're firmly in the verification business. Even as food production grows increasingly automated, the human factor in food safety remains more important than ever. This means we can spend more time on the technical aspects of identifying and eliminating risks to food safety or quality ­ think of it as a shift from reactive to preventive. Ultimately, this evolution makes food safety everyone's business, and that increases job satisfaction and pride in the product. Technology is enhancing food safety on the plant floor in many ways that continue to evolve. One example involves minimizing transfer points. Every touch point, by either a team member or a piece of equipment, opens the door to the possibility of product quality degradation or waste. That means every transfer point you eliminate is a step toward optimizing production efficiency. For example, when the product moves from one line to the next, there's potential for hang-ups and pileups, which means the food product might tear, break apart, or clump. This decreases uniformity and can even challenge a company's cold chain management. Another evolution is the growing use of vision technology for continuous real-time monitoring of production line integrity. Food makers aren't the only ones to benefit. One study projects the overall machine vision market, spanning a range of industries, will reach US$ 19.7 Billion by 2028 and achieve a growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3% over five years.Tyson Foods is committed to producing safe, healthy food. We're trialing vision technology in a number of locations and applications to verify that our processes are functioning as intended. Like other companies in food production, we confront the hurdle that today's machine vision systems struggle to see through the product or product residue, especially with value-added processes with breading and sauces. The good news is that the software behind the cameras uses AI to teach itself how to identify potential anomalies with increasing precision. This helps us find problems faster and react with greater speed.FOOD SAFETY IS EVERYONE'S BUSINESS By Suzanne Finstad, Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Tyson FoodsWe have to make sure everyone understands their role in the process, including where and how they influence the product ­ even if they're not actually touching it or even in the building where it's made. People inherently want to do the right thing, so focusing on awareness and education will go a long wayin myview
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