fbtechreview.comMARCH 20238in myviewIMPLEMENTING TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS IN FOOD INDUSTRYThe Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that each year, 1 in 8 or 4 million Canadians are sickened by foodborne illnesses (12.5% of Canada's overall population), with approximately 11 500 hospitalizations, and 240 deaths. The economic burden of foodborne illness outbreaks on any food company/brand can be quite devastating; this is due to lawsuits, fines, legal fees, investigations, retraining costs, and lost revenues. Companies within the food industry all process, use, and sell food in diverse ways; however, food safety compliance issues remain the same throughout. Examples of these common denominators include but are not limited to, unsafe food holding, improper cooking / reheating temperatures, unsafe food handling, improper sanitation, and lack of trained employees. An increasing number of companies around the globe today are investing in technology advancements to bridge the gap with most, if not all, aforementioned challenges in the food industry. Investments in technology can be quite costly at first, but the Return on Investment (ROI) will eventually outweigh its cost for all the advantages it brings to the table. Bento Inc. (Bento Sushi) is North America's second-largest sushi brand servicing a variety of business channels through 7 federally registered commissaries with prepackaged multi-day shelf-life grab & go products and 800+ locations providing "made fresh, on-site daily" prepackaged grab & go options. Food safety at Bento Sushi is paramount, and it is one of the foundations of our success. Like many other companies, we have joined the technology advancement bandwagon for accessible ways to enhance our food safety programs and safeguard our customers, consumers, and brand by serving only safe foods.Examples of Bento Sushi's implementation of technology advancement highlights:Food Safety Application (Mobile App) Conduct inspections to include photos and annotations with real-time access. Assign and document the follow-up process from start to finish for all noted non-conformances from inspections; the system also flag/escalate when follow-ups are not completed within the required timelines.Digitalization of food safety-related forms from the traditional pen and paper; the system allows for (1) corrective actions to be prompted if an entry or submission is outside of the required tolerance and/or (2) automation of alerts once the completed form is submitted Real-time updates can be made to existing inspection templates and/or digitalized food safety formsHand scanners help verify the effectiveness of employee hand washing as the device detects for dangerous contaminants to prevent the spread of harmful illnesses. One-stop online training platform providing training on all aspects of the business (i.e., food safety, health & safety, operations, etc.) ­ this allows for consistency in facilitating BY KITTY PAT, DIRECTOR OF QUALITY ASSURANCE, BENTO SUSHIKitty Pat
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