Call for Improved Food Safety Technologies Triggered by Rising Food Recalls

A recent analysis conducted by Frost & Sullivan has found that rising instances of food product recalls have encouraged development of improved food safety technologies.

Such recalls have been triggered by probable health hazards. No wonder they have called for detailed scrutiny of food safety at each step along the supply chain.

Consequently, the market is experiencing the introduction of novel packaging designs, new technologies for pathogen testing, and progress in electronic tracking systems and intervention technologies.

Frost and Sullivan’s recent analysis checks technologies for detection of pathogens in food at different levels of processing, along with packaging technologies, intervention technologies for microbial decrease, technologies coupled with electronic traceability, sensor technologies as well as robotics and automation.

What Made People concerned about existing Food Safety Technologies
According to Arpita Mukherjee – an Industry Analyst with Frost & Sullivan, recent cases of food borne illnesses, which were highly publicised, have made people aware of the need for improved food safety.

She said that this had driven companies across the food supply chain to adopt new technologies for acquiring third-party certification, which will show their compliance with legal food safety requirements.

This in turn will boost their brand value and encourage customer confidence.

As the nature of pathogens varies due to mutation, the risk of unfamiliar contamination triggered by indefinite sources remains high. This calls for robust food safety technologies, both on the demand and supply side of the market.

As the food sector tries to meet the increasing demand for affordable and high-quality products, it is expected to experience substantial growth in food safety technologies over the next five years.

Interestingly, safety technologies sought by the industry are customisable and affordable, apart from enabling rapid source identification and detection. Primary technologies that find acceptance in the industry include contaminants’ physical separation, non-thermal and thermal interventions, biosensors, automated food processing, as well as coatings for protection and packaging.

However, the need at present is to develop more reliable, accurate and user-friendly materials and technologies that supplement these primary measures.

According to Mukherjee, rapid pathogen testing methods increasingly use nano-based technologies and nano materials. However, she said that it won’t be soon when sustainable technologies such as detection of edible pathogen composition or edible coatings will get industry recognition.

While ascertaining harmonised global food safety norms, the confusion over food regulations and standards among nations acts as a major obstacle. The steep cost of food safety technologies is yet another key challenge that the market has to overcome. However, experts say that future technological advances will help combat these challenges over the next 3 to 10 years.

Freezing Technologies Innovations in Food Safety Technologies
As the world becomes increasingly globalised, the food industry faces new challenges in ensuring the safety of its products. In particular, the rise of new technologies has made it easier for pathogens to spread around the world. Food safety has become a significant concern for both producers and consumers.

Here are three food safety technologies to watch out for:

• Intelligent packaging. Smart packaging is already being used to track the movement of food products and to monitor environmental conditions. It can automatically detect and isolate contaminated products. An example is a nano sensor placed on food packaging to help identify spoilage and contamination.
• DNA tracing. Rapid DNA sequencing is becoming increasingly available and affordable. This technology could be used to trace contamination back to its source and to identify at-risk products before they reach consumers.
• Blockchain. Blockchain technology could be used to create a traceability system that would allow consumers to verify the safety of their food products.
• Artificial Intelligence is a great way to analyse patterns of contamination. With these patterns, food manufacturers and handlers can improve food safety.
• The potential influence of these technologies on food safety is significant. However, they all require further development and validation before they can be widely adopted. As a result, it will be important to keep an eye on these technologies in the coming years.

Is Freezing Technologies an Obsolete Method?
In a world where instant gratification is the norm, it’s no surprise that people are always looking for faster, easier ways to do things. This extends to the methods we use to preserve food. One of the most common techniques for food preservation has been freezing for ages. But with the advent of new technologies, is freezing becoming obsolete?

Innovative products like oxygen scavengers allow for enhanced preservation and shelf life extension, but often the cost for one oxygen absorber will not be justified by the already low value of the product inside. They tend to be more viable the more expensive the contents inside the packaging gets. For everything else though that only leaves freezing.

One of the drawbacks of freezing is that it can cause changes in the texture and flavour of food. This is because the freezing process causes ice crystals to form, which can damage cell walls and release flavourful compounds. Additionally, freezing can also make food less nutritious, as some vitamins and minerals are lost during the freezing process.

Despite these drawbacks, freezing is still an effective method of food preservation. It can aid in increasing the food’s shelf life by inhibiting the growth of bacteria and other germs. As a result food’s flavour and nutritional content can both be preserved through freezing.

So while new preservation methods may be gaining popularity, freezing remains an important part of food preservation. Combined with the newest technologies in food safety, the food industry can still use this method.

To read more reports and analysis on Food Safety Technologies from Frost and Sullivan, you can check out their site.