Markon welcomes Kate Burr as its new Food Safety Director. In her new role, Burr will use her proficiency of field and processing practices, product recall expertise, and sustainability knowledge to enhance Markon’s food safety initiatives. She will be responsible for compliance with Markon’s 5-Star Food Safety Program standards throughout Markon’s supply chain; ensure all Markon First Crop, Ready-Set-Serve, and Markon Essentials products meet or exceed its stringent food safety standards; and serve as the voice of Markon for all food safety-related matters. She will also deliver relevant industry information to members, alert customers about food safety concerns, and conduct ongoing research in the field. 

Tim York was named as the new Chief Executive Officer of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) during a recent Board of Directors meeting. York will replace Scott Horsfall who is retiring in early 2021.

Since its launch last year, manufacturers across 20 countries worldwide, who have implemented Mettler Toledo’s GC (Global Conveyor) Series of integrated conveyorized metal detection systems are reporting significant productivity and uptime benefits.

Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection, the global market leader in product inspection technology, will participate in the virtual Food Safety Summit 2020, October 19 to 22, 2020. The virtual Mettler-Toledo booth will include access to the company’s website as well as to product literature, white papers and videos of the various inspection systems at work. It will also have the capability to chat with Mettler-Toledo product inspection specialists about the capabilities of the individual systems and the unique needs of attendees’ company operations.

(Editor's Note: This bereavement notice was written by PSSI President & CEO, Dan Taft on August 17, 2020.) It is with great sadness to announce the passing of our beloved colleague Amy Lowe, Executive Vice President for PSSI. She and her husband, Scott, were involved in a tragic plane crash near Osage Beach, Missouri.

The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) reaffirms the safety of frozen foods after Chinese officials reported frozen proteins tested positive for coronavirus.

The problem was discovered by Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. when they identified pieces of hard plastic in their production process and in a barrel of diced green chiles that was received from their ingredients supplier, Sun Valley Foods. Sun Valley Foods initiated a recall of the green chiles with the FDA. As more FDA information becomes available, FSIS will update this public health alert.

PENN Connected – Digital Food Safety from Johnson Controls replaces clipboards with digital tools to help retail, food service and manufacturing organizations adapt to today’s unique food safety standards. The digital compliance management solution manages data monitoring, recording and reporting to ensure food is stored, prepared and consumed in a safe manner. The configurable and easy-to-use platform improves HACCP compliance, saves time and money and provides enterprise-wide insights that can be generated with just a few clicks of a button.

While the origin of a cluster of coronavirus infections in Beijing, China, is unknown, some officials are suggesting the virus was present on chopping boards used to cut imported salmon. The speculation is also drawing a misleading conclusion that frozen foods can contribute to the spread of coronavirus. As the leading association representing the U.S. frozen food industry, the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) is providing information on what we currently know regarding the science and spread of coronavirus.

NORD Drivesystems, a world leader in drive technology, has launched a new surface protection program to streamline existing options and add additional selections to accommodate a wide range of demanding applications. This new format has a simplified naming convention and descriptions that outline the best use for each coating type. The expanded solutions include a new epoxy primer offering as well as options for multiple primer and/or topcoat configurations based on environmental demands.