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In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, cloud-based software has emerged as a game-changer for the food industry as farm-to-table is transitioning to farm-to-data-to-table.

The power of cloud computing has revolutionized the $4+ trillion fresh and packaged food industry in many areas, enabling resilience, margin expansion, adaptation to shifting consumer demands, action on sustainability, and more.

The summer months are a time for hosting from backyard barbecues to lakeside picnics but it’s important to avoid sampling food that has been potentially spoiled by sitting out too long, especially in the heat.

Leaving food out too long at room temperature can cause bacteria (such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Campylobacter) to grow to dangerous levels that can cause illness,” says the United States Department of Agriculture. “Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the ‘Danger Zone.’ “

In today's fast-paced business environment, the effective management of warehouses plays a vital role in ensuring operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Warehouse management may be invisible to the average customer but can be the difference between success and failure for many operations.

“Any business that stores items in a warehouse knows that effective management is the difference between fulfilling customer orders quickly and accurately while keeping costs down versus hearing complaints about delayed or inaccurate shipments and higher operating costs,” says Oracle’s NetSuite.

Quality control is essential in fish processing because it helps ensure that the fish products are safe for human consumption, meet regulatory requirements, and have a long shelf life.

“Quality control (QC) in some form is now common in the fish industry and its use is increasing steadily as demand for uniformly high-quality products increases. Since fish is more variable than most other food, the need to apply QC is correspondingly greater,” says the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. “As customers and governments become more particular about their food requirements, the fish industry must keep pace with these requirements if it is not to lose out in competition to other foods.”

The legal requirements for food traceability are changing with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) final rule on food traceability taking effect on January 20, 2023.

Food and beverage manufacturing, like all sectors of the U.S. economy, is facing uncertainty in 2023 with a looming recession on the horizon.

Plant-based foods have been an integral part of human diets since the beginning of civilization as the earlier humans were hunter-gatherers who lived on a diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

While new plant-based foods such as tofu and soy milk made inroads in the 20^th century, a wide range of plant-based foods including vegan meat alternatives, dairy-free cheeses, and plant-based milks made from nuts, seeds, and grains, have become staples on many American dining tables over the first two decades of the 21^st century.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries released a draft of its National Seafood Strategy this month with a goal of getting more seafood on consumer’s plates thanks in part to using technology to modernize the supply chain and industry infrastructure.

“The strategy also responds to the unprecedented challenges facing the U.S. seafood industry, including climate change, the coronavirus pandemic, new technologies and other ocean uses, and significant labor shortages and aging infrastructure,” said NOAA Fisheries as it opened up a 30-day comment period on the draft.

Expiration dates are more important than ever as Americans look to stretch their grocery dollars as far as they can go as food prices outpace wages. Unfortunately, there are a lot of food myths around food packaging “best by” dates, and other label information.

“Among all rising costs, sky-high grocery bills have been especially painful,” reported CNBC on Feb. 5, 2023. “Over the past year, food prices overall have risen more than 10 percent. Egg prices, alone, soared 60 percent, butter is up more than 31 percent and lettuce jumped 25 percent, according to Labor Department data through December. As a result, consumers are looking for any – and all ways to save.”