Sponsored by TransAct Technologies
Even the simplest of food safety protocols--cooking our food--made such a difference in our development that every single modern culture on earth prepares food by the careful application of heat.
As human society grew and expanded to different territories, we experimented with other methods of food preparation and storage. Salt and spices were used to preserve meats (and happened to taste good, too). Crops were dried in the sun to eliminate moisture.
Fast forward centuries later, and it’s now a completely different picture. Food production has increased dramatically, and so has society’s capacity for safely obtaining, preparing and storing food.
Let’s review areas where technology has had the greatest culinary impact:
Food temperature monitoring
Internal food temperature is one of the key factors in proper food safety, both when first cooking the meal and when preparing cooked food for storage.
Today’s chefs have access to food thermometers that are sensitive up to a single degree and provide unprecedented accuracy as to a food’s current state. These modern cooking aids come in many kinds, each one calibrated for a particular food type or purpose:
- Meat thermometer
- Thermocouple
- Instant-read thermometer
- Candy/deep-frying thermometer
- Disposable pop-up thermometer
The thermometers become even more effective when they are combined with other technologies, such as Bluetooth-enabled thermometers that allow you to monitor food temperature with your smartphone. Thermometers can also be connected to a larger software platform that can track multiple thermometers, collect a history of temperature records, and potentially even notify you if temperatures fall outside of normal parameters.
Food storage and preservation
Technological developments and food science have eliminated the need for archaic storage methods. Thanks to advanced food storage and preservation applications, consumers can safely store a greater range of foods with much longer shelf lives than would’ve been available in the past.
Drying and freezing are one of the oldest methods of food preservation, but machines such as industrial food dryers and blast chillers allow it to happen on a massive scale. In addition, research into new techniques like microwave-assisted drying and infrared drying could open up new opportunities in food storage and distribution.
Foods are now packaged in airtight, vacuum-packed vessels to keep out moisture and preserve food quality. MAP vessels can even exchange the air in a sealed container for nitrogen to guarantee freshness.
One potential issue of today’s preservation technology, however, is the overuse of chemical preservatives that are potentially harmful to a person’s long-term health. But scientists are learning more every day, and consumer demand and third-party oversight will eventually steer companies towards safer preservation methods.
Food recalls
One of technology’s biggest benefits to the food industry has also led to one of its biggest problems. The convenience, speed and sheer scale of modern society’s food distribution network make it difficult to isolate the source of supply-side foodborne contagion, and to recall the affected products in a timely manner.
But tech has a solution for that, as well. Companies like Walmart are adapting blockchain technology to trace leafy green products all the way to the farm. This will potentially help isolate contaminated shipments of vegetables and expose vulnerabilities in the supply chain.
Food service providers can also take advantage of SaaS solutions to assist with food safety, quality and compliance management. Some software products are built specifically to help food service providers initiate and manage food recalls, while others help businesses organize and comply with recalls of products they currently have in stock.
Process management
The greatest danger to customer health usually isn’t the ingredient itself (except in the case of allergens), but the process of moving food from stage to stage: from harvest to shipping, from preparation to service, from consumption to storage. A mistake at any point in the food’s lifecycle can lead to contamination and illness.
But this is where the most disruptive new technologies can provide the biggest benefit. We’ve already covered how blockchain is being used for recalls. Machine learning and predictive AI can also be used to analyze hazards and introduce risk-based preventive controls as required by the FMSA. The AI would be grown on data collected by IoT devices and wireless sensors employed throughout the food production and distribution process.
There are also many SaaS platforms (both mobile and desktop) one can use to better manage food safety, no matter what stage you operate in: from growing to dining. These platforms are often compatible with other related software tools or devices to further increase the efficiency of all involved.
In conclusion
What does all of this mean? Food safety technology at every stage of the product life cycle means that today’s humans are the safest and most well-fed that we’ve ever been.
People can eat, drink, and be merry, confident in the quality and safety of their meal.
