From kambucha to ground beef, a remarkable array of food safety-focused concerns were taken on this year at the International Association of Food Protection’s Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida. Nelson-Jameson was proud to be part of the 2017 Exhibit, as well as the continuing sponsor of the Elmer Marth Educator Award. The realities of food safety in the modern food and beverage industries continue to push producers, regulators, academics, and even suppliers like Nelson-Jameson to think in terms of prevention versus reaction in a comprehensive way.

This is an important distinction that unifies the attendees of IAFP, and it is a distinction that unifies the food and beverage industries, in providing safe, quality food products to consumers. Perhaps more than anything, the idea of “holistic” came to mind to the NJ team as we engaged in discussion with customers, manufacturers, professors, etc. We were reaffirmed in our assertion that viewing a production facility as a totality is an important means of formulating quality food safety plans and strategies.

From selecting the right drain cover to install underneath the pathways we tread in our sanitized boots, to finding the right swab to reach out-of-sight surfaces above our heads, food safety demands a holistic approach. In essence, every part of Nelson-Jameson’s catalog/array of offerings can be looked at as part of a holistic approach to food safety.

The process of researching the right sanitary coupler, picking out the most useful products to establish a color-coded program, browsing through metal-detectable offerings, considering pest protection products, shopping for environmental testing items, or selecting the right handwashing station options, all present opportunities to think food safety. Each item has the potentiality of being incorporated as part of a holistic food safety plan and strategy. Beyond “getting the job done” the products in your basket are all potential players in this plan that can make a significant difference when accounted for and understood as preventative gatekeepers in the production process.

To learn more about IAFP, go to foodprotection.org, and be in touch with your food safety concerns…we’re here to help you get a holistic vision of food safety together, one product at a time.