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Dec 2006
Volume 4, Number 12
The office will be Closed on December 25th and January 1st.
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Happy Holidays!
As we celebrate this Holiday Season, let us continue to build a future where we laugh and love, deliver consistent, uncompromising and outstanding quality product and customer service, take care of each other and ALWAYS and in ALL WAYS find the best in others. Please accept our warmest personal greetings for you and your family for a Joyous Holiday season and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2007.
We appreciate the opportunities you have given us over the years to serve your needs and look forward to serving you in the future.
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Food Safety in the Field
Food safety and security is rapidly becoming the most important factor in the production, distribution, and marketing of produce. Previous articles in the Kingston E-News have highlighted our commitment to food safety, and our Planting to Plate philosophy of ensuring that we provide our customers with product that meets all of the standards for safe wholesome food.
In this issue, we want to focus on the need to manage food safety and security in the field. We have a deep, extensive commitment to sourcing and producing the highest-quality produce. We are equally committed to ensuring that the product is harvested, transported, and stored in a way that maintains food safety and quality attributes. Our processes to ensure food safety and security are substantial, and we believe it is a core ingredient to our Planting to Plate philosophy.
According to Food Safety Magazine, a proactive food safety system for a commercial enterprise has eight elements:
Good Food Handling Practices, including maintaining proper storage temperatures, identification and segregation of products that are below quality standard due to damage or expiration, and separation of raw from finished products during transportation and storage.
Good Manufacturing Practices, which translates into proper personnel training, including personal hygiene and hand washing, proper food handling, and effective cleaning and sanitation in the facility.
Good Cleaning and Sanitation Practices, which include a regular schedule for all storage facilities, warehouses, and vehicles, availability of the right chemicals for sanitation, and proper use and storage of the chemicals used.
Effective Pest Control Program, which will mitigate the food safety and health risks from birds, insects, and rodents. This normally means having a licensed pest control company apply chemicals or other techniques for pest control, engaging in regular pest inspections, and ensuring appropriate protection for the commodities in storage so the pest control treatments do not themselves create a food safety hazard.
Proactive Shipping and Receiving Programs, including track-and-trace programs with accurate recordkeeping. In addition to data management, receiving and shipping areas need to be kept clean. Product should be properly rotated following the first in /first out (FIFO) protocol, and all expiration dates should be carefully monitored.
Recall Program, including all contact information necessary to execute a recall, and execution and results of mock recall programs.
HACCP Program, which most facilities have had in place for some time, including all recordkeeping of food safety hazards for identification, mitigation, and elimination. Shipping records will also assist in the event of a trace back or recall.
Food Defense Program, which focuses on the physical security of the facility, the need for monitoring and security to prevent unauthorized access or tampering, and recordkeeping on access and security performance.
The increased attention on food safety management by all sectors of the industry has resulted in significant growth in spending on food safety products. The Freedonia Group recently published a report that forecasts total spending on food safety products to grow at 5.5% annually, reaching $2 billion in 2010. The majority of spending will continue to be on disinfection products and equipment. The fastest-growing segments of spending will be on smart labels and smart tags, partially driven by the expected implementation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The NAIS will enable the government to trace the origin of any meat product within 48 hours.
Additionally, increased focus on improved diagnostic tools and equipment will support increased frequency of testing, with reduced inventories of test supply. As with many food safety and inspection initiatives, the initial emphasis on the meat and poultry segment will translate into later innovation and efficiency gains for the produce segment.
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the regulatory agency responsible for the supply of meat, poultry, and eggs in the U.S. Their charter is to ensure this supply is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled. FSIS continues to focus on improving the safety of the food supply through a combination of science and education. Their science-based initiatives are aimed at developing better tools to analyze, predict, and ultimately contain microbiological contamination. Their education goals are to improve knowledge of safe handling throughout the food chain, from producers to consumers. While FSIS is only responsible for the meat and poultry segment, their initiatives set a standard for the produce industry to follow. Also, since many distributors handle a variety of items including meat and poultry, understanding the FSIS standards for food safety is vitally important.
FSIS has also expanded its surveillance capabilities to guard against intentional contamination. The importance of food security has become a complement to the traditional focus on food safety. Many of the elements of a strong food security program mirror elements necessary for food safety, and some have already been put in place by commercial enterprises as a way to enhance food safety. In addition, FSIS is developing a data system which integrates inspection data, public health data, and plant and animal data. This system, the Food & Agriculture Biosurveillance Integration System (FABIS) enables FSIS to be more proactive in identifying and resolving threats to food safety or security. FABIS is linked to the traditional Performance-Based Inspection System (PBIS), which monitors in-plant performance and inspections by FSIS inspectors.
FSIS has also expanded its own laboratory capacity, and added capabilities to test for non-traditional threats to food safety, including microbial, chemical, and radiological agents. Both FSIS and FDA continue to jointly operate the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN), which is a nationwide network of federal and state laboratories equipped for food safety testing, following standard, common protocols. Results from all tests performed at FERN network labs are available for analysis and review, which enhances the food safety system by sharing information on threats to food safety.
In 2004, the Food Safety Research Consortium (sponsored by FSIS) introduced an integrated approach to managing food safety. This approach was a broad definition of the food safety system that must be successfully managed in order to ensure public health is not endangered via the food supply. The FSRC approach identifies four participants in the system, as follows:
Commercial Enterprises. Private producers, distributors, and providers of food have a responsibility to meet government standards. There is also a strong market incentive for these enterprises to maintain high levels of food safety, so that the ultimate product they produce will be consumed without negative consequences.
Government Agencies. Agencies at the federal, state, and local level are responsible to set and enforce standards, as well as inspect the food supply. Additionally, government is a catalyst to fund research and development, transfer successful technologies across different participants in the food supply, and ensure investments in infrastructure are made to support the management of the food supply.
Health Care Providers. Public health services, as well as other health care providers, have an important role to play in surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment of food borne illness. This is especially true in the event of an outbreak of disease that stems from a breakdown in the safety of the food supply.
Individual Consumers. When individuals purchase, prepare, and consume food, they need to follow good habits to ensure safe handling and preparation. The consumer is often the last and best gatekeeper for food safety.
The FSRC research recognized that the commercial enterprises in the food supply system generally go beyond what is required by the government, due to their vested interest in selling a safe product. The average food safety programs found at producers, processors, retailers, distributors, and operators exceed the basic expectations for safe handling. This is an excellent example of the market providing a greater incentive than what government could mandate on its own. The FSRC also identified the consumer as a critically weak point in the food safety system. This has spurred development of the current USDA and CDC education initiatives about food safety which are focused on educating consumers on safe food handling and good food storage habits.
As a commercial enterprise, Kingston has developed an aggressive program to promote and ensure food safety and security in our field operations. Our program is comprised of three core elements: monitoring, testing, and prevention assistance. We apply these across the product supply chain, from farm to distributor. We also seek to balance the need for food safety with the resources necessary to manage it.
Farms. All of our farmers follow standard, mandatory procedures. Each farm maintains a log of chemical and fertilizer usage, which is recorded by date, type, and amount. Growers report on water usage and water quality test results. We do periodic field checks on all farms during growing season.
Facilities. Each packing facility has a trace recall system, and we perform mock recalls on a periodic basis. At our home office, we have a hold-and-release program. If any product is questionable, it will be held until testing is completed, and we can release it as a safe product.
All of our packing facilities (domestic and foreign) are audited by an independent auditing firm for compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). GMP guidelines include facility sanitation, food safety, product security, and employee health and safety. Facilities that do not pass the third-party audit must address their compliance issues before their products will be acceptable into our system.
Each facility follows recommended security procedures to manage access to facilities. Visitors and vendors must be screened for proper personal and company identification, and their visits are logged by security personnel. Visitors and vendors must wear a visible pass, which identifies them to facility personnel as a screened, non-facility employee.
Transportation. All over-the-road trucks operate with container doors sealed, with tamper-resistant seals which are sealed at the point of origin. There is a written log of when the seals are sealed. At the point of delivery, there is a check for the seals, and a written log for receipt of a sealed shipment.
Distributors. Distributors follow all of the security procedures that apply to facilities. In addition, all shipments are recorded for delivery date, time, and quality. Product is rotated according to proper procedures, following the first in /first out (FIFO) protocol, and product quality is monitored and recorded throughout its time in inventory.
At Kingston, we are committed to both food safety and food security. We will continue to bring you industry news and details of our own programs. As part of our commitment, we are happy to help you develop your own programs, and to help you examine both food safety and food security risks. If you would like more information, please contact your customer service representative.
Sources: US. Department of Agriculture (www.usda.gov), US. Food Safety Inspection Service (www.fsis.usda.gov), Food Safety Research Consortium, Food Safety Magazine (www.foodsafetymagazine.com), Freedonia Group, Inc. (www.freedoniagroup.com)
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Potatoes
The fall U.S. potato crop is up 2.1% over 2005, which translates to 8.2 million hundredweight. The bulk of the production increase stems from increases in acreage in the Midwest and Eastern growing regions.
In Idaho, production is up 3% over 2005 (3.5 million hundredweight), yet this is still down 4% from 2004 (4.6 million hundredweight). Growers struggled in the fall to get the potato crop harvested, mostly due to cooler, wet weather which delayed the harvest in September and October. The delay could result in higher variability in quality and quantity than in past years.
The Northwest growing region is seeing lower yields in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. There is also the possibility that processors will use a larger share of the fresh potato crop for frozen and dehydrated production, which will further place pressure on supply.
Shipments of fresh potatoes increased in the last week in October and the first part of November, in anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday. Demand has been steady for larger size cartons, and stronger on smaller sized retail packs. We expect markets to hold steady through December, with small increases coming in January.
For more information, please call your CSR or Jody Boline.
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Stork Visits Idaho
In addition to the fall harvest, the stork has been busy visiting us here in Idaho!
Brittany TeNgaio, Executive Assistant to Mike Kingston, gave birth to baby Madeline at 4:23 pm on November 8th, 6 pounds 13 oz, and 20 inches long. Brittany and Matt, and their son Ethan (who's now a big brother) are excited to have a new little girl in the family.
Andrea Dopp, Customer Service Representative, welcomed baby Matthew on November 24th, 9 pounds 3 oz, 22 inches long. Andrea and Cass, and their daughter Abigail, had one more thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
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Rail Information
December Fuel Surcharges:
| UPRR |
13% |
| CSXT |
14.4% |
| NS |
14.4% |
Holiday Reminder
Please allow for truck shortages and weather issues when planning your holiday inventories. The truck shortage will continue through late January. Winter weather will continue to be an issue for both truck and rail shipments.
If you have any questions, please contact your customer service representative or Chris Doore-Taylor.
The Holiday Watch Program
Highway Watch® is the roadway sector's national safety and security program that utilizes the skills, experiences, and "road smarts" of America's transportation workers.
Highway Watch® transportation participants are specially trained to recognize potential safety and security threats and avoid becoming a target of terrorists. The Highway Watch® effort seeks to prevent terrorists from using large vehicles or hazardous cargoes as weapons.
Highway Watch® training provides Highway Watch® participants with the observational tools and the opportunity to exercise their expert understanding of the transportation environment to report safety and security concerns rapidly and accurately to the authorities. In addition to matters of homeland security - stranded vehicles or accidents, unsafe road conditions, and other safety related situations are reported eliciting the appropriate emergency responders. Highway Watch® reports are combined with other information sources and shared both with federal agencies and the roadway transportation sector by the Highway ISAC.
Highway Watch® is administered by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Sources: www.highwaywatch.com
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Each month we will feature one of our many distributor partners. Our hope is that you'll get to know your fellow distributors better, broaden your industry networking and maybe possibly learn a few new tricks of the trade. We'll be randomly selecting a different distributor each month. You'll be notified and interviewed by your Customer Service Representative.
Hardie’s Fruit & Vegetable Co.
Dallas, TX
Hardie's is one of the leading produce distributors in the South. Founded in 1943 by John T. Hardie, Jr., the company continues to be family-owned and run. David Hardie, son of the founder, is the current President. From its headquarters in Dallas, Hardie's serves a broad group of foodservice and retail customers across Texas and Louisiana.
The heritage of the company is in providing high-quality fresh produce to customers, and ensuring top-notch customer service. Hardie's has built lasting relationships with its customers over the years, and is a trusted partner in its customers' success. As the oldest family-owned and operated distributor in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolis, Hardie's has a solid reputation for quality and delivery.
In addition to the best service and quality, Hardie's continues to focus on building relationships at the unit level, and maintaining the highest possible food safety standards. The majority of their customers are foodservice operators, with some retail accounts as well.
To meet the needs of their customers, Hardie's has extensive offerings in produce, including gourmet and specialty items. They also offer perishable items as a complement to their produce items, including dairy, cheese, and some frozen items.
Hardie's has an impressive organization and infrastructure to support its mission. There are 212 associates, and a fleet of 74 trucks. They operate facilities in Dallas, Austin, and most recently opened a new facility in San Antonio. Customers continue to show their confidence in Hardie's - recent growth rates have been in the double digits, year over year.
Kingston has been privileged to supply Hardie's since the early 1990's. We are pleased to supply the top-quality, premium fresh produce that enables Hardie's to meet the growing needs of their customers, and continue to build the sterling reputation for quality, service, and committed relationships.
You can learn more about Hardie's on the web at www.hardies.com
- April Barnes
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What would you like to see in future editions of eNews?
If you see something you would like more information on, or if you have any ideas for next month's issue, please call or email April Barnes.
To unsubscribe from Kingston's eNews please send an email with your email address to nlremove@kingstoncorp.com.
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