Proof of cold chain compliance is part of the HACCP plans for many larger-scale ready meal manufacturers, but the days of popping into the cool room with a thermometer and a piece of paper are well and truly over. [ + ]

Australian food and beverage products are increasingly competing at a global level, challenging local processors to ensure their products meet multiple standards for quality, nutrition, safety, environmental impact and shelf life. [ + ]

About 60% of foodborne disease outbreaks are linked to commercial caterers and eating establishments. Even though a large proportion of foodborne illness are avoidable, we are in a very risky business unless we can ensure food safety practices are followed. Infected food handlers are responsible for about 12% of all foodborne disease outbreaks. [ + ]

Implementing sorting technology can significantly reduce the risk of contamination from aflatoxins and foreign material, driving up food safety on the production line and offering a smart investment for processors and manufacturers. [ + ]

Mater Private Hospital Brisbane implemented a food service model that allows patients to choose their meals when they feel like it and found patients were happier with the food, waste levels decreased, patients' nutritional intake improved and the organisation's bottom line benefited. [ + ]

In Europe, the Funguschain project seeks to obtain mushroom-based, high-value antimicrobial and antioxidant components from the 50,000–60,000 tonnes of mushroom waste generated each week. It is hoped that the innovative and sustainable compounds will have applications in a wide range of products such as antimicrobial and eco-friendly cleaning solutions for household products, bioplastics for bags, film and gloves, or enriched food supplements for the elderly and sportsmen. [ + ]

Product names and brands often contain the word 'healthy' and 'healthy' is often splashed across packaging and advertising — but what does 'healthy' mean? [ + ]

There's a plethora of certification schemes that provide insurance for product claims, such as for: palm oil, sustainable fisheries, fair trade coffee and sustainable forestry — but packaging hasn't had standardised evidence-based schemes. [ + ]

Cyanotoxin contamination is becoming more common across the world as the toxin bioaccumulates in freshwater fish and other aquatic plants and animals. [ + ]

How to create a thorough, effective and paperless HACCP system. [ + ]

Installing solar panels with battery backup has meant Cape Jaffa Wines is carbon neutral for at least nine months each year. [ + ]

A new, Australian-developed scanning technology system that provides concise information about a carcase, including the amount of meat, fat and bone, offers efficiency and productivity gains. MLA has already announced plans to install the technology at meat processing facilities across the country. [ + ]

Amazon's purchase of the Whole Foods grocery chain is sending shivers up the spines of the Australian food and grocery market. But should it? Will it impact the ready meals market in Australia? [ + ]

Machine vision is increasingly being incorporated into industrial processes as the low-cost, easy-to-use systems are often a good option for those looking to streamline automated manufacturing. [ + ]

In the scope of the Paris climate protection agreement, Germany has committed itself to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 by 55% compared to the level of 1990. Only two things can help here: designing the processes as energy-saving and efficiently as possible and relying on renewable energy. Which technologies do the food and beverage manufacturers need to reduce the consumption of energy in the production processes? [ + ]