BaxTek Solutions’ Applauds New Food Safety Rules

BaxTek Solutions applauds the Obama Administration’s intent to develop a more robust food safety strategy and to appoint a Deputy Food Commissioner for Food Safety. Developing tougher standards to limit contamination in food processing plants places the focus on preventing these outbreaks in the first place, which is where the focus should be. 

 The administration states they are working on developing a national traceback and response system to – among other things - expedite safety alerts to consumers. Tina Nagaitis, a consultant and traceability expert with BaxTek Solutions noted, “We realized long ago that by integrating existing information and legacy equipment with available technology, not only could we help producers minimize the financial impact of traceability on their business, they would actually experience increased efficiencies and a stronger bottom line. And should a pathogenic outbreak occur, our web-based Traceability Solution would enable our customers to execute immediate, precise recalls.  With 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths per year from food borne illness, BaxTek Solutions agrees that it is time for total transparency in our country’s food chain and tougher guidelines.”

A food safety panel established by President Barack Obama in March has developed new rules for eggs, poultry, beef, leafy greens, melons and tomatoes as well as for better coordination and communication among the agencies overseeing the nation's food supply, according to the Associated Press. The panel is expected to announce that the Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department will adopt the standards, which follow a string of breakdowns in food safety. The special advisory group was created to coordinate antiquated food safety laws and recommend ways to update them.

Under the new rules:

• The FDA will help the food industry establish better tracing systems to track the origins of a bacterial outbreak.
• A new network will be established to help the many agencies that regulate food safety to communicate better.
• Egg and poultry producers will have to follow new standards designed to reduce salmonella contamination.
• The Food Safety Inspection Service, the Agriculture Department agency that inspects meat, will increase sampling of ground beef ingredients in an effort to better find E. coli contamination.
• The FDA will recommend ways that producers of leafy greens, melons and tomatoes can reduce disease strains, and require stricter standards in those industries within two years.
• The FDA and the Agriculture Department also will create new positions to better oversee food safety.
• The Agriculture Department inspects meat and poultry, and shares inspections of eggs with the FDA. The FDA inspects most other foods, but at least 15 government agencies are a part of the food safety system.

BaxTek Solutions is one of the leading Systems Integrators in the barcode verification, data collection, and supply chain industry that offers a diverse suite of products including RFID, RF Terminals, Printers, Wireless Access Points, Software, Remote Portable Terminal and Printer Management and Repair Services.  The company specializes in traceability and tracking solutions for the food industry from “farm to fork.”  

 BaxTek Solutions has constructed a total solutions package, www.baxtek.com/software/traceability/index.php?home, enabling food producers, processors and retailers to bring their current traceability efforts to the next level while simultaneously making a profit center out of what was once a cost center.  BaxTek Solutions participates in the design of the project, the integration of legacy systems, implementation of the new applications, and remote management of devices deployed into the field. Choosing BaxTek Solutions provides the most efficient use of time and money for “Track and Trace” implementation.

BaxTek Solutions

www.baxtek.com

Tina Nagaitis

Marketing Manager

Solutions@BaxTek.com

866 722 9835