Why Boston Public Schools Need to Upgrade Their Inventory Management System

Bradley Elementary School in Boston, MA

 Here's a good story why efficient inventory management system is critical to food storage management especially when the establishment is in the business of feeding thousands of school children everyday.

Read the whole story:

• Expired food worth $7000 removed from Boston schools
• Boston Officials Pledge To Improve Quality Of School Food

Let us not wait until something goes terribly wrong to the very products we sell and to the very customers we serve before we upgrade a dated inventory system and non-compliant inventory procedures.

Top 5 Inventory management software for small to medium-sized businesses.

Related Topic:

Watch President Obama as he delivers his speech at TechBoston Academy when he visited the school in March 8, 2011:

Target Settles $22.5M For Hazardous Waste Violations

The Nicollet Mall, downtown Minneapolis Target, two stories with a varied facade to mimic multiple buildings.
The tower in the background is Target Corp. headquarters.

Retail giant Target (NYSE: TGT) has agreed to pay 22.5M to settle a lawsuit filed against the company in June 2009 for alleged violation of California's hazardous waste law by improperly disposing these materials to landfills AND for disposing them off to California Food Bank.

Target has reached a tentative agreement with California's attorney general. As part of the deal, the retailer does not acknowledge any wrongdoing and a county judge is scheduled to review the agreement on March 2, 2011. On top of the settlement, Target must also train staff how to properly dispose off waste materials and pay an independent auditor to check for compliance for the next three years after the signing of the final approval of the settlement. Also, Target shall pay around $3.4M to the California Attorney General's Office.

Here's what happened in June 2009: A lawsuit filed against Target Stores in California in June 2009 over disposal of hazardous waste materials by a joint complaint in Alameda County Superior Court. It alleges that over an 8 year period, more than 200 Target stores dumped various hazardous wastes including but not limited to bleaches, pesticides, paints, aerosols, and other flammable substances into landfills throughout the state. It also alleges that Target had donated these waste products to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

Who would think that this typical store of Target with its clean and tidy isles was
fined with $22.5M for unhealthy dumping of hazardous materials in the State of
California and for donating them to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank?

There are more than 1,700 Target retail stores in the US and 236 of them are in California. If the stores in the state practice improper dumping and donating of wastes, there is no doubt that the rest of Target stores throughout the country may have illegally dumped similar wastes or donated them to local food banks as well.


Please note that this is not the first time the company has settlement issues with similar issue.

Target had just settled in another similar case, this time, the selling of expired baby food in 2009, the same year the retailer was slapped with violation of dumping of hazardous materials.

Hmmm... there is something fishy (literal and figurative) going on with these stores. Extra care is necessary when you get food from your local food banks. We assume that what we get from them are perfectly safe. But due to some evil practices by retail and grocery stores, they may not be as safe as you may have thought of.

• To read the whole story, visit MailOnline.
• To read more about Expired Food, this article may help you: Expired Food: What consumers should know

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Bumble Bee's Recalled Item "Lunch on The Run" Chicken Salad Becomes "Lunch on the Loose"

Image from Bumble Bee

In the midst of overwhelming recall notices both from food, and OTC drugs for the last quarter of this year, the USDA FSIS once again released another nationwide recall on the delicious and hunger-busting chicken salads from Bumble Bee. All BumblBee's"Lunch on the Run" Chicken Salad Complete Lunch AND Bumble Bee's "Chicken Salad with Crackers" with the "Best-By 07/11" and "Best-By 01/12" expiration labels respectively, have been recalled simultaneously.

The Suter Company, Inc. is voluntarily recalling more than 72,000 pounds of these canned salad products that have been distributed and being sold on retail and grocery stores across the 48 states. The recall was prompted after several complaints have been received by the department due to foreign materials found in the food particularly some hard plastics. The origin of these plastic residue has not been known.

The "Lunch on the Run" is among the bestselling food at Amazon.com In fact, the item now Ranks #72 under Bestsellers in Poultry. If you just ordered these items online, you may request for refunds or simply cancel your orders.

The USDA classifies this recall as Class 2 with low health risk i.e. remote probability of adverse health consequences. To date there have been no reports of injury associated with this issue. The USDA also advises consumers to seek medical assistance in case of injury or any medical condition associated to consumption of these food products. Consumers and media with questions about the recall should contact Tim Suter at (815) 895-9186.

Valuable Links:

• Read the Food Recall Manual and Recall Classifications (PDF Only) 
• When to recall a product and how to do it effectively (PDF Only)

You may like these Bestselling Food Products:

• Bestselling Tuna Products at Amazon
• Bestselling Meat and Poultry Products at Amazon
• Bestsellers in Ravioli Products
  

FDA's morbid cigarette warnings

Do not be surprised when your favorite cigarette brand will looked similar to these
when FDA implements a bolder regulations on September 22, 2012

Starting today, November 12 until January 9, 2011, The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) is accepting comments from anyone about the proposed bolder warnings and images on cigarettes that depict diseased and deceased patients associated with smoking. These graphical warnings, when implemented, shall become the first of its kind in 25 years and it shall take effect no later than September 22, 2012.
I am not going to deal with statistics on tobacco* here.  Because the issue, in my opinion is not whether we can stop FDA from implementing them because the agency will, or whether which pictures are appropriate for the campaign, but whether the proposed warnings can help improve the already stalled smoking rates in the US for the last 5 years.

Obviously, the government has NOT done a satisfactorily job in disseminating information on health risks associated with smoking and that is why FDA feels it needed a bolder approach. No, FDA is not imposing regulations NOT to smoke here, but simply promoting awareness why we should NOT smoke. But that choice depends entirely on you and me and the manner how we respond to health is all a matter of personal choice.

This image may be more appropriate for a contraceptive campaign, "Better blow than grow"

Now, if you disagree (or agree) with the FDA approach, you have the chance to officially comment on their proposals. These are the ways how to do it:

1. Visit www.regulations.gov and insert docket number FDA-2010-N-0568 into the “search” box and follow the prompts.
2. Send a fax, with your comments, to 301-827-6870.
3. Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for paper, disk, or CD-ROM submissions) to:  

         Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305)

         Food and Drug Administration

         5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061

         Rockville, MD 20852

Note: All comments should be identified by Docket ID No. FDA-2010-N-0568. It is only necessary    to send one set of comments.

*Tobacco use, according to the federal government, causes 443,000 deaths in the United States each year and remains the leading cause of premature and preventable death nationwide. An estimated 30 percent of all cancer deaths are related to tobacco use, health officials say. In the United States, smokers number 46 million -- including 20.6 percent of adults and 19.5 percent of high school students, according to the federal government. According to WorldBank, the number of smokers is expected to reach about 1.6 billion by 2025. 

Related Issues:

• Legalizing Marijuana
• e-Cigarettes dangerous to your health?
• Tobacco and the Law: History and Recent Developments

FDA favors genetically altered salmon for public consumption

It looks like fish and it tastes like fish

On September 19, The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to decide whether the first genetically-altered fish is safe to eat for public consumption. The altered fish, an Atlantic salmon developed by Aqua Bounty Technologies Inc., a Massachusetts-based biotechnology firm can help solve the decreasing population of Atlantic salmons due to a high demand of production in the US. The company has been seeking approval from the federal government since 2001.

The "new" salmons grow relatively bigger and grow faster to full size less than 250 days compared with about 450 days for traditional ones.

Both fish have the same age. But the one behind is genetically altered.
Image from AquaBounty.

When the FDA issued a favorable report just before Labor Day on AquaBounty's transgenic salmon eggs, it was met with criticism mostly from consumer advocates and health experts. They argued that the government is not prepared to allow genetically altered fish for public consumption. They also raised concerns about its possible health risks and ethical implications.

Currently, side effects from eating such fish are unknown and there is no data to show it is safe. Margaret Mellon, director of the food and environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists said that there is no opportunity for anyone from the outside to see the data or criticize it. The Food and Water Watch organization also pleaded President Obama not to approve AquaBounty's salmon for consumption.

Though Aqua Bounty has complied and submitted all data requirements to FDA, the study has done no animal or human clinical trials yet.

How did they actually do it?

It was a delicate process. First, scientists injected a Chinook salmon growth hormone gene into Atlantic salmon eggs. They needed this because Chinook salmons are the largest species in the salmon family, and they wanted to make the new Atlantic salmon grow of the same size. Scientists also needed a gene from an ocean pout (a large eelpout) and implanted them into the salmon eggs as well. Ocean pouts are well known in its tolerance for extremely cold waters, allowing the new salmon to grow year-round.

Salmons do not make growth hormone in cold weather. But the pout’s on-switch keeps production of the hormone going even in the coldest season which the traditional salmon does not have. The result: Salmons that can grow faster in 16 to 18 months instead of three years, and grow 2 to 3 times bigger than the typical ones.

Atlantic Salmon eggs
Image from AquaBounty

Critics have reasonable basis to express concerns about the risks, danger, or ethical implications associated with the production of the salmon for public consumption. I also think that federal agencies such as the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and FDA must exert extra care and thorough review in handling of cases like this prior to any decision. They must create a clear cut scientific and administrative guidelines as basis for further research and undertaking of similar cases.

Consumers like us have the right to know the kind of food we buy and how the government must protect  the health and interest of its citizens.

Related Stories:

• Listen to Aqua Bounty CEO Ronald Stotish being interviewed by CBC Canada on the recent salmon issues.
• USDA Sued over Genetically Modified Beets: Food Wars Heat Up
• Genetically modified crops banned around the world
• Genetically modified animals in the US

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Expired Food: What retailers must do

This is the third and last installment of the 3-part series on Food Expiration:

• Expired Food Part 1: Is it illegal to sell?
• Expired Food Part 2: What Consumers should know
• Expired Food Part 3: What retailers must do

What is supply chain and how it defines product expiration 

A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information, policies, procedures, and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. In a more simplistic definition, its all about product distribution and how it is being accomplished. In a supply chain point of view, expired products are defined as consumer packaged goods on which a date code exists which has passed in time and which is meant to be the end of the distribution life of those products. It simply answer or attempt to answer the question, How are finished goods are distributed after they have been produced.

Why retailers sell expired products

Does selling expired food a good business practice?

Ask that question to grocery owners and you get almost a unanimous resounding response: Of course not! No business owner would agree with that fact. But,  the truth is: the very business groups that vehemently condemn such practices are the very ones that violate them. We all know from the last 2 articles I posted, that several well-known retailers have had involved in legal lawsuits and state penalties due to gross violations of food and health laws. So, we are left with one serious question: If those retailers had been repeatedly slapped with scores of penalties and charged with many lawsuits, why they still keep repeating the same mistake all over again? Here are some of the reasons:

Expired Food: What consumers should know

This is the second installment of the 3-part series on Food Expiration:

• Expired Food Part 1: Is it illegal to sell?
• Expired Food Part 2: What Consumers should know
• Expired Food Part 3: What retailers must do

Food can be poisonous

Would you eat expired food? or rather in a passive tone, Have you eaten expired food? That's sound silly. But how many times we had been completely unaware of consuming food in the past that were either expired or past its Use by period. Let's take a look:

Manny, not his real name, lives in Michigan with his wife and 8-month old daughter. About 2 years ago. His wife bought a Hershey's chocolate box from a grocey store. When he ate some of them, he got diarrhea. At first, he didn't figure out that it was from the chocolate or not. Days later, he took his daughter to the hospital because she got severe diarrhea for 3 days. Doctors state that possible reason could be food poisoning.

After the medical findings, Manny called Hershey's and inquired about the cholocate and he was informed that it was 3 years past its expiration date based on the printed code on the box. Immediately, he contacted CVS that sold the cholocate to him. CVS told him
that they don't sell expired food anymore. The store even asked for the medical findings from the hospital, but after that last confrontation, Manny never heard from CVS anymore. He felt that the store is not taking the case seriously. Manny is wondering if he has a case. (This story was taken from www.expertlaw.com fora)

Or take a look for this Orlando woman who recorded her proof of maggots in Hershey's bars.


Health problems associated with consuming expired food

Bags of tomatoes tested for salmonella bacteria at a
US government lab in California during a salmonella
outbreak in 2008

There are literally thousands cases of food poisoning associated with eating food past their use-by or expired-on dates and diarrhea is just one of the dozen of diseases associated with eating spoiled food. Food-related diseases and food poisoning are caused by deadly bacteria, salmonella, e Coli, campylobacter, etc. that have grown and borne due to improper food handling and lack of proper information on expired food disposal.

According to WRAP, 33% percent of all food produced is wasted along the chill chain or at the consumer. At the same time, a large number of people get sick every year due to spoiled food. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC, every year in the USA there are 76 million foodborne illnesses, leading to 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. Here are some common health problems associated with consuming food past their use by or expiration dates:

• Diarrhea
• Abdominal Cramping
• Vomiting
• Increase risk of Listeria infection

The truths and myths about food labeling dates

Expert say that product date labels refer only to the quality of food, which serve as warning of the gradual changes in taste, color and nutrient content that can occur after the printed date. The truth is, consumers are largely left to figure out when food has become unsafe. 

For instance, food safety experts say that eggs can be safely kept in the carton for two to five weeks from the time you bring them home. But taking the eggs out of the carton exposes their porous shells to possible bacteria. Therefore, the expiration date label becomes meaningless once the container is opened because now the food has become perishable. Another example is when you exposed a sealed bottle of fresh milk outside the refrigerator for few days. There is a big difference in taste and smell  when you open it even before its Use-by date label due to poor temperature, exposure, and wrong storage location. So the obvious question would be, "What are those food labellings tell us about the food we eat?"

Expired Food: Is it Illegal to Sell?

This is the first installment of the 3-part series on Food Expiration:

• Expired Food: Is it illegal to sell?
• Expired Food: What Consumers should know
• Expired Food: What retailers must do

A delicious scenario 

Here's a common scenario:   "One time, you went to a nearby grocery store. You bought some tomato sauce, pasta, cheese, and other ingredients for spaghetti meal preparation. You boiled the pasta, and prepared the spaghetti sauce as well. When the preparation was almost completed, without being suspicious, you chanced to read the expiry date label. You were surprised when you found out that many of the items you just bought past their expiration dates. You were fuming mad, went back to the store, demanded for a refund, and cast your invectives against the store people then threatened the store manager for legal action, only to hear from the manager that the expired items you just bought and now a deliciously-looking spaghetti meal is PERFECTLY OK AND NOTHING ILLEGAL ABOUT IT." 

How many times we have heard this same story from other people, and even from our friends over and over again. And some of us may have experienced similar situation as well. Try to search over the internet on food expiration and you will find thousands of pages replete of discussions about people's horrifying experiences on food poisoning and eating food past their expiry dates.

In my six years of inventory experience, I can safely say that there are literally hundreds of times and occasions where the very merchandise we were counting have had varying degrees and types of foods on the shelves that have way way past their expiration dates, yet the store seemed not concerned about proper food labeling, food handling, health issues and its legal implications at all.

It is very disappointing to the point of being outrageous when we hear about those experiences. So, before you decide to report any similar incident that you had witnessed or happened to you personally, to your local or City Health Officer, or before you consider filing a lawsuit against a grocery store or drug store that sold expired baby foods or frozen meat to you, why don't you come along with me, and let us consider the question:

Is there a Federal law that prohibits or makes it illegal to sell expired food?