Do you regularly distribute food items? If so, it’s important that you track and maintain the proper temperature control at all times. Just one degree can make a batch of food unconsumable. Especially with the FDA closely monitoring both food and drug products, businesses need to prioritize food safety.
In this article, we’ll cover why food temperature monitoring is important and the tools your business can utilize to ensure compliance with regulatory agencies and protect your customers from harmful foodborne illnesses.
Why is it Important to Monitor Farm to Table Food Temperature?
All businesses, regardless of industry focus, need to ensure that food products are safe and in compliance with temperature ranges. Proper temperature monitoring not only leads to keeping products fresh, but also minimizes the risk of foodborne illnesses, like E. coli, listeria norovirus, and Salmonella.
The right farm to table food temperature monitoring practices can decrease your product’s risk of picking up harmful bacteria, safeguarding your customers.
Does Food Temperature Monitoring Change for Hot and Cold Chains?
Food contamination can happen at any stage of the production process, from production to distribution. Just one product that ventures outside of the safe temperature zone can result in the disposal of the entire batch, costing your business money and potentially harming your brand image.
Cold and hot food items should follow the same food temperature monitoring processes, with the ultimate goal of preserving the safety of the item. Having a versatile temperature monitor ensures that your business is in compliance with regulations, regardless of if you are working with hot or cold products.
What are the Benefits of Food Safety Management?
Food safety management has numerous benefits for your business. First, many wireless sensors come with customizable dashboards and digital checklists, improving the efficiency of your workflow and providing you with important insights.
A comprehensive food safety management system also aligns with HACCP compliance requirements. By monitoring the temperature of your food items, you can maintain mandatory food requirements by both the FDA and FSMA, reducing the risk of fines, penalties, and faulty products.
Physical constraints are also reduced with a robust food safety management system. Encrypted IoT sensors have the ability to report through concrete, stainless steel, insulation, and more for up to 10 miles. This results in much needed information being transmitted in real-time to your business, with the ability to back up data to the cloud for future analysis.
Having historical information to review allows your business to pinpoint efficiencies throughout the supply chain. Maybe you find that your scheduled pick up time causes your distributor to get stuck in traffic, increasing your risk of breaking the safety temperature, or that you need to improve your packaging to retain cold air. These are all benefits of implementing a comprehensive food management system.
How Do Wireless Sensors Maintain Food Safety?
Wireless sensors are the go-to for countless organizations that produce and distribute food items. First, wireless sensors regulate temperature consistency. The sensors are generally placed directly in the appliance or packaging holding the food, providing real-time updates on temperature changes.
Smokers, coolers, and freezers can all be regulated with wireless sensors, adding to the appeal. Moreover, if your wireless sensor detects a temperature outside of the accepted range, your business is immediately alerted. Setting up notifications gives your team time to react to prevent having to dispose of the entire batch of food.
Additionally, wireless sensors can connect with other devices, automating your workflow. Utilizing these resources allows you to reduce the risk of human error in the temperature monitoring process, infusing accuracy, reliability, and trust into your products.
Finding the Right Solution
Compliance with food regulators can seem like an overwhelming task, especially since legislation is very precise on acceptable temperature ranges. However, with the right resources working alongside your team, you can easily ensure that your products are safe, reducing your risk of recalls and stiff fines from regulatory agencies.
At Qualified Controls, we can help you do just that, with our wireless real-time environmental monitoring sensors and software. Our state-of-the-art software can overhaul old and outdated processes of food temperature monitoring, allowing you to maximize your workflow and continuously monitor environmental conditions.
