Fellowship enables food scientist to work with SFI professionals and learn the real-world health consequences of failures in food safety.
The national nonprofit public-health organization Stop Foodborne Illness (SFI) has named Jaime L. Ragos as the 2019-2020 Dave Theno Food Safety Fellow. Ragos was selected by a committee comprised of professionals and educators from SFI and from the Michigan State University Online Food Safety Program.
“Since establishing the Theno Fellowship in 2018, we’ve been astounded at the quality of candidates who have applied,” said SFI CEO Mitzi Baum. “Jaime’s credentials make her a stand-out in any crowd. Her impressive resume illustrates her commitment not only to studying food science but also to sharing that knowledge to create safer, healthier communities. We’re thrilled to have her on board.”
The Theno Food Safety Fellowship is an opportunity for a young food scientist to work with SFI professionals and learn from members of the extended SFI community about the real-world health consequences of failures in food safety. The fellowship, which includes housing, pay, and benefits, requires that the fellow work full-time for SFI and complete a 12-credit Online Food Safety Certificate with Michigan State University. Dave Theno, a food safety consultant who died in 2017, and for whom the Fellowship is named, was instrumental in establishing food preparation and cooking protocols that permanently changed procedures in the restaurant and fast-food industries.
“Stop Foodborne Illness is a key player in educating people about how to end preventable illness and deaths from food pathogens,” Ragos said. “I can’t wait to start working with the SFI team and the educators at Michigan State to learn more about key strategies to build awareness among consumers, the government, and food industry professionals regarding food safety.”
Ragos, a 2019 graduate of the University of Tennessee (B.S., Food Science and Technology), participated in research programs in the university’s Department of Nutrition; the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications; the Department of Food Science and Technology; and the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. She also worked on research teams at the Smith International Center in Guatemala and at North Carolina State University in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences.
SFI’s inaugural Theno Fellow Emily Forauer, a University of Connecticut undergraduate with a Bachelor of Science in Pathobiology and a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, plans to pursue a Master of Science degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of Vermont at the completion of her fellowship.
More than 150 attendees gathered June 27 for McCloud Services' annual food safety seminar.
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After developing an IPM program and finding ways to pest proof structures, Mr. Collins went into detail on how to inspect for pests after they enter a facility. He began his presentation by sharing insights on the top five challenging pest categories, which include rodents, stored product insects, small flies, cockroaches and occasional invaders.
He then went into the oftentimes overlooked areas that many pests enter facilities. These include roof tops, utility tunnels and racking systems. For roof tops, it is important to understand how the roof is constructed so that food safety managers can also know where pest access points are located. While utility tunnels can be difficult and dangerous to inspect, it is critical they are inspected as the tunnels are a major pest access. Finally, inspecting racking systems for signs of pests is also crucial as it is oftentimes the root cause of a rodent infestation. Facility managers should be sure to check this area for sebum.
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Acquisition expands company’s offerings and services.
Northwoods Cheese Company has acquired the brand and assets of Mille Lacs Foods, including Mille Lacs, Heart of Wisconsin, and The Laze Spa. The brands will fall under the new corporate umbrella of Northwoods Food and Gift Enterprises, Verona, Wis.
Owners of Northwoods Cheese Co. and Rustic Wraps, Derek and Angela Thielke, are positioned to utilize the strengths of the combined companies to continue to expand growth within the United States, Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. The new enterprise will partner with Greenco Industries in Monroe, Wis., as well as other workshops in Wisconsin that employ persons with disabilities.
“One of the main strengths of Mille Lacs Foods is its offering of fine food gifts, such as delicious cheese, chocolate, olives, sausage and other gourmet items,” said Northwoods President Derek Thielke. “The strategic move allows us to expand our services and product categories. Competitive pricing, quick shipping, and attention to the customer needs position us to strategically build growth in the market.”
Northwoods Cheese Company was founded in 2002 after Derek Thielke left Mille Lacs Foods. It had always been Derek’s dream to own Mille Lacs Foods, which was founded in 1946 and had operated as of subsidiary of The Wisconsin Cheeseman Inc. Rustic Wraps, which was founded by Angela Thielke in 2018, will benefit from this acquisition by allowing new product offerings such as chocolate and bath and body products, enhancing the line of gourmet gifts which utilize custom wooden cutting boards and crates that are also made by adults with disabilities with American Hardwoods. For more information, visit www.northwoodscheese.com, or www.thelazespa.com.
Approval includes extension of the iQ-Check E. coli O157:H7 and iQ-Check STEC VirX and SerO real-time PCR detection kits.
Bio-Rad Laboratories announced that AOAC International has evaluated and approved the level 3 modification of the iQ-Check E. coli O157:H7 and iQ-Check STEC VirX and SerO real-time PCR detection kits to extend these kits to different types of samples. AOAC is a globally recognized third-party association that develops microbiological and chemical standards to facilitate public health and safety.
To obtain this approval through the AOAC Performance Tested Methods Program, a validation study was performed that demonstrated no differences between the iQ-Check methods and the reference methods. The iQ-Check E. coli O157:H7 assay was modified to include 375-gram test portions of raw ground beef (83% lean), raw beef trim, and fresh spinach. It was also modified to include 25-gram test portions of raw chicken breast without skin, raw chicken thigh with skin, mechanically separated chicken and raw ground pork.
The iQ-Check STEC VirX and SerO assays were modified to include 375-gram test portions of raw ground beef, raw beef trim and fresh spinach from buffered peptone water.
The level 3 modification also included the use of the iQ-Check Free DNA Removal Solution and a single enrichment in buffered peptone water. This harmonized method also allows for the simultaneous enrichment and subsequent detection of Salmonella and pathogenic E. coli from the same sample, providing both a time and cost savings when testing large sample sizes.
The iQ-Check kits for foodborne pathogen detection are routinely used in food safety programs worldwide and are recognized by renowned international validation organizations. For more information on Bio-Rad’s iQ-Check real-time PCR test kits, visit http://www.bio-rad.com/iqcheck.
Savory baby food line bolsters growth with influencer-based consumer health fund.
Serenity Kids, a baby food company on a mission to provide quality nutrient-dense foods from the first bite, support regenerative agriculture and help enable small American family farms to succeed, has closed a $1.5 million funding round led by Wild Ventures. The investment will support the operations, inventory, research, and development, and extend the national presence for the high-fat, low-sugar baby food company.
Wild Ventures’ founder and general partner John Durant will join the company’s advisory board. Additional investors in the round include Whole30 founder Melissa Hartwig Urban; Wellness Mama founder Katie Wells; Vani Hari the Food Babe; celebrity nutritionist Kelly LeVeque; neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter; Thrive Market founders Nick Green, Gunnar Lovelace and Sasha Siddhartha; and more. Thrive Market Ventures, the in-house investment vehicle of online retailer Thrive Market, also backed the company.
The investment builds on an exceptional year for Serenity Kids, which has only been to market since August 2018, yet recently launched nationwide in Whole Foods, doubled its team, and brought eight SKUs to market, including a pouched baby foods with grass fed beef and wild caught Alaskan Salmon. The brand also is launching in nearly 80 Hy-Vee grocery stores in August.
“We’re so pleased to have found a partner that fully believes and lives our mission,” said Serenity Kids CEO and Co-Founder Serenity Carr. “Support from Wild Ventures will allow us to make even more impact in improving how our babies eat, and ultimately help provide a healthier nutritional foundation for the kids and adults they will become.”
Serenity Kids supports regenerative and ethical farming techniques by only sourcing American-grown organic vegetables and GAP-certified meat from small family farms in the U.S. Ingredients are free of any antibiotics, added hormones, pesticides, fillers, GMOs, and the brand extends its commitment to supporting ethical farming by giving a portion of its profits to the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund. The pouches are also recyclable for free via a partnership with TerraCycle.
Shelf-stable for 18-months and designed for infants over six months old, all recipes are pediatrician-recommended with nutritional formulations created under the guidance of Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, PhD and founder of The Paleo Mom. Dr. Ballantyne also sits on the brand’s advisory board, which also includes wellness and food industry leaders Taylor Collins, CEO of EPIC Provisions, Sam Elick, CEO of BrainJuice, and Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution. Currently available in more than 700 retail stores including Whole Foods, Lassen's, MOM’s Organic Market, King’s, DeCicco & Sons and online via Amazon, Thrive Market and One Stop Paleo Shop, Serenity Kids aims to eventually be everywhere baby food is sold. For more information, visit www.myserenitykids.com or www.wildventures.vc.