The Pacific food industry is moving forward! Across the Pacific, food producers, manufacturers, exporters and hospitality businesses are increasingly focusing on HACCP, food safety certification and export readiness as they look to meet market requirements and build buyer confidence. Fiji – Growing Opportunities Fiji remains an important hub for food production and export, with businesses across food manufacturing, processing, agriculture, seafood and hospitality looking to expand their capabilities and reach new markets. A recent example is the Fiji Meat Industry Board (FMIB), which has achieved HACCP Australia certification as part of its focus on strengthening food safety standards and Read more...

HACCP Australia Technical Director Martin Stone has been featured in an Inside FMCG article examining food fraud, supplier assurance and the role of testing in protecting product integrity. The article follows recent ABC Four Corners reporting on food fraud and product authenticity in Australia, which has brought renewed attention to how food businesses verify claims made across complex supply chains. While traceability systems, supplier declarations, specifications and certificates all play an important role, Martin told Inside FMCG that documentation should form part of a broader supplier assurance programme, rather than being treated as the end Read more...

Artificial intelligence (AI) may help food businesses identify patterns earlier, but strong HACCP systems, trained people and verified controls still do the heavy lifting. AI is becoming a larger part of business conversations as organisations look to automate, streamline and reduce costs. Food safety is not immune. Across the food industry, there is growing interest in how AI can support regulatory compliance, identify risk earlier and make better use of operational data. At the 20th Annual Canadian Summit on Food Safety and Regulation, a recent session on leveraging AI to elevate regulatory and food safety Read more...

Martin Stone, Director of HACCP Australia, recently participated in expert panel discussions at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company’s Market Days events in Brisbane and Sydney. Martin Stone and members of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company Crisis Management team, Cameron Mactear, Underwriter, and Shelley Devane, Assistant Vice President. The sessions explored the increasing risk of product recalls in the food industry, along with the insurance products and response strategies available to help businesses manage the financial impact of a recall. The audience, made up of leading insurance brokers, had the opportunity to ask Read more...

Food safety does not stop at ingredients. It is shaped by every surface, product and material used in a food environment, from processing equipment and utensils to cleaning tools, lubricants, food packaging and other operational materials.  Each of these decisions can affect product integrity, consumer safety and, ultimately, public health.  A drain that is difficult to clean. A bench surface that corrodes over time. A lubricant used in the wrong area. A packaging component that is changed without review.  None of these are ingredients or food products, but each can introduce risk.  That is why product contact surfaces, processing aids, equipment and operational products need to Read more...