While we are in "promotion" mode:
If you happen to be in Chicago and/or at the FPSA/PACK Expo at McCormick Center next week, stop in and take in my presentation Tuesday morning at 8:30: http://pei2008.packexpo.com/attendee/tracks_all.html
I will be talking about in-plant traceability from the perspective of the processor. Tools and methods to take advantage of new technology to increase the granularity of traceability for processed food products. This will effectively point back to the FM Alert! function I mentioned here yesterday (see below), and our responsibility to consumers to do everything reasonable to assure food safety.
While you are there, stop by the Key booth. You can see our new Manta sorter; stop by for a snack and beverage at the end of the day.
I hope to see you there!
Tim
Friday, November 7, 2008
FPSA Chicago Presentation
Thursday, November 6, 2008
FM Alert!- What the heck is that!?!
Have you all seen this:
http://www.key.net/about/news/fmalert-capability/default.html
What is that all about, you might ask....
There are several facets you might want to consider as we move more and more into foreign material control:
- You need to KNOW when Foreign Material (FM) is detected (identification plus network communication capability)
- You need to know WHEN FM is detected (time stamp)
- You need to know WHAT category of FM is detected (image capture for human inspection)
Basically, you need to know the severity of foreign material events in your line, so you can immediately undertake containment actions when appropriate, and not do them if they are not necessary.
This is a tool that can be very helpful in minimizing both cost and risk to you.Foreign material control in food products, especially in the processed potato industry, has been an issue that has greatly increased visibility recently. Everyone seems focused on implementing something as soon as possible. However, just wanting FM out is not enough, you need to know the consequences of your many choices. Be sure to find a knowledgeable technology partner to work with, to make sure that you get the solution that is best for your industry.
OK... that will be as commercial as I get....
Until next time-
Tim
Friday, October 24, 2008
Potatoes vs. The Economy
We have seen the "news". If it is still news that the stock market is tanking, that people have no confidence in the economy, that the housing lending market is a disaster. Global crash. Not to make too light a thing of it, but the next thing you know, the Grinch will be stealing Christmas. Again!
At least gas (petrol) prices are dropping.
Seriously, I am trying to predict how all this will affect the potato industry. What will processors' business look like in 6-12 months? What about their customers and suppliers?
I have heard that there has been a small drop in processed potato product consumption, but no big deal. Makes sense. People need to eat, and that will not stop, recession or no! And, really, potato products are a super value for the calorie, plus a real "comfort" food, they taste great! It seems that the market for potato products will not drop much, maybe even increase a bit, no?
Plus, with the drop in fuel prices and the drop in corn and veggie prices, prices for raw product will also settle back down a bit, yes? And that may ease the squeeze, so to speak...
Who knows, maybe profits could actually go up...
So I, for one, will go on record as predicting that the current economic situation will not be disastrous for the processed potato market.
NOW: I need some commenters who have other opinions. Speak UP!
Tim
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
More on Acrylamides
Check out the article: http://www.foodqualitynews.com/Publications/Food-Beverage-Nutrition/FoodNavigator/Science-Nutrition/Acrylamide-not-linked-to-GI-cancer-risk-Study/?c=%2BlZ8zGql8mrmAmsDCii%2FSA%3D%3D
Now, I know we are in uncharted territory here, and that prudence is highly advised. After all, cancer is nothing to trifle with, so anything we do to avoid it seems reasonable, no? Food is to preserve life, not risk it!
But.... if there is actually no evidence that normally ingested food products increase the cancer rate in actual humans (and I am NOT talking about humans who eat 20 kg of potato chips in a day), what is the real risk? If it is down in the realm of getting hit by an asteroid, it seems that overreaction has taken hold here. Note that most of us do not regularly carry asteroid umbrellas, we take the risk for what it is. Even if the small chance of being wrong has quite severe consequences.
Now, the recent California litigation (see below) is government-driven, so I don't expect them to be constrained by any real facts. Rather, I expect that situation to continue for some time. But for the rest of us non-Californians, we had better be asking the tough questions and doing our homework regarding acrylamide and food safety. Because the risk either way seems significant in terms of both food safety issues as well as the sustainability of the processed potato market.
Tim
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The Golden Potato!
Potato prices are going through the roof!
Some articles to reference (I picked them from potatopro.com):http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=67&SubSectionID=618&ArticleID=44834&TM=51257.21 and http://www.potatopro.com/Lists/News/DispForm.aspx?ID=1862&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epotatopro%2Ecom%2FNews%2Easpx
Now, I have to say I have had my fill of high grocery prices as a result of the US ethanol debacle. I am all for "green", but when you use more energy to produce a renewable source than is produced, you are going the wrong direction. And then to have consumers (and taxpayers) ultimately foot the bill for this kind of shell game, you start to get me riled.
Now the problem is spreading to potatoes. Exacerbated certainly by the weak US dollar and the skyrocketing price of petroleum. It is a brave new world, folks, and we need to see how things readjust to fit.
It seems certain that raw potato prices will drive finished goods prices up, or processors will lose interest in their work (reducing supply, which will then certainly drive prices up, uncontrollably). So how do processors respond?
1) Raise prices of their products.
2) Work even harder on projects that improve yield. The higher raw prices get, the better the payback for yield.
3) Move away from potato processing into other, more profitable ventures. Pressure will drive the weaker players from the field.
We need to look closely at how plants are run, investigating every opportunity for efficiency gains. Gone are the days of casually letting product pile up on the floor at spill points, or responding sluggishly to equipment downtime. Those who learn to address these kinds of issues aggressively may be making the difference between profitability, survival or otherwise...
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
One small step for GM...
I'm back!
Sorry for the hiatus, folks, and thanks for staying with this blog. Now that vacation and training (and the resultant milieu of work) appear in my rearview mirror, I plan to post here at least weekly. Here we go!
Thanks to the first non-Key person to post a comment on this blog. Excellent thought to balance my admittedly lopsided "dissertation". Nothing like the real world to inject some reason into the discussion. I will post a reply comment as soon as I am finished here.
The news: http://www.sindhtoday.net/world/17299.htm
Here we go!
It appears that some farmers in South Africa have concluded that the economic benefit of GM potatoes (reduced damage from insects during storage) is greater that the marketing and customer acceptance challenges. They will grow GM potatoes starting this season. We look on with interest.
As I mentioned in that previous post, consumer concerns about GM potatoes do not appear to be based on fact, but rather fear of the unknown. Partially, at least, it includes the factor that they do not trust corporations to act responsibly regarding food safety. Fair concern, and one that needs to be disproven by those same corporations. I expect that any product of the University of Michigan has fully gone through the paces of food safety, that they would not release a potato variety that has not already been tested on both animals and humans over some period of time. The industry must not experiment on consumers.
But (as I mentioned before) GM potatoes appear to be a potentially significant contributor to solving the hunger problem worldwide. The regions where hunger prevails also appear to be where potato production and storage is most challenging. GM potatoes may resolve those issues, bringing a highly nutritious food to the locales that need it most.
And, if GM "works" in South Africa, why not elsewhere? Perhaps eventually, consumer fears will be allayed, and GM potatoes will become more prevalent.
We will see....
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
ADR First Implementation
So you're sitting there, having just read my blog entries from 3, 19, 22 and 25 August (you have read them, haven't you?) on ADR-First defect control concepts for potato strips. And you are wondering how in the world to implement such a concept cost-effectively. Here come the answers:
It depends on your situation: assuming you have responsibility for any one specific processing line, whether as an engineer, plant manager or corporate executive. Or maybe just "interested person". Your "situation" means:
* Regarding the area in your line between cutting (whether hydro knives or mechanical or both) and blanching, how old/depreciated is your equipment? What are your plans for possible upgrades to your line? What is the timing?
The more depreciated your line in the area of sorters and ADRs between cutting and blanching, the better ADR-First pays back. If you need to rearrange your line, you may need to write off some of your conveyors decking, etc. If these have already been written down, then they don't impact your capital plan.
If you are already planning on upgrading your line in the near future, the incremental cost of ADR-First vs. the standard approach is often surprisingly low. ADR-First is actually a simpler line, so conveyor costs are reduced vs. "the norm". This offsets the incremental capital of increasing your ADR capacity by 150-200%.
* Over the next few years, how much of your product will be in strip (or steak cut) form, rather than wedges or other shapes not conducive to ADR functionality?
The more strips you run, the better ADR-First pays back. If more than 50% of your product is strips, then ADR-First might be for you. If most of your product is not strips, use the sorter-first approach.
* What is the maximum incoming defect level you expect to see in your raw product over the next few years, say during the worst month of storage season?
If your incoming strip defect level stays below 20% through all of storage season, you can achieve typical product quality with the sorter-first approach. If you see 25% for a few weeks, the payback of ADR-First starts to become attractive. If you see 30% or more defect for more than a few days per year, ADR-First will be critical to your profitability.
* What quality targets are you expecting for your products? Are you intending to sell into markets where very high quality is required (e.g., Japan)?
If you sell much product to Japan, ADR-First will help you avoid those discussions with your customers about product quality. Remember, ADR-First quality can be 400% better than sorter-first (sorter first removes 64% of incoming defect, leaving 36% in the line; ADR-First removes 93% of incoming defect, leaving 7% in the line; 36% is 400+% of 7%).
OK, OK... maybe the math is a bit convoluted, but hopefully you get the gist of the message: regarding defect removal, ADR-First is in a class by itself.
* What is the value of your co-product (what you do with potato material rejected from your strip line) relative to strips? Is there not much value difference, or is your price for strips much higher than your co-product?
ADR-First is about achieving the highest defect removal while at the same time maximizing the amount of raw product that becomes finished strips. For this to make any economic sense, there must be an incremental value for the strips, plus sufficient demand to absorb the additional production economically. If your business is really about co-product as opposed to cuts, ADR-First is not for you. ADR-First is for processors who make most of their money with potato strips.
Lots to digest, I know. But let me know what you all think!
I will be on vacation next week, and so will not post for a few days. Look for something here the week of August 25.
Tim