World Food Safety Day: Critical Food Safety Controls Will Make a Difference
Vancouver, BC – In celebration of World Food Safety Day 2024 on June 7, FPS Food Process Solutions (“FPS”) emphasizes the importance of hygienic design in manufacturing equipment as well as being aware of critical safety controls that can make a difference in food safety in the food processing industry. This year’s theme “Food safety: prepare for the unexpected,” the World Health Organization (“WHO”) sheds light on food safety incidents and the paramount importance of preparedness. It stresses the shared responsibility of all food business operators involved to play an active role - by preparing for all possible scenarios that could compromise food safety by knowing how to avoid food safety incidents by following good hygiene practices.
According to the WHO, more than 600 million people fall ill and 420,000 die from contaminated food globally each year. Prioritizing food safety control points along the entire food supply chain could prevent potential illnesses even death. As an industrial food equipment manufacturer, FPS looks at hygiene as the number one factor in how its equipment is designed. But in a globally connected world, safe food controls begin at the source and throughout the food product’s life cycle, from production to processing, before it reaches the consumer’s table. To help us understand the importance of critical food safety control points, insights from three food industry experts weigh in on what needs to be taken into consideration.
Traceability
Tracking food products is like a journey – we need to know where it came from, at what stage it has gone through in the supply chain, how it was processed, and how it finally arrived for consumer use.
In an interview with a food safety specialist from the manufacturing plant sector, he discusses the importance of tracing all connection points to a food product including its source and throughout its production process. “First and foremost, everything must be food safe. By working closely together with OEMs, we need to make sure that equipment design and operating procedures are being followed correctly. We should have full traceability of everything [that comes] into our products and all the way to our customers.”
Janice Price, Global Process Specialist at FPS, understands full well food safety concerns not only from an equipment manufacturer but from a customer point of view, having designed and implemented process controls and operational standards at a food manufacturing plant. “A food safety incident is really an oversight or inadequate control from the food business operator. We have to look at critical checkpoints to make sure that there is no cross contamination, be it from leftover food debris from a previous production run to condensation dripping onto food.” Continues Janice, “Whenever product leaves the facility, even the trailers are tagged before they get to their next destination.”
Accessibility & Cleanability
Accessibility is another major food control factor. Being able to access the inside of a food processor such as a freezer, requires the need to gain access to where food can get caught. Potential contaminants, such as food debris, mould, even chemical substances from cleaning agents, can transfer to a new production batch, leading to possible contamination. Being able to access tight, even difficult spaces that needs to be cleaned thoroughly is a must. Says Janice, “From a food-safe point of view, we need to make sure that no product is left inside, no pooling of water is sitting in the equipment. We need to make sure that potential allergens from one product are not being transferred to a non-allergen product, and lastly, being able to get inside to clean your equipment. This is what it really means to being able to access your equipment.”
Dianna Fu, Sales Support Manager at FPS, agrees that accessibility and cleanability are essential for food safety, a major design concept that has driven the company to address this safety concern from Day One. Says Dianna, “Our philosophy is to strive to be the most hygienic OEM. From how we do our enclosure welds, to our internal design structure. Any internal surface area in the freezer means the existence of potential harborage points. FPS tackles this by taking out unnecessary and redundant internal structures, which reduces the chance of food debris and other potential contaminants to remain inside. Simultaneously, the elimination of these structures increases the amount of space available for operators to conduct internal cleaning. However, not all spots can be reached manually. With a Clean-in-Place (CIP) System in place, it provides added assurance that the equipment can be food-safe before the next production run.
“As a freezer manufacturer, we are responsible for making sure products are also frozen or chilled correctly.” Continues Dianna, “Temperature, air flow and retention times must be checked and maintained. And once it leaves our freezers, finished products must also be at the same temperature for packaging, even storage. Understanding environmental factors is a good way to maintain control of the entire factory production line.”
Affordability
As a responsible food equipment manufacturer, FPS is doing its part to minimize food safety incidents. Considering the reputational, financial, and other long-term ramifications of food safety events, can we afford not to have food safety checks in place?
Chimes in the food safety specialist, “It's important for OEMs to consult with clients well in advance, understand their needs, and see the environment that products and equipment go into. From design to operation, all procedures must be followed correctly.”
“We want to be partners with our end-users. By understanding and picking the right OEM partner, we prefer to educate and be transparent,” Dianna highlights. “Isn’t that what a true partnership is supposed to be about?”
By communicating with and educating partners, FPS wants to be more than just an equipment manufacturer. Implementing food safety controls throughout the entire process can help minimize, even eliminate the potential risk of food safety events. This preparedness not only safeguards consumers’ health but also builds confidence in a secure food supply.
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ABOUT FPS FOOD PROCESS SOLUTIONS
FPS Food Process Solutions, a global leader in turn-key food processing solutions, employs over 1000 staff around the world. Established in 2010, FPS has a combined 800,000+ sq. ft (74,500 sq. meters) of space in 20 locations including its Canadian headquarters, manufacturing, and warehouse facilities as well as international sales offices across six continents. Joining the global FPS family are Charlottetown Metal Products (CMP), Total Solutions Ltd (TSL) and GEM Equipment of Oregon (GEM) as subsidiaries and OptiCept Technologies as a strategic partner in PEF technology, further diversifying the company’s product offering with a “one stop shop” to meet customers’ needs. For more information, go to www.fpscorp.ca
Contact:
Shirley Wong | Communications Manager
Phone: 604 232-4145 Ext. 1239
shirley.wong@fpscorp.ca
www.fpscorp.ca
FPS Food Process Solutions Global Headcount Reaches 1000 Strong
Vancouver, BC – FPS Food Process Solutions (“FPS”), a global leader in turn-key food processing solutions, reaches a global headcount of over 1,000 employees in 20 locations on six continents. The company’s growth is dominated by manufacturing, research and development, engineering, service, and sales.
“As a home-grown Canadian company, we started with eight staff in 2010. In 14 years, our headcount has grown to over 1,000 strong. Our growth, not only in people but in strategic acquisitions and partnerships, is testament to our response to leading a globally connected network that allows FPS to be bigger and better across all food processing sectors,” says Jeffrey Chang, President, FPS Food Process Solutions Corp.
The FPS Global family timeline includes:
· 2010 – FPS Richmond, Canada (HQ)
· 2015 – FPS China
· 2018 – FPS USA, FPS Brazil
· 2019 – FPS Europe, FPS New Zealand, CMP Canada, TSL New Zealand
· 2020 – FPS Thailand
· 2023 – FPS Mexico & Latin America, FPS MEA, GEM Equipment of Oregon
· 2024 – FPS India
From strategic office openings to timely acquisitions, FPS is able to offer full End-to-End Solutions by seamlessly integrating key business offerings to create a “one stop shop” – from start to finish. Continues Chang,” We are only halfway through 2024 but we are on track for continued high speed growth and hiring efforts. The food processing sector motivates us to continuously innovate while providing high value to our customers.”
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ABOUT FPS FOOD PROCESS SOLUTIONS
FPS Food Process Solutions, a global leader in turn-key food processing solutions, employs over 1000 staff around the world. Established in 2010, FPS has a combined 800,000+ sq. ft (74,500 sq. meters) of space in 20 locations including its Canadian headquarters, manufacturing, and warehouse facilities as well as international sales offices across six continents. Joining the global FPS family are Charlottetown Metal Products (CMP), Total Solutions Ltd (TSL) and GEM Equipment of Oregon (GEM) as subsidiaries and OptiCept Technologies as a strategic partner in PEF technology, further diversifying the company’s product offering with a “one stop shop” to meet customers’ needs. For more information, go to www.fpscorp.ca
Contact:
Shirley Wong | Communications Manager
Phone: 604 232-4145 Ext. 1239
shirley.wong@fpscorp.ca
www.fpscorp.ca
FPS Food Process Solutions Opens India Office in Heart of Commercial Sector
Vancouver, BC – FPS Food Process Solutions (“FPS”), a global leader in turn-key freezing and cooling equipment, opens a new office in Ambli, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, a major commercial center known for its roots in industrial and food manufacturing. The FPS India office will act as a hub for business activities – a value-added benefit for FPS customers. This includes the provision of sales, parts, service, and retrofits.
With the addition of subsidiaries Charlottetown Metal Products and GEM Equipment of Oregon, and partner OptiCept Technologies, the FPS Global Family has created a full product offering for a “one stop shop” to meet customers’ needs, most notably in the French Fry/Specialty potato processing sector. Other major industry sectors such as meat, poultry, fruit, vegetable, dairy, and seafood will be targeted.
“We have a long history of providing freezers for this market, so we are well known to major manufacturers and food processors. With our full End-to-End Solutions, we can truly offer seamless integration with our “one stop shop” – from start to finish. We are confident in growing our footprint throughout this important market even further,” says Jeffrey Chang, President, FPS Food Process Solutions Corp.
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ABOUT FPS FOOD PROCESS SOLUTIONS
FPS Food Process Solutions, a global leader in turn-key freezing and cooling equipment, employs over 900 staff around the world. Established in 2010, FPS has a combined 780,900+ sq. ft (72,590 sq. meters) of space in 20 locations including its Canadian headquarters, manufacturing, and warehouse facilities as well as international sales offices across six continents. Joining the global FPS family are Charlottetown Metal Products (CMP), Total Solutions Ltd (TSL) and GEM Equipment of Oregon (GEM) as subsidiaries and OptiCept Technologies as a strategic partner in PEF technology, further diversifying the company’s product offering with a “one stop shop” to meet customers’ needs. For more information, go to www.fpscorp.ca
For more information, contact:
Shirley Wong | Communications Manager
Phone: 604 232-4145 Ext. 1239
shirley.wong@fpscorp.ca
www.fpscorp.ca
FPS Food Process Solutions and OptiCept Technologies in Strategic Alliance to Develop State-of-the-Art PEF Technology for Solid Food Processing
FPS Food Process Solutions and OptiCept Technologies in Strategic Alliance to Develop State-of-the-Art PEF Technology for Solid Food Processing
Vancouver, BC – FPS Food Process Solutions (“FPS”), a global leader in freezing and cooling equipment, confirms its strategic alliance with OptiCept Technologies to develop, research, produce and commercialize PEF (Pulsed Electric Field) technology for solid food processing, starting with potato processing. This partnership brings greater benefit to the growing potato processing sector looking for innovations that offer efficiency including energy-savings while still retaining high quality products and competitiveness.
“The agreement with FPS is a strategic breakthrough into the solid food market. It opens a cost-effective solution for OptiCept to enter this large, established market significantly faster and to a greater extent through this deep collaboration,” says Thomas Lundqvist, CEO, OptiCept Technologies.
“In a rapidly changing industry, our goal is to meet and exceed the growing needs of not only the potato processing sector but for the food sector as a whole. Our goal is to combine leading PEF technology with market leading food processing solutions,” stated Jeffrey Chang, President, FPS Food Process Solutions Corp.
PEF generators will be part of FPS’s potato processing solutions initiative by bringing a diverse range of products to customers worldwide.
ABOUT FPS FOOD PROCESS SOLUTIONS
FPS Food Process Solutions, a global leader in turn-key freezing and cooling equipment, employs over 900 staff around the world. Established in 2010, FPS has a combined 780,000+ sq. ft (72,500 sq. meters) of space in 19 locations including its Canadian headquarters, manufacturing, and warehouse facilities as well as international sales offices across six continents. For more information, go to www.fpscorp.ca
For more information contact:
Shirley Wong | Communications Manager
Phone: 604 232-4145 Ext. 1239
shirley.wong@fpscorp.ca
www.fpscorp.ca
FPS and CMP Create Innovation Center to Accelerate Development of New Technology for the Food Processing Industry
Milton, PEI – Charlottetown Metal Products Ltd (“CMP”) and FPS Food Process Solutions (“FPS”) launch an Innovation Center located at CMP’s manufacturing complex on Prince Edward Island, Canada. This significant investment in both people and place will focus on the development of new innovative hygienic food processing solutions. With this commitment, the FPS and CMP team will continue to strengthen their partnership with universities and colleges, various government agencies, strategic suppliers, and the food processing customers they serve globally.
Renovations of the 10,000 sq. ft. (930 sq. meter) Innovation Center will be completed over the next year. There are currently 7 innovation projects in the pipeline. The first project to be completed was the development of a state-of-the-art End-to-End Solution for packaged food products. Several key technologies were incorporated into a forty-foot conveyor loop to handle the transfer, alignment, merge, and diverge of packaged food products to and from chillers, freezers, and other processing equipment. Projects now underway focus on full process line solutions that bring operational efficiencies in the areas of energy utilization, process automation, and increasing production yields.
“This investment will enable rapid acceleration of new product development and reduce time to market of several technologies we have currently in concept phase,” said Kees Jansen van Rosendaal, Director, New Product Development.
The Innovation Center will be staffed with dedicated process engineers, design engineers, controls specialists and technicians with broad experience across the food processing industry. Growth plans are already underway to add 10 additional team members that will complement the 165 employees currently on staff at CMP. Financial support has come from Innovation PEI to help make this innovation center a reality. In addition, CMP is receiving advisory services and research and development funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) to support innovations in food processing and full line optimization.
"I am delighted we have this opportunity to re-invest company profits into innovation. We are working hard to build a better future with advanced food processing machinery and process line solutions,” stated Trevor Spinney, President, Charlottetown Metal Products Ltd.
Jeffrey Chang, President, FPS Food Process Solutions Corp, added, "FPS has had a longstanding commitment to innovation which has fueled our rapid growth since company inception. Through our combined efforts, our continued focus on innovation has resonated well with new and existing customers".
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ABOUT FPS FOOD PROCESS SOLUTIONS
FPS Food Process Solutions, a global leader in turn-key freezing and cooling equipment, employs over 900 staff around the world. Established in 2010, FPS has a combined 780,000+ sq. ft (72,500 sq. meters) of space in 19 locations including its Canadian headquarters, manufacturing, and warehouse facilities as well as international sales offices across five continents. For more information, go to www.fpscorp.ca
ABOUT CHARLOTTETOWN METAL PRODUCTS LTD
Charlottetown Metal Products Ltd is a subsidiary of FPS Food Process Solutions Corp., a global leader in turn-key food freezing and cooling equipment. CMP has been manufacturing hygienic processing equipment for food manufacturers around the world for over 65 years. Based just outside Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, CMP has over 35 engineers and designers, 100,000 sq. ft. (9300 sq. meters) of manufacturing space, and a dedicated installation team to provide global clients with innovative food processing solutions. CMP is one of PEI's top employers with over 165 staff. For more information, go to www.cmpequipment.com
For more information contact:
Shirley Wong | Communications Manager
Phone: 604 232-4145 Ext. 1239
shirley.wong@fpscorp.ca
www.fpscorp.ca