What You Should Know About Food Safety Rules and Regulations

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Laws have been established and implemented to ensure that foods being served in restaurants and other similar establishments are free of any contaminants and deemed safe for consumption. Keep in mind that improper handling of food can pose serious health risks since bacteria grow easily if given the chance. That said, restaurant owners need to pass safety inspections to ascertain that they properly comply with the safety regulations and laws stipulated by the local health department.

Working With Local Health Department Inspectors

The Local Health Department will usually send out inspectors to a particular establishment to check the utensils used for cooking, the overall sanitation of the area as well as the food storage locations. The inspectors will also ensure that the chefs and servers follow the proper guidelines on food handling and storage. If the inspection revealed that the establishment failed to comply with the food safety law, then they will issue the applicable fines to the owner (for minor violations) or they may completely shut down the restaurant’s operation if the establishment committed a major violation.

The Health Department works along restaurant owners to help establish the appropriate food handling practices to avoid the possibility of food contamination that can give rise to many food-borne diseases. Inspections are done at random and inspectors will usually show up unannounced hence why restaurants must ensure that they are following the food safety guideline all the time so that they won’t be put in a compromising situation should an inspector show up unexpectedly to do a surprise evaluation..

The HACCP System

The Local Health Department makes use of a system called as HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) which consists of seven critical steps designed to guarantee proper food handling and safety.HACCP was originally designed to ensure that foods consumed by NASA astronauts are safe and free of any form of bacteria. Knowing this, you can be assured that this system really works! Food Microbiology, Risk Assessment and Quality Control are the three crucial elements of the HACCP system.

Preventing Food Contamination

Food contamination can be easily avoided if you pay careful attention to the safety procedures required for preparing and handling food. There are many safety guidelines that you should follow to ascertain that you will be serving clean and bacteria-free food to your customers. One important procedure when preparing food is to thaw frozen goods properly. Using the microwave is perhaps the easiest way to thaw frozen foods but you can also thaw it under running water maintaining a temperature of 70 degree Fahrenheit or below for about two hours. Meat and poultry should be cooked using the correct internal temperatures, and this is where food thermometers come in handy. Restaurants must be equipped with cooking thermometers to ascertain that foods are cooked properly.

For food storage, the important rule to remember is to keep foods away from contaminants and prevent them from being spoilt. Be sure to clean meat, poultry and vegetables before storing them in the refrigerator. Wrap each item separately and label the package indicating the date when they were first received.

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What You Need to Know About Organic Farming

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Many are now considering organic farming due to the many advantages that it offers. This kind of farming approach is designed to work in harmony with nature unlike other types of farming methods that are known to harm the environment. Such kind of farming approach uses effective techniques to produce good crops minus the damaging effects of pesticides.

Organic farmers use recycled and composted animal manures as well as crop wastes to maintain good soil structure. They also use crop rotation and proper soil cultivation to keep the integrity of the soil without harming it. Meanwhile to control the growth of weeds, pests and diseases, farmers practice good cultivation methods, use natural pesticides, do careful planning, use resistant crops, increase genetic diversity and make proper crop choice. Organic farming approach also involves the careful use of water resources.

Doing such kind of farming approach does not mean you have to go back to the traditional method of farming. The truth is, organic farming combines old farming approaches with modern scientific knowledge allowing organic farmers to enjoy better crop yields. To simply put, organic farmers use their knowledge, skills and expertise to work in sync with the environment thereby creating a healthy balance between farming and nature.

Farmers using this unique and effective farming approach make use of a wide range of organic methodologies simultaneously to allow them to enjoy better yields. By doing so, they are able to get the maximum benefits of farming organically. For instance, careful cultivation and using green manures together can help farmers control the growth of weeds better than if these techniques are used individually.

So, why you should consider farming organically? Organic farming offers long-term benefits not only to the farmers but also to the environment. Essentially, this kind of farming approach aims to do the following:

Boost soil fertility
Improve the soil’s water holding capacity
Effectively control pests and weeds without causing harm to nature
Use the available resources to reduce farming cost
Produce nutritious, pest-free and high-quality crops that will be sold at a reasonable price
Eliminate the dependency to artificial fertilizers, which causes harm to the environment especially when used for prolonged periods of time

To be able to produce better crops, it is imperative for organic farmers to manage the soil properly. This means that they have to consider the soil structure, the soil nutrients as well as the soil life. Keep in mind that artificial fertilizers can only provide temporary nutrient supply to your crops. While it is true that they can encourage crop growth more quickly, the problem is that the crop produced often has a soft growth and thus would not be able to withstand pest, disease and drought. In essence, artificial fertilizers are not capable of adding organic matter to the soil which means they do not actually help enhance the soils water holding capacity or drainage and they are not able to build better soil structure. That is why, organic farmers prefer to use natural fertilizers in the form of animal manures and compost. Feeding the soil with organic compost and fertilizers will encourage better crop growth. Man-made fertilizers are able to provide the sufficient amount of nutrients as well as organic matter needed to grow healthy plants and crops.

Organic Coffee with Bunn

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Naturally, organic coffee beans are by far the best source from your top quality coffee brew. But the beans themselves are not enough: the coffee machines involved also make a major difference. Use the professional Bunn coffee makers (increasingly popular in the US) to get best results with your organic coffee. There are different types of Bunn machines. Before you buy one you should consider the type. Here is some basic information on a few of the types for your better understanding.

Coffee makers that use a cup to warm up the coffee are known as pod coffee makers. Instead of the tanker, the coffee is brewed in a cup. Coffee makers that use thermal unit to brew coffee are known as thermal coffee maker and the warmness of the coffee from such makers lasts longer time. If a make contain a pot as well as a warmer it is called drip maker. The coffee is brewed in the pot but it gets keeping warm in the warmer. Satellite coffee makers are those that are used for making coffee for many people and are constantly kept on brewing.

For office and commercial use, satellite coffee makers are a good choice. Then the airpot coffee makers, you must have heard their names. This type of maker brews coffee in a airpot and they do not need any warmer. Even you can add a gourmet funnel into it as well. Organic coffee made in airpot coffee maker retains its quality longer. The liquid one works by enhancing and intensifying the coffee concentration, while soft heat coffee makers are for brewing large amounts of organic coffee making where heat level is low but it will continue for long time. Thermofresh and Urn are two other types of Bunn coffee makers widely used for big scale coffee making.

Guiding Principles That You Should Follow to Come Up With Effective Farm Animal Health Plans

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Creating an effective farm animal health plan is vital in maintaining the overall health and well-being of farm animals. The main goal of your plan should focus on promoting and optimizing the health of individual animals that you are rearing in your farm. In addition, you should also pay attention to minimizing the mortality rate among groups of animals by preventing the spread of illnesses and reducing the likeliness of injury over time. This can be done by increasing the animals’ resistance to diseases through proper health management, early disease detection, and most importantly, prevention.

Keep in mind that the vital aspect of your animal health care plan should focus on the unique characteristics of your farm and the animals living in it. The factors that will help you come up with a good and effective health plan for your animals include the following:

Farm Location. You should note the location of your farm, if it is nearby roadways, other farms, or neighboring communities. It is also critical that you consider the movement of animals in the farm as well as the number of visitors going in and out of it.

Types of Animals. Take note of the age, species and sex of animals on your farm. This will help you create a suitable health plan that is appropriate for a particular type of animal that you will be caring for.

Possible Diseases. It is essential that you become aware of the illnesses that are known to afflict the animals in the area. Also, you should be familiar with the kinds of diseases common to the particular type of animal that you are raising.

Promoting Good Animal Health

There are number of factors that will significantly affect the health of farm animals. Some of the factors that have a direct influence to the health and well-being of farm animals include:

  • Genetics
  • Sanitation
  • Ventilation and Comfort
  • Housing conditions
  • Nutrition
  • Disease Management
  • Overall Animal Welfare

It is important that you establish a good working relationship with a veterinarian to ensure that the animals in your farm will receive proper medical attention and care. Like humans, animals would also require vaccinations and might need surgeries especially when they are afflicted with serious medical conditions. Forming a good relationship with a reputable veterinarian will allow you to keep your animals healthy and disease free.

To prevent the farm animals from catching diseases, you need to have them vaccinated against high-risk animal diseases that are common in the area where your farm is located. In addition, your animal health care plan should also mitigate the risk of cross contamination. You should not only focus on the welfare of your animals but you should also pay attention to the people tending to them. It is imperative that people working in the farm follow proper protocols especially when handling sick animals. If the disease that the animal caught is deemed untreatable, you might want to consider euthanizing the animal in order to end its suffering as well as to prevent the spread of the disease in the farm.

 

Facts Regarding Food Technology

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Food technology is basically an application of food science that focuses on the study of the physical, microbiological and chemical make-up of foods. Food scientists find and develop ways on how to process, package, store and distribute foods in accordance to the rules and regulations implemented by the health department. You would not have imagined that the food you eat goes through a series of processes to ascertain that you will be consuming nutritious, tasty and bacteria-free foods.

Brief History of Food Tech

Food tech has been used decades ago, from the time Nicolas Appert developed the canning process in 1810. During that time, the process was not yet referred as canning because Appert did not fully understand the principle on which the process worked. What he did not realize is that this process will have a major impact on food preservation techniques, which people have now taken great advantage in the modern day.

Meanwhile, Louis Pasteur’s research on wine spoilage in 1864 was the first attempt to view food tech in a scientific way. Pasteur was also the one who developed pasteurization, which is defined as the process of heating milk and other dairy products to eliminate the presence of bacteria and prevent spoilage. These researches made Louis Pasteur the pioneer of modern preventive medicine and bacteriology.

Developments in Food Science

Food science and technology, the new title given to food tech, has undergone major developments over the years. There are several companies that provided great contributions to the food industry. Such developments have played a major role in food storage, production and distribution. Some of the popular developments in food technology that people are now taking advantage today include the following:

Decaffeination of tea and coffee

Decaffeinated coffee and tea were first developed in Europe for commercial consumption around the 1900s. To separate the caffeine from the coffee beans, they are treated with water or steam containing 20% moisture. The water then helps separate the caffeine from the beans. After that, solvents are used to completely remove caffeine from the coffee beans. By 1980 new non-solvent techniques were developed for decaffeinating tea and coffee.

Instant Milk Powder

The first instant milk powder was developed by D.D. Peebles, which have now become the basis for producing a vast range of products that can be rehydrated by pouring cold water or milk. The process basically aims to improve the powdered product’s surface area through partially rehydrating the powdered milk particles.

Those who are interested in exploring this interesting field should consider talking up food science and technology courses. There are now a number of schools offering great training programs specially designed to provide aspiring food scientists and technologists the knowledge and skills they require to become efficient in their chosen career.

 

The Technology Of Organic Farming

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All About Organic Farming Methods and Technology

Organic farming methodologies effectively combine the scientific knowledge of ecology with modern technology as well as traditional farming techniques and practices in order to produce good crop yields without causing serious harm to the environment. Organic farmers use farming practices that are solely based on natural occurring biological processes. Farmers employing this type of farming technique refrain from using synthetic pest controls and fertilizers. Instead they limit themselves to the use of man-made fertilizers and natural compost. In essence, organic farmers employ the use safe agricultural practices to boost crop production. Moreover, they are very careful in the selection of plant breeds that they will grow to ensure that they will be able to create better yields.

As people become more and more concerned about their health, the demand for organic food products has dramatically increased over the recent years. This then lead organic farmers to double or even triple their produce in order to cater to the growing need for organic foods.

Organic Crop Production

Technology played a big role in increasing crop yields in organic farms. In particular, hoop houses offer a great way for organic farmers to boost their agricultural productivity. The materials used for the construction of hoop houses range from plastic pipes to fiberglass. Hoop houses can benefit all kinds of farmers, not just those into organic farming. For those who have no idea what a hoop house is, they are basically raised beds contained in a walled off piece of land. They are the perfect option for farmers who wish to extend their growing season without spending much on greenhouses.

Farmigo E-Solutions

The use of Farmigo, a business management data solution web-based service, is highly recommended to small farmers, not just those doing organic farming, who want to increase their profits. Farmigo e-solutions will allow farmers to pay more attention to crop growth and profits while relieving them the headaches brought about by the inventory and accounting. Employing the use of this advanced technology for organic farming is indeed a smart move towards maintaining a sustainable business without having to exert too much effort on the part of the business-minded farmers.

Organic Pest Control

Instead of using synthetic and harmful pesticides, organic pest control is used to prevent the growth of weeds and mitigate the population of pests on organic crops. Farmers who farms organically make use of insect traps to monitor and control insect population. They also do crop rotation to interrupt the production cycle of common plant pests. The use of row covers is effective in protecting crops particularly during pest migration periods. By using organic pest control, farmers are able to improve the soil’s integrity, encourage water conservation, and reap the maximum benefits of natural fertilization.