The UK is grappling with a significant food safety crisis. Delays in food hygiene inspections, post-Brexit regulatory divergence, global supply chain disruptions, climate change, and a rise in online food retail have left public health vulnerable to hygiene lapses with grave consequences such as the E-Coli outbreak in June. Food safety technologies such as smart thermometers and humidity sensors provide low-cost but highly effective and scaleable solutions for food-related industries to:

• Maintain strict compliance with safety standards.
• Monitor conditions in real time to prevent contamination.
• Ensure transparency and traceability across the supply chain (from production and processing to storage, transportation, and retail). 

Health technology and IoT are key pillars of our work at Ignitec®. We’re passionate about providing solutions that support our client’s growth and promote the health and well-being of consumers. If you’re in the food industry and looking for cost-effective and scaleable solutions that respond to the various challenges that regulators, producers, and consumers face, we’re here to help. Contact us for a free and confidential consultation with an expert on our team.

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How can ‘better diagnostic tools’ support food safety standards?

Saying that the UK is amid a food safety ‘crisis’ isn’t an exaggeration. The BBC’s analysis of more than 250,000 public records on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website found that:

• More than 53,000 have not been inspected since 2021
• Nearly 40% of businesses in Scotland – which has a ‘pass or fail’ food hygiene scheme – were last assessed over two years ago.
• 19% of inspected food businesses in the UK haven’t had a follow-up hygiene inspection.
• Around 2.4 million cases of foodborne illnesses are reported every year.

The chaos in food security during the E. coli outbreak demonstrates how a seemingly harmless—but inadequately checked—ingredient such as lettuce can cause a severe health crisis, endanger people’s lives, disrupt business, and erode public trust: within 28 days of infection, two people died, over 120 children were hospitalised, and approximately 249 cases were reported. Food manufacturers had to recall sandwiches, wraps, and salads from supermarkets and retail chains, and investigations to find the root cause of the outbreak with the growers have yet to be concluded.

While many blame this crisis on the FSA’s food hygiene lack of regular inspections, the agency itself has long expressed concerns over its inability to clear the backlog. There’s been a long-term decline in funding for local councils tasked with doing the inspections, a 15% drop in hygiene inspection staff, and a lack of skills resulting in 1 in 10 available posts left vacant. 

Furthermore, this is only one in a series of threats to food safety. Brexit resulted in a regulatory divergence between the UK and EU that caused many legitimate importers to the UK market to withdraw (due to increased costs and paperwork). This created new opportunities for ‘unscrupulous’ businesses to bring non-compliant foods into the country. In addition, there’s been an increase in the use of pesticides as farmers try to deal with climate-related issues and crop failures. 

With challenges coming from all sides, innovative, cost-effective, and flexible food safety technologies that can be applied across the entire supply chain are much needed. These solutions assure all stakeholders, from regulatory bodies to restaurants – and we can help you build them! Please call us for more information on what we can do to help.

This is where food tech comes to the rescue!

If local councils are short-staffed, integrating process management platforms will enable them to access and remotely monitor necessary data in real-time. Better diagnostic tools will:

• Allow for more efficient and accurate monitoring of food safety compliance.
• Automatically analyse critical data, such as temperature logs or pH levels, flagging potential issues before they escalate into serious violations. 
• Ease the burden on inspectors and ensure that public health risks are identified and addressed promptly, even when on-site inspections are delayed.

For producers, adopting advanced diagnostic tools provides:

• Real-time insights into their food processing and handling operations. 
• Tools that detect potential hazards early.
• Reduced likelihood that contaminated products reach consumers.
• High safety standards across the production line, thus avoiding costly recalls and damage to reputation.For businesses in the food/hospitality industry, food safety technologies help to ensure that – as the last point of contact before the consumers- products are kept in optimal conditions and can be monitored. For example:

• Fridge temperatures can be recorded and timestamped to ensure compliance every 4 hours to ensure food is stored at the right temperature. Food safety inspectors can remotely check if establishments input temperatures correctly, and staff who forget to log temperatures can be sent automated reminders.

These tools provide consumers with an added layer of assurance that the food they purchase and consume is safe. If you’re developing food safety technologies and need expert assistance to create products that can be implemented quickly and cost-effectively, we’re here to help! Call us for more info.

10 cost-effective food safety technologies that calm the crisis

From farm to table, the food supply chain can be long and complex. However, these cost-effective food safety technologies can help businesses across the chain – from growers to transporters to restaurants – maintain high hygiene standards while navigating the challenges of reduced inspection frequency.

1. Wireless temperature and humidity sensors ensure that food is stored and transported at the correct temperature and are critical to preventing spoilage and contamination. Wireless sensors provide real-time temperature and humidity monitoring and send alerts if conditions deviate from safe levels.
   Cost-Effective Benefit: Affordable and easy to install, these sensors reduce the need for manual checks and prevent costly spoilage.
2. Bluetooth data loggers record environmental conditions during food storage and transportation, providing a timestamped record that can be reviewed to ensure compliance with safety standards.
   Cost-Effective Benefit: These devices are relatively inexpensive and can be used with mobile apps for easy data access and analysis.
3. Smart thermometers ensure that food is cooked to the proper temperature, reducing the risk of undercooking, which can lead to foodborne illnesses like E. coli.
   Cost-Effective Benefit: These devices are a low-cost investment that can prevent costly health violations and ensure consumer safety.
4. RFID Tags provide traceability for food products throughout the supply chain, ensuring that any issues can be quickly identified and addressed. This is particularly important during times when inspections are less frequent.
   Cost-Effective Benefit: RFID technology is increasingly affordable and helps businesses avoid costly recalls and damage to reputation.
5. IoT-enabled cameras for quality control automatically inspect food products for contaminants or improper packaging, ensuring that quality standards are met without the need for manual inspection.
   Cost-Effective Benefit: Automating quality control reduces labour costs and improves consistency in food safety practices.
6. Cloud-based process management platforms enable remote monitoring of food safety data, allowing regulators to check compliance from afar. They also streamline record-keeping, ensuring that businesses maintain accurate and up-to-date documentation.
   Cost-Effective Benefit: Cloud-based solutions are subscription-based, making them accessible to small businesses without requiring significant upfront investments.
7. Smart packaging technologies, such as embedded sensors or indicators, monitor the freshness and safety of food products, providing real-time information to both businesses and consumers.
   Cost-Effective Benefit: These innovations offer an added layer of safety at a low cost, helping businesses maintain consumer trust during inspection gaps.
8. Portable pH sensors provide quick and accurate measurements, ensuring food is within safe acidity or alkalinity ranges.
   Cost-Effective Benefit: These devices are affordable and easy to use, making them an essential tool for small food businesses.
9. Subscription-based IoT services allow businesses to monitor various aspects of food safety, such as temperature, humidity, and equipment performance, without investing heavily in infrastructure.
   Cost-Effective Benefit: These services are flexible and scalable, allowing businesses to choose plans that fit their budget and needs.
10. Simple IoT gateways aggregate data from multiple sensors and send it to the cloud for analysis, enabling businesses to monitor food safety in real time across different locations.
    Cost-Effective Benefit: These devices are a low-cost solution for integrating various IoT sensors into a cohesive monitoring system, making managing food safety on a tight budget more manageable.

Innovation and collaboration are vital to food crisis-navigation

In a time when food safety inspections are lagging, government funding is lacking, and supply chain disruptions are more frequent, integrating these cost-effective technologies is not just a smart move—it’s essential. 

By leveraging IoT and other innovative solutions, businesses can maintain high hygiene standards, protect public health, and confidently navigate the current crisis. Investing in these technologies now will ensure that food safety remains a priority, even amidst challenging circumstances.

If you’re developing food safety technologies and looking for scaleable, efficient, and low-cost solutions, we’re here to help! Contact us for more information.