December Issue of QA Now Live

The December issue of QA is now live. This issue includes coverage of:

• Practical QA Solutions: SSOPs for Food Safety. What are SSOPs? How does one implement a practical and systematic approach to cleaning a food plant? When does one determine where/when to dry clean, wet clean or both? What is a desired level of clean? Why is it necessary to document SSOPs? Who is the best person to validate SSOPs effectiveness? Perhaps you have asked yourself or been asked these questions.
  
• From the Board: Putting the Plan into Action. In the last issue, Phillips Foods Director of Quality Assurance Bobby Love discussed establishing yourself as the food protection expert by becoming a reliable source, building resources and sharing expertise within your company. Food defense is a vital aspect of a complete food protection program for any processing plant, not only for protection of your customers and your brand, but also the entire food supply chain.
  
• Belt Tightening. Though it may have taken a bit longer to affect food, the declining economy is impacting food processing in the same way it has gradually been impacting industry after industry: Luxury foods are being cut out of the budget while staples gain a greater chunk of consumers’ paychecks.
  
• Pserious Psocids. As psocid populations have grown at an disquieting rate across the globe over the last decade and a half, these common beliefs about this insect group of 5,000 species have proven to be species-specific at best and completely unfounded at worst.