You may notice a logo on many plastic water bottles, pitchers, baby bottles, pacifiers, and silverware – “BPA Free” it reads. But what does this mean, and why do so many vendors, consumers, and retailers migrate towards products stating they are BPA free? Take a look at this article to find out why the National Resources Defense Council has petitioned the FDA to ban BPA as a food additive since 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46908536/ns/health-food_safety/#.T4SUv9UoskY While studies continue, more and more food safety concerns will be debated. Don’t put the importance of food safety in your company on hold. Provide your employees with the right training tools to make food safety a top priority, take a step with SafeTrain™.

So, you work in the food industry? But, how much do you really know about food? Take a look at some fascinating facts we found about food! The most expensive coffee in the world comes from civet (a cat sized mammal) poo – Selling mainly in the United States and Japan for $120-$600 USD per pound. The first soup was made of hippopotamus.   Refried beans are only fried once – frijoles refritos actually means “well friend beans,” not re-fried. The FDA allow you to sell bugs and rodent hairs for consumption. Dynamite is commonly made with peanuts. The popsicle was accidentally invented by an 11 year old in 1905. However, 18 years later he patented it as the “popsicle.” The banana plant can grow as high as 20 feet tall – That’s as high as a two-story house. Each man, woman, and child in America eats an average of 46 slices (23 pounds) of pizza a year There are 7,000 varieties of apples grown in the world. The potato was the first vegetable to be successfully grown in space. An apple, when fresh, is made up of about 25% air. Maine represents almost 90% of the nation’s lobster supply (40 million pounds annually), as well as producing almost all of the nation’s wild blueberries. The amount of fields devoted to growing beans in MN would fill 110,000 football fields. The largest squash to record grown weighed 962 pounds, which is the size of a baby elephant. Resources: http://listverse.com/2007/12/17/top-10-incredible-food-facts/  http://www.agday.org/education/fun_facts.php http://www.cookwithjohn.com/FUN_FOOD_FACTS.html  http://www.health.state.mn.us/schools/greattrays/pdfs/FunFoodFacts.pdf

Russell Associate‘s President and CEO, Jerry Van Oort, will be on this years panel for the Food Safety Audit panel discussion as part of the 2012 Food Safety Exchange, in Chicago, Ill. This is a great opportunity to get tips and advice through an educational session led by experts in the food industry! The conference is scheduled for June 26-27 at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare. At this FREE two-day educational event, food processors, retailers, auditors, standards owner, trade organizations and other food safety experts from the midwest and beyond are welcomed to learn and network within the new food safety regulatory enviroment. Click Here for your FREE registration for this event. We hope to see you there.