food
Food
There is nothing better than a nice home-cooked meal made from fresh ingredients harvested directly from the source. But the reality of our fast-paced life cannot afford us this luxury on a daily basis.
The food industry has come a long way in satisfying this demand for quick, accessible and cheap food that can satisfy our needs.
The success of the food industry has been possible thanks to 4 essential criteria:
Safety
Governmental bodies and the world health organization have been key players in harmonizing the standards for food safety for manufacturers all around the world. Toxicological and microbiological hazards are addressed through rigorous production processes and arduous cleaning protocols.
Machines also have to abide by strict guidelines: Stainless steel construction, food-grade components, and clean design that doesn’t encourage dirt accumulation.
Nutrition
Convenient food is not always the healthiest. Food manufacturers are pushed to consider the nutritional values of their products, especially with Sugar taxes being implemented in numerous countries. As such, Food manufacturers have found innovative substitutes in their processes and ingredients to maintain high nutritional value.
Quality
Being convenient and nutritious is necessary, but first and foremost, the food needs to taste good. Food production processes need to maintain a level of quality and provide sensory characteristics such as taste, aroma, palatability, and appearance.
Preservation and long shelf life are also essential parts of food quality. Products need to arrive to the consumers as fresh as possible and be able to be stored at home.
Value
Providing safety, nutrition, and quality will prove challenging if productions are trying to keep the costs down. Nevertheless, economies of scale allow us to provide lower costs to the consumers. High speeds, parallel productions, and mass ingredient sourcing can help drive costs down without compromising on quality.
