SQF Edition 10, set for release this year, introduces significant updates to the Safe Quality Food program, focusing on risk management and audit consistency. The new edition includes core clauses essential for food safety, a risk-based maturity model and improved guidance for auditors. These changes provide retailers with actionable insights into supplier performance, ensuring that SQF certification remains a reliable indicator of food safety.

The food industry is contending with a range of challenges, including low profit margins, economic uncertainty, regulatory pressures and evolving consumer expectations. However, grocers and suppliers have adapted, invested in what matters and remained focused on the consumer, writes Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI -- The Food Industry Association in this piece for Grocery Dive. "With a growth mindset, retailers and manufacturers see opportunities for enhancing partnerships and delivering value for shoppers," Sarasin writes. "And the food industry will continue to adjust to the changing economic, social, and political topography it traverses in the delivery of safe, affordable, and delicious food. It will face the challenges, adapting and embracing them as opportunities for new paths to connect with their customers."

Imported seafood, especially shrimp and scallops, can introduce resistance genes for last-resort antibiotics into the US food system, according to a University of Georgia Center for Food Safety study. The research found colistin-resistant bacteria in 20% of imported seafood samples, raising concerns about antimicrobial resistance. The study highlights the need for enhanced monitoring and international cooperation to mitigate the spread of resistance genes.

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the food price impact of tariffs, with 55% citing tariffs as a top concern, according to FMI -- The Food Industry Association. During a recent briefing, Andy Harig of FMI and Dr. Ricky Volpe of California Polytechnic State University discussed how tariffs affect prices and supply chains, noting that 80% of retailers and suppliers expect tariffs to impact prices. Despite these concerns, most consumers feel they have control over their food spending. 

Digital tools are revolutionizing supply chain management by enhancing resilience, speed and efficiency. Real-time tracking, predictive maintenance, paperless workflows, data analytics, automated communication, integrated payment systems and agile tools are key technologies driving this transformation. These innovations reduce delays, minimize errors and improve coordination among supply chain partners, making businesses more adaptable to disruptions.

Nestlé has developed a patented technique that uses as much as 30% more of the cocoa fruit, including pulp, placenta and pod husk, in chocolate production. The process collects everything inside the cocoa pod as a wet mass, which ferments naturally before being ground, roasted and dried. "With climate change increasingly affecting cocoa yields around the world, we are exploring innovative solutions that could help cocoa farmers maximize the potential of their harvests," says Louise Barrett, head of the Nestlé Research and Development Center for Confectionery.

SQFI has a whole host of free digital seminars for you to view. Check them out on the SQF Website.