International Coffee Day
Coffee reigns as one of the most popular beverages globally, with its holiday, International Coffee Day, celebrated on October 1st. Coffee can be a specialty or functional beverage depending on the reason, mood, or time you drink the beloved cup.
When reaching for your morning coffee, do you ever consider what went into manufacturing your preferred cup of joe?
Depending on the manufacturer, the coffee you drink daily may be specialty, organic, sustainable, or free trade, among other distinctions. To the functional drinker, some of these attributes may not mean much. But, for a coffee manufacturer to bear those distinctions takes compliance and dedication to coffee quality and food safety.
Coffee roasting is a low-risk product when it comes to food safety. Roasting and brewing occur at high temperatures, which kill many pathogens of concern. However, pathogens and physical and chemical hazards can be introduced at the level of green suppliers and packaging if there is no control for these hazards.
All coffee manufacturers must develop a food safety plan that complies with the FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Many retail facilities, such as Wholefoods, Costco, and Trader Joe's, require vendors or suppliers to provide a validated third-party audit certificate to sell their products at their establishments.
ASC Consultants has helped develop compliant food safety plans for companies such as Di Bella Coffee, which roasted coffees for Gloria Jeans, It's A Grind Franchises, and a plan for the well-known Groundworks Coffee. There is value in understanding coffee's food safety aspects and the process for sourcing green, cupping, and creating roasting profiles.
Unlike coffee, the development and implementing of these programs does not grow on trees. For this reason, the aid of food safety professionals such as ASC Consultants can provide a clear path to compliance and continuous improvement in delivering a quality cup of coffee.
Written by: Gabby Perez-Viers