GFC

Sunday, August 15th at Chena Hot Springs (60 miles outside of Fairbanks, Alaska) the 2010 Renewable Energy Fair will be an event not to be missed.     For Alaskans and those outside of Alaska looking for mach speed innovations in the most progressive areas of renewable energy, sustainable food production, culinary tourism, etc. 

Check out the agenda here.

Going to be there?  Let us know?     We will too!

It's as easy as 1-2-3 and takes less then 2 minutes.  Register at GFC-Connect.Com.  

1. Click on Buyer (on the menu bar).

2. Reply with a simple yes/no to 3 questions.

3. Register your contact information (1 screen)  

Read on for what happens next......

How do I use GFC-Connect to my benefit if I'm a Chef? 

If you have sourcing responsibilities or influence on sourcing, GFC-Connect can quite simply, make your job easier.

Registration is at no cost and within 24 hours you may login to either search by product, location, type of business or certification.     Seeking a certified humane product?   A sustainable seafood option?   A local product?   How about a uniquely Alaskan ingredient?

Tednologies and the Alaska Manufacturers Extension Service are making available 5 units for lease for the Spring 2010 Season.   As a pilot program to encourage higher yield of Alaska products, the units have very favorable lease arrangements.     Please call Don at 907.223.1955 for more information.

These food products are considered the mostly highly sensitive to time and temperature that has a direct impact on their food safety.

• Milk and dairy products
• Eggs (except those treated to eliminate microorganisms)
• Meat (beef, pork and lamb)
• Poultry
• Fish and shellfish
• Baked Potatoes
• Heat-treated plant foods (rice, beans, and vegetables)
• Tofu and other soy proteins
• Sprouts and sprout seeds
• Sliced melons and cut tomatoes

Monitoring time and temperature, after the fact, is simply not good enough for those truly concerned about food safety.    A demand for secure, controlled temperature for transport and distribution of these sensitive foods has been triggered by even more changes in the 2010 marketplace.

We're not sure there is a more timely or overwhelming topic for our sector then food safety and social responsibility.   In fact, at the recent Seafood Choices Sustainability Summit in Paris, it was screaming clear that institutional buyers and their consumers are asking hard questions about the entire life cycle of the product.     Sitting next to Andrew Furner of Trace Register, we watched buyers repeatedly address their strategic plans.    It was clear they were mobilizing with policies that were no longer a one-issue solution.   They were developing comprehensive solutions that were data driven.      I was curious to know what Trace Register brought to the marketplace to meet an ever growing list of must have's.  Here is a Q/A with Andrew Furner, VP of Trace Register and an international tracing solutions company.

Tanana Valley Meat Ships Alaska Grown Meat to Grocery Store in Haines Using TEDSBox

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Anchorage, AK)

Division of Agriculture -

On January 19th Tanana Valley Meats (TVM) shipped four sides of Alaska Grown (AKG) beef and pork, using a temperature controlled container (TEDSBox), to Haines.  Due to limited shipping options, Alaska Meat & Grocery (AMG) had never before purchased local meat.  With the availability of the TEDSBox, they were able to purchase fresh local meat for their consumers, a rarity in the southeast.
 
Most consumer goods arrive via Juneau from the Lower 48 and few – if any perishable AKG goods are shipped to Southeast Alaska.  Demand in Southeast for local product is high, but limited because refrigerated trucks do not travel south from the agricultural production areas of the state.  Having local meat with no hormones or antibiotics, when previously only outside meat was available, was a treat for Haines residents.
 
The Division of Agriculture assisted in the shipment, making connections between AMG & TVM, and finding a company who ships to Haines.  TEDSBox loaded the meat in their temperature controlled container, and Ken Hall with Lynden, arranged for shipment of the product to AMG in Haines, AK.
 
The ability for AMG to meet high demand for local product is a prime example that other remote locations can mimic.  Often remote areas desire local products, but have a difficult time obtaining them, especially in a desirable condition.  Local demand for AKG and the ability to use the temperature controlled container provided AMG with the ability to meet that demand.  We hope other remote locations will mimic this shipment, and join AMG in supporting Alaska Grown.

The International Congress on Seafood  Technology will held in Anchorage, Alaska, May 10 - 13, 2010.  The main objective of this Congress is to review the best available knowledge in the main technological fields relating to seafood processing, shelf life extension and distribution.  

Building on the success of the 1^st Congress in 2008, the 2010 Congress will address state-of-the-art information regarding the handling, processing, preservation, storage and transportation of seafood. Fisheries and aquaculture, as a food production industry, have been advancing rapidly over the last decades. Fish has a positive health image as food, and is now the most internationally traded protein food product. Significant developments in processing technology have allowed new possibilities for more value-added products, longer shelf life, and more secure distribution of seafood.