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Blog
Why Change Your Pesticides Screens?
The pesticide list – the MRA (Multi-Residue Analysis) screen of The National Food Laboratory (The NFL) – has remained the same for decades. The list has worked and been very well received by the industry and the companies we work with. Yet in late 2011 and throughout early 2012, we rolled out a new [...]
Read full story2012: Reflections and the Year in Review
I’m now a firm believer in what I heard growing up – that time seems to accelerate as one gets older. It’s amazing that 2012 is behind us and another year has begun. Where does the time go? Reflecting for a moment, 2012 was a year of growth, change and investment for The National [...]
Read full storySee One. Do One. Teach One.
As scientists, we’ve long embraced the idea of collaboration and lifelong learning. One of the ways we exhibit this at The NFL, is by hiring summer interns. We learn a lot from them, and we give them a glimpse of the good, challenging work we do here. This summer, we had the good fortune to [...]
Read full storyWhite Paper Library
‘It’s a Nice Day for a White Paper’ Taking some creative liberty from a song by the 80’s punk rocker Billy Idol, we’ve enjoyed the progress we’ve made on a goal we set for 2012 at The National Food Lab – specifically, the creation of a white paper library. The National Food Laboratory has [...]
Read full storyThe IFT Experience
For those of us like me who have been around the food industry for several (many, maybe!) years, IFT is an annual event that I really look forward to. And, it’s that time of year again. As I look through the list of attendees, I’m struck by how many names are familiar – ex-colleagues, clients, [...]
Read full storyResponding to a constant stream of questions… like “Why is spinach healthy?”
I have a four year old daughter, so I spend a significant portion of most days responding to a constant stream of questions. “Why is spinach healthy?” “How does water come out of the faucet?” “What do zebras eat?” I love her curiosity and I especially enjoy watching when she’s had an ‘aha’ moment [...]
Read full storyWinter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco
January is a great time for inspiration here at The NFL. We love attending the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco to get our creative juices flowing! This year was no exception. As we walked the aisles, our mouths were watering just looking at the luscious chocolates that were seemingly everywhere. Besides chocolates, there [...]
Read full storySpice Up The Big Game
Are you planning a Super Bowl Party and don’t know what to serve? Need to bring something to a party for the big game? Or maybe you’re just on the hunt for TV munchies that the entire family can enjoy. The NFL’s Culinary Center is the perfect play space for me to develop recipes. I [...]
Read full storyFocusing Your Product Reformulation for Success
Packaged Goods companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars testing their products with consumer audiences. It’s often one of the, if not the, largest proportional budget spend line-items. These product tests converge around a variety of objectives pertaining to overall liking of, acceptance of, or preference for a product, and it’s generally pretty intuitive to [...]
Read full storyThe Package is the Product**
When you were growing up, did your mother ever tell you not to ‘judge a book by its cover?’ Whatever the situation, chances are she (or someone else) did. It might have pertained to meeting a new kid on the block, or forming an opinion based on what the new kid in school was wearing. [...]
Read full storyChanges in international regulations for manufacturers
As you may know, significant changes have occurred in regulations pertaining to companies doing business internationally. It’s not always easy to keep abreast of the changes. I’ve outlined two key changes that will likely require you to revisit your food contaminant program. The EU has redefined MRLs to be uniform.Until this regulation was in place, [...]
Read full storyBringing Italy Home
It was few years back when I traveled for the first time to Italy. My husband and I focused our adventure on Rome. As a chef, I was mesmerized by the sights and smells of the colorful foods I discovered in Italy. The dish my husband and I fell in love with is the national [...]
Read full storyA Perspective from the Street
After 20 years of “air and asphalt” miles pedaling food ingredients to the food industry, it’s great it is to be selling The NFL’s services to familiar companies. We, at The NFL, have so many different services which most food companies can use at any given moment based on their workload and priorities. Clients [...]
Read full storyReal Food
As I look out at my fading garden under the late summer sun, I have consumers’ words ringing in my ears. More and more, here at The NFL, we’ve heard consumers talking about “real” food.
Read full storyThe International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Annual Meeting
If you have never been to this conference or have missed attending in the past couple of years, get it back on your schedule! IAFP is committed to Advancing Food Safety Worldwide.
Read full storyIt’s The People, Stupid
I’ve been intrigued by the lengthening string/threaded discussion on one of the popular professional social network sites about why such a large percentage of new products fail. The question initiating the discussion, which at the time of writing this had already elicited several hundred replies, states that 80% of new products ‘fail’ and asks the [...]
Read full storyA perspective: E-Coli, Pesticides & Other Spectacular Food News!
As I was making my usual Monday morning run south from home on the North Coast to work in the East Bay, I couldn’t help but marvel at how many drivers are so out-of-touch with their environment. On southbound 101, a vehicle is driving 50 mph in the left lane. This driver was on a [...]
Read full storyGuaranteeing a ‘Guarantee’ (or Optimizing a ‘Guarantee’)
Is it just me, or have others noticed the frequency of ‘guarantee’ now being touted as part of a brand’s messaging? Brand names aside, in just the last week and across different media formats, I’ve seen this claim used on products that span many areas in a typical grocery store – instant coffee, paper towels, [...]
Read full storyKitchen Stadium in Reality
My three daughters and I are moving in with my long-time boyfriend, an event that trumps the royal wedding in our minds. As we jockey for “share” in the kitchen, I’ve gained a new appreciation for the different perspectives each person has on brand usage, product quality, nutrition, product “must haves” and product “must not [...]
Read full storyThe Art and Science of Play
While I walked through a neighborhood toy store yesterday, I was reminded of how my young children learn about their world through playing. What looks like playing is actually a continuous process of creating and testing. Here at The NFL, we are in the fortunate position to “play” like this as grown-ups. Not only do [...]
Read full storyThoughts from IFT
From our vantage point on the main aisle at IFT 2011, we met with many of our wonderful, loyal clients and also cultivated new relationships. I thought I’d share some of my observations with you: Having more seating in our booth this year allowed people to come “sit a spell”! Many people coming by seemed [...]
Read full storyWelcome to our new site
With the launch of our new website, The National Food Lab will now be blogging. This will allow several of our food design and food integrity experts to share their opinions and news on everything from trends we’ve seen in restaurants to musings on equipment and testing. We intend to write about anything that is [...]
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