Aussie FoodTech

Flour comparison for better baking! 🥖🍰

I checked out Essentials Plain Flour (10.0g Protein) vs. Laucke Wallaby Bread Flour (11.5g Protein).

• Plain Flour: In my experience, it's the winner for light, tender bakes like cakes and cookies.
• Bread Flour: I found the higher protein content created a much better gluten structure, giving my bread a fantastic rise and chewiness.

My opinion: Use Plain for soft treats and Bread Flour for yeast loaves! Do you agree? Let me know your favorite flour swap! 👇

📣 Follow Aussie Food Tech for more ingredient breakdowns and easy supermarket swaps!

🚨 Disclaimer: This is for general education only, focusing on ingredients. Consult a professional for personal dietary guidance.

🍏 The ACV Bottle Trap: GLASS vs. PLASTIC

Did you know the bottle your ACV comes in matters?

ACV is highly acidic. This acid can slowly cause chemicals to leach out of plastic and into your vinegar over time.

❌ Plastic Bottles = Risk of Leaching.
✅ Glass Bottles = Safe, Pure ACV.
Always look for ACV in a glass bottle to keep your vinegar—and your body—clean!

👍🏼 Hit Follow for more easy Aussie food tech hacks! Share this with a friend who drinks ACV!

🚨 Disclaimer: This is for general education only and our personal opinion, not medical advice. Consult a professional for personal health guidance.

BUTTER VS. MARGARINE: The ONLY Ingredient List That Matters. 🧈

We often grab what's cheapest or what's marketed as 'healthy,' but the real difference is in the ingredients. This side-by-side comparison of common spreads shows you the truth on the label. 🤯

👉 Look at the Butter (Left): Just two core natural ingredients (Cream and Salt). Simple, pure, and minimally processed.
👉 Look at the Margarine/Spread (Right): A long list of Vegetable Oils, Emulsifiers, Food Acids, and Colours. This is the definition of ultra-processed food.

Your choice matters! When you're standing in the aisle at supermarket, remember this rule: The shorter the ingredient list, the better it is for you. Choose pure, natural products and avoid the hidden chemicals and additives.

What’s your #1 rule when checking a food label? Drop it in the comments! 👇

Disclaimer: The content provided by Aussie Food Tech is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute professional health, medical, or dietary advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare or dietary professional regarding your specific needs before making changes to your diet, health, or lifestyle. We are not liable for any action taken based on this content.

Food Allergies as Global Food Safety Issue.

Allergen is a component of food or food ingredient which can cause an adverse immunological reaction (allergy) in small proportion of population. Food allergies can be fatal that is why in global market it is highly important that appropriate measures are taken at every level to tackle this food safety issue.

Whole food supply chain and production process need to control and manage allergens. Allergen is one of the type of chemical hazard which HACCP systems critically analyse and control.

According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) below is the list of all major allergens in Australia and New Zealand:

- Shellfish
- Fish
- Sesame seeds
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts
- Soy
- Lupin
- Wheat
- Milk
- Eggs

Food businesses are required to declare any of the above allergens on product labels if they are present in food. Consumers must be informed about the presence of any allergens so they can make informed choice. Allergens should be written in bold on labels so they are easy to read.

Sulphite is another allergen which can cause severe health issues in people with respiratory problem such as asthma. Sulphite must be declared when it is ≥10 mg/ kg in food.

How to effectively control and manage allergens?

There are various control measures which food business operators (FBOs) take to effectively control and manage allergens. Allergen management need to be part of good manufacturing practice (GMP) and good hygiene practice (GHP). HACCP based food safety plans and prerequisite programs (PRPs) are the most effective ways of allergen control and management. Few examples of PRPs are cleaning & sanitation, label validation, and allergen management & control. Some companies also perform allergen testing to check the effectiveness of cleaning and sanitation procedures. Internal audits and monitoring should be regularly conducted in production areas to verify GMP.

Record verification/ docuemntation is an essential part of a food business to not only comply with the requirements of HACCP but also BRC, SQF, Halal, and Kosher etc.

Countless food fraud activities happen every day around the globe that is why I would share VACCP & TACCP with my audience.

What is VACCP?
Vulnerability Assessment Critical Control Point (VACCP) identifies vulnerabilities for a food manufacturer or business which can be caused by food fraud. The motivation of food fraud involves economical reasons. Examples of food fraud include adulteration, counterfeiting, dilution, wrong claims, mislabelling, smuggling, and stolen goods.

Similar principles are used by VACCP comapre with HACCP but instead of focusing on how to identify and control hazards, the focus is on how to identify and control vulnerabilities.

What is TACCP?
Threat Assessment Critical Control Point (TACCP) plays a vital role in protecting raw materials, food products, and processes from threats.

What is threat?
An intentional act by someone to cause harm due to idealogical reasons. For example, intentionally contaminating infant formula with Melamine, using food products for terrorism or criminal purposes, cybercrime, and sabotage of the supply chain.

What is HACCP?

HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) is a global standard of food safety which was developed by NASA in 1960s to provide safe food to astronomers. After the outbreak of Clostridium Botulinum it was adopted by FDA in 1974 and lastly international definition of HACCP was provided by Codex Alimentarius in 1993.

Basic concept of HACCP is to prevent the unintentional contamination of food which can cause possible danger to consumer health. CCP is a step or a point or a procedure which can be applied to eliminate/ prevent/ reduce the food safety hazard to an acceptable level. HACCP applies to the whole supply chain which includes growing, processing, manufacturing, distributing, and retailing of food for consumption. HACCP is essential to prevent foodborne illnesses and to also reduce recalls and help the business save money. Millions of people get sick and hospitalised due to various pathogen contamination. Listeria and Salmonella are one of the major culprits. Food Recalls and food-borne illness cost millions and billions of dollars to not only Australian but global economy.

HACCP control various potential hazards which include biological (Salmonella, E.coli, Listeria spp, Clostridium spp), physical (wood, metal, glass, plastic, stones), chemical (cleaners, lubricants, pesticides), and allergens (milk, lupin, fish, peanut, wheat, sesame, egg, soy, tree nuts, and shellfish). Allergens mentioned are specific to Australia & New Zealand as per FSANZ.

HACCP is based on 7 Principles:
1- Conduct a Hazard Analysis:
Listing steps in process and identify where significant hazard likely to occur.
2- Identify CCP:
Step or a point or a procedure which can be applied to eliminate/ prevent/ reduce the food safety hazard to an acceptable level.
3- Establish Critical limits:
It is a maximum or minimum value at which biological, chemical, or physical parameter must be controlled to prevent/ eliminate/ reduce the occurrence of food safety hazard.
4-Monitor CCP:
The HACCP team describe monitoring procedures of CCP.
5-Establish Corrective Actions: Procedures followed when a deviation occurs in a critical limit. Investigation must be conducted to know what caused the deviation and how to prevent it from reoccurrence.
6-Verification:
Audit the HACCP system to ensure it is operating according to the plan.
7-Documentation/ Record Keeping: Recording information that can be used to prove the food was produced safely.

HACCP system must be built on the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s) and Prerequisite Programs (PRPs). Few example of PRPs include Cleaning & Sanitation, Allergen Management and Control, Food Defence, Pest Control, Approval of Suppliers, Personal Hygiene, Training, Receiving/ storage and shipping. All PRPs should be documented and regularly audited.