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The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing more than $34 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding toward grants, cooperative institutes, contracts and federal employment to modernize NOAA Fisheries’ data, infrastructure and workforce. This effort aims to meet the pace of climate-related mission demands and is a key component of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
“Rapidly changing oceanic conditions, such as shifts in marine species’ distribution and abundance greatly impacts businesses and coastal communities that rely on these resources,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This investment, made possible thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, will help modernize data delivery in support of the nation’s $370 billion fishing industry.”
Across the U.S., NOAA is tackling the challenge of understanding and mitigating the impacts of climate change on coastal and marine resources while striving to safeguard habitats, restore endangered species and build healthier and more resilient ecosystems.
This investment aims to optimize workflows and will integrate technological advancements such as cloud computing and Open Science solutions to ensure data accessibility. It will also fund training efforts to reskill the workforce — preparing them to adopt new technologies that provide open, accessible and responsive information systems that meet rapidly evolving mission demands associated with climate change. Modernizing NOAA Fisheries’ data systems will streamline access to digital information, giving fishing industry practitioners real-time tools to make decisions and advance sustainability in the face of climate change.
“NOAA Fisheries’ short-term data modernization efforts will drive significant long-term changes by enhancing our capacity to deliver mission-critical information, meeting survey and fishery data requirements and transition into a modern data era,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “This investment aligns with NOAA Fisheries’ existing data work, supplements appropriated funding and supports other regional priority efforts.”
Projects will leverage longstanding cooperative institute partnerships with universities across the country to provide scientific and analytical expertise. Using advanced technology and integrating social science will create more accessible and dependable data collection platforms and tools for the future.
NOAA Fisheries is beginning the distribution of these funds by awarding the organization Openscape approximately $1 million to support the adoption of open science practices, which will help modernize the way NOAA Fisheries collaborates on data-intensive science and improve the efficiency and quality of their scientific products.
This funding is part of the $3.3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act investments to NOAA, first announced in June 2023, which is focused on ensuring America’s communities and economies are ready for and resilient to the effects of climate change.
KM Packaging is pleased to announce the appointment of Martin Penney as a Customer Operations Specialist.
With extensive experience in customer service and operations management, Martin brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for excellence that aligns with KM’s commitment to delivering reliable and innovative packaging solutions to its global customer base.
Martin has over 15 years of experience in retail and order management. He has successfully led teams and managed complex logistics in previous roles.
His background includes a decade as a store manager, responsible for hitting key performance indicators and managing costs, and most recently, as an Order Management Officer in the financial technology payments sector.
In his new role at KM Packaging, Martin will manage the customer journey from the time an order is placed until it reaches its destination. He will oversee international shipping logistics, manage stock levels, and ensure that KM’s customers’ needs are anticipated and met efficiently.
AI and automation
Martin said: “I am a member of the team that gets the product to the customer and aims to exceed their expectations. I look forward to growing professionally and embracing the challenges of this role.”
Martin’s key strengths include good problem-solving ability, a background in logistics, and an ability to multitask.
He is particularly passionate about incorporating AI and automation into the company’s systems and processes, which he believes will enhance efficiency and allow colleagues to focus even more on customer-centric tasks.
Outside of work, Martin enjoys playing the guitar, watching football, and juggling! He revealed: “I can juggle with fire, ride a unicycle, and balance a chair on my chin!”
With his diverse skill set and enthusiasm for innovation, Martin is set to be a valuable member of the KM Packaging team.
About KM Packaging
At KM Packaging, we deliver reliable packaging solutions for the produce, ambient, chilled and frozen convenience food markets, as well as for confectionery and snacks. Offering one of the most comprehensive ranges of lidding films available on the global market today, we work closely with customers to find the right packaging solution to ensure their products are protected, presented, and preserved.
Listen to the episode here or wherever you listen to podcasts:
Clyde’s Donuts, Addison, Ill., was ready to invest in more automation but found itself constrained by its original facility. That’s why the bakery recently opened its second plant in the Chicago metro area.
“We had visited [the International Baking Industry Exposition] and talked to a lot of supplier/vendors over the years and you always see these wonderful automated concepts, and then you come back to a facility where you have space constraints or it’s not the right fit,” said Josh Bickford, president of Clyde’s Donuts. “But we were able to design [the new plant] with this automation in mind or leave enough space for automation in the future.”
In this episode of Since Sliced Bread, Bickford shares how Clyde’s is delivering better donuts thanks to its new facility and its investments in automation.
“We’re able to control our costs better by being more efficient, more accurate and having more consistent product, which provides our customers a much more stable pipeline of delicious donuts,” Bickford said.
Listen to this episode of Since Sliced Bread to learn how Clyde’s Donuts makes the most out of its automation and the lessons other bakeries can take from them.
Since Sliced Bread is available to download on a range of applications, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. It can also be accessed on Bakingbusiness.com.
Since the early 1900s, the entertainment industry has been attempting to pair the experience of smell with video entertainment.
In 1916, the Rivoli Theater in New York City introduced scents into the theater during a movie called The Story of Flowers. In 1933, the Rialto Theater installed an in-theater smell system. Hans Laube developed a technique called Scentovision, which was introduced at the 1939 World’s Fair. A decade ago, Japanese researchers were also exploring “Smell-O-Vision” for home TVs, working on a television that used vaporizing gel pellets and emitted air streams from each corner of the screen into the living room.
However, none of these efforts took off, primarily because they didn’t work very well. These attempts at Smell-O-Vision failed because we’ve never been able to adequately recreate the world’s smells in an accurate or scalable way, largely because we’ve never been able to digitally capture them.
This doesn’t mean the fragrance and scent industry hasn’t been robust and growing, but it’s a very different task to create a singular fragrance for a consumer product than to develop something akin to a “smell printer” that emits scents on command. The latter requires a comprehensive digital understanding of scent molecules, something that has only recently become possible.
The digital understanding of the world of smells has accelerated in recent years, and one company leading the way is Osmo, a startup that has raised $60 million in funding. Osmo is led by Alex Wiltschko, a Harvard-trained, ex-Googler who received his PhD in olfactory neuroscience from Harvard in 2016. Wiltschko, who led a group at Google that spent five years using machine learning to predict how different molecules will smell, founded Osmo in early 2023 with the mission of “digitizing smell to improve the health and well-being of human life” by “building the foundational capabilities to enable computers to do everything our noses can do.”
Osmo employed AI to explore the connection between molecular structure and the perception of smell, demonstrating that a machine can predict scents with remarkable accuracy. They developed a machine-learning model using graph neural networks (GNNs), trained on a dataset of 5,000 known compounds, each labeled with descriptive smells like “fruity” or “floral.” This model was then tested on 400 novel compounds, selected to be structurally distinct from anything previously studied or used in the fragrance industry, to see how well it could predict their scents compared to human panelists.
The model’s capabilities were further challenged in an “adversarial” test, where it had to predict scents for molecules that were structurally similar but smelled different. Osmo’s model correctly predicted scents 50% of the time in this difficult scenario. Additionally, the model was able to generalize well beyond the original training data, assessing other olfactory properties like odor strength across a massive dataset of 500,000 potential scent molecules.
The Principal Odor Map (POM) created by Osmo’s model outperformed human panelists in predicting the consensus scent of molecules, marking a significant advancement in olfactory science and demonstrating that AI can predict smells based on molecular structure better than individual human experts in many cases.
We’ve been able to digitally capture and categorize other sensory categories, such as vision, which has led to massive new industry value creation in robotics and autonomous vehicles. The biggest leaps have been a result of machine learning models, and now we’re seeing another massive leap forward in capabilities and product innovation through the application of generative AI.
One potential application Wiltschko describes is “teleporting scent,” where we’ll be able to capture a smell from one part of the world and digitally transfer it to another. To do this, he envisions a world where a local AI-guided molecular sensor could instantly identify the molecular makeup of any scent. From there, his odor map can create what is essentially a formula ready for teleportation without significant manual intervention by scent experts.
This idea, using AI to recreate scents based on a digital framework quickly, could lay the foundation for what film and TV makers have long dreamed of: creating technology that can recreate odors and smells at scale. In other words, we may finally enter a world where Smell-O-Vision becomes a reality. The potential for video entertainment, virtual reality, and other experiences in food service, travel, and more would no doubt lead to a multitude of new applications, much like we’ve seen over the past couple of decades with advances in computer and machine vision.
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T&T Supermarket, a Canadian chain selling Asian groceries, announced Thursday plans to open its first store in the San Francisco Bay Area, marking its third planned store in the U.S.
Located at the Westgate Center in San Jose, the 55,000-square-foot store will occupy a former Walmart location. T&T expects to open the store, which will create about 200 jobs, in fall 2025.
The new location will feature a barbecue counter, noodle station, dim sum and street food section along with a hot food bar and a made-to-order Chinese crepe station. The location will also have an in-store bakery with mochi puffs, egg tarts, Hong Kong-style pastries and customized cakes.
“We aim to create a destination,” said CEO Tina Lee. “It’s a place for discovery, innovation, and bringing people together through food. We want to evolve our grocery store beyond the functional – we want to be the place where people want to go, not just need to go.”
T&T is gearing up to make its U.S. debut with a store in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, Washington. That store was slated to debut this summer, but in July the company said the opening is delayed because an electrical panel is on backorder.
T&T has more than 30 stores across Canada offering a selection of Asian products, fresh produce, full-service meat counters, live seafood tanks and in-store prepared foods programs.
Vital Farms has hired Joe Holland as Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO), beginning Sept. 1.
Holland will lead Vital Farms’ diversified supply chain team, including its egg washing and packing facility, Egg Central Station (ECS), in Springfield, Mo., its forthcoming facility in Seymour, Ind., and dairy operations for its growing butter business.
“Joe’s unwavering commitment to service, quality and cost principles will help us further innovate and deliver long-term resilience across our supply chain,” says Russell Diez-Canseco, Vital Farms’ president and CEO. “I’m excited for Joe to dig into the incredible work our supply chain team already does every day to continue expanding our leadership in ethical food and making progress towards our goal of $1 billion in net revenue by 2027.”
In the newly created CSCO role, Holland will lead Vital Farms’ supply chain and logistics, production operations, food safety quality assurance, dairy operations, and integrated business planning teams. He brings more than 25 years of experience serving in various supply chain and distribution roles at leading CPG companies including Dean Foods, Cadbury Schweppes and Ventura Foods. Most recently, Holland served as executive vice president of operations and supply chain at Curaleaf Holdings, Inc., an international provider of consumer cannabis products.
“I’m thrilled to join the Vital Farms team and contribute to the company’s continued growth as a Certified B Corporation and public benefit corporation,” Holland says. “The incredible accomplishments of the current team have laid a strong foundation, and I’m eager to build on that success. It’s inspiring to be part of a company that truly values the stakeholder model, where every decision is made with the well-being of our farmers, crew members, customers, consumers, shareholders, communities and the environment in mind. This collective focus is what drives sustainable and meaningful progress.”
Holland will assume many of the responsibilities previously held by Jason Dale, who has served as Vital Farms’ chief operating officer since 2019. Dale will remain in an advisory role with the company through the end of 2024.
“Jason leaves a great legacy. He built a dynamic team that embodies our values,” Diez-Canseco says. “I’m thankful for his numerous contributions to our culture and stakeholders. We wish Jason the best and will cheer him on in his next chapter of life and career.”
About 750,000 sockeye crossed the Bonneville Dam, on the Columbia River between the US states of Oregon and Washington, this summer, with salmon runs in neighboring states like Idaho reaching record numbers.
That’s according to Idaho Fish and Game (IFG), which issued a statement Monday (Aug. 19) regarding the large number of sockeye coming back to the area through the Columbia River system. The state agency noted, however, that not all of the fish are from Idaho.
“There’s a huge return of Columbia River sockeye,” said Eric Johnson, an IFG senior fisheries research biologist. “And in the past, some of those fish have strayed into the Snake River and crossed Lower Granite Dam.”
According to IFG, 2,835 fish were counted at Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River, the highest sockeye return since fish counting started at the dam in 1975.
Also, IFG expects only a fraction of those fish to end up staying in Idaho as strays on their journey upriver.
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The collision caused major damage to a wagon and locomotive. Photo: ATSB
THE AUSTRALIAN Transport Safety Bureau is urging rail-transport operators and registered training organisations to review and validate their rail safety worker competency assessments following an investigation into a grain train collision near Tamworth on 6 January 2022.
The investigation was launched after Southern Shorthaul Railroad locomotives detached from the train, which led to a collision when the train stopped.
This resulted in significant damage to the rear wagon and one locomotive.
Three locomotives, which detached during the journey, were an addition to the rear of a loaded grain train at Werris Creek, to assist it up a steep uphill gradient later in its journey.
A transport safety investigation was conducted by the Office of Transport Safety Investigations (OTSI), which investigates rail accidents in New South Wales on behalf of the ATSB.
The investigation found the train separation was highly likely due a knuckle on one of the locomotives not being locked.
OTSI’s acting chief investigator Jim Modrouvanos said it was found the train crew had not performed a “stretch test” after attaching the banking locomotives.
“A stretch test would have identified that the knuckle on the bottom-operated coupler of the lead banking locomotive had remained unlocked after coupling,” Mr Modrouvanos said.
“It was also found that while the train crew had been assessed as competent in shunting during both vocational education and training (VET) and enterprise-based assessments on several occasions, the supporting evidence collected was usually limited to a single check box that the task had been ‘performed correctly’.”
Mr Modrouvanos said as a result of these findings, a Safety Advisory Notice has been issued to rail transport operators, and registered training organisations acting on their behalf, to review and validate their rail safety worker competency assessments.
“The competence of rail safety workers is critical to safe railway operations.
“Relevant industry members should validate their competency assessments to ensure their assessment tools, processes and judgements are reliably meeting the principles and requirements of competency-based training and assessment.”
Additionally, OTSI’s investigation found after the separation event, the response taken by the banking locomotive’s driver in relation to the sudden loss of brake pipe pressure was consistent with their training and SSR’s emergency response procedures, despite being inappropriate for the situation.
“It was also found the operator’s risk assessments for this operation were mostly performed by members of the management team.
“While the team had varying levels of operational experience, consultation with operational staff directly affected by the operation did not occur.
“During assessment of risk, consultation consisting of effective and meaningful engagement becomes critical in identifying novel risks which may not be immediately apparent.
“Particular attention should be given to procedures utilised in past operational environments to ensure their ongoing appropriateness in these unique operational circumstances.”
SSR has taken a range of safety actions since the accident, including providing train crew with reference materials related to coupler functionality, defining the process for a stretch test after coupling, and contextualising emergency-response procedures for banking operations.
WILLMAR, MINN. – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in Meeker County, Minn., that supplies Jennie-O Turkey Store, a business unit of Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn. Another case of HPAI also was found in a backyard flock in Mower County, Minn.
State officials have quarantined the affected premises and the flocks will be depopulated, according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the US Department of Agriculture. The two confirmed cases of HPAI, which were disclosed on March 26, bring the total number of cases to 61 since Feb. 8, when a case was announced in a commercial turkey flock in Dubois, Ind.
“Jennie-O Turkey Store has been preparing for this situation and took extensive precautions to protect the health of the turkeys in its supply chain,” the company said. “Jennie-O Turkey Store will continue to work with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Minnesota Board of Animal Health, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, as well as poultry industry associations on this issue. USDA and the National Turkey Federation are monitoring and responding to the situation and remind consumers that HPAI does not pose a food safety concern.”
In addition to Minnesota and Indiana, additional cases of HPAI have been confirmed in commercial poultry flocks in Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, South Dakota and Wisconsin. More than 14 million birds, from both commercial and backyard flocks, have been depopulated since the outbreak began.
The confirmation of HPAI in the United States has affected the egg commodity markets. Prices of some dried egg products jumped more than $1 per lb, or about 20%, last week and were up more than 30% since early March. Breaking egg prices in some cases surged as much as 50% for the week and were up 70% to 85% from earlier in the month.
The price advances constituted the largest week-over-week gains at least since another outbreak of HPAI in 2014-15. Prices then rose to levels far above current values, but some in the trade expected prices may challenge 2015 levels.
The bulk of the egg product price increases in 2015 occurred from mid-May to mid-August. This year’s advances are occurring earlier and coincide with increased demand ahead of the Easter holiday, although the bump in egg demand at Easter has not been that noticeable in recent years. The price increases also are occurring at a time of already-tight dried egg supplies, and some analysts surmised that panic buying was behind the sharp advances due to uncertainty about supplies in coming weeks.
