FDA Seeks to Improve Import Safety – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report that outlines ways to improve the safety and security of the imported products that it regulates. In the past ten years, the FDA went from policing six million shipments to approximately 24 million annually. Today, almost two-thirds of our fruit and vegetables come from sources outside the U.S., while the percentage for seafood stands at 80%. Regarding the pharmaceutical industry, 80% of active medications ingredients come from other countries.
Learn more from the NY Times.
Supply Chain Integrity – A recent PricewaterhouseCoopers report examines the importance of a reliable supply chain in the face of rising complexity. One aspect of the report focuses on how supply chain disruptions are perceived by investors and consumers. According to the study, it is generally advisable to take direct responsibility when problems arise, despite cases when issues were caused by suppliers or other partners.
Read more from PricewaterhouseCoopers.
China Prepares for Summer Power Shortfall – Although heavy rains have brought some relief in the form of additional hydroelectric power, China is still bracing for severe power shortages during the summer. Some suppliers in eastern provinces are already losing power for up to several days per week. This forces manufacturers to cope by scaling down production, shifting to night operations, or running on expensive diesel generators. In addition to factories and other commercial users, major growth in household power consumption is contributing to the strain on the country’s power grid.
Learn more from the NY Times.
Concept Big Rig May Cut Fuel Consumption in Half – Collaboration between a design consultant and AirFlow Truck Company has yielded an interesting project to build a new aerodynamic big rig that could reduce fuel consumption and emissions by half. According to the company’s website, traditional trucks use more than 50% of fuel consumption to overcome aerodynamic drag.
Read more from Wired.
