GFSI is at the center of all things food grade in the FIBC industry. As the largest food safety organization in the world, their ability to recognize and certify the various food safety programs is critical to any products involved in the production, distribution, or processing of food. This is why at National Bulk Bag we only distribute food grade bags that have been certified by GFSI recognized organizations. Five of the many GFSI recognized programs most impact the bulk bag industry – we wrote about them in this post (click here to learn more).
In 2018, the revamped Farm Bill directed the US Department of Agriculture to establish a national regulatory framework for hemp production in the United States – essentially clearing the path for the legalization of growing hemp across the country. The USDA took that direction and established an interim final rule that outlines provision for the USDA to approve plans submitted by the states for domestic production.
At National Bulk Bag, we pride ourselves in maintaining up-to-date industry knowledge and information, especially as it relates to food grade FIBCs. The food industry is particularly sensitive given the large regulatory environment – and rightfully so. Having the trust of the food processors and producers we sell to is extremely important to our reputation as a distributor.
We talk a lot about food grade FIBCs on this blog. At National Bulk Bag, we believe (especially in the food grade industry) it’s extremely important to build an educational database for our customers and potential customers. The food industry is a heavily regulated industry where mistakes can be extremely costly. Contamination, regulatory violations, and improper food handling are unacceptable and can be downright dangerous.
BRC (British Retail Consortium), now recently rebranded to BRCGS (British Retail Consortium Global Standards) has recently updated the guidelines for their standards with their Issue 8 release.
We at National Bulk Bag take a lot of pride in our ability to be a spot-need filler of FIBCs. However, as the industry has transformed, so have we – and part of that process has been becoming more of a solutions provider in the industry as opposed to just a spot-need filler. Dealing with businesses looking for larger and more complex solutions has also drastically changed the product offerings we deliver to our customers as a distributor.
Staying up with the latest and most innovative trends in the FIBC industry is extremely important as a distributor of bulk bags. However, it is equally important for buyers, suppliers, and/or anyone else involved in the industry. This is especially true when it comes to the trends regarding the food industry and food grade bags due to the delicate nature of the industry.
As a distributor of FIBCs, our overseas manufacturing partners greatly impact the product we sell. A great amount of the value we add as a distributor comes from the relationships we have with our manufacturers and our ability to properly vet them and the products they ship. These manufacturers not only make the bags themselves; they conduct QA (quality assurance) and product testing on site before the bags are shipped – an extremely important part of the procurement process (for a deeper look into what quality distributors do to vet their suppliers, check out this blog).
If you’ve been following the National Bulk Bag blog, you’ll know that providing readers with quality information about FIBCs is a top priority. The hope is that if our readers are armed with the best information, they can make the best purchasing decision and ensure they get a quality bag from a quality distributor. A big part of that process is quality control and quality assurance (QA).
FIBC liners is a core topic on the National Bulk Bag blog. In fact, if you click here you can check out all of the great content we’ve written on liners. However, because we’ve covered the various types, uses, constructions and material types over a long period, a lot of our content is scattered through many blogs.
Globalization has impacted the lives of Americans and American Companies in significant ways. Perhaps one of the most impactful effects of globalization has occurred in product supply chains – and the FIBC industry is no exception. As we have noted several times in the past, the vast majority of bulk bags are now produced overseas – primarily in Asian countries. The benefits of this shift have been great for the industry as a whole, but it hasn’t come without drawbacks.
We’ve asked this question quite a few times on the National Bulk Bag blog: how do buyers know they are working with a quality distributor? Quality overseas suppliers is a key attribute that sets US distributors apart from the competition. If you don’t have quality suppliers, you won’t have quality product – and you, the customer, end up paying the price.
Uncertainty is often the enemy of markets and industries. It’s been in the headlines for almost 2 years now – the “looming” trade war with China. Now, to be sure, we’re not here to analyze the dispute as a whole or pass judgement on whether it’s a full-blown trade war or simply the start of one. No matter what one may think of the current situation between the United States and China, there is no doubt it has created a great amount of uncertainty around the industries that source materials and products from Asia.
If you’re currently using flexible intermediate bulk containers in a production facility, then you know it’s quite a monumental task moving bags throughout your facility. Moving empty bags, filling them up with product, moving them across your facility to ship and/or discharge; it can be quite the manual process involving a lot of labor. However, there are solutions that can significantly reduce the amount of manual labor required to do all these tasks while simultaneously improving the overall safety of your facility. We are talking about automated bagging systems.
Transporting and/or storing large amounts of materials in large flexible bags (like FIBCs) can be inherently dangerous. Because of this, we talk a lot about safety. It cannot be understated how important the safe use of bulk bags is to us at National Bulk Bag. Safe working load (SWL) is one of the most important things any user should know about the bag they’ve purchased. But how do you find out the SWL of the bag you’re using? How do you know when you’re exceeding your SWL? In this post, we take a deeper dive into safe working load and examine the various ways to weigh FIBCs and ensure[...]
For an industrial product that seems so simple at first glance, it’s truly amazing how many combinations and variations of bulk bags there are. After all, how much different can one bag be from another? The answer: quite a bit, and it’s no different for bulk bag liners. Sure, a bag liner is simply a polyethylene plastic bag* that is placed into an existing bag – but they aren’t all the same. That brings us to today’s discussion regarding tubular liners. What is a tubular liner? How does it differ from a standard FIBC liner? Let’s explore.
We talk a lot about FIBC construction on the NBB blog, and for good reason. With all the variations and combination of bags, it would be impressive if we ever get to the point where we’ve covered them all. Nonetheless we will continue our pursuit to make sure we talk about as many as we can no matter how obscure or specialized some may be. That brings us to bulk bag flaps. What are they? What do they do? Would they be a good fit for your product and/or application? Let’s discuss.
If you’ve done any research on flexible intermediate bulk containers outside of Nationalbulkbag.com you’ve probably run into some pretty bad information at some point or another. In general, the internet is rife with bad information, misconceptions, and downright lies. The bulk bag industry is no exception. UV stabilization in particular is one bag feature that has stuck out to us as a treasure trove of misinformation in the industry. Today, we attempt to set the record straight about UV stabilization. What does it mean? How does it impact use? Is it safe to store bags outside? Let’s explore.
Recently we discussed using full bottom discharge (diaper bottom) flexible intermediate bulk containers with certain products like wet coffee grounds and other wet or high moisture products. This brought to light that we at the National Bulk Bag blog have not talked very much about the use of bulk bags with wet/high moisture products and/or materials. Let’s change that. In this post, we discuss the best practices when handling wet products and/or materials and what bag features to look for that can help mitigate some of the issues that come with those products/materials.
At National Bulk Bag, we talk about FIBC construction a lot and for a good reason. The sheer volume of customization options available in the industry can be overwhelming. From coating options to top and bottom construction to vented sides, there are hundreds of possibilities and combinations of bag construction. This makes the topic a natural area to cover thoroughly on our blog. For most products and applications, a spout or flat bottom FIBC is the ideal bottom construction. However, what if your application requires faster discharge? Or a larger opening? For those situations we recommend a[...]
