Insights from Technology Networks’ Advances in Food and Beverage Testing Webinar
Thank you to Sana Kausar and the Technology Networks team for featuring Eran Mizrahi, CEO of Source86, in the Advances in Food and Beverage Testing webinar on food safety, testing innovation, and supply chain transparency.
The session formed part of Technology Networks’ Advances in Food and Beverage Testing webinar series, which brings together industry experts to discuss emerging technologies, regulatory developments, analytical testing methods, and best practices for improving food safety and quality across global supply chains.
In the conversation, Eran shares a grounded perspective on food safety investigations and quality management in global supply chains, particularly in industries such as food sourcing and ingredient supply, where visibility, trust, and upstream decision-making are critical to outcomes.
Food safety investigations often start in the right place, but don’t always end there.
During his session, “Beyond the COA: Solving Quality Failures Lab Data Can’t Explain,” Eran challenged a common industry assumption: that Certificates of Analysis (COAs) and lab results alone can fully explain quality failures.
“A COA is the starting point, not the answer”
As Eran explained:
“A Certificate of Analysis is the starting point of an investigation, not the conclusion.”
In global supply chains, failures often appear first in lab data: a failed micro test, an out-of-spec moisture reading, or a customer complaint. But these signals rarely tell the full story.
“The real issue is almost always upstream,” Eran noted. “In production conditions, supplier processes, or decisions made long before a sample reaches a lab.”
Looking beyond the lab results
A recurring problem in food safety investigations is stopping at what is immediately visible.
When teams rely exclusively on COAs or lab outputs, they risk treating symptoms rather than causes. The result is often repeated failures under different labels, months later.
Eran emphasized the importance of triangulating multiple sources of truth:
- Production and batch records
- HACCP and operational logs
- Thermal processing histories
- Supplier documentation
- On-site observation and context
“When you stop at the COA, you fix what you can measure, but you miss what actually caused the failure.”
A case that tells the real story
During the session, Eran shared a real-world case from global ingredient sourcing. In this case, the lab data initially pointed in one direction. However, production records revealed a completely different root cause.
The COA results suggested a quality deviation linked to raw materials. A deeper investigation told a different story. By reviewing operational data and manufacturing conditions, the team uncovered thermal damage during processing.
Without looking beyond the laboratory results, the true cause of the issue would have been missed.
“In complex global supply chains, the most important information is rarely in one place. You have to reconstruct the story across systems, documents, and people.”
“The supply chain is where quality is really defined”
Eran’s perspective is shaped by years of experience sourcing food ingredients across more than 30 countries, working across categories such as spices, dairy ingredients, and specialty proteins.
This exposure has reinforced a core belief at Source86:
Quality and safety outcomes are defined long before lab testing begins.
They are shaped by supplier selection, process control, communication, and the level of visibility buyers have into upstream operations.
Why this matters for food and beverage testing
The Advances in Food and Beverage Testing webinar highlighted how the industry is evolving, driven by new technologies, regulatory pressure, and increasing demands for transparency.
But as Eran’s session reinforced, better testing alone is not enough.
To build truly resilient food systems, the industry must also improve how it interprets data, connects operational context, and investigates failure holistically.
Moving from detection to understanding
Ultimately, the goal of food safety should not only be to detect problems faster, but to understand them better.
That requires moving beyond isolated lab results and toward a more integrated approach that connects science, operations, and supply chain reality.
As Eran summarized:
“If you only look at the lab, you’re always reacting. If you look at the system, you start preventing.”
From supply chain visibility to strong industry relationships
One of the themes that emerged throughout this discussion is that successful food safety and quality management ultimately depend on people as much as processes. Whether investigating a quality failure, managing supplier relationships, or building resilient supply chains, trust and communication remain essential.
In a recent interview with Authority Magazine, Eran Mizrahi explored these ideas from a different perspective. The discussion focused on networking, reputation, and relationship-building in the food industry. Eran shared his views on the importance of building strong professional connections over time. The conversation also highlighted how trusted relationships can support better sourcing decisions. They can improve supply chain visibility and strengthen collaboration across the value chain. Ultimately, these relationships contribute to stronger business outcomes and more resilient supply chains.
As Eran explains:
“Networking is about building an ecosystem of people around you, people you can lean on, and who can lean on you in return.”
If you are interested in learning more about Eran’s perspective on leadership, relationship-building, and navigating the food industry, you can read the full interview here: Networking With Intention: Insights from Eran Mizrahi in Authority Magazine
Thank you to Technology Networks
We would like to extend our thanks to Sana Kausar and the Technology Networks team for the opportunity to participate in Advances in Food and Beverage Testing. We are grateful to have contributed to an important industry conversation.
Events like Advances in Food and Beverage Testing bring together food safety professionals, testing experts, manufacturers, and supply chain leaders. These discussions provide a valuable opportunity to share practical insights and real-world experiences. They also help address the challenges shaping the future of the food industry. Demands for transparency, traceability, and quality continue to grow. As a result, conversations like these play an important role in helping organizations move from reactive problem-solving to proactive risk management.
We are grateful to Technology Networks for creating a platform that encourages knowledge sharing across the food and beverage ecosystem. We also appreciate their efforts to foster meaningful dialogue around food safety, testing innovation, and supply chain integrity.
