Food Safety And Quality Assurance Get Simplified And Streamlined With Software
By Laurel Maloy, contributing writer, Food Online
FSMA and the FDA are taking the issue of food safety and quality to a whole new level. Emerging technology is helping processors and manufacturers keep pace
The food industry, as a whole, loses about $7 billion annually due to withdrawals, rejections, and recalls. These losses and the associated costs are spread across the entire food supply chain and ultimately passed along to the consumer. As food safety and quality assurance (FSQA) requirements continue to evolve, and while budgets are still recovering from the lean years, having to do more with fewer resources becomes much more than a challenge; it is a necessity. The biggest question in the food industry’s executive branches must be, “How can we produce a safe, quality product, on-time, while remaining compliant, competitive, and profitable?”
The solution, for many, will be in evolving technological advancements and software. Don’t hesitate to embrace the technology; today’s food safety calls for a new way of thinking. Everyone in the food supply chain needs to think of the continuing FSQA software developments, not as an additional expense, but as an invaluable tool with a measurable Return on Investment (ROI). Non-compliance with regulatory, non-regulatory and client- directed requirements are extremely costly. Developed by experts within the food industry, compliance and productivity is built-in. FSQA software is designed to shave man-hours, enhance processes, establish efficiencies, and save money.
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Integrated systems designed to ensure food safety compliance at every point along a company’s supply chain, from the farm, to the production line, to the grocery store will be priceless. This starts with real-time data collection, critical to traceability and compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Look for software products that will enable data to be entered from mobile devices by field inspectors or technicians. Shop for software able to coordinate with and accept data from internal or external testing equipment; this ability will flag unsafe or non-compliant product instantly. Explore programming ease, either through regularly upgraded maintenance from the provider or with the ability to be updated on site, as needed, at a moment’s notice. The best software programs will include governmental, non-regulatory, and customer- commissioned requirements, all specific to the operation. Much less labor-intensive, though much more proactive, problems can be discovered as raw materials enter the supply chain, during production and, most importantly, before reaching the consumer.
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Think of it as an early warning system. Real time data collection enables real time information to get to the right people in the shortest amount of time possible. This permits food processors to facilitate and record immediate corrective actions. Loading of a shipment of raw ingredients can be suspended or a temperature variance can be corrected before it exceeds Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HAACP) Critical Limit. Suppliers can avoid sending a customer a shipment that does not meet contractual specifications, such as incorrect fat or moisture content. In fact, real time data collection can prevent the harvesting of a particular field when identifiable customer-driven quality levels have not been met. Consider the super-efficient quality control; imagine the electronically documented and recordable processes, and then contemplate the long-term cost savings.
Audits and inspections, two of the most anxiety-laden and time-consuming operations facing any food producer, are accomplished more efficiently. With FSQA software, reviews, and verifications are performed on time, all documentation is readily available, and all data is date and time-stamped, including the corrective actions that were taken. Instead of spending weeks on man-hour intensive audits, the FSQA team, the processors, and transporters can ensure unaffected product continues to move to the next step in the chain.
Food processors suffer loss of inventory, loss of revenue, loss of market value and brand, as well as loss of consumer confidence when faced with a recall. Retraining employees who have previously been performing labor-intensive jobs will streamline workforces, decrease man-hours, increase productivity, and ensure across-the-board compliance, all of which will increase profits. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure — in this instance, the right software may be worth more than its weight in gold.