Best Practices For Ensuring Food Safety And Quality In Your Manufacturing Operation
Practicing good food safety protocol is essential for producers, manufacturers, food service workers and consumers alike. And “Wash Your Hands” is the most basic directive, written on bathroom signs, in training manuals, and in cross-stitched kitchen art the world over. But here is an in-depth look at the Best Practices for Ensuring Food Safety and Quality in your Manufacturing Operation. No matter what part of the process has you interacting with consumable materials, this outline will serve as an overview for everyone who handles food.
FOOD SAFETY BASICS
Focus on cleaning and sanitation should be ever-present for the PEOPLE, the EQUIPMENT, and the FACILITY. People who interact with food, the utensils and machinery used during every process, and the building in which food is stored and manufactured should all be held to the highest level of hygiene. Adherence to good hygiene practices is the first step in preventing foodborne illness.
In addition to proper hygiene, proper storage and organization can eliminate the risk of cross-contamination. Whether your operation handles both raw and cooked ingredients, or you handle food allergens, having your ingredients properly stored is essential to staying compliant. Separation of materials is only one part of the equation, as proper labeling and organization are necessary for maintaining fresh ingredients and CPGs. Inventory management strategies vary depending on what is being produced, and proper storage and organization is the key to ensuring safe and quality manufactured goods.
Both storage and processing steps require specific temperatures for safe consumables. To ensure that certain foods are safe for consumption, temperature and time control must be observed to kill dangerous microorganisms (such as listeria and salmonella). Storage before and after processing may vary, so monitor all ingredients, processes and equipment to ensure that appropriate times and temperatures are reached.
Depending on your specific industry or market sector, familiarize yourself with all certifying agencies and stay compliant. The FDA and USDA oversee the majority of consumables on the U.S. market, and industry standards such as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points Plan (HACCP) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are a few of the leading industry resources.
MANUFACTURING-SPECIFIC PROTOCOL
In your manufacturing operation, it is imperative that you make a plan, organize an internal management team, and standardize your documentation and record keeping regarding all cleaning, storage and process protocol. Your plans must include all the steps to follow when things are going right as well as the steps to correct processes when an error is identified. Maintaining good records is paramount for your operation on multiple levels: to improve operational efficiency, to stay compliant with your certifying agencies, and to share the responsibility of being a part of the global food supply chain.
Schedule frequent and diversified staff trainings for all team members involved in your manufacturing processes. Make sure that expectations and standards are clear, concise and achievable, and conduct frequent evaluations. Monitoring the processes will help your operation maintain consistent productivity and it will reveal opportunities for improvement. Conduct internal audits so that when your third-party audits happen, you’ll be ready to succeed.
The only constant is change, so be ready to grow and improve. Whether you are reformulating, adding to your product line, or upgrading equipment, your operation is bound to see changes. Making sure your internal protocol is clear and standardized will ensure that augmented processes will be scalable.
ERP ADVANTAGES
Employing a cloud-based ERP platform for all your operational workflows provides a clear advantage for safety, efficiency and compliance. This centralized single source of truth enables integration of all aspects of your manufacturing operation, and as a result, end-to-end traceability is built-in. The only thing an ERP partner can’t do is wash your hands for you.
