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When a manufacturer’s brand and reputation is on the line, you’ll want to make a list and check it twice when it comes to food safety regulations and standards. Documenting procedures and product information is pivotal – and so is documenting your efforts to stay compliant. Your compliance checklist should encompass your entire process, product line and operation, from the line to the employees who run it and work it.
National regulations like the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in the U.S. and international food laws and regulations like those that are part of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) are designed to prevent food safety problems before they become actual hazards to people. To stay compliant with important requirements, keep your checklist close, and be ready to check things off as you deploy tools and technologies aimed at food safety, including advanced inspection systems. After all, your integrity depends on the integrity of your products.
Your food safety checklist might include the following measures:
- A written and verified food safety preventative control plan. Develop, implement and regularly review and update preventative control plans, including plans for HACCP compliance.
- Close monitoring of suppliers. Conduct audits of your suppliers; conduct regular inspection of raw materials from suppliers through x-ray technology and flag any suppliers with repeated issues; have a plan for Foreign Supplier Verification Program, as outlined by the FSMA.
- A written and verified food safety preventative control plan. Develop, implement and regularly review and update preventative control plans, including plans for HACCP compliance.
- Close monitoring of suppliers. Conduct audits of your suppliers; conduct regular inspection of raw materials from suppliers through x-ray technology and flag any suppliers with repeated issues; have a plan for Foreign Supplier Verification Program, as outlined by the FSMA.
- Identification of and adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices: Create and monitor GMPs.
- X-ray food inspection: Deploy x-ray inspection systems at key control points for foreign object detection and a determination any quality-related problems and inconsistencies.
- Training: Have a staff or consulting food safety consultant conduct regular staff training; utilize training programs for critical food safety tools, including x-ray systems; provide information and materials in a multilingual or bilingual form.
- Verification and documentation: Capture and save important product information and images, which can be accessed in the event of a food safety question, recall, or issue. Eagle Product Inspection continually updates its x-ray food inspection software, including the newly introduced SimulTask™ 5 and TraceServer™, that can provide information on what was inspected, how, when, and by whom.
- Mock recalls: Conduct a mock recall to gauge and improve your response and response time.
Click here to learn how one company met its customer’s standards for safety and due diligence.
Click here for suggestions on selecting critical control points for x-ray systems.
CHRISTY DRAUS, MARKETING MANAGER AT EAGLE PRODUCT INSPECTION
- A written and verified food safety preventative control plan. Develop, implement and regularly review and update preventative control plans, including plans for HACCP compliance.
- Close monitoring of suppliers. Conduct audits of your suppliers; conduct regular inspection of raw materials from suppliers through x-ray technology and flag any suppliers with repeated issues; have a plan for Foreign Supplier Verification Program, as outlined by the FSMA.
