Safety checklist for food industry

Why we need to be strictly compliance focused?

Compliance is of utmost priority when it comes to process manufacturing especially businesses operating in the food and beverages industry. F&B businesses need to adhere to a specific set of food safety checklist that is put forward by the food and safety regulatory bodies like FDA, This is to ensure that the end consumer consume safe and healthy food products and there is no likelihood of any food-borne disease. Thus this helps the business build and strengthen its brand reputation and keeps them on the good side of the law.  

Wondering why it is important to have a food safety checklist? 

• The checklist makes for a strong tool that helps the businesses 
• Identify and promptly resolve any food safety threats 
• Make sure that improper food handling and preparation practices are well-taken care of 
• There is no poor personal hygiene and handling practices 
• To ensure sanitization and that there are no faulty equipment in processing

Food safety is indispensable and it is important to promote the culture within and outside the business. This is why it is important to have a checklist to ensure that.  

The United States had two regulatory bodies that protect customers with stringent standards and protocols that food manufacturers and distributors have to abide by– Food and Drug Administration and Environment Protection Agency.  

FDA 

FDA has three critical regulation which every food manufacturing business has to follow. This is done to ensure that the products they are creating are safe and thus healthy for consumption by the end customers. They are  

• HACCP 

• FSMA 

• CGMP 

Hazard and Critical Control Points, also known as HACCP, is an important initiative of the FDA that requires manufacturers to identify and control any hazard points that exist in your production process. The control points should be able to promptly identify the gaps and control them before it escalates the process. Furthermore, FDA requires the manufacturers to ensure proper sanitization and labeling of the products to inform and protect the consumers. This can be done by implementing a cloud-based ERP system like Acumatica. This will ensure that every process involved in the production of the food maintains compliance with the standards and norms.  

Food Safety Modernization Act, FSMA, requires every manufacturing facility to create and implement a strong food safety defense plan. Thus the plan must be in a written format and must be able to identify any gaps in food safety. Also, it should mention the steps, mitigation strategies, and procedures that it one should follow to nip these vulnerabilities in the bud. Cloud ERP can take care of this as well. It can thus keep a track of the training and certifications the employees are earning. This will thus help keep themselves up to date with the changing food safety compliance scenarios.  

Current Goods Manufacturing Processes, CGMP, lays down the guidelines for processed foods and dietary supplements. This requires manufacturers to follow FDA protocols. Furthermore, it also requires them to ensure that the labeling and packaging are done properly in the master manufacturing record. Hence, an ERP can be of significant use to meet the compliance requirements in the sequencing and scheduling of the work.  

Another important regulatory body that food manufacturers need to make sure they abide by is Environmental Protection Agency.  

EPA  

The aim of this regulatory body is to ensure that the food processing is done in a manner that doesn’t harm the environment in any way. Take, for instance, if the products have pesticides. Are they of the level that will not harm those who consume them? Meat and seafood processing is also a part of EPA supervision. Therefore, they want to make sure that the process in no way contributes to an unhealthy environment. Implementing a robust cloud-based ERP like Acumatica can ensure that. It will ensure that the processing is done in the right manner and there is minimum contribution to environmental health.  

Get ERP implementation by Tayana Solutions, today and ensure every process is done in a compliant manner.