4 Simple Ways To Boost Your Company's Food Safety

By Laurel Maloy, contributing writer, Food Online

Assessing, adopting, and/or improving these four components of your business will decrease the opportunity for food contamination while increasing the prospects for strengthening your brand

The highly publicized peanut debacle, along with a host of other food-safety issues, has brought the issue of food safety to the forefront for the consumer. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has done the same for the food processing industry. In recent history, it’s safe to say that consumers and regulators have not shared such a common goal in regard to food safety, both domestically and globally.

The following four steps are ones that will help to satisfy government regulators and the consumer, as well as strengthening your brand and limiting the financial fallout in the event of a recall:

Embrace Change
Change, for some people, can be difficult. For you, as a food-processing professional, it could be fatal. Adopting an attitude of change is good, rather than the alternative, fighting change at every turn, will set your business up for success. The consumer is no longer going to be content with a “we’ve always done it this way” culture. The proof this idea doesn’t work is in headlines across the country every day. The ability to act rapidly, having well-thought-out contingency plans and a well-documented, easily-accessible data trail will not only prevent potentially-damaging incidents, but will make any incident that does occur much easier to handle and control.

Upgrade
Spending on upgrades to processing equipment, software, and hardware now can save money in the future and make your company’s processes much simpler. For example, if your company is still maintaining a paper filing system and depending upon sticky-notes to communicate, it is definitely time to upgrade. If your company is experiencing down-time due to antiquated equipment, it may be time to upgrade. If your company cannot efficiently comply with FSMA’s regulatory requirements, there is no choice but to upgrade.

Have An Educated Staff
Your company’s managers and employees are the people that make stuff happen on the farm, on the plant floor, in the warehouse, and during transport. According to Albert Einstein, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Inadequate education and training can lead people to believe they are more knowledgeable than they are. Investing in training across all areas of the food-supply chain, especially for your managers, will enhance everyone’s understanding. Train your management well and the natural order of things will ensure that both regulatory and practical knowledge is passed along.

Self-Audit Regularly
Assuming that because it is said so, makes it so, is a rookie mistake. Your company is, indeed, fortunate if every manager and every employee within the organization has the same high standard of dedication to excellence and work ethic. However, the truth is that one single person can bring your kingdom tumbling down. Your company is responsible for conducting both scheduled and surprise audits. It can hire a third party to perform these functions, or it can put it in the hands of a trusted executive. It doesn’t so much matter how it gets done, it matters that it gets done and is done thoroughly and regularly.

The FDA will not be lax on any of the regulatory requirements. It has the authority to flex its muscles now and it will. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) will not go away. HACCP is not the enemy; it is a tool to embrace, one that will ultimately protect your facility and your brand. The requirement for exceptional recordkeeping is here to stay and is already being enforced as never before. FSMA, in the face of our growing global, food-supply chain, is a must-have, a Presidential mandate, and has been the FDA’s primary project for the last four years. Ultimately, it is not the FDA’s responsibility to ensure compliance; it is you and your company’s. The FDA is here to enforce it.

The consumer and governmental agencies are finally on the same page when it comes to food safety. This is the time to adopt a proactive approach and to assess your operation as never before. Due diligence now will ensure the future of your facility and your brand.