The food industry has come a long way in technology, product quality, and the necessary approaches to food safety. Constantly moving forward in all of these areas is a necessity in today’s competitive landscape. The next challenge is always just around the corner.
With the implementation of FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) comes new expectations of food safety programs in food manufacturing facilities. Food companies should already be preparing, starting with basic food safety (such as being sure all food-processing operations are totally in control). This begins with basic sanitation practices. An internal or external inspection should determine if employees are following the right practices. Another area is allergen control. Look at the layout of the facility. Control measures are needed to ensure materials are properly separated. Raw materials and finished products should be stored in different areas of the facility and all allergens should be identified and segregated from other raw materials. These basic food safety practices can be good preparation for finalized FSMA regulations. Having strong foundational programs in place is essential for implementing preventive control programs.
One significant change under FSMA will be record access. This will be a huge shift for food and beverage companies that have not had prior experience with FDA’s seafood or juice HACCP programs. Recordkeeping may be the single biggest change many food companies face. Under the old procedures, FDA could see only what was being done on the day of inspection. But with expanded access to records, FDA may examine records from the previous week, month or year, depending on the specific records and/or FDA having reasonable belief of food safety issues. This access will give a much broader scope of a facility’s activities. In particular, FDA will be able see when something went wrong and what corrective actions were taken. However, although the access is broadened, some records are still off limits to FDA, including product formulas and financial information.
Another component of food-safety programs for companies is the physical condition of the facility. There are still 100-year-old companies in operation, but the coming regulatory changes will further scrutinize the ability of companies to maintain and clean them. At some point, the company will have to determine whether it is economical to continue making upgrades to an older facility. To meet the changing food-safety demands, new facility design has become more sophisticated. These design changes include defined traffic flow of materials and personnel through the facility, expanded cleaning rooms designed for equipment with new sanitary standards, controlled air flow and air pressure to manage the environment of different plant areas, and upgraded packaging areas to near clean-room standards.
As companies look to the future of food safety there are many elements that will look like the past. Understand the regulations and the requirements to ensure your company is meeting the legal obligations. Develop programs that support these requirements, such as cleaning schedules, maintenance schedules, allergen control, recall procedures, and HACCP. Train employees so that they understand not only how to carry out a program or procedure, but also why these activities are key to producing a safe product. And finally, challenge programs with internal and external inspections or certification programs that will drive your operation toward continuous improvement.
The author is vice president, baking and food technical services, AIB International.