Page 32 - FoodFocusThailand No.180 March 2021

SPECIAL FOCUS
SPECIAL FOCUS

Four Ways to Improve your

Food Safety Management System

If not implemented correctly, your food safety management system will not prevent contamination. Using the
following techniques will help enhance your system.

Foodborne illnesses cost billions of dollars each year in the United respond to deviations, ensuring compliance, and reducing the risk
States. A lack of standards can lead to severe consequences, including of contamination by food hazards.
loss of customers, negative impact on brand reputation and employees
missing work due to illness. As a result, safety is vital for any brand that is Review and Maintain Equipment A thorough
committed to high-quality food and maintaining a positive brand image. 3equipment program can be highly effective in reducing the risk
Food safety management systems—the processes and procedures of food contamination. To minimize risk, your plan should look at
that companies set up to prevent contamination—are essential in reducing the equipment needed in your plant, as well as how it’s constructed
the risk of foodborne illness and ensuring the safest products possible. and maintained.
By FDA regulation, most food processors must have HACCP as well For example, choosing industry-standard or food-safe materials
as corrective actions/preventive action (CAPAs) plans in place. Even with can help prevent contamination. Investing in the right kind of stainless
the right safety guidelines, however, contamination or exposure to food steel can both improve operating costs and help reduce the risk of
hazards can still occur. The following are four ways to improve the quality food exposed to hazards.
of your food safety management system. Preventive maintenance plans for food safety equipment can
also reduce the risk of contamination by ensuring the proper
Conduct Regular Audits Even if your business’s HACCP is functioning of site equipment.
1highly effective in theory, it won’t prevent contamination unless actual
practice lines up with documentation. Regular audits can ensure employee Provide Employee Support and Encourage
practice complies. 4Buy-In Training programs are an essential component of any
HACCPs are structured around identifying both potential food hazards HACCP. If your employees don’t know how to handle food properly
and critical control points (CCPs) where your system has the opportunity or aren’t aware of HACCP documentation or the CCPs in the food
to prevent, mitigate or eliminate a potential issue. Usually, this means storing processing pipeline, they won’t be able to execute the plan and
food items or performing some biological, physical or chemical action to a prevent contamination.
target limit— like a specific temperature—to prevent or mitigate While training programs are crucial, they don’t necessarily
contamination. guarantee compliance. Common pitfalls exist that can discourage
For example, in the manufacturing of chicken products, cooking and employees from following the plan. To encourage employee buy-in,
hot-holding are critical control points at which the product needs to be heated training should begin by discussing the importance of food safety
to a certain temperature to eliminate or prevent potential hazards. Here, an and the potential risks of contamination.
audit would be a chance to ensure employees cooked and hot-held foods The training should also be robust enough that employees feel
at the proper temperatures. If they aren’t, the food safety management team confident when executing the HACCP. Training staff should be sure
can make policy changes that ensure practice lines up with planning. to provide visual demonstrations and opportunities for employees
The audit process should be consistent and occur regularly. It should to practice before they become responsible for food safety. Tests
also cover every aspect of your HACCP strategy and place a particular or evaluations both during and after training can be useful tools in
focus on potential hazards and CCPs. These audits can be a way to uncover determining how well your employees understand your business’s
the strengths and weaknesses of your current HACCP strategy. Companies HACCP strategy. Regular follow-ups on training can also ensure
can use this information to build upon existing practices or demonstrate compliance and reduce the risk of contamination.
how procedures could be more effective.
Improving Food Safety Management Systems
Consider a CCP Monitoring System You can use automated For any business that works with food, safety programs are essential
2or digital systems to ensure that CCPs aren’t deviating from control in ensuring the safest and highest quality product possible. Existing
limits. With the right sensors, it’s possible to ensure that food remains food safety management systems can often improve with the right
between target limits at each CCP. methods. For example, automated monitoring systems can reduce
For example, automated sensors can quickly alert plant staff if the the risk of deviating from CCP limits. Employee training and regular
temperature of food in cold storage rises above a certain threshold, or if audits can also ensure that a plant’s food safety practices line up
there is a deviation from a given CCP. These alerts can help staff quickly with the documented plan.

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