If you are in the food production industry, making sure that the food you produce is safe for consumption is the most important part of your production process. However, implementing food safety and creating protocols to manage it can be a time-intensive and resource-intensive process.
Food Safety Management Systems simplify this process by providing a framework for all processes related to ensuring food safety. In this article, we explore how FSMS influences the food safety industry and why you should consider implementing it in your organization.
What is a Food Safety Management System?
A food safety management system allows your organization to implement a process to ensure that the food you produce is the same for consumption. It uses a proactive approach to identify potential hazards, prevent them from happening and implement corrective actions in case breaches happen.
How Does A Food Safety and Management System Work?
A food safety and management system has many checks and balances in place to ensure that the production, storage and handling of food is implemented in a way that minimizes food safety risks. Some of the elements of this approach are:
1. Integrating Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
HACCP involves identifying specific hazards that could affect your restaurant's food manufacturing unit's food safety. These could be biological, chemical or physical hazards. Similarly, the FSM identifies critical control points, which are points in the production process where hazards can be controlled or eliminated.
2. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
GMPs are guidelines for the manufacturing methods, equipment and facilities used in your organization to make sure that the food you produce is safe to consume. FSMS integrates these practices into every day processes to ensure cleanliness and hygiene.
3. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
SOPs are also integrated into food safety management systems. These are written instructions to achieve uniformity in the performance of a specific function. SOPs may include specifications for handling raw materials, cooking processes, packaging steps, and storage conditions.
4. Training
Training is a vital part of the FSMS. Employees need to be educated about food safety practices and the importance of maintaining food safety. For this, task-based training is necessary. These should also be scheduled for ongoing training.
5. Regulatory Compliance
FSMS is always informed by local, national and international food safety standards and regulations. The safety management systems automates the process of review, updates and improvement to incorporate changes in regulations and ensure that all standards are met.
Impact of Food Safety Management on the Food Industry
Food Safety and Management Systems have a profound impact on the food industry. Some of the key areas that FSMS influences the food industry include:
1. Regulatory Compliance
Food Safety Management systems help food businesses comply with local and international regulations and standards that uphold the safety and quality of food products. Some important standards include the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), ISO 22000, and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
With the help of an effective FSMS, organizations in the food industry can reduce non-compliance issues. This could potentially save them from expensive legal battles, fines and penalties.
For example, in 2015, the restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill had an E.coli outbreak damaging both their reputation and costing them heavily in fines and penalties. Had there been a proper FSM in place, such a breach would not have happened.
2. Consumer Trust and Confidence
When a food brand has an FSM system in place, it positions the brand as trustworthy and ethical. An FSMS helps your food business maintain mechanisms that allow consumers to track your commitment to food safety and integrity.
For instance, with the help of the FSM system, the supermarket chain Walmart was able to enhance traceability. FSMS, when integrated with technology, allows consumers to track the origin of produce by scanning QR codes. This helped them increase the trust that consumers have in their products.
3. Operational Efficiency and Productivity
Food Safety and Management systems help you optimize your operations. Firstly, it helps you identify points of risk within your organizational processes and lets you create a system to allocate resources more efficiently. Second, FSMS requires you to constantly reevaluate and redesign your processes for more streamlined operations in a way that meets safety standards and improves productivity.
FSMS reduces the number of food safety incidents in your workplace, which in turn reduces production halts and downtime. Lastly, FSMS puts in place stringent controls to prevent contamination, overproduction, and recalls in food and retail. This reduces wastage and helps you save on production costs.
4. Economic Performance
Setting up a system for the management of food safety can open new financial opportunities for your organization.
In many cases, compliance with certain FSM standards, like the HACCP, ISO 22000 (Food Safety Management), or BRC (British Retail Consortium) Global Standards, is a prerequisite to enter international markets. For example, to export food to countries in the European Union, you must comply with stringent food safety standards in those countries. An FSMS can help you achieve compliance with these standards.
Compliance with FSM standards is often seen as a marker of the quality and reliability of food products produced by your business. This can enhance the trust that consumers have in your products and position you as a serious competitor in the market.
Additionally, by implementing FSMS, your restaurant or food manufacturing business can reduce costs associated with food safety failures. This contributes to your overall profitability and financial efficiency.
5. Innovation and Improvement
Food and Safety Management Systems drive innovations in the food safety industry. The need to strict regulations and protocols leads to the adoption of new technology such as food safety management software to automate the process of managing food safety in the industry.
ISO and HACCP standards also require regular monitoring, verification and assessments. This iterative process prompts continual improvement within the organization. For example, most fast food chains have an ongoing training system in place to ensure that employees are always up to date with compliance requirements and are actively engaged in the process of ensuring food safety.
In Conclusion
Integrating a food safety management system into your food business helps maintain regulatory compliance, build the trust of your customers and improve your operational efficiency. It helps the food industry to manage food safety risks and ensure safety and quality of products. With a FSM system in place you can position your brand as reliable and ethical and improve your overall competitiveness in the industry.
