Improving Food Safety by Monitoring Suppliers and Traceability

Food safety concerns have been on the rise since the horsemeat scandal earlier this year showed how little control many food companies really have over their supply chain. Public confidence has been shaken as a result of these fraudulent actions. The horsemeat scandal has demonstrated the importance of proper controls.

When something goes wrong and food or feed product is recalled, the loss of product is really the least of concerns, as damage to the brand and subsequent lawsuits quickly outpace the cost of the recall itself.

In the past, food companies have relied on third-party external audits to make sure their suppliers and food processors were delivering a high quality product, but the third-party audits are often announced well ahead of time and were paid for by the suppliers and manufacturers. Supplier auditing has become more common.

The hazards include microbiological, chemical, including allergens and physical, issues that can cause food to be unsafe, shall be controlled and monitored by a strong food safety management system. If unchecked, they could lead to serious brand or/and financial damage for the business.

Food safety management system is term that encompasses many aspects of handling, preparation and storage of food to prevent illness and injury. A priority of food quality is control of:

• Chemical properties of which allergens can be life threatening to some people, or vitamin and mineral content which affect the overall quality of the food.
• Physical particles which are crucial but are not as significant in terms of food safety. As glass and metal can be hazardous and cause serious injury to consumers. 
• Microbiological hazards such bacteria, viruses and toxins are possible contaminants of food and impact food safety.

Food manufacturers and distributors are increasingly concerned about building effective food safety management system, decreasing the possibility of occurring food safety events and then control corporate managing risk.

User friendly tools which will help maintaining supplier approval process and verifying internal policies, procedures and systems have been developed by a team of food safety experts.

The Food Safety Audit, Supplier Risk Assessment, BRC Issue 6 Audit and Traceability Audit aim at reducing and preventing issues along the supply chain, from the suppliers to the customer.

Supplier Risk Assessment is the process of evaluating risks to safety, legality and quality of the products. To get a full picture of suppliers individualized risk assessments shall be made on the performance of each supplier.

Food Safety Audits are a crucial aspects of maintaining food safety standards, by providing transparency and assurance that standards are being maintained.

Traceability is a way of responding to potential risks that can arise in food and feed, to ensure that all food products are safe.

Traceability is a risk management tool, allowing food businesses to withdraw or recall products that have been identified as unsafe.

BRC Issue 6 Audits are a systematic, independent and documented activity in which objective evidence is gathered and assessed to determine if a food safety system is appropriate and effective. BRC Issue 6 Audits also provide evidence that food is manufactured in a safe environment and help determine if hazards are properly identified and controlled or eliminated.

See more at http://www.haccpeuropa.com