Preventing food product recalls
Product recalls are triggered by an event, common causes for these events include poor planning, communications, manual processes and untracked failures within the food manufacturing environment. For instance, consider the contamination risks if hygiene processes and schedules aren’t correctly followed whenever food factory machinery is washed down.
But by avoiding the need to recall products, not only will significant commercial savings be made, but reputational damage will be avoided that could have had a disastrous impact on a business.
In practical terms, the best way to prevent a food product recalls, is by stopping the problem product from leaving the factory in the first place.
The power of real-time QA information
As Rob Stephens, SI’s CEO explained. “The challenge is how best to link QA discovery to the individual batches, locating them in real-time to prevent them leaving from the factory. This is all about speed of response and having the correct information at hand, to enable real-time decision-making. For instance, decide whether that stock be put on hold or whether to recall any vehicles that are currently in transit.
Download our new 20 page guide and find out from SI’s experts and our customers how to move up to digital QA and traceability.
“All food production QA teams have to ensure that production line food safety processes and equipment are working correctly. QA managers and technicians have to monitor, according to prescribed intervals, that the correct tests are carried out to confirm these actions. However, when there’s a reliance on paper-based processes, it’s difficult to validate and prove these actions have been taken according to procedures.
When QA data is recorded on paper, it’s impossible to prove that conformances and non-conformances at checkpoints have been accurately recorded.
Live data capture to inform QA checks – reduce product recalls
At SI, our digitalised QA system has transformed many of our customers traceability and audit management. With digitalised QA integrated to their systems, real-time data constantly confirm reminds them whenever these tests must be done, and the designated intervals. Then, as the QA checks are carried out in real-time, live data capture directly updates the system.
If one part of the production process fails, or a food safety issue is identified, all relevant products can either be quarantined or immediately recalled for re-testing.
“But, if the QA safety net is reliant on manual processes, the food manufacturer would struggle to identify the products in time. The result could necessitate product recalls from the customers’ stock or, worse still, from retailer shelves.”
Find out more about our Hygiene Task Planner application.
A vision for correct labelling
Another key area, where QA and operational departments need to work together, is label management and verification.
For example, by taking an integrated and approach to push data to labelling equipment, via a centrally controlled production system, you will reduce human error. Equally, if you have an online vision-based labelling verification system, you can synchronise data and ensure each label is correct. Data can then be stored with QA testing data to prove that the labelling system has been properly monitored and tested.
“Across our range of weigh price labellers and outer case (OCM) labelling systems, SI delivers 100% consistency in label design and integrity across all 15 production lines.” Faccenda Foods (Avara Foods).
In SI’s next “We think food” guide, we will be covering labelling in greater details, and providing expert advice and demonstrating how our customers are using SI’s food software to meet all labelling requirements. To request your copy, just drop us a line.
Download our new 20 page guide and find out from SI’s experts and our customers how to move up to digital QA and traceability.
Our guide is packed with expert commentary, illustrations and videos showing how SI’s software is delivering audits in minutes rather than hours.
“After our first BRC audit, the auditors told us that they’d never seen a trace carried out so quickly, so completely, and with a mass balance built in.” Baird Foods Services.