SafetyChain Blog

At its core, manufacturing success is all about quality. Consistently adhering to quality standards ultimately delights your customers and takes you far beyond the benefits of brand loyalty. Determining the cost of quality (COQ) is a complex but essential endeavor; there’s the cost of poor quality to consider and the cost of good quality or preventing issues from happening in the first place. In plants producing hundreds of separate items, tracking the many variables that influence quality can feel like a massive undertaking. And of course, it’s not just tracking this information that facilitates change; the goal is to derive meaningful insights from the data to inform future decisions.

With the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in place for more than a decade, the FDA has focused more heavily on regulation rather than education for FSMA rules. One rule in particular, which generated more than 550 Form 483s (issued when FDA inspectors observe violations) in 2020, is the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) Rule.

Here, we'll provide a refresher of the FSVP Rule and review some of the main reasons for receiving a 483 so that you maintain compliance and stay audit-ready.

When something goes wrong in a manufacturing facility, it’s important to not only address the issue but also to prevent it from happening again. Only by understanding the root cause of the issue will you stop it from recurring. In fast-paced environments like Food & Beverage and CPG plants, timeliness is critical when it comes to pinpointing the heart of an issue. For this reason, manufacturers rely on the tried-and-true methods of Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and CAPA to identify and prevent issues. Here’s a closer look at how these approaches benefit operations and how they’re being modernized for greater speed and accuracy.

In uncertain times, it’s important for Food & Beverage companies to reassure their customers that food and safety standard are being met consistently. Yet, COVID-19 has introduced unique challenges for undergoing and performing audits, from social distancing to risks associated with travel. Unfortunately, waiting until the threat of the virus is completely gone to have an audit performed could cause your certification to lapse, which could risk the loss of important customers.

In Food and Beverage and CPG, it’s not just your company’s internal performance that matters. Every link in the supply chain plays a role in quality, which is why it’s critical to ensure your suppliers are performing to your expectations. A strong supplier approval program should be comprehensive enough to not only minimize risks, but also satisfy compliance regulations such as FSMA’s requirement for Foreign Supplier Verification Programs.

As you work to strengthen your supplier assessment procedure and other elements of your approval program, here are a few steps to consider incorporating into your processes.

Both SPC and SQC help to drive smooth operations to promote efficient output and optimal results. They both play a role in overall success in operations, but those two roles are different. Here’s what to know about SPC and SQC to determine which is right for your Food & Beverage or CPG manufacturing facility.

If your facility isn’t yet fully prepared for SQF Edition 9, you’re not alone. According to a SafetyChain poll, just 3% of respondents were completely ready for the changes as of January 2021. 

With the SQF Edition 9 implementation date rapidly approaching, now is the time to familiarize yourself with what’s changed since SQF Edition 8.1 and to perform a gap assessment to prepare your facility. Here, we cover everything you need to know about the new SQF food safety code to get your plant ready. 

Many leaders in process manufacturing plants know there’s a wealth of benefits to be had by going paperless. Yet, transforming processes which have been in place for years—or even decades—is a daunting prospect. Oftentimes, there’s a considerable gap between where facilities are now and where they want to be. Filling that gap is the end goal, since going paperless will allow you to leverage your plant’s data to drive measurable performance improvements and boost profitability. But where do you begin?

Here, we’ll dive into what it looks like to go digital, including the processes and technology it takes to get there.

ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization. This standard-setting body was created in the 1940s in London and promotes standards across a wide range of industries. As the official ISO website states, ISO standards could pertain to “making a product, managing a process, delivering a service, or supplying materials.” They apply to manufacturers, sellers, buyers, users, regulators, customers, and trade associations. Thus, they are not exclusive to the food industry, and can indeed benefit manufacturing of many types, including consumer packaged goods (CPG).

There are several types of ISO standards, including those for environmental and energy management, health and safety, IT security, and quality management. Additionally, ISO has specific food safety standards to minimize the risk of food contamination.

01/20/2021

As we enter 2021, Food & Beverage, CPG, and other manufacturers can see a light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. Yet, we’re still very much in the tunnel, and it’s important for decision makers to pay close attention to the situation as it changes rapidly. Here’s a closer look at where we are now, and what we might expect as we progress through the coming year.