SafetyChain Blog

In recent decades, terrorism has taken on a new identity. Since the September 11 attacks in 2001, terrorists have found new ways to threaten and harm the U.S. population. A September 2017 Newsweek article stated that ISIS supporters called for the poisoning of food in grocery stores across the U.S. and Europe. While the claim was not substantiated, it cannot be ignored. The food and beverage industry must do its part in taking a proactive role against threats and maintaining food safety throughout the nation.

Optimizing your food safety and quality management (FSQM) system has a number of benefits. While it can help your facility maintain regulatory compliance and meet customer requirements on an ongoing basis, the benefits of enhancing your FSQM system extend far beyond simply performing well in audits. It can help you reduce waste, increase productivity, and ultimately, drive better bottom-line results.

For food and beverage companies, managing compliance is an integral component of everyday operations. In addition to complying with regulatory, audit, and customer requirements, organizations must also protect themselves from product recalls and foodborne illness outbreaks. The ability to ensure effective outcomes in these areas relies heavily on a strong food safety and quality management (FSQM) system.

To move beyond basic compliance, food and beverage companies must mitigate risks in three major areas: product recalls, regulatory non-compliance, and pathogen contamination/food-borne illnesses. The most effective strategy for doing so is adopting an enterprise risk management process. This allows companies to take a proactive look at food safety management.

Check out our favorite articles on food quality and safety from September!

Throughout the month, we follow the latest trends and news to bring you insights and updates from thought leaders in the food industry. Here's a roundup of our favorite articles and blog posts from around the web from last month.

Your organization’s risk management approach comprises many factors, requiring a deep look into both corporate and facility-based risk management. It also should encompass your food safety programs and the knowledge and training of personnel. Nowadays, companies are also leveraging operational data to improve their risk programs. Here, we explore the process of risk assessment as well as three other elements of a holistic approach to risk management.

The FDA has conducted its first series of inspections around the Preventive Controls and Foreign Supplier Verification rules. Here are some of the most noteworthy takeaways companies have gathered from their FSMA inspections in the first half of 2018.

The FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has been called the most sweeping reform of U.S. food safety laws in seven decades. Its main purpose is to protect public health using a proactive, instead of reactive, approach to food safety. FSMA also granted the FDA new enforcement authorities to improve compliance with prevention- and risk-based food safety practices. Because it encompasses such a robust overhaul of food safety regulation, efforts to finalize laws and put legislation into effect have been ongoing since FSMA was signed into law in 2011.

SQF, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and analytics are tied together in ways in which companies are becoming more aware. But for many food manufacturers, how they are linked is unclear. Here, we demystify the connection by breaking down the individual components.

Our favorite articles and blog posts on food quality and safety from August!

Each month, we follow trends and news to bring you insight from thought leaders in the food industry. Check out our favorite articles and blog posts from around the web from last month.