Ensuring food safety and compliance–from farm to table and grape to glass

Back in 2015, the United Nations proposed 17 Sustainable Development Goals for the world which it positions as “the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all,” with the aim of achieving these goals by 2030.1 The UN’s second prioritized goal was “Zero Hunger”. Yet to feed a world population that’s estimated to grow to 9.7 billion by 2050,2 we need to secure sustainable and safe food production systems. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Governments should make food safety a public health priority, as they play a pivotal role in developing policies and regulatory frameworks and establishing and implementing effective food safety systems.”3

As government agencies (and major retailers) implement increasingly stringent rules and require more detailed information, complying with these food safety regulations is becoming more complex. On top of that, complying with the absolute latest food safety requirements is further complicated by growing risks from the globalization of food sourcing and distribution, as well as the increased likelihood of contamination and disease that rapidly spreads across borders. This means that food safety and traceability are more important now than ever before, and likely to become even more important over time. Today’s, food and beverage manufacturers have no choice but to make the safety of food products from raw materials to consumers’ tables a top priority. 

The US’s Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that roughly 48 million Americans get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases every year.4 Foodborne illness breakouts are obviously an important public health issue, and they represent one of the greatest financial risks that food and beverage companies face.

That is why regulators, like the FDA with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), have been implementing new rules, which require food and beverage companies to be more proactive in preventing food safety problems. Not only does this mean establishing preventive controls, but also validating and verifying those rules—while also documenting each step along the way.

The food safety procedures must include: 

• Hazard analysis and preventive controls, also known as HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points). This is about identification of potential food safety hazards and putting a food safety plan in place with preventive actions, monitoring procedures, corrective actions, hygiene and sanitation practices and food labeling requirements. A very important aspect here is preventing contaminations with extraneous material like metal coming from broken filling equipment, grease or detergent remnants and cross contamination with pathogens.
• Supplier verification program, making sure that the suppliers and their ingredients are compliant as well.
• Sanitary transportation, from plant to trucks to receiving facilities, companies must document all safety procedures and training for the safe and sanitary transportation of food.
• Recall plan, which is a written plan including all the steps that are necessary to document and take action in the event of a recall. The plan also includes documentation for notifying all relevant parties to remove and dispose of products that have been contaminated. Food safety incidents must be reported with a very short time frame at the FDA in the US or RASFF in the EU.

When it comes to compliance to food safety rules, the need to increase and improve documentation and record storage cannot be understated. The amount of documentation that food and beverage companies will need is going to continue to grow. Many food processors try to keep up with regulations by adding more paper forms to be completed by process operators and quality staff, which is obviously not the most efficient and effective way to meet the compliance standards.