Quality in the Food Safety Industry

Each industry will have different interpretations of the concept of Quality and how to prioritize its tenets within their own field of practice, expertise and work experience. Perhaps the best fundamental principle is the definition of Quality given by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as “the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements where a requirement is a need or expectation.” This look at the Food Safety sector is one in a series of blogs that provides a quick look at how the concept of Quality applies in different industries.

The global food supply chain is increasingly complex – especially when it comes to addressing food safety incidents and recalls. Food moves around the world in an international marketplace, and the potential for error with catastrophic health consequences for consumers is high. Each year in the United States, 48 million people fall ill as a result … Read more...

FDA’s New FSMA Rules Mean Hard Times for Old Compliance Tracking

Food and beverage companies would be well-served by moving away from paper-based compliance systems and replacing them with modern, automated solutions.

Regulations contained in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food and Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) have made the food industry safer, improved product quality, and reduced food recalls. They have helped businesses focus on quality and manage suppliers in a more efficient and proactive way. This has minimized their costs of incidents associated with noncompliance, such as reinspections, food recalls, and even brand and reputation damages.

For most companies, FSMA has meant:

  • An increase in the frequency of inspections. Implementation of a prevention-based food management solution and a food safety plan is now a requirement for compliance.
  • Supplier verification. Companies that import foods internationally must ensure their suppliers are verified and their food products are safe.
  • More intensive sampling and testing of food. This requirement has placed an enormous
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Mitigating Risk in Global Food Sourcing Begins with Integrated Supplier Management

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Increasing public concern for food quality and global sourcing of food products is moving the entire food and beverage industry towards creating better ways and means of ensuring the safety of what we eat.

It’s also driving the creation of an interconnected global system for the production and distribution of food. During the last decade, many public and private standards for food safety and quality have been developed around the world and today there are more worldwide standards than ever before. The trend is clear – food safety is top of mind concern on a global scale.

With the finalization of Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and compliance Preventive Controls rules for large companies already announced, the increased need for integrated supply chain management has become paramount.

What are the most important trends impacting food and beverage companies today?

Source: LNS Research Food and Beverage industry survey data

Still, it’s … Read more...

OSHA Requests Public Input on Chemical Hazards, FSMA Proposals to Become More Flexible, Canada Invests in Food Traceability and more on EHS This Week!

On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • OSHA releases RFI, launches “national dialogue” on workplace chemical hazards
  • FDA looking to increase the flexibility of FSMA proposals
  • Canadian government invests in livestock traceability database
  • Unique mobile unit initiative promoting awareness of workplace safety

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, w e’d love to have you.

Until next week, enjoy the program!

EHS This Week Resources

For more information on the stories and resources mentioned in this week’s podcast, check out the links below.

  • OSHA seeks public opinion on chemical hazards and permissible exposure limits. View instructions for submitting comments are here.
  • Canada’s proposed national livestock traceability database. Learn more about it here.
[audio: 2014/10/EHSTW101014.mp3]… Read more...

Webinar: Get Food Safety Modernization Act Ready

Deadlines for compliance with the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) are less than a year away and if you’re in the food and beverage industry, you’d better start preparing your organization now!

As a food and beverage organization, you are required to understand the new regulations and remain compliant. In order to be ready for these deadlines, implementing a prevention-based food safety system requires your immediate attention. Regulation non-compliance can seriously impact your business, leaving you facing fines, plant closures or even worse, a reputation damaging recall to manage.

As such, we encourage you to watch this webinar for a review of the proposed FSMA legislation and what you can do to be prepared. In this FREE 30-minute webinar, Intelex Food Safety Solution Specialist, Jeremy Mawson, explains the FSMA regulations, how to implement and streamline a FSMA-ready food safety plan and how to ensure proactive compliance for your business … Read more...

EPA’s Upcoming Climate Rule, Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls, National Safety Month 2014 and more on EHS This Week

On this week’s edition of EHS This Week we’ve got the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news:

  • EPA’s upcoming climate rule for power plants
  • MIOSHA’s Residential Safety Day
  • FSMA’s transportation rule comment period
  • Tips for preventing slips, trips and falls
  • Re-thinking “low risk” facilities and compliance
  • What to expect from National Safety Month 2014

Remember to write us with your suggestions, questions and comments. Also, if you are an industry expert and ever want to take part in the program, we’d love to have you.

Until next week, enjoy the program!

EHS This Week Resources

For more information on the stories and resources mentioned in this week’s podcast, check out the links below.

  • MIOSHA Building up Residential Safety Day Registration Form. Access it here.
  • FSMA Proposed Rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food. Review and submit a comment here.
  • 10 Facts You Should
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Food Safety Modernization Act: 10 Facts You Should Know (Infographic)

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is going to change how food and beverage companies do business. We’ve collected some facts about the Act and how it will impact the landscape of food safety in America. So click on the image below to see the full infographic.

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US Food Facilities Have Until Dec 31 to Register with FDA

FDA registration is now open and required for all facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for human or animal consumption in the United States and must be completed by December 31, 2012. As part of both the 2002 Bioterrorism Act and the Food Safety Modernization Act, facilities must now provide more information to the government and must re-register every even numbered year.

The FDA hopes this facility registration will improve response time and focus reactive efforts to bioterrorism and other food-related emergencies. Having an updated registry will allow the FDA to alert manufacturers, processors, packers, and holders of any potential problems within their particular food or beverage area and coordinate responses faster.

If you would like to learn more about how to register a facility, check out the FDA’s food facility registration guidance page here.… Read more...

What you need to know about the Food Safety Modernization Act

The world of EHS legislation, regulations and issues can be confusing at best sometimes, so it helps to have a little bit of clarity. That’s why EHS This Week is launching EHS In Depth, a new interview series designed to look at the fundamentals of a particular EHS issue.

This week we’re tackling a big one: the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) a huge piece of legislation that will revolutionize how companies in the food and beverage industry go about their business. In our inaugural broadcast I’ve invited industry specialist Jeremy Mawson to answer some key questions, including:

  • What the legislation means to companies in the food and beverage industry.
  • Where regulators are at in terms of rolling out the new rules.
  • What kind of costs FSMA will mean to American businesses, and more.

Don’t forget to write me at paul@ehsthisweek.com with any suggestions you have for future areas of discussion, and tune in to … Read more...

EHS This Week launches with inaugural podcast

Morning! We’d like to direct you on over to Podbean or the player below to check out the inaugural podcast of EHS This Week. Presented by myself and colleague Kristy Sadler, EHS This Week will recap the top stories from the world of environment, health and safety news.

This week we look at all the chatter surrounding OSHA’s mobile app fail, the Top 10 OSHA violations of 2011, Food Safety Modernization Act funding, and more.

So check back on a weekly basis for a quick rundown of the week’s top EHS Stories.

[audio: old/mp3/EHS_This_Week_120211.mp3]… Read more...