What do you do if your food safety monitoring tool is not adequate for your manufacturing business?

1 Assess your needs

The first step is to assess your needs and expectations for your food safety monitoring tool. What are the main hazards and risks you need to control and prevent in your manufacturing process? What are the regulatory standards and customer requirements you need to meet? What are the features and functions you need from your tool to monitor, record, and report your food safety data? How often and how quickly do you need to access and update your data? How much budget and time do you have to invest in your tool? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself to determine what kind of tool is suitable for your business.

2 Compare your options

The next step is to compare your options and see what is available in the market. There are different types of food safety monitoring tools, such as manual, digital, or hybrid systems, that can vary in their functionality, reliability, and cost. You can research online, ask for recommendations, or consult with experts to find out what are the pros and cons of each option. You should also consider how compatible and scalable your option is with your existing equipment, software, and workflow. You can use a comparison matrix or a scoring system to rank your options based on your needs and preferences.

3 Test your choice

The third step is to test your choice and see how it performs in your actual manufacturing environment. You can request a demo, a trial, or a pilot project from your provider to evaluate your choice before committing to a purchase or a contract. You should test your choice on various aspects, such as accuracy, speed, ease of use, security, and support. You should also involve your staff, customers, and stakeholders in the testing process and get their feedback and suggestions. You should document your testing results and analyze them objectively.

4 Implement your solution

The fourth step is to implement your solution and integrate it with your manufacturing system. You should plan and schedule your implementation carefully to minimize disruption and downtime. You should also train and educate your staff on how to use your solution effectively and safely. You should communicate and coordinate with your provider, customers, and stakeholders on the implementation process and expectations. You should monitor and measure your solution's performance and impact on your food safety outcomes and goals.

5 Review and improve

The final step is to review and improve your solution and make sure it is still adequate for your manufacturing business. You should conduct regular audits, inspections, and reviews of your solution and compare it with your needs and expectations. You should also keep track of the changes and trends in the food safety regulations, standards, and best practices, and update your solution accordingly. You should seek and act on the feedback and complaints from your staff, customers, and stakeholders, and identify and resolve any issues or gaps in your solution. You should also look for opportunities to optimize and enhance your solution and make it more efficient and effective.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?