Food Safety Systems

What is a Food Safety System?

Food safety is known as “a system established to keep the risk of food hazards under a safe level”.

System

As defined by Merriam-Webster, “system” is “a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole.” In a food safety system, management, employees, equipment, environment, operating procedures, and records are considered as the group of the system items. For a food safety system to operate efficiently as a “unified whole”, all its items must interact regularly and interdependently; and this cannot be accomplished without a strong commitment and a capable team.

Keep

Why is “keep” a key word here? The nature of manufacturing includes uncontrollable events, such as product spills, or equipment malfunctions, or supplier delays in supplying raw materials. Other commercial realities include the introduction of a new product line. All these events can potentially introduce a new challenge to an existing food safety system. An effective food safety system must continue its monitoring of food safety compliance and contemplate actions in advance to maintain the system’s effectiveness. This is called “preventive action” in the food safety world.

Risk

There is no guarantee as to when and where the food safety system may be challenged. So, considering the limitations to resources, an accurate risk assessment is a vital part of the food safety system to allocate the appropriate resources to face the challenges with the highest likelihood of occurrence with the most severe outcomes.

Food Hazards

It is well-known that food safety hazards include biological, chemical, physical, and radiological hazards. Regardless, it is crucial for an efficient food safety system to keep abreast with the most updated scientific studies regarding the hazards and continuously improve its monitoring and correction measures.

Safe Level

Most of the food safety risks cannot be “100% eliminated” practically; however, the onus is still on the food establishment to reduce the risks to an acceptable level. As a result, there is no choice but to specify a safe threshold for hazards and maintain the hazards under that level. Accordingly, the more serious food safety system is taken the less chance exists for a hazard to elevate above its defined acceptable level.

Benefits of good food safety culture

Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote applies here, “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure!”. A good food safety system is “prevention” as opposed to “reaction” like product recalls that results in product waste which is the “cure”. The intent of a good food safety system is simple:

Prevention saves lives and saves money.

Myths

The consequences of not taking food safety risks seriously are not always evident right away or even obvious. That is why food safety measures are perceived to be “non-value-added”.

It is too expensive!

The real value of an efficient food safety system becomes apparent when a food recall happens. The cost of which (loss of reputation and waste of resources to name a few) can be too high for small to medium- size businesses to afford. A recall could potentially cripple an organization. Being continuously prepared for customer or third-party audits is the other value of establishing a strong food safety system.

It is time consuming!

The value of time is undeniable; and that is exactly why time must be allocated to “prevention” (in this case establishing and maintaining food safety system) instead of “correction” (in this case production line stoppage, disposing product wastes, recalling products, etc.).

We Can Help You: Our food safety experts can support you with development and implementation of an efficient food safety management system customized to your operations.

Here's how we can assist you:

1.???? Development of a robust Food Safety and Quality Management Systems (QMS): MCS experts can assist in the development of an entire quality and food safety management systems, including but not limited to Preventive Control Plans, tailored to your organization and taking into consideration your business and the nuances of your specific products.

2.???? Optimizing specific aspects of your Food Safety and QMS System: MCS can assist in reviewing aspects of your Food Safety and QMS systems and can help in the core elements of your system. Whatever your specific question maybe MCS will have a subject-matter-expert to assist you with developing a practical solution.

3.???? GAP Analyses or Audits: The MCS teams are experts in many areas of Quality and Food Safety, ranging from SOP writing and on-site compliance verification to Computer System Validation. Our teams conduct GAP audits and also provide practical steps for remediation.

4.???? Risk Management Strategies: MCS offers a tailored risk assessment approach to evaluate potential effects on food products quality, helping you proactively manage risks and ensure compliance.

5.???? Communication with Regulatory Authorities: Our team facilitates effective communication with regulatory authorities, helping clarify expectations and address any queries during the license application, inspection, and reformulation process.

Our Firm Can Benefit You with:

·????? Expertise: Our team comprises seasoned professionals with in-depth knowledge of food quality, safety, and regulatory compliance.

·????? Custom Solutions: We tailor our services to your specific needs, ensuring that our guidance aligns seamlessly with your business objectives.

·????? Timely Support: We understand the urgency of regulatory changes and provide timely support to facilitate a swift and compliant transition.

As a part of our core competencies, MCS Associates can help interpret guidance documents to determine the impact for clients involved in food production, packaging, labeling, importation and distribution. Our comprehensive set of services aim to simplify the reformulation process, enhance specifications development, and ensure your overall compliance with Health Canada, CFIA, and FDA guidance. We are dedicated to supporting your food quality initiatives and ensuring a seamless transition.

To learn more or request testing please contact us at: [email protected]