The Role of Food Safety Management and Audit Standards

I thought I should share this reminder in case there is anyone who still has some doubts about the role of food safety standards and audits. They are a very good measure of the state and consistency of implemented policies, programs and procedures. They are not the means for ensuring food safety. No food safety certification standard can guarantee that after certification, the certified company’s product will remain consistently safe. Besides, audited companies are subjected to the audit scrutiny for no more than a week at the most. Many audits take no more than 1 to 3 days.



The astute quality and food safety manager knows that the most important days are those many days before the audit and the many days that follow. This is not referring to the days of immediate preparation for the audit either. The many days in focus are the days of running the day to day operations. Food recalls rarely coincide with the audit days. The greatest challenges in the assurance of food quality and safety are predominantly posed by factors and/or parties outside of the audit process. I invite you share your thoughts as well.

Food safety has to be part of your culture and nomenclature - it has to be from habit. I feel that as managers and supervisors in this area, we have a responsibility to point out to those under our influence that it is an ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY! Sending out unsafe or non-compliant product because of lax standards is only slightly more foregiveable than intentionally adulterating a product!
I don't want to purchase substandard product, be it quality or food safety! Shouldn't I hold myself and my people to the same standard?!!!
We owe it to our customers, our employers, and ourselves to be diligent about doing the job as correctly as possible!

But, we all know, bad things happen to good people! And when and if it does, if I and my company have done our level best, at least we have that and can learn from the mistake made and correct the problem. It is much easier to correct one failed procedure than to try to explain that you have no idea how the defective product got out because so many areas were lacking that the problem could not be pin-pointed!

Run a tight ship every day and you don't have to amp up for the auditors! (And product recalls become less and less!)

Agreed. On a practical level I recommend basing part of the internal audit program on the standard itself, clause by clause, over and over again…continual preparation for the audit all year round. I find it works.

Indeed, my friends! The most probing audit a facility should ever face is the internal audit. It is the audit that must dig the deepest and every identified infraction is a major finding. This is why I consider it to be unethical and unfair for an external audit report to re-state findings from internal audits as if they were new discoveries with the same rating explicitly or implicitly applied as was applied in the internal audit report.

Indeed, my friends! The most probing audit a facility should ever face is the internal audit. It is the audit that must dig the deepest and every identified infraction is a major finding. This is why I consider it to be unethical and unfair for an external audit report to re-state findings from internal audits as if they were new discoveries with the same rating explicitly or implicitly applied as was applied in the internal audit report.

Agreed...on the proviso that effective and timely corrective action has been implemented and that it's not a repeater.

Regards,
Simon

Dear dgsorg,

I applaud yr selfless philosophy.

However more cynical observers might conclude that, in reality, business survival / prosperity necessitates adherence to something more like "ethical pragmatism".

http://en.wikipedia....ragmatic_ethics

To put it another way, is it feasible to set a zero tolerance for food safety ? If so, how ?.

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear Charles C.,

I agree that zero tolerance is not only not feasible, in a real world, it is not attainable! Notice the phrases "correctly as possible," and "level best."

If you gather supplies and make plans to make it to the top of Everest, you're likely to suceed in making it at least part of the way up the mountain. If you gather supplies and make plans to make it only to the base of Everest, that's probably as far as you will go.

The idea is to strive for perfection and be disappointed in yourself if you don't make it and try, try again. While you know that it is not perfect, others (i.e, your boss, the customer, the auditor, the FDA inspector) are pleased with the outcome.

And, yes, I know that the budget and physical limitations of the facility often dictate something very short of perfection, but I do truly believe that it is our duty to make perfection the standard that we strive for. If it's not in the budget to repair the leaky roof, we definitely divert the leaks... and in the mean time keep reminding the controllers of the purse strings about the leaky roof in hopes that when the budget is there, the roof gets fixed.

Thanks for the thought-provoking comments,
dgsorg

Dear dgsorg,

I applaud yr selfless philosophy.

However more cynical observers might conclude that, in reality, business survival / prosperity necessitates adherence to something more like "ethical pragmatism".

http://en.wikipedia....ragmatic_ethics

To put it another way, is it feasible to set a zero tolerance for food safety ? If so, how ?.

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear dgsorg,

I am tempted to designate yr conceptual work ethic as "maximalist philosophy" in contrast to the (probably) more often encountered variety.

I would hope that the mentioned side-effects of this philosophy are also to be correlated with monetary remuneration.

I remember reading one recent summary of an attempt on Mt. Everest. The Sherpa made it.

Rgds / Charles.C

Charles C,

The Sherpas are known for being hardy! And the undertaking that I have begun at my particular facility requires hardiness! Although I'm beginning to have my doubts about the monetary rewards!

Warmest thanks for the thought provoking conversation!
dgsorg

Dear dgsorg,

I am tempted to designate yr conceptual work ethic as "maximalist philosophy" in contrast to the (probably) more often encountered variety.

I would hope that the mentioned side-effects of this philosophy are also to be correlated with monetary remuneration.

I remember reading one recent summary of an attempt on Mt. Everest. The Sherpa made it.

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear Charles C.,

I agree that zero tolerance is not only not feasible, in a real world, it is not attainable! Notice the phrases "correctly as possible," and "level best."

If you gather supplies and make plans to make it to the top of Everest, you're likely to suceed in making it at least part of the way up the mountain. If you gather supplies and make plans to make it only to the base of Everest, that's probably as far as you will go.

The idea is to strive for perfection and be disappointed in yourself if you don't make it and try, try again. While you know that it is not perfect, others (i.e, your boss, the customer, the auditor, the FDA inspector) are pleased with the outcome.

And, yes, I know that the budget and physical limitations of the facility often dictate something very short of perfection, but I do truly believe that it is our duty to make perfection the standard that we strive for. If it's not in the budget to repair the leaky roof, we definitely divert the leaks... and in the mean time keep reminding the controllers of the purse strings about the leaky roof in hopes that when the budget is there, the roof gets fixed.

Thanks for the thought-provoking comments,
dgsorg

I have the exact same belief dgsorg, but would be unable to put it so eloquently.

I guess we are both pragmatic perfectionists... a good profile for a quality or food safety manager.

Regards,
Simon

All of these comments reveal the recognition of reality, reasonable caution, pragmatism and determination. These are all good things to consider. In order for the best results to be realized in any situation all of these factors or considerations, along with the consideration of available resources, etc., have the steering role in the determination of plausible and feasible actions to be taken. At the end of the day, one must be real without assuming a position of the defeated.

All of these comments reveal the recognition of reality, reasonable caution, pragmatism and determination. These are all good things to consider. In order for the best results to be realized in any situation all of these factors or considerations, along with the consideration of available resources, etc., have the steering role in the determination of plausible and feasible actions to be taken. At the end of the day, one must be real without assuming a position of the defeated.

I agreed, Food safety is important in life and We should have to being conscious for this in day to day life, These comments are posted in this thread are good and informative.

I work on the proviso that "Every day is an audit day"

Caz x

Hey Caz x,

That's an excellent proviso. I will add this:“Every step that I take at any moment is essential and critical”




Thanks,




gcse-fhp