How do you collect daily critical production data to ensure food safety and quality?

Are you 

1. Manually collecting this data with handheld instruments?
2. Automatically collecting this data?

Are you doing any analysis, to improve production processes and quality?  

Are you 

 

1. Manually collecting this data with handheld instruments?
2. Automatically collecting this data?

Are you doing any analysis, to improve production processes and quality?  

Hi niratk,

Is there any particular reason for yr queries ?

Hi Charles, we recently started working with a Fortune 100 food & beverage company to automate critical data (temperature, humidity, etc) collection of their products throughout their cooking and chilling cycles, with our new smart sensors and manufacturing excellence platform which then automatically produces their GMP quality documentation and analyzes this data. They are seeing an 8% increase in yield and 3 hours/food safety employee saved per day 

I was hoping to learn from the community if it is common for food safety and quality employees if they are still collecting and analyzing critical production data manually. 

I work in the frozen bakery industry. In everyday life, we just write it down on a check sheet. When there is a problem, we document it and store it (digital space) to ensure it can be prevented from happening again. We communicate also to productions department.

Hi Charles, we recently started working with a Fortune 100 food & beverage company to automate critical data (temperature, humidity, etc) collection of their products throughout their cooking and chilling cycles, with our new smart sensors and manufacturing excellence platform which then automatically produces their GMP quality documentation and analyzes this data. They are seeing an 8% increase in yield and 3 hours/food safety employee saved per day 

 

I was hoping to learn from the community if it is common for food safety and quality employees if they are still collecting and analyzing critical production data manually. 

Hi niratk,

Thks for the clarification.

I anticipate the situation will vary particularly due to a variety of operational factors, eg location, GFSI-recognised Standard (if any), type of Process (eg CCPs), size of facility. You might need to narrow your query to get comparable (relevant ?) feedback.

Thanks for sharing Arif. 

How often are you writing down and tracking this information during production? What type of problems usually occur and how often? Why is it important to communicate them to the production departments?  

Thanks for the feedback Charles. You make a good point. 

We noticed manufacturers that make meats (fresh or prepared) have to collect production data (temperature, humidity, etc) manually, multiple times a cycle. Is this common across all food & beverage manufacturing? Is this very time consuming and a problem? 

If not, what are some urgent problems you see right now in food & beverage manufacturing when it comes to critical process data collection and analysis? 

I think you'd be wise to do a little more processing research on your own...............

It seems to me you don't fully understand the WHY this data is important which you should know BEFORE you worry about the HOW

I think you'd be wise to do a little more processing research on your own...............

It seems to me you don't fully understand the WHY this data is important which you should know BEFORE you worry about the HOW

Hey Scampi, 

Thanks for your input. You're absolutely right. The "WHY" is definitely important. From working with our Fortune 100 food&beverage manufacturer of meat on solving this problem, they articulated their why as follows: 

Temperature profiling of processed foods during and after cooking provides the processor initially with critical information to confirm process suitability and periodically thereafter to support HACCP monitoring plans, to demonstrate equipment design issues and maintenance, and raw material uniformity and to allow one to make process improvements. 

Their goals: 

1. Understanding when their products hit their ideal cooking temperature, so they move them to the chiller. They looked at this from cooking to chilling  (removing moisture and drying out) and finished meats may actually weigh less and they lose lbs. If it loses lbs in the oven, they can pulled it out earlier and then send it into the chiller, which will reduce cycle times and increase yield. 

2. Prevent pathogen/bacteria growth, by ensuring their equipment is set to the right temperatures for cooking and chilling

Would love your feedback on these points and if there are any other important reasons for why temperature control and monitoring is important during these production processes. 

I will state it again--------do some more research

there is a large WHY missing from what they have told you

If they truly are a fortune 100 company----they should already have the right people on staff to answer those questions for you like their QA manager

I will state it again--------do some more research

 

there is a large WHY missing from what they have told you

 

If they truly are a fortune 100 company----they should already have the right people on staff to answer those questions for you like their QA manager

Thanks for the advice. 

I received all this information from their director and manager of food safety and quality, while we were working with them at their facilities.  

Do you have any insight on the "large WHY" that is missing from what they have told me? We've done a good amount of research but it's always helpful learning from industry experts like yourself. 

Ask your QA manager----if that person is worth the title, it should be readily apparent what they've left out

I work in the frozen bakery industry. In everyday life, we just write it down on a check sheet. When there is a problem, we document it and store it (digital space) to ensure it can be prevented from happening again. We communicate also to productions department.

Thanks for sharing Arif. 

How often are you writing down and tracking this information during production? What type of problems usually occur and how often? Why is it important to communicate them to the production departments?  

Hey Scampi, 

 

Thanks for your input. You're absolutely right. The "WHY" is definitely important. From working with our Fortune 100 food&beverage manufacturer of meat on solving this problem, they articulated their why as follows: 

 

Temperature profiling of processed foods during and after cooking provides the processor initially with critical information to confirm process suitability and periodically thereafter to support HACCP monitoring plans, to demonstrate equipment design issues and maintenance, and raw material uniformity and to allow one to make process improvements. 

 

Their goals: 

 

1. Understanding when their products hit their ideal cooking temperature, so they move them to the chiller. They looked at this from cooking to chilling  (removing moisture and drying out) and finished meats may actually weigh less and they lose lbs. If it loses lbs in the oven, they can pulled it out earlier and then send it into the chiller, which will reduce cycle times and increase yield. 

 

2. Prevent pathogen/bacteria growth, by ensuring their equipment is set to the right temperatures for cooking and chilling

 

Would love your feedback on these points and if there are any other important reasons for why temperature control and monitoring is important during these production processes. 

It seems like you are more involved to improve the proces, then to actually document it.

But in my experience, its quite normal to keep documentation manually - but it all depends on the product, the production and the process/flow.

If the product is e.g. liquids and running through closed circuits, electronic devices and data collection is suitable for most parts.

Its probably not impossible, but i would say its close, when it relates to automatic data collection in meat and meat products -

without any kind of manual handling - at least when its documenting food safety. But again, what is the flow and control points related to the flow.

It seems like you are more involved to improve the proces, then to actually document it.

 

But in my experience, its quite normal to keep documentation manually - but it all depends on the product, the production and the process/flow.

If the product is e.g. liquids and running through closed circuits, electronic devices and data collection is suitable for most parts.

 

Its probably not impossible, but i would say its close, when it relates to automatic data collection in meat and meat products -

without any kind of manual handling - at least when its documenting food safety. But again, what is the flow and control points related to the flow.

Yes, you're correct. We are focused on improving the process for our food&beverage clients. Meat is where we have been seeing a lot of value with an automated system, to track come up times, lethality points and end times for GMP documentation. 

When you say flow, do you mean the flow of data or the flow of the product throughout production? 

Thanks for sharing Arif. 

 

How often are you writing down and tracking this information during production? What type of problems usually occur and how often? Why is it important to communicate them to the production departments?  

You could say, not very often. For problems that occur, they are mostly caused by machines that are still often in trouble, causing potential discrepancies in the results such as the final weight of the product

What problems occur with these machines that cause discrepancies? 

Also, I'd love to chat and learn more about how your team is doing things, we provide a lot of solutions for food&beverage manufacturing and we are always trying to learn from customers. 

Would you be open to making time to offer some additional advice around this topic? 

You could say, not very often. For problems that occur, they are mostly caused by machines that are still often in trouble, causing potential discrepancies in the results such as the final weight of the product

Hey Charles, 

Also, I'd love to chat and learn more about how your team is doing things, we provide a lot of solutions for food&beverage manufacturing and we are always trying to learn from customers. 

Would you be open to making time to offer some additional advice around this topic? 

Hi niratk,

 

Thks for the clarification.

I anticipate the situation will vary particularly due to a variety of operational factors, eg location, GFSI-recognised Standard (if any), type of Process (eg CCPs), size of facility. You might need to narrow your query to get comparable (relevant ?) feedback.

Hey Charles, 

 

Also, I'd love to chat and learn more about how your team is doing things, we provide a lot of solutions for food&beverage manufacturing and we are always trying to learn from customers. 

 

Would you be open to making time to offer some additional advice around this topic? 

Hi niratk,

IMO the initial requirement  involves defining the Scope.

Perhaps you can propose a specific,  practical, scenario  and open a Poll.

...

Are you doing any analysis, to improve production processes and quality?  

Codex Alimentarius and GFSI auditing schemes call this out as something that should be done.  It's unlikely that any moderate to large company isn't doing so at some level for their own benefit and to comply with various customer expectations.

Yes, makes sense. The customers we work with are usually doing their statistical analysis of quality and production data, in excel, to find their optimal batch setpoints. 

Do you have knowledge of any other tools they may be using? 

Codex Alimentarius and GFSI auditing schemes call this out as something that should be done.  It's unlikely that any moderate to large company isn't doing so at some level for their own benefit and to comply with various customer expectations.