What to Include in a Food Safety-Focused Management of Change Assessment

We are seeking to improve our risk analysis regarding food safety in our management of change procedure.

Could anyone share examples and templates that contains the items to be verified?

For example: does it impact the pest management program? does it need an update on processing flowchart with the need of a risk analysis on HACCP? does it need an update on glass and hard plastics inventory?

I'm not an SQF practitioner but I tend to have an overall "change management procedure" which gives pointers as to how change management should be managed with examples, across:

 

• Product change - consideration of allergens, other hazards inherent in ingredients.  Packaging change and risk with that (a common cause of recalls.)  Also consideration of process change and if that changes risk.
• Premises (including equipment) change - consideration of how to manage the change process as that can bring signficant risk.  Hygienic design and validation of any processes.  Cleaning validation.  Training.  Pest management.
• Process change - validation etc.  Training.

 

But that all must be considered and risk assessed by the HACCP team and that forms the documentation and approval process for change to proceed. 

 

For product change as well, there's always been a gate process wherever I've worked for NPD and EPD to ensure that it's the right thing to do across a balanced scorecard, i.e. safety, food safety, cost, capacity etc which I've always referenced in the change management process as it sits alongside and supports HACCP and change.