A sector as regulated as the food and beverage industry demands a lot of care and attention from companies. Food quality control, implementing Good Manufacturing Practices, minimizing risks, and avoiding non—conformities are all on the to-do list.
The consequence of not meeting this challenge can be devastating: from reduced sales to legal sanctions from regulatory bodies. In other words, ensuring quality and compliance is no longer a market differential, but a fundamental item for a healthy operation.
So that you know exactly how to overcome this challenge, we have prepared a guide with everything you need to know to ensure the quality of your input and products, maintain legal compliance in all processes, and boost operational efficiency in your company.
Benefits of Quality Management in the Food and Beverage Industry
Quality in the food and beverage industry is critical to ensuring product safety, regulatory compliance, customer satisfaction, and company reputation.
By paying maximum attention to this aspect, your company increases productivity, reduces risks and maintains product reliability. In addition, quality management contributes to identifying and solving problems, which strengthens the safety of its consumers.
Therefore, prioritizing quality in this sector is essential for the success and sustainability of the business, as well as safeguarding the well-being of its customers. Find out below why you should bet on quality management in the food and beverage sector and, further on, how to do it.
Maintaining the safety and health of consumers
By knowing that the equipment is well calibrated, that the inputs used are in good condition, and that all good operational practices are correctly executed by employees, you have the peace of mind that the product will not harm consumers.
To help with these tasks, it is best to have a Quality Management System (QMS) — whether it is Standardized, Total Quality Management (TQM), Lean management, or Six Sigma.
In general, a QMS ensures the integrity of your products, compliance with the relevant legislation of your industry, and the integrity of your production teams. A QMS can involve several tasks, from organizing documents to controlling the quality of the product after it is available on the market.
In this way, the system helps your company to preserve the safety of the products, ensuring that they are safe and following the desired level of quality. This happens thanks to the pillars of the Quality Management System that you know below:
Download the free ebook: Everything you need to know to implement a Quality Management System!
In addition to the QMS, another acronym that helps preserve the safety and health of consumers is HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points). It is a food safety management system that analyzes and controls biological, chemical, and physical hazards that may be present on the production line.
This analysis is done throughout the process, from the production of the raw material to the consumption of the final product, including the processes of acquisition, handling, manufacturing and distribution.
And to ensure that all this goes as expected, companies need to apply Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) — especially in such a regulated sector. GMP is a set of guidelines, rules, and procedures that help ensure the quality and safety of the products/services offered.
For the Food & Beverage sector, the main elements of GMP are as follows:
Protect your company’s reputation
By taking care of the quality level of your products, you not only protect the health of your consumers but also safeguard your company’s reputation.
There are many cases of companies that have brought harmful products to the market and for a long time suffered negative consequences.
That is why it is so important that your company has efficient Quality Management, to safeguard the company’s good image and reputation.
But how to achieve (and maintain) quality in the Food and Beverage Industry?
Even though it is so vital, many companies still fail to overcome the challenges that prevent a good level of quality in their products.
The best way to do this is, as you have already seen, to have a Quality Management System (QMS) with more specific elements for the sector.
Some examples are the use of laboratory analysis to identify possible contamination in both inputs and products and visual and technical inspections of equipment and infrastructure involved in manufacturing. Another tip is to have Good Manufacturing Practices and HACCP policies focused on food and beverages.
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Compliance: your greatest ally to ensure product quality for food and beverage companies
In addition to the companies themselves, several agencies and entities are also interested in making sure that the food and beverages that reach the market have satisfactory levels of quality and safety.
The so-called regulatory entities have the role of establishing standards and instructions that your company needs to follow to comply (also called compliance).
There are mandatory standards for the food and beverage industry, such as the Resolutions of the Collegiate Board (RDC) and the Normative Instructions (IN) of Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) in Brazil.
In addition, some are not mandatory, such as the guidelines of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). These are not required by law; however, they are considered fundamental for those who seek to stand out in the market. Following them shows suppliers, business partners, customers, employees and other stakeholders that there is a level of care and attention that is renowned.
Some of the main industry standards that your company needs to keep an eye on are ISO 9001, ISO 22000, RDC 275/2002, and FSSC 22000.
Free Whitepaper: See how to implement ISO 22000
Free Material: 15 Steps to Obtain FSSC 22000 Certification
How Technology Drives Compliance and Increases Food Safety
By using quality management software for food and beverages, you can automate a series of tasks, in addition to easily creating processes, managing documents, and viewing performance data in real-time.
This allows you to monitor a variety of metrics that help you understand the level of your operation, create alerts, and automate reporting.
In addition, you have continuous updating and verification of regulatory legislation that is constantly changing and revised. This greatly reduces the chances of selling products that are harmful to customers.
In this way, you protect your company against fines and other legal sanctions caused by non-compliance — and also help to increase the market’s Food Safety.
Check out the free ebook and see how technology can improve food safety management
Document management
With an Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solution in your QMS, you can find/store critical documents such as:
- SOPs;
- Validation reports;
- Manual de BPF.
Audit management
This is the right tool that help in all stages of a quality audit. With this tool in your QMS, you can:
- Create schedules and checklists;
- Do simulations and training;
- Review documents and records;
- Register non-conformities and create action plans;
- Implement corrective and preventive actions;
- Prepare detailed reports and analyze trends.
Supplier management
It is not enough to just manage your own operation well, it is also essential to manage your business partners. To do this, be careful when selecting and evaluating your suppliers.
Include in your QMS some criteria based on quality and sustainability for choosing suppliers. Then, make periodic evaluations and audits, keeping an eye on quality and delivery KPIs. This way, you generate opportunities for continuous improvement and build strong, long-term relationships based on collaboration and innovation.
Free Download: Complete Guide to Supplier Management
Process management
You can also adopt ways to improve processes and strengthen compliance. Some examples are:
- Visualizing and documenting workflows;
- Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies;
- Perform optimizations and standardizations;
- Apply methodologies such as Lean and Kaizen;
- Develop SOPs;
- Automate recurring processes.
Risk management
Technology also helps to ensure compliance in risk management, a fundamental part of boosting the quality of the products/services offered. With an ERM solution, you can:
- Stipulate the risk identification methods (HACCP or HACCP);
- Assess the likelihood and impact of risks;
- Create risk mitigation strategies;
- Develop risk mitigation plans;
- Implement and monitor risk controls;
- Carry out continuous monitoring and review of risks;
- Regularly review your risk management system;
- Implement continuous updates and improvements.
Free Infographic: How to Implement Continuous Improvement in Your Organization
Map processes, conduct training and monitor results and feedback
Finally, with the right tool, you can optimize and automate a range of tasks related to quality and compliance management in the Food & Beverage industry. Here’s how:
- Use a BPM solution to map and manage processes, and visualize documents and flows to identify bottlenecks;
- Apply methodologies such as Lean and Kaizen and create Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for various activities in the operation;
- Automate repetitive processes and integrate them with systems from different areas to improve efficiency and reduce errors;
- Create role-specific training with online and/or face-to-face modules;
- Use a platform with progress and completion tracking, as well as assessment of acquired skills and feedback from participants;
- Regularly review training content based on new standards and technologies, and integrate incoming feedback to implement improvements and drive employee engagement.
But what to do when a non-conformity occurs?
Even with all the care, mistakes or carelessness may happen and then your company will have to deal with the bogeyman of the food and beverage industry: non-conformities.
The important thing is to have ways to detect and record these occurrences.
Include in your QMS ways to issue alerts and reports to warn and catalog non-conformities. Here’s how to have a detailed record of everything, pointing out what happened, its consequences, and the root causes of what happened — the latter part being the most important.
Investigate and analyze non-conformities
To investigate these nonconformities, you can use tools such as Ishikawa Diagram, 5 Whys analysis, and FTA (Fault Tree Analysis). This way you will be able to identify not only what and how it happened, but also why it happened.
Some of the most common causes of non-conformities are audits, suppliers, inputs and raw materials, internal processes, or even customer complaints.
Corrective actions and monitoring of results
Create an action plan to identify the people involved in each role, and then assign the deliverables and actions that should be taken to address nonconformances.
Use intelligent workflows and business rules to streamline this process, ensuring that objectives are achieved on time. The 5W2H tool is a great option.
Then, monitor the results and impacts that these actions had on your processes, activities, and tools. This way you continue the process of continuous improvement.
Download the Free Ebook: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Non-Compliance Issues
Track results and value customer feedback
It is not enough to take the right actions and have the best tools. It is also necessary to measure results, monitor the opinions of stakeholders and build a structure for improvement. Some of the most important tips to achieve this are:
- Select indicators relevant to the quality and performance of your products and make sure they align with the company’s strategic KPIs.
- I use CPM software to have data analysis dashboards and look for trends and patterns that will support decision-making and the creation of action plans.
- Review this entire process regularly to ensure the relevance and effectiveness of the framework.
- Organize satisfaction surveys and customer interviews.
- Analyze this feedback with qualitative and quantitative data to identify key areas for improvement.
- Create action plans to implement these improvements and monitor their performance.
- Also, have accessible communication channels for customers who have complaints and use tools to categorize and prioritize them.
- Implement processes for quick and effective investigation of complaints and have transparent communication with customers.
Conclusion
To overcome compliance challenges in the food and beverage industry, it is essential to adopt the best practices, methodologies and regulations in the market. For example, implementing compliance and risk management software can transform the way businesses monitor and manage their operations.
This type of tool not only facilitates the identification and mitigation of risks but also ensures that all standards and regulations are strictly followed, minimizing the possibility of non-compliance.
In addition, invest in continuous employee training and the recurring improvement of processes and tools. Organize regular training and updates on best practices and changes in regulations so that all staff are aligned with the required quality and safety standards.
This way you and your team will be able to identify and solve problems quickly, keeping production within compliance parameters and avoiding interruptions that could compromise food safety.
Finally, to strengthen compliance and safety in the food and beverage industry, create a culture of compliance within the organization. This involves the commitment of all hierarchical levels, from senior management to employees.
When compliance is seen as a shared responsibility, the company becomes more resilient and able to meet the challenges of the industry. With the right tools and a well-prepared team, your company can not only comply with regulations but also gain the trust of consumers and stand out in the market.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are the key regulations that food and beverage businesses must follow?
Companies must follow specific regulations set by regulatory bodies in their countries. Some examples of these regulatory agents are Anvisa in Brazil, the FDA in the USA, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in Europe. These standards address items such as hygiene, contaminant control, labeling, and food additives, among others.
How to ensure food safety during production?
Implementing good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), which include proper facility sanitation, pest control, employee training, and continuous process monitoring, among other measures, can ensure food safety.
What is a food safety management system?
A food safety management system, such as the one based on ISO standards, helps to identify and control risks throughout the production chain, ensuring that food is safe for consumption.
What are the consequences of not meeting food safety standards?
The consequences vary greatly according to the type of non-compliance and its consequences. This can include fines, product recalls, damage to the company’s reputation, and most importantly, consumer health risks.
