Food Safety and Quality Management

Analyze the Audits for Better Compliance

foodsqm — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:33:48 +0000

John Surak gave his webinar, “Applying Process-based Analytics to Audit Results for Process Management and Improvement” yesterday. The recorded presentation is now available for you and the slide deck is available at SlideShare.

An important takeaway is that using analytics on the audit findings and applying the results to your continuous improvement program is an excellent way to strengthen your FSMS. This implies better performance on subsequent audits and improved compliance with GFSI and ISO 22000 standards.

Food Safety Webinar – How to Apply Analytics to Audits for Process Improvement

foodsqm — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:54:50 +0000

On Thursday December 15 at 11 AM PST, 2 PM PST, John Surak will present the webinr, “Applying Process-based Analytics to Audit Results for Process Management and Improvement” .

Operational audits and inspections play a critical role in assuring the effectiveness of the Food Safety Management System (FSMS). But that’s merely Step One.

Step Two and beyond involve leveraging the results from these audits to maximize value and effectiveness for process management and improvement by identifying the key process indicators, assessing them for trends, and taking action before a food-safety incident occurs.

How to Use Audits for Process Improvement

The proper linkage and operation of the FSMS components enables successful certification audits. Additionally, it bolsters the view by Senior Management and other stakeholders that the plant has a robust food-safety management system in place. By applying process-based analytics, management can continuously monitor the FSMS performance, improve compliance and reduce risk to the company.

The webinar will examine the data available in audits and pre-requisite program inspections and how applying analytics such as SPC can extract useful process management information. This method provides actionable feedback on the manufacturing processes and establishes a solid foundation for process management and continuous improvement. You can change audits from an unpleasant necessity to a positive contributor to your performance and bottom line.

Can You Help With Audit Analytics Case Studies?

foodsqm — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:37:07 +0000

ISO 22000 requires the analysis of results of verification activities, and SQF and BRC require annual validation of the Food Safety Management System. The analysis of the data for either of these two activities can be easily done using SPC.

John Surak and I presented a poster on this topic at the IAFP annual meeting this summer (http://slidesha.re/uBnW1i ) and John will present a webinar on the topic, “Applying Process-based Analytics to Audit Results for Process Management and Improvement” on December 15, 2011 ( http://www.nwasoft.com/resources/webinars/applying-process-based-analytics-audit-results-process-management-and-improvement ) .

We are looking for additional data which to develop case studies which demonstrate the power of SPC based analytics in conducting verification activities in the food industry. If you wish to participate in the project contact John Surak at jgsurak@yahoo.com or Jeffery Cawley at jcawley@nwasoft.com.

Process Control and the Food Safety Modernization Act

foodsqm — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:00:55 +0000

We have now had about 6 months to study the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This time has allowed some of the dust to settle. There are several more interesting parts to the act. One part includes the use of the word “verification,” which is mentioned 16 times. The big question is: How will the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) define verification for interpretation of the regulations? Verification can be defined in several ways. The new regulations will require verification that the food safety system is working effectively. Finished product testing and environmental testing will be included in the verification process. These verification activities must be recorded, and the records must be made available to FDA upon request.

Read article in Food Safety

How to Apply Process-based Analytics to Audit Results

foodsqm — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 23:38:05 +0000

On August 1, John Surak and Jeff Cawley presented “Applying Process-based Analytics to Audit Results for Process Management and Improvement” at the International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting. The Slide deck is attached

Operational audits and inspections play a critical role in assuring the effectiveness of the Food Safety Management System (FSMS). To realize the maximum value and effectiveness for process management and improvement, key process indicators should be identified and plotted on control charts. The control charts can then be assessed for trends, so actions can be taken before a food safety incident occurs.

The proper linkage and operation of the FSMS components enables successful certification audits and gives confidence to Senior Management and other stakeholders that the plant has a robust food safety management system in place. By applying process analytics such as SPC to sanitation data management can continuously monitor the FSMS performance.

Applying Process-based Analytics to Audits

Audit Analytics

foodsqm — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:31:49 +0000

The data gathered from food safety operational audits and inspections frequently goes no further than the summary report. The process information contained in this data can and should be used in continuous improvement programs.

On August 1, Dr. John Surak, Surak Associates, and Jeffery Cawley, NWA, will present “Applying Process-based Analytics to Audit Results for Process Management and Improvement” at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the International Association for Food Protection in Milwaukie, WI. The authors will be available for discussion at poster session P1-138 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

The presentation will examine how applying process analytics such as SPC to sanitation data provides more effective monitoring of the Food Safety Management System (FSMS) performance. This method also enables effective improvement of FSMS compliance capabilities.

The presentation is the latest in a series of studies on improving food safety by applying SPC and process improvement methods which began with the 1998 article, “Integrating HACCP and SPC” and continued with such projects as ground beef purchase for the National School Lunch program (see Feast or Famine, “Food Safety in the Supply Chain“).

EU ag ministers hold emergency E.coli summit

foodsqm — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:36:05 +0000

European agricultural ministers meet for summit on E.coli outbreak. Much like the previous US salsa outbreak, the claimed culprits have changed from Spanish cucumbers to German bean sprouts and none have proved positive. Demonstrates the difficulty of epidemiology with perishables. The EU food safety system is very good, but even the best food safety system can fail. Therefore, we need to plan for failure when the outlier is reached.

FDA Warning Letters: Lessons for Industry

foodsqm — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:06:23 +0000

David Acheson has begun a regular feature in the Leavitt Partners blog where he be examining the warning letters that the FDA has issued to the food industry. As he discusses, these should provide an insight into enforcement behavior as the Food Safety Modernization Act comes to bear. It is instructive that among the FDA warning letters from January 1, 2011 to May 24, 2011. the largest category is for current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) violations. This implies that food processors will be well advised to have their food safety plan up to snuff and that they have implemented a competent Food Safety Management System.

You can view a recording of a webinar “Comprehensive Strategies to Protect Your Brand” we did with David on these topics.

The Skills Needed for Continuous Improvement

foodsqm — Thu, 26 May 2011 16:31:03 +0000

Cristian Matei, Global Operational Business Improvement Manager, Alstom Power, a global power generation company headquartered in Switzerland is interviewed by the PEX Network (Process Excellence Network). Matei speaks about the skills required to drive continuous improvement and the need to develop a global view in addition to focus on individual projects.

His call for common understanding of processes throughout the organization speaks to the necessity of distributed manufacturing intelligence provided by systems such as NWA Quality Analytics Server.

http://bit.ly/lZengO

United Fresh Produce Association Creating Audit Standard

foodsqm — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:13:45 +0000

David Gombas, PhD, senior vice president of food safety and technology for the United Fresh Produce Association announced the industry is developing a single food safety audit standard at the 2011 annual meeting. The template being created is designed to be applicable across many produce varieties. http://bit.ly/mTwanI