How to Improve Quality Control in the Food Industry

The food and beverage sector is an industry that requires a detailed quality control process. This is because it plays a long role in determining the consumption quality of the end consumers. Every food manufacturing company must strictly comply with certain regulations. This will also reflect the company’s image and reputation. More so, quality control will ensure uniformity across every supply chain. Since quality control is important in the food industry, how do you improve the processes? Read on to find out detailed answers to this question.

Use Improved Technology Equipment Like X-Ray

Quality inspection keeps getting better with the introduction of advanced devices. Among several other devices, an x-ray has proven effective in detecting foreign materials in foods. Since food is a great contribution to human well-being, you need a device that can detect the presence of bones, glass, or metals. More so, consumption of any of these foreign objects exposes the consumer to deadly diseases such as internal injuries or organ damage.

Technology devices are also accurate and precise in analyzing screening results. Thus, you can be sure to produce clean products, free of any form of contamination. Unlike metal-based detectors, x-rays are hyper-sensitive, and they can detect both metal and non-metallic objects. It can also detect metals, irrespective of the size, shape, or product package. X-ray’s sensitivity makes it ideal for serving multiple purposes, including measuring mass, counting components, and detecting broken products.

The x-ray inspection method is cost-effective when compared with most other methods, such as manual inspection. It is also fast, preventing time wasting. X-ray is highly mandated by certain food regulatory agencies. To meet certain regulations, such as Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), x-ray inspection is needed.

Have a Transparent Supply Chain

The integrity of the personnel involved in your supply chain process will greatly affect the outcome of your quality inspection process. Thus, every stage of the supply chain should be visible to the inspectors, including the production, packaging, distribution, and delivery stage. Unfortunately, some retailers tend to bribe inspectors to overlook a certain defect. This is highly dangerous and can expose the end consumers to danger. Thus, you need to hire quality control inspectors that will prioritize customers’ safety and your brand’s reputation. You must also create a checklist of what inspectors should consider while evaluating the supply chain.

When a company has a transparent supply chain, it is much easier to identify issues or problems before it escalates. Every party involved should also have access to tracking the product progress from the production stage to the delivery stage. Thus, concerned parties can easily identify if the manufactured products meet ethical practices. This will help identify potential risks and eliminate product recalls.

Bear in mind that regulations serve some environmental impacts on food production inspection. Thus, the effect is on a global level, especially with the rising threat of global warming. Companies can demonstrate labor practices to regulators and necessary stakeholders. More so, when a supply chain is transparent, there will be accurate data to track performances and identify areas for improvement. It is expedient that every growing company implement this quality control process.

Use Proper Protective Equipment

During food production inspection, companies will need to comply with Proper Protective Equipment (PPE), irrespective of style. This will ensure the well-being of the company’s employees, which will in turn affect their productivity.

Proper Protect Equipment is crucial in protecting employees from hazards and raw materials spillage, such as biological or chemical agents. It will also prevent employees from being injured by sharp objects used during food production. Meanwhile, when employees’ skin has cuts or punctures, it could expose the food to contamination. Some PPE you can wear include; hard hats, shoes, gloves, safety glasses, and respirators.

Neglecting PPE safety may incur legal charges or penalties. Thus, every company or business owner needs to communicate the required safety gear to their employees. You should also ensure the message is being passed across clearly, with no ambiguity. You don’t want any contaminant to mess up your product quality.

Train the Employees on Quality Control Measures

Apart from PPE, you need to educate the employees on proper quality control measures. Emphasize the importance of food quality in society, and how slight negligence could affect the overall result. Thus, you need to train the employees on food hygiene, and proper handling standards.

You may constantly check top organizations or FDA for new standards to implement during the company’s food production stage. A quality inspector  should have detailed information on things to do to ensure smooth workflow across supply chains. You may also consult a third-party inspection company to engage the workers. Since the inspection company will emphasize its actions and expectations from the company, workers will understand the gravity of their actions.

Use IoT Sensors

Since manual inspection is unreliable, sensors can be used for real-time monitoring of the manufacturing process. The sensor can detect defects, and alert the workers immediately. Thus, the company can quickly address any challenges before continuing with the production process. It also has a high rate of accuracy and error, which is more likely to happen in manually collected data.

The Internet of Things (IoT) sensors not only detect bacteria in foods but also monitor the equipment and machines used. Thus, it will predict if the machines need maintenance, repair, or replacement. This is to ensure there are no delays during food production. This food production inspection method will also reduce the time spent waiting for lap results, especially for perishable foods. You may also consider getting a wireless IoT, which will help identify if the foods are being stored under the right condition, such as temperature.

IoT sensors enhance traceability. It allows companies to track the components being used throughout manufacturing, for proper audit purposes. The collected data may also be used to identify trends and production patterns. The team will then discuss areas that need improvement or innovations. It will also reduce excessive expenses that may be associated with rework and scrap.

Ensure Proper Food Labelling

Food labeling is a crucial aspect of quality control, and it informs consumers of everything they need to know about a particular product. This includes the nutritional content, allergens, and makeup ingredients. Thus, it helps consumers to avoid ingredients that could cause bad body reactions. Food labeling should also contain cooking and storage information. This is because most foods need to be cooked at a particular temperature to destroy the innate bacteria.

Food labeling must be detailed enough to enable consumers to distinguish your products from competitors. Thus, highlighting the benefits and features of your food will help it stand out among other products. When the information in the food labeling is accurate and detailed enough, consumers can trust the brand better. Thus, it helps companies to build a great reputation for themselves.

Implement Proactive and Reactive Measures

Standard quality control should be a continuous process, constantly checking the quality of items produced. This includes product creation and development strategies. If you have been documenting past challenges or defects, it is much easier to implement proactive measures. Based on the first-hand information, you can identify things to avoid or introduce in the next production. Also, proactive measures will prevent time wasting in trying to create new solutions to existing problems.

Sometimes, a company may encounter challenges despite the proactive measures being used. As a result, employees must be fully prepared to provide reasonable reactions to existing defects. You should also bear in mind that your response time will determine if the products will be discarded or not. This particularly applies when a defect from a certain portion could contaminate the whole sampling. You may also invest in quality equipment that allows easy implementation of reactive quality control measures.

The tight competition in the food industry demands detailed attention in production. Thus, the packaging process should receive the utmost attention as well. There should be a focus on the packaging material, size, and shape.

How EC Global Inspection Can Help

Since foods are highly sensitive, you need professional food production inspection to ensure compliance with the regulatory standard. As an experienced company, EC Global Inspection understands the importance of being involved in a quality inspection process. Thus, the company allocates teams to oversee packaging, shipping, and storage processes. Every aspect of the manufacturing process will be closely monitored, giving no chance of food contamination. The team of experts is also open to working towards the company’s preferences, following food safety.


Post time: Mar-15-2023