Recently, there have been several incidents of people getting sick after eating processed food. In most of these cases, the source of contamination was traced back to the processing facility. If the contamination occurred due to negligence the facility managers and owners can be criminally charged. The public trusts food manufacturers to produce safe food.
Luckily, the FDA has instituted regulations that outline proper ways to maintain a sanitary food production area, and fines companies that don’t meet these requirements. Other organizations have created their own sets of standards and requirements, giving certification to companies that pass their requirements. These guidelines are designed to protect people by preventing any food-borne illnesses or contaminants from being consumed and making sure quality standards stay the same.
The FDA’s Code of Federal Regulations, Section 110.35- Sanitary Operations, gives an overview of what a food processor needs to accomplish with their sanitation requirements:
(a) General maintenance. Buildings, fixtures, and other physical facilities of the plant shall be maintained in a sanitary condition and shall be kept in repair sufficient to prevent food from becoming adulterated within the meaning of the act. Cleaning and sanitizing of utensils and equipment shall be conducted in a manner that protects against contamination of food, food-contact surfaces, or food-packaging materials.
There are three other main organizations overseeing food safety programs to make sure companies keep processes sanitary:
AIB
The American Institute of Baking (AIB) was originally created to research and develop ways to ensure commercially produced bread met quality standards. After WWI, shortages of bread ingredients caused quality to decrease and consumers to turn away from commercially produced products. It has since grown into an international organization overseeing food safety standards.
The AIB does not provide a company with a typical certification or perform food safety audits. Instead, they rely on physical inspections to assess the situation. The inspection success depends on a joint responsibility and teamwork between the inspector and company. Companies that do pass a requested inspection do receive recognition documents, showing they have met the International Consolidated Standards for Inspection.
BRC
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) creates Food Safety Standards that are used and recognized globally with over 15,000 suppliers in over 100 countries adopting the standards. This standard is used anywhere in the food processing chain where food is handled, processed, or packaged.
The focus of the BRC Food Safety Standard is to ensure that the manufacturing process only produces items that meet quality levels and are safe for customers. Increased food safety by becoming BRC certified also helps to reduce waste, rejects, complaints or product recalls.
SQF
The Safe Quality Food (SQF) provides a set of codes that is used by anyone in the food industry, from the manufacturing process to the retail side. The use of one standard, “from farm to fork” makes sure everyone involved knows that the product has met the same guidelines and is safe to use. The mission of the SQF Institute is to “deliver consistent, globally recognized food safety and quality certification programs based on sound scientific principles, consistently applied across all industry sectors, and valued by all stakeholders”
The SQF code has been designed to provide food quality requirements that stay up to date and are competitive, while allowing for changing consumer habits. The SQF addresses requirements for local food suppliers up to global markets.
