According to a recent Environmental Working Group report, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not inspecting as many food manufacturing facilities as it once did. The activist group discovered that the FDA carried out only about 4,500 inspections in 2021, less than half of the roughly 10,000 inspections the agency conducted in 2011.
Still, you shouldn’t let this stop your facility from taking safety seriously. Despite the FDA’s diminished number of inspections over the last decade, knowing how to meet strict quality standards with advanced food inspection remains vital.
If your company fails to prioritize safety, it risks penalties for non-compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and other regulations that apply to manufacturing facilities. You could also risk its hard-earned reputation and erode consumer trust by not taking the necessary steps to strengthen safety procedures.
Thankfully, meeting even the most stringent quality standards is easier than ever with the food inspection technologies available through TDI Packsys. These innovations enable your company to perform the proper testing on all the products that pass through your facility daily.
Learn more about how to meet strict quality standards with advanced food inspection below.
What Is Food Safety Inspection?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reports that the U.S. is home to nearly 43,000 food manufacturing facilities. These facilities transform raw commodities into finished products safe for human consumption.
In a perfect world, all of these facilities would prioritize safety. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
Some companies that specialize in food production cut corners. While this practice might seem harmless on the surface, it could cause consumers to suffer from foodborne illnesses and expose them to foods containing foreign particles, like metal, glass, stone, bones, and more.
Several agencies have created regulations and standards that companies must meet to improve safety within food manufacturing facilities.
The FDA leads inspections. Although research has revealed that the agency conducts fewer inspections than it used to, it continues to inspect manufacturing facilities routinely for safety issues. If it uncovers any, it can levy fines and other penalties to force these facilities to change their operations and make them safer.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is another agency that regularly inspects manufacturing facilities. More specifically, it inspects facilities that produce meat and poultry products. The FSIS aims to reduce the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in products by using Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCPs).
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) also plays a big part in developing food safety management standards. Its ISO 22000 international standard establishes clear guidelines for safety management systems.
Each organization takes a slightly different approach to inspection. However, they all have one common goal: to make products in these facilities that are entirely safe when they land in the hands of consumers.
What Do Food Inspectors Usually Check?
Food inspectors who work for agencies like the FDA and FSIS have demanding jobs. They inspect manufacturing facilities from every angle to ensure they take every possible step to keep consumers safe.
If your company operates one or more of these facilities, you should know what these inspectors will look for when they visit you. Here are several key areas they’ll pay close attention to when they’re conducting inspections:
- Looking for signs of hygiene and sanitation issues
- Analyzing the handling and storage of raw materials
- Testing equipment functionality and maintenance
- Evaluating packaging integrity and labeling accuracy
Ensure these areas are on your radar when figuring out how to meet strict quality standards with advanced food inspection. It would be best to familiarize yourself with the common pitfalls that can cause non-compliance on your company’s part. Here are just a few:
- Neglecting to remind your facility’s employees to wash their hands early and often, wear gloves when handling raw materials, etc.
- Storing raw materials at the wrong temperatures or allowing them to come into contact with ready-to-eat foods
- Failing to test, maintain, and repair manufacturing equipment
- Skipping key manufacturing steps, like utilizing vision inspection systems to inspect product labels and packaging
Inspectors are often diligent about inspecting every square inch of a facility for any indications of safety issues. Your company must commit to not making crucial mistakes that could cause your facility to fail inspections.
Creating and Implementing a Food Safety Plan
Has your company developed a surefire food safety plan to minimize the chances of your manufacturing facility failing inspections? If not, now is the right time to establish one.
Initially, this might sound like a tall task, but it is easier than you think. Take these steps to implement a plan that will make your facility safer almost overnight:
- Identify all the hazards that might present problems within your facility.
- Set critical control points (CCPs) and create control measures for each one.
- Establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) for eliminating risks.
- Document processes for your company’s employees.
- Train your employees to follow your company’s plan and retrain them as needed.
That last step is crucial. You can create the best possible plan for your facility, but it could all be for naught if your employees don’t abide by it.
When developing a safety plan for your facility, involve your employees so they can take more ownership of the process. Welcome their ideas and take any feedback they provide seriously. This approach could ultimately make your strategy even more effective.
You should also incorporate the latest technologies to monitor and manage protocols. These technologies will offer an excellent return on investment by making your facility significantly safer.
Leveraging Advanced Food Inspection Technologies
Food inspection technologies have become much more advanced than they used to be in a relatively short time. Your company should take full advantage of them as you strive to learn how to meet strict quality standards with advanced food inspection.
TDI Packsys offers a variety of advanced inspection systems. We can provide:
- Metal detectors for contaminant detection
- X-ray systems for identifying non-metallic contaminants
- Vision systems for detecting packaging and labeling defects
Outside of performing thorough inspections, these systems can set up your company with automation and real-time monitoring. As a result, you won’t have to worry about human error impacting your inspection processes. You can rely on the systems to improve quality control and pinpoint potential problems automatically to sidestep serious safety complications.
TDI Packsys has provided our advanced inspection tools to those in many industries and helped many companies write success stories.
Feedback and Reporting: Continuous Improvement
Another advantage of utilizing the inspection technologies available through a food inspection partner like TDI Packsys is that they provide steady feedback and reports. You can use the inspection results you receive to identify and address weaknesses within your facility’s production processes.
You can also count on the clear reporting and documentation these technologies deliver for compliance audits. They will even offer feedback loops, allowing you to continuously refine your processes and standards.
Maintaining a Food Safety Standard in the Plant
TDI Packsys’s advanced inspection technologies will instantly improve the safety of manufacturing facilities. However, you shouldn’t lean solely on our systems to maintain your facility’s safety standards.
Use the best practices for maintaining hygiene and safety as well. They include:
- Performing regular equipment maintenance and calibration
- Conducting routine audits and mock inspections
- Cultivating a culture of safety among employees
You should also leverage data from inspections to prevent future non-compliance.
Achieving Excellence in Food Safety
Many companies in the food industry view inspections carried out by agencies like the FDA and FSIS as necessary evils. They see them as the cost of doing business in this sector. However, they ultimately exist to help you remain safe when you’re consuming these very same sorts of products.
Therefore, view these inspections as opportunities rather than obligations. By being proactive about complying with safety regulations, you can position your company to meet and exceed quality standards. You can also strengthen your operations and ensure the long-term success of your manufacturing facility.
Let Us Help Your Company Meet Even the Loftiest Quality Standards in the Food Industry
Now that you know how to meet strict quality standards with advanced food inspection, are you ready to invest in the equipment you’ll need to tackle this task? TDI Packsys is here to help with the latest solutions.
Invest in our inspection systems to make meeting the existing quality standards more manageable. Call us at 877-834-6750 today to learn more about how they work.
