Category Archives: Compliance

Three Questions About Software for Food Processors Tamlin

Three Compliance Questions Every Food Manufacturing Company Should Ask about Software for Food Processors

Compliance, Food Manufacturing, food processors, software,

By Linda Bryan Chief Executive Officer Tamlin Software Bigger might not be better, but sometimes bigger really can be easier. If, for example, market forces and regulatory agencies require a bundle of added resources to keep up with industry compliance standards, it’s far easier to carry the load if you’re a large operation with deep … Continue reading Three Compliance Questions Every Food Manufacturing Company Should Ask about Software for Food Processors →

As the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliance August 2017 date approaches, we would like to share with our readers how SQF Certification will prepare them to be FSMA compliant. Specifically, ‘What do I need to do to go from SQF Certification to FSMA compliant?” In a November, 2015 SQF Institute article (http://www.sqfi.com/2015/11/02/sqf-level-2-certification-gets-you-ready-to-be-fsma-compliant/), the Institute put forth an executive summary giving SQF Level 2 certified companies a path to FSMA compliance. The FDA will require a HARPC (Hazard Analysis and Risk-based Preventive Controls) food safety plan. The plan is a transition in approach to food safety. The focus is on prevention - rather than reaction. According to HARPC.com (http://www.harpc.com/harpc-requirements/), companies must create a written analysis of hazards and include both an identification of the risks as well as an analysis of the risks as they pertain (or could pertain) to the facility and the foods or food ingredients it handles. The core intent of the law is to identify hazards (biological, physical, and chemical including radiological) due to various processing, manufacturing, and packing activities. On the way to FSMA compliance, each food manufacturer must evaluate the risks for biological hazards such as Listeria monocytogenes, chemical hazards such as natural toxins, pesticides, allergens and food additives, and physical hazards such as shards of glass or other foreign material. In addition, the analysis also includes evaluating hazards that are introduced by acts of terrorism. Is the plant secure? Are security measures in place? Are personnel being screened? How safe is the entire supply chain from raw materials, ingredients and packaging and the finished goods received, delivered and shipped? As an SQF compliant facility, step 1 to prepare for FSMA compliance is to prepare a document that pulls together all the various aspects of a food safety plan, referring to all the SQF compliance information, and developing preventive controls that directly prevent the various hazards from occurring. To develop your preventative controls for each risk or hazard identified, consider these questions: - What training is in place to teach awareness of this risk? - What procedures are in place for prevention? - Are there physical barriers in place for prevention? (Doors, Keypad entry, lids, etc) - Are there technology (such as security rights access) barriers in place for prevention? Leveraging your existing SQF documentation and adding the preventative controls is your first step toward FSMA compliance. Next time, we will discuss the FDA’s two key activities food facilities must implement once a HARPC review and prevention plan is completed; namely, monitoring and verification. | Tamlin Software

Five Things Small Food Companies Should Know about FSMA Compliance…Today!

Compliance, Food Manufacturing, FSMA, GFSI, , ,

By Linda Bryan, CEO, Tamlin Software The first step isn’t always the hardest. Sometimes, in fact, it’s one of the easiest. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is a case in point. The final rules are in place, and deadlines are looming. And with its phased approach and extra ramp-up time allotted for smaller companies, … Continue reading Five Things Small Food Companies Should Know about FSMA Compliance…Today! →

ERP Software for GFSI Compliance

ERP Software and GFSI Compliance: A Match Made in ROI

Compliance, ERP, Food Manufacturing, GFSI, , , , ,

By Linda Bryan, CEO, Tamlin Software If you’re a small- to mid-sized food manufacturer, you already know why it’s important to comply with the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). But you might think it’s out of your reach, both in terms of what it will cost and what it will require in additional work and … Continue reading ERP Software and GFSI Compliance: A Match Made in ROI →

GFSI Compliance Tamlin Software

GFSI Compliance Brings Big Benefits to Small Food Processors

Compliance, GFSI

If you’re a small- or mid-sized food processor, GFSI compliance isn’t just important. It can literally be critical to your success. Short for the Global Safety Food Initiative, GFSI represents a series of standards that can level the playing field in terms of food-safety assurance, no matter how large or small a food manufacturer may … Continue reading GFSI Compliance Brings Big Benefits to Small Food Processors →