In the recent "Food Hygiene and Sanitation Updates for Key GFSI-Benchmarked Schemes" webinar, our expert panel delved into strategies for optimizing food safety through adherence to the hygiene and sanitation standards of widely recognized GFSI-benchmarked certification schemes. Deb Smith, Vikan's Global Hygiene Specialist, and Amit M. Kheradia, Remco's Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, fielded questions from participants both during and post-webinar. Below are seven Q&As that we believe could spark interest. Some of these questions have been streamlined for conciseness and clarity.
1. Are all GFSI-benchmarked global food safety standards applicable across the entire food supply chain, from farm to fork?
Not all of them. Certain standards are tailored to specific areas within the food industry. For instance, Global G.A.P focuses solely on good agricultural practices. Conversely, popular standards like BRCGS, SQF, and FSSC 22000 are crafted to encompass a broad spectrum of food industry sectors. You can find a comprehensive list of GFSI-benchmarked standards along with their respective industry scopes here: [GFSI-Recognised-CPOs-20240705 (mygfsi.com)].
2. Does obtaining certification under GFSI-benchmarked standards equate to compliance with food safety regulations?
While GFSI-benchmarked standards are meticulously designed with principles from CODEX or other international food safety standards in mind, it remains the responsibility of the certified company to stay informed about and adhere to evolving regulations in their home country, state, and the markets where their products are sold. For example, allergen regulations vary significantly between countries—nine in the US, around 13 in Canada, 14 in the EU, and so forth.
Additionally, the US Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) mandates more detailed food safety plans for certain facilities, going beyond traditional HACCP plans. Therefore, the global standard clauses are worded carefully to ensure compliance with regulatory obligations, which is mandatory.
3. How crucial are hygiene and sanitation controls for businesses? Could non-compliance lead to audit failure?
It depends. Non-compliances posing an immediate threat to food safety requiring urgent corrective action are critical and can result in a failed facility audit. Based on the severity of the threat to food safety and quality, non-conformities may be classified as major or minor. For example, an inadequately executed pest control program, even without visible signs of pests, would constitute a major non-conformance. Minor non-conformities, however, would not pose significant risks to consumer health, product recalls, or production halts.
When non-conformities occur, companies should conduct a root cause analysis and implement corrective actions. Often, preventive actions should also be established for the future. Certification bodies provide a timeline for resolving non-conformities, but companies should aim to address these issues promptly to prevent operational and market disruptions and assure stakeholders, including customers, of food safety.
4. With the heightened requirements on hygienic design in GFSI schemes, how are auditors being trained to handle these new criteria, and what benchmarks will they use in their audits?
This is an area EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering Design Group) and 3-A SSI are actively collaborating on with GFSI, local regulators, and audit bodies. Currently, there seems to be limited knowledge or experience within these organizations regarding the method of hygienic design. However, EHEDG and 3-A are planning to support auditors by offering hygienic design training and/or providing access to their members' experiences in the future.
5. What are some effective methods for enhancing food safety and hygiene culture in food manufacturing?
There will always be some form of food safety culture at a site, but there's always room for improvement, regardless of the current strength of that culture. It's about returning to the fundamental GFSI requirements:
- Having senior management commit to supporting employees who own the programs related to food safety, sanitation, and hygiene.
- Motivating employees to consistently follow the right practices through innovative education, training, refresher courses, and mentorship.
- Encouraging open employee feedback in meetings and involving frontline workers in the food safety team to ensure decision-making is an ongoing company-wide process rather than a one-time event.
- Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure whether the culture is consistently succeeding or failing. If it's failing, identify the root cause and develop corrective and preventive action plans. If it's succeeding, consider how to sustain and further improve the food safety culture and associated site goals and objectives.
For more insights, our webinar archive includes a useful presentation titled "Food Safety Culture and Color-Coding: How to Exceed Compliance and Simplify Complexity."
6. Which is the best GFSI-benchmarked program to certify against?
Your choice might depend on the sector of the food industry you operate in, such as Global GAP for the fresh produce sector or Global Seafood Alliance for the seafood sector. It may also hinge on the region where you produce and sell your products, your retail customers' demands, and the availability of certifying bodies for the chosen audit standard. You'll need to consider all these factors and more to make the right decision.
Here are some tips for selecting the right GFSI-benchmarked standard for your food site:
- Not all GFSI-benchmarked schemes are equal; know your sector and its GFSI industry scope, then identify the certification standards available for your site.
- Ask your customers, such as what certifications a food retailer or customer expects from a food manufacturer or vendor.
- Research the certification options to find out which one works best for your company regarding certification body selection, availability, costs, ease of implementation, etc.
- Make the decision to get GFSI-benchmarked standard certified a company-wide initiative. Set timelines and milestones for implementation as a team.
- Stay informed about relevant changes in the standard through reliable sources. Once the system is up and running, view it as a continuous process of development, review, maintenance, and improvement of your food safety management system, rather than a one-time event!
7. Do Remco and Vikan offer any GFSI-based certification training or audit services?
We don't offer GFSI-based training or formal auditing services. However, we do support the food industry with the following services:
- Free food safety and hygiene-related information, including our thought leadership webinars, blogs, publications, and presentations at international food safety events like the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP).
- Complimentary services like our guidance tool, food-grade documentation, site surveys, tool selection and management programs, etc.
These efforts aim to help sites meet or exceed the high food safety and hygiene expectations required by GFSI-benchmarked programs and food safety regulations.
Disclaimer: The responses provided to these selected questions are the professional opinions of the industry experts involved and are not necessarily endorsements of any products or services mentioned. Companies should conduct their own site-specific risk assessments and develop their own hazard controls as part of their food safety plan.
For more information and support, please feel free to reach out to:
- Deb Smith, Global Hygiene Specialist for Vikan,
- Amit M. Kheradia, Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager for Remco.
---
### Recent Blog Posts
#### Cross-Contamination Control Strategies Part 3: Plant Layout and Process Control
By Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America
In Part 3 of this series, we’ll explore the importance of designing an appropriate food processing environment and effectively managing processes to reduce the risk of product contamination.
#### Top 6 Hygienic Design Questions with Experts' Answers
By Debra Smith - Global Hygiene Specialist
Read on for six of our top questions and answers from our recent hygienic design webinar.
#### Cross-Contamination Control Strategies Part 2: A Focus on the Hygienic Design of Equipment and Premises
By Amit M. Kheradia - Former Environmental Health and Sanitation Manager, Vikan North America
This blog explains why hygienic design is crucial when choosing and installing food processing area equipment and facilities.
Kids Trolley,Pet Trolley,Expandable Handle,Children Travel Trolley
GUANGDONG SUNDES LUGGAGE ACCESSORY TECHNOLOGIES CO.,LTD , https://www.sundes-global.com