The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is front and center for most food processors yet managing the regulatory and reporting requirements can be taxing and time consuming. Many food processors are investing in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to more efficiently manage the process, allowing for better data collection, analysis, documentation, and reporting tools. Using an ERP program to manage your plant’s food safety program will improve your audit results, reduce food safety-related incidents and investigations, improve product quality and ultimately increase operational efficiencies.
Newer ERP platforms, those developed in the past ten years, offer numerous benefits over legacy systems including the ability to integrate with other components within your facility that impact food safety. Integration is a critical element as all aspects of a facility play a role in food safety.
Five ways ERP can help you comply with FSMA:
- Compliance — Food industry-specific ERP systems provide the necessary platforms to integrate government regulations into your processes. As food safety requirements change, an ERP system will ensure that your processes maintain compliance standards.
- Preventive measures — An ERP system can provide electronic plans that help minimize risk and manage quality control, greatly improving compliance standards. For example, the proper ERP program can provide electronic plans for conducting systematic preventive measures including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Process Hazard Analysis (PHA).
- Reactive measures — Regulations require that processors have access to real-time data for product traceability. An ERP system manages and stores the appropriate information throughout the supply chain and production to provide immediate access to necessary information.
- Recall management —Food manufacturers must be able to recall products instantly when a breach has occurred. An ERP system provides a fully defined recall process in advance and provides guidelines for performing mock recalls ensuring the entire team is adequately trained.
- Incident control — FSMA requires that food processors take corrective actions in the event of a food safety incident and provide a method for prevention. An ERP system will provide a systematic approach that analyzes data, identifies the root cause, documents the corrective action taken, and continuously monitors the process to ensure regulatory compliance.
To learn more about how an ERP system can help your facility manage FSMA requirements, email me at foodforthought@stellar.net.