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02-02-2019, 10:26 AM
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Food Safety Management Systems — Get Certified!
While at a recent launch for a fellow consultant’s company, Diane Edwards, the president of Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), stressed the importance of adopting a culture of quality and safety in the food manufacturing industry in Jamaica. This was encouraged due to our inability to produce commodities on a large scale owing to our size and our ability to produce good-quality exotic food products in small quantities when compared to export giants such as the UK and Canada. I have also been reiterating the importance of adopting and implementing management systems that will reduce food safety risks throughout our food supply chain. All food processing establishments — whether you are a producer of the raw materials, packaging material or the final product — must have an approved and documented Food Safety Management System (FSMS) in place to ensure food is safe for distribution and consumption.
Now what, exactly, is an FSMS? It is a preventative approach that ensures primary producers, manufacturers and distributors identify, prevent, and reduce food-borne hazards to ensure Food is safe for consumption. Once a comprehensive FSMS is designed, documented and implemented effectively, you can rest assured that your establishment will comply with Food hygiene regulations locally or internationally. There are different types of FSMSes and each establishment will choose which is best for them based on where they lie in the Food supply chain. For primary producers there are certification schemes such as Global GAP and PRIMUS GFS, which will ensure on- farm practices are planned and executed to avoid Food Safety risks further down in the supply chain. For smaller Food businesses that may find it difficult to afford to be certified to an international certification scheme, they can easily begin a path to Food Safety by implementing the basic Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and ensure the facility is inspected and approved by relevant local regulatory agencies such as the Bureau of Standards (BSJ) and Ministry of Health. Additionally, the BSJ offers a programme to processors to have them “HACCP-recognised” by validating the implementation of an effective HACCP-based system in the establishment, and prepares them for recognition/certification of the HACCP system by international certification bodies when they are able to afford international certification. For establishments wanting to export to the United States, United Kingdom or Canada, they will need to determine the needs of their customers and select from Systems such as HACCP, BRC, SQF, AIB, FSSC 22000, Canada GAP, among others. However, once certified to a programme that is recognised as a Global Food Safety Initiative scheme (GFSI), your products will be accepted worldwide as one that is producing safe Food for consumers. Where to begin? Ensure Food Safety is embedded in the culture of your organisation and your strategic plan. Then contact the BSJ for guidance or contact a consultant such as myself for guidance you on which standard is right for you. After that determination is made, it is expected that your selected consultant will assess your processes against a particular standard and hold your hand throughout the process to ensure that all gaps are closed to effectively implement whichever programme is right for you. There are many processors in the marketplace who are being rejected for business or suffering losses due to Food Safety mishaps because of failure to comply to even the most basic Food Safety requirements; don’t let that be you. Become compliant and play your role in providing safe Food for the population. </p> Source link More ??????? ??????: Food Safety Management Systems — Get Certified! || ??????: ahlam1399 || ??????: اسم منتداك
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