Quality Management in Food Service

A well-managed and strategic food chain is essential for the health and well-being of all consumers and essential for social and economic stability.

This makes food safety a critical issue that must be managed effectively throughout the entire food chain, from farm to plate.

Failure to comply with industry standards for food safety can lead to prosecution, product recalls, lost opportunities, and negative publicity. In addition to food safety, the global food chain has a significant impact on the environment and on the health and safety of its employees.

To meet obligations to the public and remain competitive, food companies throughout the food chain must meet high expectations for quality and safety.

The main safety management systems in the food industry are listed below:

ISO 22000:

The ISO 22000 standard has been designed with flexibility, to allow a tailored approach to food safety, covering all segments of the food chain. ISO 22000 is an internationally recognized food safety management standard that applies to any organization that is involved in food production directly or indirectly.

FSSC 22000:

The FSSC 22000 standard has been developed by the Foundation for Food Safety Certification, ultimately being the result of the union of the ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Standard and the PAS 220 Specification (or ISO / TS 22002-1), in addition of other requirements in order to meet the certification requirements of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).

 What is the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)?

The GFSI is a collaboration between retailers, manufacturers and service providers within the supply chain, and is coordinated by the Consumer Goods Forum.

By comparing standards against one another against a set of criteria, GFSI aims to reduce duplication from retailers requesting separate but nearly identical audits.

IFS certificate

IFS is the acronym for ‘International Featured Standards ‘, although it is a more well-known certificate, such as IFS Food, its main virtue is that it values ​​both the quality and the safety of the food product.

IFS Regulates the audits that apply to businesses that process and treat food, those that package and / or those that handle food products in bulk.

It is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) which is an industry-driven collaboration that promotes food safety.

BRC standard

The BRC standard of the British Retail Consortium was developed by this association of British retail chains that gives it its name and is equivalent to the IFS.

Broadly speaking, we can say that its objective is to certify compliance with the requirements regarding HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points).

The BRC standard is applicable to any food preparation, handling or packaging process where there is a risk of contamination.

The content of the BRC standard:

• Management commitment and continuous improvement. 
• Hazard analysis system and critical control points (HACCP).
• Quality management system applied to food safety.
• The installations.
• Design of products.
• Process control.
• Personal.

Over the years and given the international diffusion of this standard, specific BRC standards have been developed for different sectors related to food and other related sectors.

HALAL certificate

Said certificate is in charge of assuring the consumer that the product has been prepared, elaborated, transported and stored using means compatible with what is dictated by Islamic law and that they have not come into contact with other foods that do not comply with the same requirement.

KOSHER certificate

The KOSHER certificate guarantees that a product complies with the standards of the Jewish religion. The value of this certificate is that if your product or establishment achieves this label, it is a guarantee for consumers that Complies with the Kosher food policy. Meets strict requirements for cleanliness, purity and quality. How to implement these food safety regulations in my company?

The usual process to achieve the implementation of this regulation is:

1. Contact a third part (certifying consultant) who will be in charge of certifying the company in question.
2. The specific documentation will be requested to initiate the procedures.
3. The third part or company required to certify will send a report on the aspects to change or that need clarification and that have been detected in the documentation sent.
4. Agreement between the parties to conduct an initial audit.
5. Preparation of the corrective action plan by the company that aspires to be certified.
6. Successive follow-up audits are established to confirm that the appropriate changes have been made and that the requirements are still being met.