Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the client or customer gets out of it – Peter Drucker
Food quality is now a consumer perception and demand. Despite having voluntary systems for certifying quality assurance such as Safe Quality Food (SQF), British Retail Consortium (BRC) or ISO 22000, we still lag behind in terms of food quality. Food Safety Management System (FSMS) focusses on ensuring that foods in the food chain do not cause any adverse effects.
We all know that today there is a growing concern about food quality and safety worldwide. The quality and safety aspect is considered as the most important characteristic of all the food products. Government has enacted various protective regulations, standards and codes of practices to control food quality and safety and to prevent food-borne diseases and consumer complaints.
It is very well-known that the Indian food processing market is the largest in the world in terms of production, consumption and growth. The food industries in the world are in a constant battle to produce safe food and also they strive to maintain the stringent food standards. The safe food concept is not new and has undergone a variety of changes in the past and is bound to change in future due to continuous research and rapid new food product development. The advancements in science and automation of food production present a series of new challenges to us.
Quality control is the evaluation of the raw materials, packaging materials, production process along with the SOPs, the final product, the storage and transportation conditions prior to its marketing where at the end of the production, there is no way to correct production failures or upgrade the quality of the final product. The low quality products can only be sold at lower prices and the non-marketable products have to be discarded. Their production costs, however, had been as high as those of the high and regular quality products. Thus, quality control has only a limited potential to increase the quality and efficiency of a multi-step production procedure.
Quality Assurance in contrast to Quality Control is the implementation of quality checks and procedures to immediately correct any failure and mistake that is able to reduce the quality of the interim products at every production step. Thus, the desired high quality of the final product is planned and obtained by conducting certain quality audits.
To maintain the quality system in the food processing industry and to assure product quality one needs to keep in mind the following essential components like Good Manufacturing Practices, Good Foodhandling Practices, proper personnel training, effective pest control programme, Good Cleaning and Sanitation Practices, proactive shipping and receiving programmes, traceability and recall programmes, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) programme, food allergen segregation and labelling (for processors), and standard operating procedures.
Food quality also includes many factors such as taste, aroma, colour, texture, functionality, health, cost, environment, decent work, equity, tradition and culture. The most important quality factor of processed food is safety and reliability followed by “deliciousness” and “appropriate price.”
Today’s trends
We need to establish a culture of food quality and safety across the supply chain. In this way organisations will be better poised to build more loyal relationships with their customers. In the year ahead, organisations will focus more on driving forward sustainability initiatives that make more efficient use of energy and natural resources, with a focus on minimising their environmental and societal impacts.
5S Concept: These days the 5S concept (i.e. Sort, Straighten or Systematically Arrange, Shine, Standardise and Sustain) is adopted by the food manufacturers especially in production area as the most basic quality control action. This benefits in increasing the quality and productivity of the food.
Six Sigma: It is a total quality management concept focussed in the manufacturing of food that includes food description, sampling plan, sample handling, analytical method and lab performance. It is a statistically-based quality control methodology that is used to identify and reduce variations and defects in the process, and finally reach a goal to near perfection. It was basically designed to optimise the manufacturing process. Today there are many food manufacturers that apply Six Sigma tools to improve the process, especially fast food industries that manufacture and deliver food.
With perishable product and large quantities of food being produced and/or delivered, often the goals are around quality and speed - ensuring that fresh, quality food is delivered where it is needed and when it is needed in the best condition possible. An example of waste, in this case, could be moving food product unnecessarily causing delays in delivery to customers. Another example is making too much food and having to discard excess inventory.
Thomas R Cutler, president & CEO of Florida-based TR Cutler Inc. has pointed out in his article about Food Manufacturing and Six Sigma, that developing a Six Sigma programme will benefit a food company substantially and lead to success in the food and beverage industry.
Genetically-Modified (GM) Foods: International demand for GM foods is increasing. All GM foods intended for sale in Australia and New Zealand undergo safety evaluation by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). FSANZ never approves a GM food unless it is safe to eat. GM foods are produced using gene technology. They are relatively new to the food supply. The regulators take a cautious approach when assessing their safety for human consumption. FSANZ carries out safety assessments on a case-by-case basis, which means each new genetic modification is assessed individually for its potential impact on the safety of the food. The World Health Organization (WHO), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have all certified the safety of these foods and work together to ensure that crops produced through biotechnology are safe to eat. Governments around the world including Canada, Australia, Singapore, Europe and Japan have reached agreement on the safety of these foods.
Irradiated Foods: The concept of good quality of Irradiated foods is known today. The Food and Drug Administration has approved irradiation of meat and poultry and allows its use for a variety of other foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, and spices. The agency determined that the process is safe and effective. Irradiation also reduces spoilage bacteria, insects and parasites, and in certain fruits and vegetables it inhibits sprouting and delays ripening.
The effects of irradiation on the food and people eating irradiated food have been studied extensively for more than 40 years. These studies show clearly that when irradiation is used as approved on foods, the disease-causing microorganisms are reduced or eliminated, the nutritional value is essentially unchanged and the food does not become radioactive. Irradiation is a safe and effective technology that can prevent many food-borne diseases.
Biosensors: Latest research shows that Biosensors are mainly used for quality control processes in food production. The devices need to be kept sterile and frequently calibrated. Enzyme-based biosensors can be used in food quality control to measure amino acids, amides, amines, carbohydrates, heterocyclic compounds, carboxylic acids, gases, inorganic ions, cofactors, alcohols and phenols.
With consumers seeking these foods as a sustainable option, the industry has stepped up with more variety and higher quality to fulfil the niche. Food has to fulfil all requirements of quality, but above all it has to be safe. High quality products can be produced from high quality raw material. One can say that the raw material influences the quality of the end-products in large degree. In the coming years, quality and quality assurance will clearly continue to be a critical issue for industry participants, policy-makers, and researchers.
(The author is executive director, faculty of food safety and quality (FFSQ), IGMPI, New Delhi- Hyderabad. He can be contacted at syed@igmpi.in)
