An Ounce of Prevention for Food Safety Labs

When a lab is holding up a batch release, for example, so much must fall into place for it to quickly test and confirm results according to strict formulation and safety parameters. If it still relies on paper-based systems, excessive time is likely required. Even if it has mostly automated data entry, it still must adhere to guidelines that if not codified in software will also require valuable time. And within a food manufacturer, time is always associated in some way with margin.

Without an integrated informatics solution, adhering to these procedures, defending the quality of the data, and making it usable would be nearly impossible. This is why data management through software isn’t just about reporting for auditing purposes. It’s about accelerating results delivery so that production can continue uninterrupted and efficiently, making the lab a demonstrable driver for higher productivity and margin, not an impediment.

Small Steps Create Big Changes

There are many fail points within a typical food manufacturer, and labs are a critical line of defense to ensure failure doesn’t occur. But this can thrust them into a position of productivity impediment instead of driver. When it comes to product quality and consumer safety, some bottlenecks are inevitable, almost necessary. After all, regulation seeks to control certain points that are known to engender risk. But management doesn’t want to hear that control must always equal productivity drain and revenue loss.

From the way they accept raw materials to batch release speed, labs can make demonstrable contributions to productivity and profitability. But only if they accept the notion that ounces of prevention—with data as the measure—can add up to pounds of cure, which in this case would equal more efficient operations and higher profits.

When a lab disrupts manufacturing, it should be to increase productivity, not impede it, and with LIMS and some added discipline this is possible. When this happens, a lab may still be in management’s crosshairs, but this time it will be for all the right reasons.

Meek is the director of product strategy and senior marketing manager for informatics and chromatography software for Thermo Fisher Scientific. She has been with Thermo Fisher in product management, product marketing, sales, and support of software solutions for the past 17 years. Reach her at [email protected].