Streamlining Procedures to Protect Food Transportation

When these events occur, they must be properly recorded for official recordkeeping, which is exceptionally time consuming and labor intensive. Typically, a member of QA will begin to collect all required data, determine if the parties involved addressed the data outcome, and whether or not the information was recorded correctly. While this synopsis of the process portrays it to be brief, the reality is that this process can take up to 30-plus days to complete. As noted by lPl, “Indications are that the costs for administering an excursion event (audit) are between $10,000-$100,000 per occurrence.”

The amount one excursion event can cost a business is staggering. Consider this: Five percent to 10 percent of shipments experience excursions; so, depending on the volume of shipments a business does each year, these costs can quickly add up to an exorbitant amount, further hurting profitability.

These time-consuming audits can be mitigated by introducing all-in-one digital HACCP solutions, which ensure that proper documentation is kept and that steps are flagged if missed. Additionally, these devices return tangible ROI by reducing operational efficiencies and payroll by up to 60 percent.

Recordkeeping. Depending on the type and size of business, the FDA can demand proof of record anywhere from under 1-year and upwards to 2-years, all while needing to address their inquiry within 24 hours. Failure to do so will be considered a “prohibited act,” and violators can be tried for civil and criminal penalties.

This will put immense pressure on the food transportation industry, not only to make food safety a priority, but also to ensure that proper food safety practice and measures are being properly implemented by way of recordkeeping.

While the litany of rules and regulations pertaining to recordkeeping best practices is intense, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy gives some simple advice regarding good recordkeeping.

• Records must “tell the story” of what happened at some point in the past: If it isn’t documented, it did not happen!
• They must be a truthful and accurate account of events: If it is documented, it happened exactly that way and records created in real time are more believable.
• It is no sin for stuff to happen; but it is a sin to not “document and correct” and “document the correction.”

Companies must determine the most efficient and plausible manner by which they will comply. Traditional storage of records in filing cabinets and input of data in spreadsheets is antiquated, leading to errors and the potential for misplaced records. Now, more than ever, is time for businesses along the food chain to deliver value to their organization via digital technologies and automated data gathering solutions. This will ensure constant visibility and ensure quality control throughout the process from farm to fork.

Anderson is the product marketing specialist for the PAR SureCheck platform for Par Technology Corp. Reach him at [email protected].