Using the Digital Thread of Food Production to Prevent Recalls

Many variables can affect the availability and reliability of data on the plant floor and throughout the supply chain, which can be difficult to track and trace. While most solution vendors apply traceability solely for minimizing the impact of recalls after they occur and aiding customer complaint investigations, manufacturers that instead use traceability information to improve food safety can virtually prevent recalls.

Real-time predictive analytics are vital to help food manufacturers understand what could happen based on trends or if there are parameter changes, providing critical decision support to foresee issues before an event occurs. Advanced software with predictive analytics may leverage robust modeling engines and multivariate analysis to preempt alarm and failure events based on historical models—enabling “active avoidance.”

For instance, I was working with a food producer in Europe who used traceability to gain a better understanding of the effect a raw material had on its product. Although the shipping temperature fell within the specification, traceability revealed that a variation in the shipping temperature of the raw material had an ill effect on its finished product. Therefore, by focusing on this parameter and working with the raw material supplier, the producer was able to tighten control and increase product safety.

Production Flexibility

Many factors can negatively impact the food production process. For example, if a supplier is late with a delivery of raw materials, it could delay production. Through analytics, manufacturers can determine how the delay will impact production and can quickly make changes to bring in materials from other suppliers or switch production to other products to ensure there is no downtime.

The centerpiece of any good food manufacturing program is standardized operating procedures (SOPs), which help ensure that operators consistently adhere to product recipes. Utilizing the digital thread enables manufacturers to digitize manual and automated work processes, instead of relying on static paper trails or a binder at an operator station. Addressing the need for better operator guidance, digitization helps manufacturers follow SOPs and work instructions with greater precision and fewer errors.

Analytics also provide an opportunity to correct the problem that is about to occur, which can help prevent quality issues. Take high pH readings in a key processing step, for example, which can compromise product quality; if the pH level starts deviating toward a critical condition, predictive analytics in the digital thread can extrapolate the scenario in real time and determine that a critical condition is likely by using a process model built on past scenarios and process knowledge. 

Meeting Compliance

Due to the increasing number of food recalls, regulators are implementing new food and beverage quality standards and requirements to ensure the food entering the supply chain is safe for consumers. The most recent regulation, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), now provides the FDA with the power to force a food recall and suspend facility operations, as opposed to letting a brand owner make the decision to recall a product.

Besides concerns on FSMA regulations, manufacturers have the added challenge of managing the food quality of global suppliers, third-party manufacturers, and contract packagers. Unfortunately, many companies in this industry are still relying on paper-based records or spreadsheets to document and manage the food supply chain processes and maintain an audit trail. This prevents information to be shared with other facilities in real time and creates inefficiencies in production and change procedures.

Tracking the digital thread throughout the supply chain allows food manufacturers to automate quality management processes to meet global compliance requirements and ever-changing regulations. By connecting all related processes, the system increases food product safety levels and reduces the costs of overall regulatory compliance.

Positive Brand Reputation

When a product is recalled, a food company shouldn’t only be concerned about the effects it will have on its profits, but also the brand’s reputation. The power of social media and the 24-hour news cycle allow for consumers to hear about a product recall faster than ever. Today’s companies need to be mindful that news-worthy stories, especially when they negatively affect the safety of consumers, will spread quickly and make it nearly impossible for companies to react to negative publicity in a timely manner.