Transitioning from QA to HACCP: Enhancing Food Safety and Quality

Implementing a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) program often reveals that many existing control programs can be adapted with minor modifications. However, the distinctions between a conventional quality assurance (QA) system and HACCP are significant, particularly in terms of the seven HACCP principles.

Quality Assurance
Most traditional QA programs are designed to discover problems rather than prevent them. These systems typically collect minimal detailed information on the production line for analysis. Verification procedures are seldom utilized beyond testing the final product, and few QA systems provide comprehensive instructions for handling out-of-specification products. This reactive approach can lead to inefficiencies and a lack of proactive measures to ensure product safety and quality.

HACCP
In contrast, HACCP systems prioritize the prevention of problems before they occur. This preventive approach is grounded in a highly structured and disciplined methodology that relies on accurate information and data collection. While HACCP programs can incorporate appropriate data and information from existing QA systems, their effectiveness hinges on starting with common approaches and similarities between the two systems.

The transition from conventional QA to HACCP does not typically require additional personnel. Instead, the major impacts of HACCP include:

1. Focusing Control Efforts on Critical Issues: HACCP emphasizes identifying and controlling the most significant hazards to food safety. By concentrating on critical control points, resources are utilized more efficiently, and the likelihood of serious issues is minimized.

2. Delegating Responsibility: Unlike traditional QA systems where responsibility often lies with a specific team, HACCP programs distribute control responsibilities across all personnel. This collective responsibility ensures a more comprehensive approach to maintaining safety and quality standards.

3. Enforcing Documentation and Action: HACCP mandates thorough documentation and prompt action. Detailed records of each step in the process are maintained, and corrective actions are clearly defined and implemented when deviations occur. This rigorous documentation supports continuous improvement and accountability throughout the production process.

The integration of QA and HACCP can significantly enhance a company's ability to ensure product safety and quality. By leveraging existing QA data and modifying control programs to align with HACCP principles, companies can achieve a more proactive and effective approach to food safety management.
Transitioning from QA to HACCP: Enhancing Food Safety and Quality

Customer Complaints

Complaints are any comment regarding the product. They can be positive or negative, subjective or objective, or a combination. Complaints originate with any person outside the company. Complaining customers are giving the company opportunity to find out what their problems are so the company can help them.

Having the information on the label allows the customer to locate a phone number in the local phone book or utilize internet perch. This optional piece of information can be a very valuable tool for the company because it helps to steer complaining customers directly to the company.

Customer complaint often relegated to a consumer response group must be monitored by the chairman of the review committee and the review committee and the QA managers of affected business on regular basis.

The absence of customer complaints does not necessarily mean that all is well. Receipt of complaints, on the other hand, can highlight deficiencies which might have taken some time to find by internal method, of at all.

Customer complaints are one of the most available and yet underutilized sources of consumer and market information; as such, they can become the foundation for a company’s quality and service recovery programs.
Customer Complaints

Definition and meaning of quality assurance systems

A quality assurance system is a planned and systematic pattern of all actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that the item or product conforms to established technical requirements.

It is the sum total of all the things which contribute to ensuring the capability of the organization to deliver information which is for to be used for the purpose for which it is intended.

They include the inspection, testing, and monitoring activities of quality control programs, along with additional activities that are devoted to prevention of food safety hazards and quality defects.

The activities are integrated and interrelated to form a system. Quality assurance systems are intended to provide confidence to a food company’s management.

Quality assurance provides customers and consumers with the assurance that food quality food safety requirements will be met.

These quality systems include documents that describe operations and activities that directly relate to food quality and safety.

In companies that operate with quality management systems, the quality activities are integrated into the quality management system.

Quality assurance is an advisory function, not a police function. It is not responsible for the quality program, it does not operate the system, and it does not do quality control.
Definition and meaning of quality assurance systems

Contrasting Quality Assurance and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system

Most company that start Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point program are pleasantly surprised to find many of the control programs already in place can, with modification, be utilize directly. However, there are major differences between a conventional quality assurance (QA) system and HACCP as it is now conceived in term of seven principles.

Quality Assurance. Most Quality Assurance programs are designed to discover rather than prevent problems. Little detailed information is collected on line to be used fro analysis. Verification procedures the system are not generally used other than testing the end product, and very few QA system include detailed instructions on what to do if product is out f specifications.

HACCP. HACCP systems are based on the prevention of problems rather than discovery after the fact. Each comprises a highly structured and disciplined approach to control, which depends on accurate information and data collection. Appropriate data and other information that the QA programs have will be used, however. The effective way to bring the two together is to start with their similarities and common approaches.

In converting from conventional QA to HACCP, it is generally no necessary to add personal to the program. The major effect of HACCP is to:

*Focus the control effort on the important issues

*Delegate responsibility

*Enforce documentation and action Under HACCP programs every one is responsible for control, not just the QA system and its personnel.
Contrasting Quality Assurance and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system

Perception of quality: Appearance

Perception of quality: Appearance
In one survey of consumer attitudes towards fresh fruits and vegetables, 96% of the respondents cited ripeness and freshness as important selections criteria, while an equal percentage cited “taste”. In addition, 94% indicate d the importance of appearance and conditions, while 66% used nutritive value and 63% used price as a guide. Two factors enters into the purchase decision of fresh produce

1. Competition of different items on display shelf.

2. The acceptability of particular items in reference to a consumer’s standard for that item.

“Taste” nutritive value and expected price level provide differentiation between items. Freshness/ripeness, appearance/condition, and current price are more likely to be factors in evaluating specific items against the standards at the point of purchase.

Appearance factors include size, shape, gloss, color, and absence of defects. Crop production, harvesting and handling conditions affect general product appearance. For many items, a premium is paced on size, with the greater size commanding a higher prize per pound, but oversize items may be associated with objectionable traits such as being too tough, overripe, or inconvenient to handle.

Visual defects may be caused by insects damage, disease of the plant prior to harvest or of the detached organ after harvest, damaged incurred by adverse weather conditions, physiological disorders due to inadequate plant nutrition or improper handling, and mechanical damage incurred during harvesting or handling, resulting in bruising or breaking of the protective peel and rind. When given a choice, most consumers appear to prefer a predictable uniformity in their produce and an absence of defects.
Perception of quality: Appearance