Should I have Food Safety Management Software?

Saro Loucks
Saro Loucks

Last updated: March 5, 2024

Should I have Food Safety Management Software?

Food safety is a critical aspect of any organization involved in the production, distribution, or preparation of food. A food safety management system can help ensure that you adhere to regulations and standards while meeting your company goals.

Regulatory compliance and certification standards can be challenging to meet.

Food safety regulations are changing all the time, and compliance is important for both your customer’s and your company’s reputation. It’s also important to keep up with current standards because competition in this highly dynamic field can be fierce. You need a reliable way to stay on top of these changes so you know what they mean for your business—and that’s where food safety management systems come in.

As a restaurant operator or food manufacturer, you have to ensure that your staff is following the correct procedures for every step of the food preparation process. You also need to make sure that employees are complying with federal, state, and local laws regarding food safety. Detailed and accurate records and employee actions need to be kept, maintained, and easily produced if an auditing agency, FDA, or USDA needs access to them.

Compliance with regulatory standards can be difficult because there are many agencies with different requirements for how your business must run its kitchen operations.

For example:

●The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has an extensive set of standards called Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP), which helps businesses identify potential hazards in their kitchens and take steps to avoid them in order to protect customers from illness-causing bacteria like salmonella, listeria or E coli O157:H7—these pathogens cause thousands of cases each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

●The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was passed by Congress in 2011 as part of an effort by legislators on both sides of the aisle who wanted safer foods available at retail locations around America; it requires anyone who sells food products directly to consumers—such as restaurants—to implement measures designed specifically for reducing risk associated with contaminated items such as raw chicken products or produce salad bars where pathogens could be present without any traces being visible on the surface. FSMA section 204 has added additional record-keeping requirements so food processors to keep track of highly-susceptible foods (foods prone to contamination from biological agents such as pathogenic bacteria). 

A food safety management software system helps you stay on top of the latest regulations and standards.

Food safety is a top priority for many companies, not just because of the cost associated with recalls but also because it’s a top priority for consumers. The majority of people are willing to pay more for food they perceive as safe and healthy. In fact, according to one study by Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, 86% of consumers say they would buy more organic products if they were cheaper, which means that companies that invest in food safety management systems can protect their brand reputation while offering value-added solutions to attract new customers.

Food Recalls

Food safety is also a top priority for regulators. If your company does not have an effective system in place and you become involved in an outbreak or recall situation, you could be subject to fines or even loss of your license to operate (which would mean losing business).

If a food recall occurs you need to quickly be able to search different lot numbers of ingredients or finished products to see if your food is affected and if it’s compromised, you need to know where it is so you can take it off the shelves! FoodReady software makes all this data simple to record, and easy to maintain and access. 

Allergen control is key to ensuring food safety as more people become sensitive to allergens in food.

As more people become sensitive to allergens in food and are aware of what they are, you need a good system that can help you keep track of ingredients and prevent them from getting into your product.

Allergen control is key to ensuring food safety as more people become sensitive to allergens in food. With many suppliers and ingredients coming from all over the world, it’s easy for an allergen containing ingredient to be introduced at any stage of the supply chain. 

For example, peanuts may be used in one step but not listed on the final label by mistake or perhaps there was cross contamination in one part of your facility so a trace amount remains even after being removed from its source. Either way, it’s important that you have efficient methods for preventing this kind of thing from happening so you don’t end up making someone sick!

Food safety management software like FoodReady helps with allergen control in many ways such as using our HACCP builder to have SOPs and CCPs in place to prevent cross-contamination.

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What’s wrong with a paper food safety system?

Unlike digital food safety systems, paper-based systems are cumbersome to use and require a lot of manual effort, which makes them inefficient, prone to error, and not scalable.

Paper systems can lead to errors that impact safety standards, while an automated system helps ensure there are no errors or gaps in compliance.

Paper can be difficult to search and archive, it requires manual effort to maintain, and it can be prone to errors that impact safety standards.

Automated food safety software makes it easier for you to keep track of everything that’s happening in your facility from one place — including documentation, inspection history and compliance information — so you don’t have to worry about missing any important details. 

Food safety management system software helps manage your product and process risks proactively, with automated alerts to help ensure food safety throughout your supply chain.

Food safety management systems can help you stay on top of the latest regulations and standards, but they’re not just for large corporations. Many small businesses are embracing this technology too, because it helps them meet regulatory requirements without having to spend a lot of time and money on manual paperwork.

FAQs

Food Safety Management Software supports compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) by automating record-keeping processes, ensuring detailed tracking of food production and distribution. It facilitates the implementation of preventive controls and monitoring, enabling businesses to comply with FSMA’s focus on preventing food safety issues before they occur. The software also helps in managing documentation required for FSMA compliance, making it easier to produce records during inspections or audits.
Yes, many Food Safety Management Software systems are designed to integrate seamlessly with other business systems, such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), SCM (Supply Chain Management), and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software. This integration enables a more cohesive and efficient operation, as data related to food safety can be easily shared and accessed across different departments, improving decision-making and operational efficiency.
The environmental benefits of using Food Safety Management Software include reduced paper waste, as digital record-keeping replaces physical files. It also promotes more efficient use of resources by optimizing food production processes to minimize waste. Moreover, by ensuring better compliance with food safety standards, it helps prevent foodborne illness outbreaks, reducing the need for food recalls and the associated waste of food products.

In this article

Saro Loucks

Saro Loucks

HACCP Certified, food safety enthusiast.

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