fbtechreview.comMARCH 20248in myviewFOLLOWING GMP IS NECESSARY FOR FOOD SAFETYThere are a lot of technical documents that contain food safety programs in order to learn how to establish controls in the food industry. But why do people who care about food safety need to get involved in the food industry? How can they make a true difference? Well - since the first days we are born, the first worries of our parents are about food safety risks. Although we take for granted that food available on our shelves is safe, food safety is not upheld or enforced the same way in all countries. We are very lucky to have Barry Callebaut enforcing the same high standards all around the world and throughout their 66 plants globally. These were definitely considerations for me to make a move from more than 25 years in pharmaceutical to chocolate manufacturing! Although Barry Callebaut is not necessarily a known company name for most Mrs. & Mr. consumers of chocolate, more than 25 percent of grocery aisles of cookies/snacks/nutribars contain chocolate products from Barry Callebaut. So imagine how important it is to protect the potential consumers, kids, teens, parents and grandparents you care for. This is what we put first when we are producing chocolate at Barry Callebaut St-Hyacinthe, where we can produce 6,00,000 kg of chocolate every day! How can you help improve Food Safety? The Industry needs people with integrity, willing to learn good manufacturing practices, and who truly care about the food that we produce that our families eat - just as importantly as we rely on the safety of the medication we expect from the pharmaceutical Industry. As Barry Callebaut invests in knowledge management, the compliance standards in place are evolving with the industry trends year after year and are sustained by self-audits to ensure the appropriate investments are made to remediate any gaps and build on improvements. Have QUALITY at heart. · Control Your Incoming MaterialsUnderstanding your supplier's vulnerabilities is the prerequisite so that you can establish quality controls based on the supplier's audit findings. Although testing parameters to confirm your materials are compliant with your specifications is an important aspect, the evaluation of your supplier's risk allows you to complement your testing requirements in consideration of the safety risks given your vendor's inspection findings.·On-boarding and Training Programs Some of the manpower is experienced and knowledgeable (maybe coming from a food industry background), and some are inexperienced - both unfamiliar with particularities from your manufacturing plant. They all need specific guidance before they learn your process, your installations and your particular safety risks accordingly KARINE FORTIN, DIRECTOR OF QUALITY, BARRY CALLEBAUT GROUP
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