Sunday, September 30, 2018

Internal and External GFSI Audits Workshop Taught in Spanish on November 30th - Register Today!


One Day Course: 
Friday, November 30th, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Napa Valley College 
2277 Napa Vallejo Highway BLDG 3000, RM 3004 
Napa, CA 94558


THIS TRAINING WILL BE TAUGHT IN SPANISH!

In partnership with Superior Food Safety, Napa Valley College is hosting this timely and important workshop.

Attend this one-day course on Friday, November 30th offered by Napa Valley College.

Course Description - What You'll Learn:

Provide and improve the knowledge, skills and abilities required by GSFI auditors, food industry professionals and internal auditors on:
  • Food Safety Management Systems
  • Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Agricultural Practices
  • HACCP Program
  • Review ISO-19011 Auditing Principles
  • Gain understanding of the GFSI schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC2200, Global G.A.P.) from the auditor point of view
Who Should Attend?
  • SQF, BRC, Global G.A.P., Internal Auditors, Consultants and Professionals looking to register as GFSI-qualified auditors, Quality Assurance Managers and Supervisors, Personnel involved in Production, Purchasing, Procurement, Human Resources, Harvesting, Packing, Transport, Distribution and Sales of Food Products

Oscar Camacho's experience spans the globe and the entire range of the industry. He has over 32 years of experience in the food industry, including ownership of two food processing plants and extensive work with two of the largest food manufacturers in the world. His accounts of food safety successes and failures put accountability into sharp focus. Oscar is a registered FSPCA-Human Foods Lead Instructor and Consultant, PSA-Produce Safety Alliance Lead Instructor, GFCP-Gluten Free Certification Program Consultant and Trainer, SQF Consultant and Trainer, and a former SQF Auditor. He holds a BS in Biology and an MS in Food Science and Engineering from the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia in Spain. He also holds a Certification in International Management and regularly continues studies in food safety and business administration.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Three of the Most Common Maintenance Challenges In the Food And Beverage Industry

From equipment that requires continuous upgrades to strict quality control and the need for pristine working environments, the requirements to succeed as an enterprise in this industry are anything but easy.


Food and beverage professionals will agree that food manufacturing is a sector with conditions like no other. The industry is highly regulated because its products are for human consumption. Any deviation from strict control can lead to contaminated products with the possibility of outbreaks, illnesses and lawsuits.

Thus, maintenance managers in food manufacturing must contend with several unique challenges that come with multiple regulatory bodies, keeping highly automated and complex equipment running, and ensuring workers’ safety, all while producing hygienic goods.

This article will review three of the most common maintenance challenges being experienced in the food and beverage industry and some recommendations on how to deal with them.

1. Maintaining Complex Equipment
A typical food and drink processing plant today would be fitted with an array of complicated and highly sensitive equipment. From peeling machines to refrigeration plants and very complex packing machinery, every component demands constant attention.

Each one of these assets is part of a fast-moving production line that require specialized skills to monitor and keep in peak operating condition. In addition, this industry is under constant pressure to both improve and modify existing machinery, while also adopting new technology (especially automation).

Many food processors need to run their production 24/7 to stay competitive. It is apparent that the maintenance team has a lot to handle under such conditions,

To maintain the highly automated systems and keep equipment running optimally, food production and maintenance managers must stay on top of new techniques. They need to research, provide ideas and adopt newer and better maintenance strategies. Although it’s expected that there would already be some maintenance schedule in place, just any old routine will not work.

Imagine trying to run such a sensitive system on reactive maintenance alone where components are left to fail before repairs are carried out. Downtime would be disproportionately high and the enterprise runs the risk of shortening the lifespan of their assets. Instead, it is advisable to switch from reactive to preventive maintenance or look to implement any of the other proactive maintenance strategies like predictive maintenance or reliability-centered maintenance.

A proactive maintenance strategy is the most straightforward way to improve overall maintenance operations that will keep downtime and the associated stress of loss of revenue to the minimum.

2. Extremely Hygienic Workplace
Because they make products for human consumption, food and beverage manufacturers must enforce hygienic practices and maintain their equipment under the highest standards of food safety.

Failure to do this can lead to many serious problems like producing contaminated food, product recalls, foreign material complaints, lawsuits, outbreaks and infections (botulism, E. coli, Listeria, etc.).

To avoid the above, food and beverage manufacturers should pay attention to the following:

  • Pest control. Adopt pest detection, monitoring and control with or without the use of chemicals. Where chemicals are used, there should be extra care to avoid food and drink contamination.
  • Cleaning. Constant cleaning and disinfection is necessary to maintain high hygiene standards and reduce any risks of foreign materials complaints and foodborne illnesses outbreak. Cleaning also helps prevent injuries to workers particularly in the processing and packing areas where the risk of slips, trips and falls increases due to wet floors. Wet floors alone account for the second highest cause of injuries in the food industry, according to Health and Safety Executive.
  • Personal hygiene. Establish written and strict protocols for personal cleanliness of staff that include the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
  • Waste management. Prompt removal of waste materials to control odor and deter pests and rodents.
  • Overall maintenance. Adopt proactive maintenance schedules for the entire plant and all food processing machinery.
  • Staff training. Employees should be educated and trained for their own safety and to preserve the integrity of the plant and its products. This is vital for success because procedures will only be as good as the team that will implement them.

3. Compliance With Regulatory Standard
Manufacturers of edible products are subject to the regulations imposed by the relevant authorities in every country in which they operate. This means food and beverage manufacturers must:

  • Deal with a wide range of regulations regarding food safety.
  • Ensure strict enforcement with policies and procedures that could vary from country to country.

For example, manufacturers in the United States are subject to USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) regulations and those of the FDA. Food and drink processors in the UK are regulated by the Food Standards Agency.

Officials from these agencies are authorized to carry out unannounced routine inspections or complaints-based inspections. There are some critical food safety non-compliance issues they typically look out for. Maintenance managers must be aware of them and they include:

  • General cleaning. To minimize the risk of food contamination.
  • Machine safety. Machinery must be safe to use, all electrical faults should be corrected quickly, and any safety guards must be in place. Safety breaches in this regard can lead to serious injuries. An example is this 2014 case involving food giant Henz and a maintenance engineer where the employee lost an arm in an unguarded potato peeling machine. ● Food Safety. Machinery must run efficiently, be clean, keep food and drinks at the right temperature, be free of rust, etc. ● Pest Control.

To thrive in this industry, organizations need to be fully aware of the regulations appropriate to their kind of business and the risks under which they operate. The risk of contamination is ever-present but unfortunately, the nature of the business means this risk can not be completely eliminated.

One route for managing these challenges is a proactive and well-implemented preventive maintenance strategy supported by a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and properly trained staff. CMMS is designed to help you schedule, monitor, and automate your proactive maintenance work which enables you to stay in complete control of your maintenance operations at all times.

Such a well-maintained plant will be cleaner, last longer, run smoothly and generally perform more efficiently.

Article Source: https://foodsafetytech.com/feature_article/three-of-the-most-common-maintenance-challenges-in-the-food-and-beverage-industry/

Monday, September 24, 2018

We Offer Public And On-Site Training Classes


Classes Available in English & Spanish and Consulting Services

WE OFFER PUBLIC AND ON-SITE TRAINING CLASSES:
  • HACCP Workshop
  • Implementing SQF Training - Version 8.0 - English and Spanish
  • FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Foods
  • FSPCA For Human Food Compliance
  • Produce Safety Rule Training Official Program
  • SQF Quality Systems For Food Manufacturers
  • Internal and External GFSI Audits
  • Crisis Management
  • Gluten Free Certification Program
  • SQF Advance Practitioner Course
  • Prerequisite Programs

WE ALSO OFFER:

  • Food Safety Consulting Services

Please visit our website or send us an email for more information!

Friday, September 21, 2018

SQF Advanced Practitioner - A 2 Day Course - October 18 & 19, 2018


DATE AND TIME
Thu, Oct 18, 2018 - Fri, Oct 19, 2018
8:00 am - 5:00 pm

LOCATION
Napa Valley College
2277 Napa Vallejo Highway
BLDG 3000, RM 3004
Napa, CA 94558

PRICE
$125


DESCRIPTION
In partnership with Superior Food Safety, Napa Valley College is hosting this timely and important workshop.

Starting on Thursday, October 18th and ending on October 19th, participants in this two-day course will learn the following:

  • The SQF Advanced Practitioner Course is designed for the current SQF practitioner seeking further information on how to improve and maintain the supplier’s SQF System. Through activity-based instruction, the course provides the tools practitioners need to:
  • Use the internal audit program to manage, maintain and enhance the site’s SQF System
  • Harness the corrective action/preventive action process to identify trends and build continuous improvement
  • Communicate with senior management to fully define the site’s commitment to food safety, and
  • Develop and prioritize key performance indicators to assure continuous improvement of the SQF System.

At the end of this two-day class, Superior Food Safety attendees possess the skill to propose specific strategies by forecasting systemic issues and creating sustainable process improvements within the SQF system.

THE CLASS COVERS

  • Establishing Food Safety and Quality Objectives (Developing SMART objectives)
  • Internal Audits
  • Corrective and Preventative Actions
  • Establishing a Continuous Improvement Program

This workshop has been designed by MSc. Oscar Camacho, who has more than 28 years of experience managing food safety and quality systems. Mr. Camacho’s special insights come from years of first-hand experience in the food industry, and from client weaknesses he identified and solved while providing auditing and consulting services.

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

FDA Issues Guidance Document for Qualified Facilities Under FSMA Rules

The guidance will help food facilities determine if they are considered a qualified facility under the Preventive Controls for Human Food or Preventive Controls for Animal Food rules.


Last week FDA released a guidance document to help facilities understand whether they are subject to the “qualified facility” definition under the FSMA preventive controls rules for human and animal food. Titled “Determination of Status as a Qualified Facility”, the guidance offers frequently asked questions about the requirements for facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold human as well as animal food (defined separately—Part 117 for human food and Part 507 for animal food).

“Under each rule, qualified facilities are exempt from the hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls requirements, and instead are subject to modified requirements. These requirements include the submission of a form to attest to the facility’s status as a qualified facility, and attest that it is controlling potential hazards associated with its food or complying with applicable non-federal food safety laws and regulations.” – FDA

Facilities that fall under the PC Human Food rule must submit the first required attestation forms by December 17, 2018, and those subject to the PC Animal Food role must submit the first required attestation forms by December 16, 2019.

More information about the new guidance for industry is available on FDA’s website.

Article Source: https://foodsafetytech.com/news_article/fda-issues-guidance-document-for-qualified-facilities-under-fsma-rules/

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Register Now Our November 30th Internal and External GFSI Audits Workshop Taught in Spanish


One Day Course: 
Friday, November 30th, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Napa Valley College 
2277 Napa Vallejo Highway BLDG 3000, RM 3004 
Napa, CA 94558


THIS TRAINING WILL BE TAUGHT IN SPANISH!

In partnership with Superior Food Safety, Napa Valley College is hosting this timely and important workshop.

Attend this one-day course on Friday, November 30th offered by Napa Valley College.

Course Description - What You'll Learn:

Provide and improve the knowledge, skills and abilities required by GSFI auditors, food industry professionals and internal auditors on:
  • Food Safety Management Systems
  • Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Agricultural Practices
  • HACCP Program
  • Review ISO-19011 Auditing Principles
  • Gain understanding of the GFSI schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC2200, Global G.A.P.) from the auditor point of view
Who Should Attend?
  • SQF, BRC, Global G.A.P., Internal Auditors, Consultants and Professionals looking to register as GFSI-qualified auditors, Quality Assurance Managers and Supervisors, Personnel involved in Production, Purchasing, Procurement, Human Resources, Harvesting, Packing, Transport, Distribution and Sales of Food Products

Oscar Camacho's experience spans the globe and the entire range of the industry. He has over 32 years of experience in the food industry, including ownership of two food processing plants and extensive work with two of the largest food manufacturers in the world. His accounts of food safety successes and failures put accountability into sharp focus. Oscar is a registered FSPCA-Human Foods Lead Instructor and Consultant, PSA-Produce Safety Alliance Lead Instructor, GFCP-Gluten Free Certification Program Consultant and Trainer, SQF Consultant and Trainer, and a former SQF Auditor. He holds a BS in Biology and an MS in Food Science and Engineering from the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia in Spain. He also holds a Certification in International Management and regularly continues studies in food safety and business administration.

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

The True Costs You Endure During a Food Recall

Do you really understand what your company is up against? Uncover the often overlooked and underestimated costs.


When you think about the expense of a recall, you probably automatically focus on the costs to pull the affected product from shelves and reimburse customers. Yes, this can be an expensive undertaking. But the true, comprehensive cost of a recall involves immensely more than these obvious financial tolls. Do you fully understand the price to be paid when your organization is up against a food recall?

The recall process in the food manufacturing industry is a highly expensive one, averaging more than $10 million in costs to cover activities such as communicating the recall across the supply chain, retrieving and handling the recalled product, investigating the event and implementing corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence.

Of course, this average doesn’t address the possibility of litigation costs, decreased sales, reputational damage or brand crisis management, which can add up to millions—even billions— of dollars more. The public has become much more informed and aware of food safety events, and a single breach of trust could result in resounding losses to your brand. This makes it critical to understand the true costs you endure when faced with a food recall.

Immediate, Direct Costs
A recall can be a company-defining event. The vast majority of recalls are voluntary and a reflection of conscientious behavior by the retailers, wholesalers and producers, but that doesn’t mean you won’t incur serious expenses. The most obvious, immediate and direct ones include:

  • Pausing production to carry out recall response initiatives
  • Alerting necessary parties within and outside the organization, including regulatory agencies and relevant retailers
  • Managing the logistics of removing affected or mislabeled products
  • Examining the source of the recall, including issues with suppliers, equipment, processes or contamination prevention plans
  • Remediating the identified problems to prevent similar occurrences
  • Planning for expanded human resources to handle recall tasks in addition to routine operations

Again, these expenses could equate to millions of dollars from your bottom line, but the truth is they may be the most minor of your concerns in the face of a food recall.

Compliance Penalties
As you likely know by now, there’s a monumental shift happening in the regulatory arena. FSMA has enacted strict laws that place a greater emphasis on proactive and preventive approaches to food safety. In addition, the USDA has been focusing on strong enforcement of its guidelines for years.

For manufacturers, this means adjusting processes and procedures to comply with legal requirements for monitoring, testing, documentation, risk assessment and more. It is not enough for companies to have a plan for taking corrective action on contaminated products; they must also have a strong preventive plan in place to identify pathogens in the production environment before they affect the product and/or leave the facility. If your company undergoes an FDA or USDA audit or investigation that reveals noncompliance with government-mandated prevention efforts, you could be looking at significant consequences like criminal fines and forfeitures to the U.S. government.

FSMA laws and USDA regulations stipulate that depending on the nature of the violation, and whether the food is adulterated or misbranded, the FDA or USDA may consider regulatory actions, including:

  • Issuing advisory letters
  • Initiating court actions, such as seizure or injunction
  • Implementing administrative detention to gain control of adulterated or misbranded products
  • Mandating a recall of violative food
  • Suspending a facility’s food registration to prevent the shipment of food
  • Lawsuits and Litigation

According to the CDC, 48 million people get sick from foodborne illness each year, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die. If your organization is sued on the basis of a contaminated or unsafe product, you can expect to deal with attorney fees, court costs and settlements. In the worst cases, you may even need to pay damages to harmed consumers.

Yes, prosecutions are rare. But they are a reflection of a failure to protect consumers, as well as potential negligence or (in the rarest of cases) malicious intent. The financial effects of these reputational scars go well beyond obvious litigation expenses.

Lost Sales
Once a recall is ordered, a series of actions unfold that drastically impact your income. Manufacturers halt production, and retailers pull products from their shelves. Worse, a loss in consumer trust can initiate a long-lasting sales depression. Your customers want to know that the products they’re buying are safe. In response to a recall, they may change their purchasing, food preparation and consumption practices, or they may avoid the product for months or years after the recall has ended.

Insurance Impacts
Most food companies have recall insurance to protect their assets if a recall occurs. But, are you fully informed on what it means to work through a recall with your underwriter or how a recall affects your premiums? Is there a possibility of losing your insurance? It’s crucial to understand how your insurance is affected by a recall and what is contractually covered under your plan.

Brand Deterioration
Recalls are happening more frequently today than ever before, for reasons including stricter compliance regulations and supercharged government testing regimes using novel technologies like next-generation sequencing. This increased focus on testing by the government has led to a greater discovery rate of contamination, which is a good thing for the public. It means that improvements will be made to yield an even safer food production environment.

Nonetheless, recalls are alarming to your customers, and the last thing you want to risk is their trust in your brand. At the end of the day, your brand is your primary asset. It is a representation of who you are and how you do business. When recalls happen, customers lose faith in your brand, which comes with a hefty price tag for your company. If your brand deteriorates due to consumer mistrust, you’re risking business failure.

Unfortunately for the food industry, stories exposing scandals are a proven way to catch the public’s eye. Therefore, any news of a recall receives immediate and aggressive media coverage from both traditional and social media platforms. In the event of a recall, publicity is inevitable, and it’s an expense that spans every aspect from public relations management to eroded sales.

Article Source: https://foodsafetytech.com/column/the-true-costs-you-endure-during-a-food-recall/

Sunday, September 9, 2018

SQF Advanced Practitioner - A 2 Day Course - October 18 & 19, 2018


DATE AND TIME
Thu, Oct 18, 2018 - Fri, Oct 19, 2018
8:00 am - 5:00 pm

LOCATION
Napa Valley College
2277 Napa Vallejo Highway
BLDG 3000, RM 3004
Napa, CA 94558

PRICE
$125


DESCRIPTION
In partnership with Superior Food Safety, Napa Valley College is hosting this timely and important workshop.

Starting on Thursday, October 18th and ending on October 19th, participants in this two-day course will learn the following:

  • The SQF Advanced Practitioner Course is designed for the current SQF practitioner seeking further information on how to improve and maintain the supplier’s SQF System. Through activity-based instruction, the course provides the tools practitioners need to:
  • Use the internal audit program to manage, maintain and enhance the site’s SQF System
  • Harness the corrective action/preventive action process to identify trends and build continuous improvement
  • Communicate with senior management to fully define the site’s commitment to food safety, and
  • Develop and prioritize key performance indicators to assure continuous improvement of the SQF System.

At the end of this two-day class, Superior Food Safety attendees possess the skill to propose specific strategies by forecasting systemic issues and creating sustainable process improvements within the SQF system.

THE CLASS COVERS

  • Establishing Food Safety and Quality Objectives (Developing SMART objectives)
  • Internal Audits
  • Corrective and Preventative Actions
  • Establishing a Continuous Improvement Program

This workshop has been designed by MSc. Oscar Camacho, who has more than 28 years of experience managing food safety and quality systems. Mr. Camacho’s special insights come from years of first-hand experience in the food industry, and from client weaknesses he identified and solved while providing auditing and consulting services.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Register Now for Our 2-Day September Class - "Basic HACCP Workshop for Manufacturers"


NAPA: Basic HACCP Workshop for Manufacturers - 2 Day Course #74249

Two-Day Course: 
Thursday, September 20th & Friday, September 21st, 
8 AM-5 PM each day.

Napa Valley College 
 2277 Napa Vallejo Highway BLDG 3000, RM 3004
 Napa, CA 94558

REGISTER HERE

DESCRIPTION

Attend this 2-day workshop starting on Thursday, September 20th and ending on Friday, September 21st, participants in this two-day course will learn the following:

Course Description - What You'll Learn:

  • Provide the attendee with the tools to build the company’s HACCP food safety program.
  • Understand basic principles behind Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
  • Provide the attendee with major government regulatory requirements and industry information.
  • Satisfy the training requirement for certification.

Who Should Attend:

Owners, Managers, Chefs, Sous Chefs, servers, and employees of Food Service and Retail business, especially very small, small and medium sized according to the following non-inclusive list:

  • Food Industry Senior Management
  • GFSI Leads (SQFP)
  • Operation and Production Managers
  • Quality Assurance Managers and Supervisors
  • HACCP Coordinators
  • Supply Chain Management Personnel & Purchasing Managers
  • Auditors
  • Food Plant and Facility Managers
  • Risk Management Managers
  • Government and Food Regulatory Personnel
  • Food Safety and Quality Management Consultants

Oscar Camacho's experience spans the globe and the entire range of the industry. He has over 32 years of experience in the food industry, including ownership of two food processing plants and extensive work with two of the largest food manufacturers in the world. His accounts of food safety successes and failures put accountability into sharp focus. Oscar is a registered FSPCA-Human Foods Lead Instructor and Consultant, PSA-Produce Safety Alliance Lead Instructor, GFCP-Gluten Free Certification Program Consultant and Trainer, SQF Consultant and Trainer, and a former SQF Auditor. He holds a BS in Biology and an MS in Food Science and Engineering from the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia in Spain. He also holds a Certification in International Management and regularly continues studies in food safety and business administration.

Monday, September 3, 2018

Register for Our 2-Day November Class Taught in Spanish - Developing and Implementing SQF Systems Edition 8


Register HERE

DATE AND TIME 
Wed, Nov 28, 2018 & Thu, Nov 29, 2018
8:00 am - 5:00 pm 

LOCATION
Napa Valley College
2277 Napa Vallejo Highway
BLDG 3000, RM 3004
Napa, CA 94558

DESCRIPTION

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WORKSHOP WILL BE TAUGHT IN SPANISH!

In partnership with Superior Food Safety, Napa Valley College is hosting this timely and important 2-Day workshop on Developing and Implementing SQF Systems Edition 8.0.

This training will be held on Wednesday, November 28th (8AM-5PM) and Thursday, November 29th (8AM-5PM).

The integrity of the SQF Program relies on competently auditing existing SQF Systems and implementing efficient and effective SQF Systems. Superior Food Safety is a Licensed Center of Excellence that provides added value by giving students:

  • a perfect understanding of Food Safety and Quality Management Systems
  • the steps to follow in order to implement and maintain a solid program that reduces or eliminates risks
  • examples of the most common industry mistakes and how to avoid them for success, and
  • custom made templates of key procedures detailing how to write the documentation required by the program

The goals of the Implementing SQF course are to:
  • Promote an understanding of the SQF Code
  • Create a knowledge base to facilitate the successful implementation of an SQF System
  • Show how the HACCP-based approach manages food safety and quality hazards in an operation.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
  • Personnel in Harvesting, Packing, Transport, Distribution & Sale of Food Products
  • Quality Assurance Managers & Supervisors of Food Establishments
  • Food Establishment Personnel in Sr. Management, Production, Purchasing, Procurement, and Human Resources

Oscar Camacho's experience spans the globe and the entire range of the industry. He has over 32 years of experience in the food industry, including ownership of two food processing plants and extensive work with two of the largest food manufacturers in the world. His accounts of food safety successes and failures put accountability into sharp focus. Oscar is a registered FSPCA-Human Foods Lead Instructor and Consultant, PSA-Produce Safety Alliance Lead Instructor, GFCP-Gluten Free Certification Program Consultant and Trainer, SQF Consultant and Trainer, and a former SQF Auditor. He holds a BS in Biology and an MS in Food Science and Engineering from the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia in Spain. He also holds a Certification in International Management and regularly continues studies in food safety and business administration.