Enhanced exports to US and other markets – facilitated by strengthened food safety compliance

Sathguru conducted review and gap assessment of food safety plan, GMPs and documentation of a rice processing company, helping them to comply with guidelines of US FDA’s Food Safety Modernisation Act (FSMA) and improve the conformance for exports to US and other markets.

Challenge/Problem statement/Situation analysis

Our client based in South India is a well-known brand in domestic and export markets and is also a registered processing unit for export of rice to USA. As per US FDA’s FSMA, companies exporting food to US must comply with various rules like Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF). The client sought assistance of Sathguru to improve their existing food safety system in accordance with US FDA’s FSMA guidelines as well as to improve their overall food safety standards.

Scope

The scope of Sathguru’s engagement included:

1. Reviewing and developing food safety plan in compliance with PCHF rule of FSMA and improving the food safety systems in processing unit in general.
2. Reviewing of existing product labels and suggesting required changes to meet the labelling requirements of US market.
3. Developing SOPs and relevant process documents.
4. Implementation support through periodical review and consultations.

Approach

Sathguru leveraged the hands-on experience and training of its team to draw a science and risk-based approach to develop food safety systems which are practical, relevant and efficient. This was achieved by:

1. Reviewing process flow diagrams and conducting hazard analysis to determine the hazards that need preventive controls based on the risk levels.
2. Reviewing and modifying the current Hygiene standards & practices and the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
3. Establishing validation & verification protocols, corrective actions, record review mechanism etc.
4. Designing a supply chain program with relevant supply chain protocols wherever required.
5. Designing a food traceability and recall plan.
6. Reviewing the documentation systems, drafting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other process documents to reflect the revised food safety plans.
7. Evaluating the current skills of the team and identifying the training needs.

Recommendations

As a part of the improved food safety system, Sathguru recommended:

1. Adopting a supply chain program to identify and control hazards arising at farm/ upstream level and where control is not feasible through a processing step.
2. Changes in the documentation format/structure to capture the additional requirements of FSMA in the existing documentation system and prevent duplication of records.
3. More rigour / inspections in critical areas to improve compliance to GMPs.

Impact

The project helped the client in redrawing their food safety plan and improving the overall safety conformity levels. Improved documentation systems and SOPs for GMPs helped the client in smooth and confident handling of US FDA audit and tapping expanded markets.