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Enhancing food safety with data analytics

17 November 2023

A whitepaper from Hygiena argues the case for digitising testing data and storing it in a single platform that will enable advanced analytics to be undertaken to identify and avoid contamination issues.

When it comes to food safety, all facilities must have appropriate testing and action plans in place as part of their HACCP requirements. This means there is a need to collect testing data and review it and to compare data over time for trend analysis and risk mitigation. 

While data capture is essential, the huge amounts of data collected can be overwhelming and finding the best way to organise and store this data can be difficult. Data needs to be stored in such a way that it can be easily sorted and analysed to help make better decisions.

Historically, however, the food and beverage manufacturing sector has stored data in a variety of separate files, in different locations, or data has been compiled manually, making it difficult to react quickly in the event of a contamination issue. Digital solutions are now available to simplify data collection, storage and analysis.

Most food processing and manufacturing facilities are designed to have a linear workflow to minimise the transfer of outside contaminants into the final product areas. This means a large area must be monitored. Ideally, testing areas should be mapped out, numbered and the data collected for analysis over time to identify trends. Furthermore, analysing thousands of data points weekly means the system needs to be able to filter out possible hotspots in an easily identifiable way. This can be achieved most effectively by utilising a single platform that can collect testing data and also analyse the data results in real-time (or near real-time) so immediate action can be taken before problems cause shutdowns, poor audit results or recalls. Only with true complete data visibility can vital decisions be made regarding additional cleaning, testing or identifying a contamination risk.

By moving to digital data platforms it is possible to reduce manual, error-prone tasks, further reducing the risk of making inappropriate food safety decisions. Digitising data also makes remediation faster and more reliable as it is possible to access the data in near real-time – remotely if necessary. This is especially important in facilities with multiple sites or buildings where access may be restricted or remote.

Of course, digitalisation of data will not replace human intervention, but it can assist in the thought processes necessary to overcome challenges by organising the data in a way that enables it to be used faster and more reliably. By digitally tracking and trending problem areas, corrective actions taken at one location can also be applied to other areas within the facility or across multiple sites. By comparing similar deviations, root causes can be easily identified and the proper corrective actions selected for implementation.

A digital world
As the world rapidly becomes more digital it is vital that food and beverage manufacturers adopt new technologies to maintain a competitive edge while improving business processes overall. Indeed, it is likely that the complex, dynamic global supply chain will make this necessary it as it continues to expand and evolve.

In order to continue driving growth, profitability and customer retention, data needs to be easily accessible, visible in real-time, and actionable based on analytics, whether descriptive, predictive or prescriptive. Data digitisation must also be flexible enough to allow for customisation to align with individual testing variables and standard operating procedures. With ever-growing complexity in the supply chain, new product development and product quality/packaging, the risks for non-conformance and contamination increase dramatically.  

To address these challenges, a sensible option is to adopt a program that is able to capture and filter large amounts of data, reduce the risk of error and analyse results rapidly for quick decision-making within the facility. This means digitising data – not only for efficient recalls but also for root cause analysis of foodborne illness events. Product movement, performance and environmental data sets – when aggregated and analysed – have the power to generate valuable trend insights and inform continuous improvement initiatives in food safety.

Overcoming contamination issues
One food manufacturer needed to overcome Listeria contamination which resulted in a product recall. Even after it implemented new cleaning procedures across three plants for better compliance and operational efficiency still posed a problem. 

A solution was found by applying Hygiena’s SureTrend software which allowed the manufacturer to analyse two years of historical data, identify gaps and opportunities for improving cleaning procedures and implement key operational changes to mitigate the risk. As a result, there was an 8% decrease in post-cleaning residue, a 19% cost saving (in cleaning chemicals) and a one-week gain in average product shelf life.

SureTrend is designed to help integrate testing data into a single, digitised system, improving operational efficiency and driving overall cost savings. The platform makes it easy to review historical trending, using this information to implement changes to improve existing food safety programs. The analytical results can then be re-examined to demonstrate quality improvements or identify areas that need to be addressed for improved quality and safety while reducing risk and overall costs. Because all data is cloud-based, authorised personnel can quickly access secure data for audits and other compliance needs. Users can also create dynamic dashboards to visualise and report environmental monitoring, quality and food safety data across multiple facilities. Collectively, this means that all the information is in one location, simplifying the audit preparation process and identifying critical cleaning points that could be trending out of control, improving response (being proactive) and minimising errors and consumer risk.


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