With the food industry more competitive than ever, maintaining a high level of quality in food products has become a priority.
As a result, an emphasis has been placed on quality control in food manufacturing.
What is quality control?
In the context of food manufacturing, quality control is the process of monitoring food product quality at every level of the supply chain.
Quality control is a set of elements that work in conjunction with each other to ensure that food products are not only of a high quality, but also safe and consistent.
One of the initial steps of quality control is choosing ingredients and testing various approved suppliers to compare them. These ingredients should be selected in accordance with quality and safety and should adhere to global food standards.
Once ingredients are selected, high-quality control practices will see the food manufacturing process thoroughly documented and monitored. This means complying with the relevant safety guidelines and ensuring that consistency is maintained from the stage of picking out raw materials to the end product.
These ingredients should not just be considered for their quality but also checked for specific recipe composition percentages.
The testing stage is one of the most important points in the whole food manufacturing process.
This is when various physical, chemical and microbiological tests are conducted on the food products. It requires a range of devices and equipment, but may also entail visual inspections.
At this point, any issues apparent with the contents of the food products or their appearance can be identified and rectified.
Throughout this process, records will be kept of any changes that have been made at each stage as well as any test results, inspection reports and relevant notes.
These accounts are crucial later in the process if anything needs to be checked relating to the food product.
Why is quality control in food manufacturing so important?
Quality control in food manufacturing is important for various reasons.
First, food manufacturers can guarantee safe products that are free from any contaminants. Providing contaminant-free food is vital for consumers as they will be void of bacteria and other pathogens, meaning that they won't be at risk of any foodborne illnesses.
Furthermore, a high level of consistency can be achieved with quality control, which is essential for adhering to regulatory requirements and consumer needs.
Not only does this level of consistency create a reliable brand, but also forges better relationships with consumers who are more likely to make repeat purchases, thus boosting revenue.
In addition, as quality control helps enhance manufacturing processes, food manufacturers are able to implement early detection, resulting in higher quality outputs.
As food quality standards are implemented on a global scale, food manufacturers must measure up with the regulatory standards set by government agencies.
By following quality control processes, food manufacturers avoid coming into conflict with these bodies and avoid legal issues or fines.
On top of this, consistency is not only important across one batch of food products but across several.
Consumers tend to expect a certain level of quality from food products. If there are any discrepancies between these food products, it’s likely that the consumer's interest in the product will dwindle.
Additionally, if a company puts out food that is defective, it’s likely that they will be subjected to scrutiny and risk damage to its reputation.
By creating consistently good food products, companies are able to retain a loyal customer base and reduce the likelihood of sacrificing profit.
Moreover, it’s important to note that productivity and quality control are closely intertwined.
By assuring quality control in food manufacturing, not only will errors be detected early, but waste will also be reduced and productivity will be boosted, thus making the food manufacturing process more cost effective.
Are there laws governing quality control in food manufacturing?
There are specific laws and regulations that govern quality control in food manufacturing.
In the UK, the General Food Law Regulation (EC) 178/2002 is the main legislation that aims to safeguard human health and consumers’ interests with regards to food.
It’s mainly applicable from the initial stages of production to the processing and distribution of food.
It also outlines that food manufacturers must keep accounts of where their food has originated from, meet standards in terms of food presentation, and give any necessary information regarding the ingredients in food products. According to this set of rules, any food that is unsafe should immediately be recalled from the food marketplace to protect consumers.
Furthermore, The Food Safety Act 1990 is a UK food law that applies to England, Wales and Scotland.
The aim of this framework is to protect the safety of the consumer by requiring food manufacturers to ensure their food products are void of anything that could damage their health.
This also means asking food manufacturers to remove harmful contaminants from food.
How can C-Cell help with quality control in food manufacturing?
High-tech equipment such as the C-Cell is incredibly useful for enhancing quality control by providing quantifiable, objective data that can help maintain high standards in food manufacturing, specifically in the baked goods industry.
As an advanced digital imaging system, C-Cell is able to capture high-resolution colour images to analyse them for detailed, objective data. Not only does it provide reliable and repeatable analytical results, but it also leaves no room for human error.
This handy device is also able to facilitate taking measurements of a myriad of quality attributes such as internal structure, cell size, wall thickness, crumb colour and more, with 50 different quality results.
By monitoring the changes in processes, production or ingredients in various food products, C-Cell helps to optimise processing conditions and the efficiency of these processes.
In this way, it also helps maintain a high level of quality that is necessary to comply with relevant food standards and satisfy consumer demand.
If you are interested in making maintaining quality control a simple and effective process, please contact Calibre Control today to find out more about our range of equipment.