●Make possible stricter sanitary proce-
dures in processing to achieve a safer
product, within given tolerances.
●Segregate raw materials on the basis of
microbial quality to allow the greatest
value at the lowest price.By tradition, the food industry has applied
QA principles to ensure effective sanitation
practicesamong them, and inspection of the
production area and equipment for cleanli-
ness. If evidence of poor cleanup is reported,
necessary action is taken to correct the prob-
lem. More sophisticated operations fre-
quently incorporate use of a daily sanitation
survey with appropriate checks and forms.
Visual inspection should include more than a
superficial examination, because a film
buildup that can harbor spoilage and food-
poisoning microorganisms can occur on
equipment.
Major Components of Quality Assurance
The following tasks should be included as
components:
- Clear delineation of objectives and
policies. - Establishment of sanitation require-
ments for processes and products. - Implementation of an inspection sys-
tem that includes procedures. - Development of microbial, physical,
and chemical product specifications. - Establishment of procedures and
requirements for microbial, physical,
and chemical testing. - Development of a personnel struc-
ture, including an organizational chart
for a QA program. - Development, presentation, and app-
roval of a QA budget for required
expenditures. - Development of a job description for
all positions.
9. Setup of an appropriate salary struc-
ture to attract and retain qualified QA
personnel. - Constant supervision of the QA pro-
gram with written results in the form
of periodic reports.
The Major Functions of Quality Assurance
and Quality Control
The major thrust of a QA organization is
one on education and surveillance to ensure
that regulations and specifications defined
by the organization are implemented. Those
involved with the QA program should be
responsible for checking the wholesomeness
and uniformity of raw materials assigned to
manufacturing and for informing produc-
tion personnel of these results. Further
monitoring involves checks for good manu-
facturing practices and the finished prod-
ucts to ensure that they comply with
specifications established under the QA pro-
gram and are agreed upon previously by
those involved with production or sales. If
compliance is not attained, QA personnel
should inform those who can implement
corrections.
Quality assurance is generally a function
of corporate management, which sets the
policies, programs, systems, and procedures
to be executed by those assigned to quality
control. The major internal responsibility is
working with the various functional depart-
ments of the company.
Quality control, as currently structured
by many firms, is closely related to manu-
facturing activities at the plant level. A QC
program consists of measures and proce-
dures pertaining to physical, chemical, or
organoleptic attributes of food products to
ensure the cost-effective production of uni-
form and consistent products. Those
assigned to QC normally report to QA.
Sometimes QC employees report to manu-
facturing, but they should never be totally