We work with a lot of business and many of them struggle with rules and regulations regarding food safety and recalls. Many people still try to conduct “mock” or real recalls using their old, production books. There are numerous reason why this is a terrible idea, but here are our top five issues with recalls “using the book”.
Food recalls require speed
When you are conducting a mock recall, the agency inspecting you will give you a time limit. When you are conducting a real recall – speed can actually save lives. If you have to spend days searching different production log books looking for dates of production and batches, then search receiving books for lot numbers and dates received, and then search all your old order logs to find out where you sent all the product it can easily take a day or two to complete a recall. That is not acceptable for either a mock or real recall circumstance.
Accuracy
If a product recall is required and your log book isn’t accurate, you could miss something important. Software automates the detailed raw material to recipe allocation, and order shipment details. When these important facts are entered into a database like FlexiBake’s, it makes searching and conducting recalls instant.
Detail
Manually entering details of production on a daily basis can be a mundane task where corners might be cut. Using a software system allows for quick and detailed entry in a system that doesn’t allow for corner cutting. System prompts and reminders allow users to quickly enter all details for a product run that will allow for instant recalls, but will also track additional information such as production yield trends and true production costs.
Vulnerability
Relying on the “book” adds stress and vulnerability. Not only is it unlikely you will pass a mock recall audit if required, landing some hefty fines, there is also the issue of a backup. If something were to happen to your office or to your production books, all the data reported in those books would be lost. This would make a recall virtually impossible, putting many lives at risk. Using Cloud software means that your data is stored in an off-site facility, being backed up properly, and is available to you no matter what happens locally.
Wasted Time & Money
When using “the book” you may run out of time during a recall and be required to recall all product that had been released during a certain date range. This would be extremely expensive when you factor in the amount of product that will be returned for no reason, only to be thrown out. It would also result in a ton of labour costs and potential fines.
For these 5 reasons, and many more, it’s not worth the risk of waiting any longer to implement production software. The perks of instant lot tracking and automated production processes will grant an immediate return on investment, plus there are a lot more perks to using software designed for the bakery industry.
Click here to find out more about FlexiBake’s lot tracking module or give us a call and book a demonstration today (604) 637-6528!