As discussed in Part 1, food safety has increasingly become a concern in the minds of manufacturers, distributors, and consumers. Spurred by recent health and safety issues, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has authorized stricter regulations for food product testing to improve traceability and also handling and packaging to prevent contamination. Part 2 will discuss Stricter Food Safety Regulations and STARLIMS Integrated Solution.

Stricter Food Safety Regulations

In response to the rising number of food contamination incidents, both the FDA and the EUC (European Union Commission) authorized new regulations governing the integrity and traceability of food safety data.

In 2021, the EUC began requiring food companies to provide evidence for performing food safety testing and documentation of their procedures. The regulations required the appropriate training of employees, ongoing maintenance of documentation, and ensuring food safety regulatory compliance.

The FDA will eventually mandate the transition from paper-based documentation in food handling, packaging, and testing to a digital system. Paper-based systems can result in traceability problems, which include human error in manual entry, inefficient or poor organization, and data silos. These issues can waste precious time in determining the sources of contaminations. 

Switching to digital processes will save time, lives, and money, while promoting the profitability of the food and beverage industry. Your company may be hesitant because making the transition from an established manual entry and paper system seems daunting. Fortunately, STARLIMS can provide proven data management solutions that promote food safety and digital transformation and support your transition.

STARLIMS Integrated Solution

Implementing state-of-the art technology, STARLIMS provides a totally integrated solution that incorporates LIMS, Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN), Scientific Data Management System (SDMS), Advanced Analytics, and Mobile within a single application. This innovation makes building and maintaining custom interfaces required by third party tools unnecessary.

Part 3 will cover Future Food Safety Compliance and Proven Data Management Solution.

Alpha LIMS Implementation

Alpha has been involved with the implementation of over 50 LIMS systems ranging in size from small, “off-the-shelf” software systems to very large, highly customized, multi-functional systems, including STARLIMS, for both governmental agencies and private enterprises. For affordable client-focused network consulting services and solutions, please call Alpha today at (410) 295-9500.