Ahhhh the 80's...The country felt secure, military service meant a free education and ignorance was bliss...In 1989, the group "Expose" released what became a hit song What You Don't Know Might Hurt You .
Thirty years have passed and ignorance is bliss no longer.
Fast forward to today. The FDA informs you that a food contamination has been traced to your product. Your first reaction is "Oh #@&%$#"!
After a brief flutter of panic, you regain your professional composure and ask your food safety director,
"What’s the damage report Mr. Scott?"
You’ve been told that your company’s food safety procedures are more than adequate…that they go above and beyond the mandated requirements…As reality sets in, your come to realize the cold, hard truth…
You're only as good as your documentation.
The FDA finds discrepancies, errors and missing data in your records. And this is their cue to widen the investigation, expand the recall of your product and possibly shut down your operations.
Your sole consolation, at this point, is that you are not alone. Misery loves company.
Companies at the top of their game with the lion’s share of their market hit that proverbial iceberg.
And they sink faster than a ship without a hull because of incomplete and inaccurate paper-based compliance documentation.
Case in point is Sunland Foods... Sunland was the premier supplier of organic nut butters to major retailers. In 2012, salmonella contamination was traced to Sunland products and the subsequent investigation uncovered negligence and inaccuracy in compliance documentation. Consumers became ill. The company's reputation was ruined. The FDA revoked their registration to produce and distribute food products. Customers sourced elsewhere and, in 2013, this powerhouse was forced into bankruptcy.
One year later, Sunland Food and salmonella contamination in nut butters is back in the headlines. History doesn’t necessarily repeat itself, but it certainly does rhyme.
Hain Celestial succeeded Sunland as a supplier of nut butter products to major retailers. In August of this year, Hain Celestial’s nut butter products were subject to a recall for…salmonella contamination.
Only time will tell what happens.
A compliance documentation system based on paper is so 20th century (19th century, actually). It would be one thing if paper-based systems worked. But the experiences of others clearly show that they leave too much unknown and undiscovered until it is too late.
The future of effective compliance monitoring is automation. And Concerntrak can help you get from here to there.