Food Safety Management Systems exam Q2 - Essay Example

FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT and Food Safety Management Introduction Total Quality Management refers to company based incentives that are put in place to ensure the production of high-quality goods and services. This kind of management can be found in different types of organizations and are customized to the particular good or service that they are concentrating on. One of the main aims of TQM is the meeting of requirements expected by the customer in order to maximize satisfaction. This satisfaction should be met via the lowest possible cost without affecting the final quality of the product.

The relationship between cost cutting and quality maintenance may prove challenging for most organizations but it is essential nonetheless (Bella 2009). The production of food can be included in this calculation as more organizations join this particular business sector. Total quality management techniques have introduced a number of regulations that need to be followed by organization dealing with food production in a bid to enhance the food safety available to potential consumers. A lack of these techniques and regulations could be effectively hazardous to the health of consumers who purchase such products, and its importance should not be underplayed.

Top Quality Management focuses on the excellence of the products produced including the service provided to the customers involved. This includes the management of the resources involved in production for the achievement of the aforementioned excellence. It should also be noted that following such regulations leads to better quality products which in turn leads to a potentially higher profit margin. This can be said to be due to the fact that consumers tend to be attracted to high-quality goods and services.

How Total Quality Management has Affected Food Safety and Quality There are a number of ways in which Total Quality Management techniques have affected the food manufacturing industry and thus improved this particular sector of business. This impact can be found in the present standards and quality expected of manufactured food today and plays a big role in avoiding disasters such as large-scale cases of food poisoning. The main aim of Total quality management is the enhanced observation of certain guidelines that have been put in place to ensure that the food presented for consumption is safe for consumption.

The issue of quality is still a standing issue but can be said to be flexible along margins such as the raising of awareness of consumers with regard to the quality they are purchasing from a particular product. A good example of such an area can be found in the differentiation between dog and human food. In some cases, dog food is not necessarily harmful to a human if consumed and as such the main difference in such products can be said to be the quality of the food offered (Boisrobert 2009).

A meaty dish manufactured for dogs would not be of the same quality as that produced for human consumption. However, it is necessary for the organizations producing such products to point out that the there is a large difference in quality between the two aforementioned products. Thus though a company cannot be necessarily said to be causing grievous harm to its consumers by doing so, it is not allowed to present a product that is manufactured for pet consumption as human food (Bella 2009). The presentation of the difference in quality is expected so as to allow a consumer the ability to choose what product they want once given the adequate information.

Total Quality Management also serves to ensure that everything manufactured for human consumption passes a strict set of guidelines that have to be followed by all organizations involved in food production. These include set rules such as the testing of all food produced to ensure it is safe for consumption, as well as the proper handling of food in between transactions (Sherrow 2008). These transactions could include passing from the manufacturer to the retailer and from the retailer to the consumer in a bid to ensure that the quality of the food is not affected in between transactions.

Maintaining these standards allows for the development of a system that has equally divided responsibility between all parties and thus one cannot intentionally negate their part in the chain. This type of management focuses on the consumer but the responsibility extends to the consumer as well in the form of instructions that can be found on the items purchased with regard to issues such as the proper way to store and cook the food item they have purchased. A good example of this is seen in many food items that have instructions such as “store in a cool, dry place” among others.

The Possible Impact of Future Changes in the Food Industry As technology develops so do other industries and food manufacturing happens to be one of those that can be argued to be at the forefront of this change. These changes can be seen to be as a result of the introduction of new food items such as synthetic foods and manufacturing applications that have been freshly introduced to the industry (Stranks 2007). As the types of foods that are available become more diverse the need for safety regulations to keep up with the changes is essential to the safety of the consumers.

Basing decisions on facts is a good way of achieving this as it enables a solid foundation for the development of effective food quality practices. These facts focuses on the processes involved in food production and allows for a better understanding of what needs to be done. The data from these processes enables the company to predict the future results they may encounter. Issues such as the ingredients found in synthetic food products will need to be addressed to ensure that there are no long-term effects that could be as a result of their consumption (Boisrobert 2009).

Market research plays a big role in these activities as it enables a company to pinpoint the exact areas of production that may need to be changed or improved upon in the future. The issue of quality can be termed as a tricky area due to the need for a new set of guidelines to determine the acceptable standards of quality for new products that have been introduced to the market. It should be noted that quality demands are continually increasing as new discoveries are made in food science and other related sectors.

Apart from the need of increased productivity, the need to maintain quality is essential to the success of a company. The issue of awareness also raises a red flag in the fact that some of the products introduced to the market have been designed to look and taste the same as the original organic products (Sherrow 2008). This means that a consumer could potentially have no idea that they are buying something else contrary to what they intended. The level of awareness of these new products will need to be raised to a level where one is able to easily identify the type of foods that are available on the market, as well as the differences between them.

This allows the consumer to make a well-informed decision. Focusing on these aspects of food quality creates repeat customers which is essential to a business. Repeat customers are formed through enhancing the delight of a customer in the products purchased. References Bella, L. 2009 Safety and the Food Supply. Rosen Pub, New York. Boisrobert, C. E. 2009. Ensuring Global Food Safety Exploring Global Harmonization. Academic Press, London. Sherrow, V. (2008) Food Safety.  Chelsea House, New York.

Stranks, J. W. 2007. The A-Z of Food Safety. Thorogood, London.