Food Quality Assurance: Process Control

Abstract

Summary Process control is now recognized as one of the most critical functions in any overall program of quality assurance. This has resulted from a new approach to manufacturing in which the emphasis has shifted from the detection to the prevention of non-conformances and defects. The key elements of process control must include a wellconceived plan of the controls to be exercised in relation to the specific product and process, along with an explicitly, welldocumented set of instructions for personnel carrying out the procedures. The use of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point techniques and statistical procedures as tools for process control is well established for food quality assurance. The personnel who are responsible for process control activities must be appropriately trained for executing the specificcontrol procedures and must be aware of the general principles of total or company wide quality assurance programs. This approach to quality manufacturing using process control as a key operational activity can provide assurances that qualitytargets can be achieved consistently in a cost-effective manner.