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Quality management - 5 tips for your food startup
Katharina Rösner
At the center of your company is The quality of your products for your customers. In this article, we explain what quality management is and why it is important and which requirements it also applies to food companies There is.
Quality management is concerned with monitoring all processes that run in your company with the aim of optimising them. Because although it is based on the level of Work and process quality but primarily affects the quality of your products or service off. It is focused on customer satisfaction and therefore not only focuses on the best quality of your products, but also on all business processes and people involved in them.
The principles of quality management require that you Standard requirements not only fulfilling, but establishing them in such a way that they are realized and lived everywhere. So you should a strategic decision be your company.
The focus is on your customers. You should live up to their expectations and exceed them. You should also have a Environment Create in which your Staff want to be fully committed to achieving entrepreneurial goals. In addition, a trusting relationship with Business partners How suppliers are necessary.
Always be on the lookout for points that you can improve. The process-oriented approach is about efficiency and the interrelationship between activities and resources. Decision-making should also be based on evidence. This means that you analyze data and information to find the connections between cause and effect. This is necessary to identify and implement measures.
When you think of quality management, there are different areas to consider.
Quality, of course, refers to the products you want to sell. You need to make sure that you make them to the highest quality or to make the High-quality food ingredients use. However, it is also important to improve your processes, which then has a positive effect on product quality.
With the Product quality Today, sustainability also goes hand in hand. You should know where the ingredients come from and how the raw materials are grown.
Quality management is primarily aimed at ensuring that your Satisfied customers are. This applies not only to the products, but also to a good shopping experience through an appealing website or good customer service, for example. If your customers are satisfied, they will recommend your products to others.
There are also extra certifications for employers that are Staff surveys Show how satisfied they are with you as an employer. They too are spreading the word to their environment whether they like working for you or not and what is going particularly well or particularly poorly for you. In addition, the positive or negative mood is reflected in product quality. If they don't like working for you, they might put less effort into the manufacturing process, which would affect the quality of your products.
By using a quality management system, you can keep an eye on all processes and identify critical areas and optimize them.
Quality management systems were already developed in the 1950s, but were not used for the first time until 1970. Central to this is the DMAIC cycle, the one for Define, Measure, Analyze, improve and Control stands. German companies — particularly in the automotive sector — have been using it since 1987. Based on this, ISO 9001 was established in 2000 with the similar PDCA cycle introduced. It stands for Plan, Do, check and Act. ISO 22000 also applies to food companies.
that quality management Is used in the DIN EN ISO 9001 regulated and is suitable for all companies.
It includes the four steps plan, do, check and act.
Die ISO 22000 For food companies, regulates the Safe food requirements, relating not only to their production, but also to treatment, further processing and marketing. This is how they require that you comply with food safety standards and apply them to everyone Employees communicate. They also include the Orientation to HACCP with the aim international standards to create.
The requirements are Development of a food safety management system and documentation using training materials. You should also set food safety goals and how you communicate food safety internally and externally. You also have to the Risk analyses carry out and define validation and verification measures.
Companies of food industry According to ISO 22000, the HACCP, the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, follow. It is a international standard, for which accredited national bodies award seals if you meet the requirements.
Using a risk analysis Do you determine potential risksthat can occur in your processes. You will also identify the critical areas where harmful health risks may arise and then determine how you can eliminate them or how to intervene in the process.
For example, your business idea for your food startup is to offer sustainable protein bars. At all points where the ingredients come into contact with machines or employees during processing, for example, it is important that safe processing to care. So you're developing a comprehensive concept for this. Die Documentation of this control system is not required but useful for a clear communications.
As Quality manager in a food company Do you lead laboratory tests through and Audits suppliersto ensure the best product quality. You should know where the ingredients They come from for the protein bars and how high-quality the processing there is. It is important to pay attention and comply with food regulations in your establishment in order to Product recalls and legal consequences such as fines to avoid. Always keep yours customers in sight, who expect good quality from your bars.
You must audit logs and prepare audit results and evaluateto identify weak points. Documentation is also used as evidence during external audits and inspections. Documenting processes and knowledge is also important in order to communicate them to employees and to sensitize and train them to the requirements. Software solutions for quality management systems We can help you with that.
Die ISO9001 is based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, which looks at all business processes. You can easily combine it with ISO 22000, as it is more general. In this way, you can ensure comprehensive quality management. For your business idea with sustainable protein bars, you must follow ISO 22000, but it can be useful to introduce a comprehensive strategy for your quality management.
In February 2024 The sustainability strategy was added to the principles of quality management. Think about where you Save resources can, which includes reducing waste. In this way, you can take advantage of the fact that consumers prefer to buy sustainable products.
certifications about your HACCP concept You can get it from TÜV, for example. That too IFS Food (International Featured Standards) certifies food manufacturers according to international standards based on ISO 22000. They are particularly important in international trade or if your products are part of supply chains are. However, one advantage may be that you offer your products to customers more trustworthy are.
quality management Is not just for food companies useful, but for all companies. In addition to general requirements in accordance with ISO9001 For food, do you also have to ISO 22000 follow. Customers and their expectations of safe food are at the heart of both regulations.
Just like direct marketing on ERP software , you can also use quality management solutions with your food startup. FreightPilot also covers some areas. Just drop by and see uswhether we have the right ERP software for you try FrachtPilot for free or book a webinar. We're looking forward to seeing you! ;)
