Introduction:

To ensure the quality of food products, there is a system to monitor food safety which is the HACCP plan and the food safety plan. These plans are used to find and control various hazards such as biological, chemical, and physical, and others. Such hazards usually occur when it comes to storing, transporting, preparing, using, and even during the sale of perishable food products. So, to maintain effective food safety management, both verification and validation are essential and every food producer must generate and execute a food safety program that should be scientifically operative. The safety program generated by various food producers will be checked by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Read more to learn about the validation and verification of food.

What is Validation in Food Safety?

Crafting and documenting the scientific evidence is the validation process. Such pieces of evidence will confirm that the food safety threats are managed efficiently by using accurate preventive measures. The validation process can also verify that a food manufacturer is capable of supplying quality products to the consumers. The evidence required for validation can be developed through any basis such as internal studies, regulatory resources, scientific works, analytical modeling, etc.

Steps Included in Validation

There are various steps included in the validation method and they are: discovering the procedures, checking for harmful microorganisms, recognizing situations that can be worse, and applying the validation study. Validation will provide a documented proof that shows the processes (frying, cooking, steaming, etc) used in manufacturing food products can produce goods that match the specifications. A validation report should always include the contents like introduction, contact details, background information, details about the products, particulars of the type and brand of the equipment used, methods, outcomes, validation study date, etc.

What is Food Verification?

The verification process must be authenticated after the validation techniques are accomplished. The food verification methods are the actions undertaken to make sure that the methods used in food production are accurate. Verification activities are functioned according to the rule recommended by the FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act), and it can also outline the validity of the food safety program.

Steps Included in Verification

The steps in the food verification start with reviewing the food safety plan, evaluating the documents, testing for contents that can be allergic, in-house auditing, monitoring if the CCPs and HACCP plans are followed, and identifying the preventive controls. It is important to find experienced food experts who can determine such parameters and the methods that must be verified. An internal staff from the food quality team or a third-party food inspector can be hired to perform this task. It is by conducting the verification activity we can identify the performance of the food safety industry. Likewise, by conducting verification activities, we can recognize if the food safety control measures need improvement or not and can also validate that the finished goods are in line with the present food safety standards.