The term food quality represents the sum of all properties and attributes of a food item that are acceptable to the customer.
Food quality is an important factor in the success of a food product, particularly, as food businesses aim to remain competitive in the global marketplace.
Defining Food Quality
Typically, the term food quality represents the sum of all properties and attributes of a food item that are acceptable to the customer. These food quality attributes include:
- Appearance (including size, shape, colour, gloss and consistency)
- Texture
- Flavour
- Nutritional content
- Ethical and sustainable production
Food safety and adhering to the standards set out in legislation can also be considered as elements of food quality as they contribute to consumer’s acceptance of a food product and can be used as a marketing tool to trade products in countries with high food safety standards.
Although the term food quality is commonly used; it is not easy to define as the ‘acceptability’ and value of a food can varying from customer to customer; in different regions and cultures among other factors. Thus, unless it makes reference to particular criteria or standards, the general term quality can be subjective.
As a result, in the food industry, the quality attributes or criteria of a food product are typically defined in the product specification. It is conformance to these specifications that determine quality. In order to ensure the production of food within specification and allow continued access to competitive markets which demand consistent quality and a stable supply, quality management systems are used.
Quality Management Systems
The quality management system is a formalized system that documents a food businesses organizational structure, responsibilities, processes, procedures and resources which direct and control how products are produced.
It is a proactive approach which identifies issues before they arise through a continuous process of process and produce assessment, auditing and fault correction in order to meet contracted product characteristics; and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of production.
For food quality, there are three important tools which are widely used to help ensure conformance to product specifications, meet customer demands and contribute to due diligence efforts:
- Good Agricultural Practices (GAP):
Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) is basic food safety principles which aim to minimize biological, chemical and physical hazards from field through to distribution.
GAP practices include site selection, land use, wild life and habitat protection, water, fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMO), integrated crop management (ICM), animal feeding practices, worker hygiene, field and facility sanitation, cooling and transportation.
- Good Manufacturing Practices
Good manufacturing practices (GMP) direct all persons working in direct contact with food, surfaces that food might contact and food packaging materials, to conform to sanitation and hygiene practices to the extent necessary to protect against contamination of food from direct and indirect sources. GMP acts as a prerequisite program for HACCP and are mostly specified in related legislation.
GMP’s are commonly referred to as the minimum hygiene requirements that must be met to assure their products are safe and of a high and consistent quality. They are expected from all players in the animal feed chain, including the production, processing, storage, transport and distribution of feed and feed ingredients. Each participant in the chain is responsible for the activities under their control.
Examples include, design and layout of food premises, structural condition and maintenance of food premises and equipment, provision of adequate plant equipment and facilities (e.g. toilets, drainage, ventilation), personnel hygiene and training of food handlers, cleaning and sanitation, pest control, storage, distribution, transport and waste management.
- Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
HACCP is an internationally recognized preventative risk-management tool which enables feed or food manufacturers to identify critical control points for microbiological (e.g. salmonella), chemical (e.g. pesticides) , physical (e.g. glass) and allergenic (e.g. nuts) contaminants. Rather than traditional inspection and quality control procedures which concentrated on testing the end product to detect compliance or failure, HACCP proactively and systematically analyses for potential risks and identified appropriate control and monitoring systems, particularly those deemed critical to the safety of the product.