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The Big Picture is made up of Tiny Details

September 2, 2021 by Ilze

What do real-time data and up-to-date documentation have to do with cleanliness? When it comes to food safety, a great deal. That’s why Ecowize has turned to the power of technology to empower us to serve our clients in their mission to safely serve food to South Africans, from farm to fork.

To do that, we use our electronic quality management system (eQMS), state-of-the-art software powered by iLeader. The software was initially designed for the red meat industry in Australia and customised for the food industry.

As a result, it is a critical component of our food safety audits, as it is a central portal enabling us to manage 180 active sites with a bird’s eye view of the whole picture. At the same time, we can drill down into the site-by-site details. So whether we’re working at a bakery, a mill, a distillery, a poultry farm or a poultry or red meat abattoir, our eQMS is essential in food safety audits to help us monitor the cleaning needs of our clients and ensure we consistently meet the audit requirements.

One of the software’s primary functions is housing all site-specific master cleaning schedules. This is the foundation for each site and an essential guide to ensuring a visually and microbiologically clean, audit-ready plant – on time daily. It comprises information about what needs to be cleaned, when, the frequency, methods, chemicals, and tools, with access granted to those involved so everyone is always on the same page. Of course, only those with authorisation can log in to specific schedules, so confidentiality is always guaranteed, giving our clients peace of mind when it comes to compliance regulations, as stipulated by the POPI Act.

In addition, our eQMS houses all procedure and staff-related documents in a library of training documents, frequently updated to ensure all staff are on the same page. The system is also integrated with payroll and is a vital tool for effectively managing staff remuneration and benefits.

However, having all the information at your fingertips is useless if it isn’t used and tracked correctly. Our highly trained food safety auditors at each site ensure we remain informed by capturing site-specific information crucial in verifying that food safety processes have been managed, identifying issues, and managing corrective and preventative actions. In addition, the software imprints date-and-time stamps on all captured information, ensuring no data can be retroactively captured and upholding the integrity of the data. All of this helps to ease the food safety auditing process.

We take food safety auditing seriously. It’s a vital step in the food processing chain, ensuring food standards are always maintained. Each site tracks everything: water temperatures and pressure, chemical concentrations, visual cleanliness, sanitation time and microbiological monitoring time in cleaning, temperature and chemicals used, visual cleanliness and micro-bacterial hygiene. Ecowize follows the highest standards for food safety auditing, and the software aids compliance with these standards and regulations.

Thanks to our eQMS, Ecowize has its finger on the pulse of every customer, with a clear understanding of the ins and outs of each site. It’s just another way we’re committed to serving our clients’ needs and helping ensure food safety for the end customer.