Baking & Snack - July 2018 - 106

THIRD-PARTY SOLUTIONS

Bakers can prepare for
government inspections
by establishing relationships with third-party
solutions that train staff
on best practices.
AIB International

Complete compliance means standing at the top of
the food-safety mountain and seeing there are many
other peaks to summit. The success of a food-safety
program and cooperation with third-party organizations inspire an attitude of continuous improvement. Joe
Stout, Baking & Snack contributing editor and president
of Commercial Food Sanitation, said such ongoing goals
are driven by consumers' expectation for safe and quality
products, customers' demands or changing regulations.
"Bakery is a broad category, and different products have
different risks," Mr. Stout noted. "Some bakeries operate
in older buildings with older equipment while others are
new. Ultimately, bakers want to make sure that risks are
managed, and there is a continuous improvement plan."
The first step is mapping out a strategy.

Making the call
Sometimes companies need a new set of eyes on a particular issue to find the path to a solution. Outside companies that specialize in regulatory requirements and
industry best practices can be that fresh perspective.
"Our bakeries can learn what industry changes are occurring not only from us but also from an outside party
that sees other facilities," Ms. Sheehan said. "A third-party firm has access to many more locations, so they see
best practices in the meat, produce, dairy and other food
industries that they can bring to the baking industry."
In general, the baking industry has lagged compared
with other food industries because it has been considered low-risk for foodborne illnesses. However, because

106 Baking & Snack July 2018 / www.bakingandsnack.com

pathogens like salmonella have been identified in flour,
third-party solutions can not only improve a company's
sanitation strategy but also preserve the industry's reputation. When ARYZTA onboards a new bakery partner, comanufacturer or supplier, Ms. Sheehan said it's useful to
recommend an outside company to bring those partners
up to GFSI guidelines and ARYZTA's own standards.
Gonnella Baking, Schaumburg, IL, takes advantage of
outsourcing audits for FSMA compliance. Dan Herzog,
vice-president, corporate compliance, food safety, suggested baking companies shouldn't be afraid to pick up
the phone and call for help. He said bakers need to first
identify what assistance is needed, then make sure the
team fully understands the problem and write out the
desired outcome. "Having a clear path of the expectation
and the end result in mind will facilitate guidance to determine what direction to go should you decide to ask
for help," Mr. Herzog said.
Gonnella has used several outside resources to assist
with compliance to FSMA regulations. For example,
with many food safety compliance programs in place,
the company challenged itself with a "FSMA Readiness
Assessment Audit" conducted by a third party. The goals
were to gain an objective review of the current food
safety plan, verify its effective implementation onsite,
learn how well it meets FSMA regulations, and discover
how to correct weaknesses before an FDA inspection
actually occurs. This resulted in the revision of a few existing procedures, as well as the creation of some new
programs to fill gaps that were identified by the gap as-

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