Dairy Processing - May/June 2022 - 51

carrying them out also has evolved
for the better.
Verifying plans and following the
Preventive Control Rule relates to
testing and sampling throughout the
manufacturing process.
" The technology and the scientific
tools for testing are still continuing to
advance, so that's where we're seeing
the greatest change in terms of food
safety, " Allan said.
Such developments have made
it possible for dairy processors to
better detect hazards in ingredients
and products and be able to respond
to those testing results in their plants
at the ground level, making it easier to
" stay on top of things, " he explained.
Galer said impactful detection systems go beyond
just metal, pointing to image systems as an example
of progress.
" There are materials other than metal that can be an issue if
they get into products, " he said. " We don't want that. So there's
a lot of technology developing there to really try to catch that. "
Additionally, in process monitoring is improving with
breakthroughs in sensors. Even so, Galer said the industry
needs even more headway on such technological fronts
to make sure dairy is minimizing hazards and keeping the
industry vibrant.
Notably, dairy professions are seeing continuous
improvements in their food safety plans with data
management systems, Galer said, which are imperative for
documentation and keeping track of the process.
" Getting things done as efficiently as possible and having
those sources of data management more robust is important, "
he said, noting he wants to see " a lot more " data management
systems made accessible to an even broader set of dairy
producers in the near future.
Thanks to technological steps in the right direction, Allan
said the process of identifying and rectifying hazards has
become easier and more effective in recent years.
" Companies have much more sensitivity to detecting
problems before they get out of control, " he said of
the current state of dairy's food safety plans. " So it's all
about detecting things before they spiral and become a
major problem. "
Food safety and quality issues, such as environmental
contaminants getting into the production line, can be detected
more effectively now than they could just a few years ago.
" The earlier and sooner and quicker you're able to detect
those things and then respond to them, to cleaning and sanitation
and hygiene controls, the better off you are, " Allan said.
CONSUMERS IN MIND
The purpose behind all of the rules, plans and protocols is
to deliver an optimal product to consumers. Allan thinks the
industry's history of food safety plans and long established
relationship with HACCP principles should give customers
confidence in the safety of their dairy foods and beverages.
Almost 20 years ago, IDFA offered a significant amount of
HACCP workshops for the dairy industry, even before FSMA
and its Preventive Control Rule were in place.
" I think the dairy industry in particular has been kind of
ahead of the game, compared to maybe other segments of
the food industry, broadly speaking, as far as adopting and
implementing HACCP, " Allan said. " So they were in a good
position once the preventive controls came along to adjust
and be able to be compliance ready for those new rules. "
Galer said one such early adjustment involved the concept
of proving a sanitation program was effective. But now dairy
processors commonly understand how to tie that in with their
environmental monitoring programs to document that they
clean and don't pick up organisms at their plants.
Similarly, they can test for allergens and pathogens with
test kits, swabbing after they clean to check for effective
removal of any hazards and avoid cross contamination.
" It is a lot more comprehensive, " Galer said of the benefits
of modern food safety plans that address hazard analysis and
critical control points.
And while companies are seeing a reduction in allergen
recalls, Galer said he would like to see even fewer.
" It's still a challenge, " he said.
DAIRYPROCESSING.COM | MAY-JUN 2022 51
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