At J Wagstaff & Associates, we help small to mid-sized food businesses in Houston improve compliance, pass audits, and boost profitability through expert food safety consulting and process improvement services.
Food safety is not our only concern. We also focus on your bottom line. By improving yield and efficiency, we help you save money. The result is a safer and more profitable business.
Global food and beverage firms developed the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). The GFSI ensures safe food and drink production processes. It is the gold standard in food safety.
GFSI certification is voluntary. No laws require you to be GFSI certified.
Food and drink companies get accredited to show that they follow GFSI standards. It makes you more competitive. If you want to expand your business, GFSI certification is critical. That applies to local and international markets. Certification and passing GFSI audits reassure customers that you follow safety protocols.
The global nature of the GFSI complicates certification. There is no GFSI safety scheme. Instead, the GFSI develops, reviews, and updates safety standards. Nations and food use those standards to build food safety schemes.
As a result, GFSI recognizes several food safety schemes around the globe. In the U.S.A., the main GFSI scheme is the Safe Quality Food (SQF) program. SQF is our specialty.
SQF is a GFSI benchmarked food safety standard. It uses Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) to guide its standards.
Recent changes to SQF have focused on audits. They got rid of the initial desk audit. Instead, audits are now on-site. They also allow remote audits. Understanding the audit process can show you where to focus.
Hazards can be present at any time. So, a HACCP analysis includes all food production and distribution stages. Those stages are the critical control points. They differ for different foods and drinks.
Globally, compliance with the HACCP is voluntary. However, in the U.S.A., it is mandatory. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires processing plants to be HACCP compliant.
Some critics suggest that HACCP focuses too much on post-process contamination. Your plan needs to involve prevention, as well. SQF helps you comply with HACCP and GFSI.
Food safety once focused on pest control. It now focuses on pest prevention. Keeping pests out is easier than getting rid of them. No facility can be totally pest-proof. However, we can use best practices to make design better buildings. The right design can make you pest resistant. The fewer pests that get in, the easier they are to control.
Is your facility easy to clean? Choosing the right surfaces can make a big difference. During design, we focus on sanitizing. Once complete, your facility will be easy to clean. The design depends on whether you will use cleaned-in-place (CIP) or cleaned-out-of-place (COP) systems. The easier it is to clean, the easier it is to pass inspections and audits.
Want to promote hygiene? Hygiene is key to preventing cross-contamination. Easy-to-access restrooms and handwashing stations can help. Keeping break areas away from food production areas reduces risk. We help you plan a layout that makes sense and promotes hygiene.
Finally, all buildings need maintenance. We design for the future, keeping maintenance needs in mind. You should be able to maintain your facility without shutting it down.
The benefits of lean operations impact your entire business process. First, it reduces costs. For many businesses, the cost savings alone are enough to encourage lean manufacturing.
However, it saves more than money. It can also save time and energy. That can free up resources for innovation.
The value stream is from your perspective. What are the costs at every stage, from acquiring raw materials to selling to the customer?
Flow refers to how all of your processes work together. Do you have barriers to flow? If so, we work to remove them to minimize production delays.
Our final goal is perfection. Because perfection is usually unattainable, that means a commitment to continuous improvement. We can help you implement a culture focused on continuous improvement, where analyzing metrics and quality are all part of your daily business strategy.
Does that seem complicated? That is where J Wagstaff and Associates can help.
We can help you implement these schemes. Doing so helps ensure year-round food safety.
Our founder has a background in food safety and process improvement engineering.
We proudly serve clients across Houston, including manufacturers, processors, commissary kitchens, and specialty food producers. With deep local knowledge of Texas regulatory expectations, we’re your go-to partner for food safety consulting in Houston.
Understanding Artificial Intelligence in Food Safety Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence in machines programmed to think and learn. In the context of food safety, AI systems analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns and anomalies, enabling proactive measures to prevent contamination and ensure compliance
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