Food hygiene inspection has long been the most important aspect of the food sector, now it can be undertaken digitally. As one of the most important parts of daily life, food safety is fundamental.
For those growing or manufacturing the component ingredients, to those that then shape and form certain food-based products, to those that cook or prepare food, to the end consumer; all have a vested interest in food safety. As an end consumer of food, everyone has a base assumption of safety levels and can make judgments based on several factors. We assume that the food that we eat has passed through several checks along the supply chain that could filter out issues or potential problems. Without thinking about it, many end consumers of food products take for granted the complex task of conducting adequate food hygiene inspection.
Food hygiene inspection can mean several different things, depending on what section of the supply chain you represent. For the end user, it may be as simple as washing your hands or ensuring a raw ingredient is sufficiently cooked through. But for those earlier in the supply chain, it may mean that the component has had sufficient time to grow, that there are enough preservatives added, or that anti-disease actions were taken in the right way. Whatever step you play in the role of providing an end product within the food industry, you are a stakeholder in food hygiene and hence are subject to food hygiene inspection quality. In many subsectors of the food and drink sector, it is now possible to conduct business and organisational inspections via paperless inspection solutions. Blending mobile devices with digital checklists allows field officers to conduct any form of business check using a smartphone or tablet device. The paperless checklist is completed using various methods such as taking pictures, using speech-to-text or standardised response checklist completion. When the data and information is captured, it can then be fed into the wider inspection management system, where historical cataloguing, number analysis and compliance matching be undertaken.
