The Role of Quality Assurance in the Development of Customer Confidence - Article Example

Discuss the role of quality assurance in the development and maintenance confidence in processed food products. There are a number of factors that determine the success or failure of a business. These factors vary according to the type, size and nature of the business. The most important factor that determines the success of business is the level of customers' satisfaction and approval. Customers' desires vary according to the nature of business for example, if the business aims to provide a vast variety of outfits, customers would expect and demand for a unique variety and new style, whereas, if the business aims to provide its customers with excellent furniture products, the customer satisfaction may base on the life of furniture. Similarly when it comes to food products, customers normally prefer the quality of food and its taste. As the world is growing, people are demanding more and more changes in their living, eating and dressing habits. They are demanding not only for the low cost items but also demand to purchase a good quality product. When it comes to food products, consumers show a more sensitive attitude to buy a reputable product. The reputation of a food product is based on the quality and safety of the product. The reputation of a food product is mainly set up by the highest customer satisfaction and positive attitude towards the product. As found by Dickinson, Hobbs and Bailey that consumers of food products are willing to pay even more than the normal price only if they are assured that the food has passed the normal quality attributes. This paper would further explain the role of quality assurance in achieving the highest customer satisfaction and confidence in the food industry. Quality of a product depends on a number of factors like the selection of unprocessed material, processing techniques, packaging, techniques of storing material, security of sensitive products etc. All these factors may have a great positive or negative affect on the quality of the final product. Quality can be defined as a certain factor which exposes the degree of superiority of a product. The word quality has a greater role to play when it comes to food. Quality of food is dependent upon the phases that the food passes from and if or not the food is desirable to eat after passing through the different stages. ' Quality assurance is the concept which denies the concept that a good final product can be produced by a low-quality or poor raw material. In the food industry, it is believed that effective procedures must be used and carefully practiced to preserve the actual quality of the raw material. In simple words, it implies that useful procedures may help in saving time and reduce the normal losses (for example, Material wastage while transferring it from one process to another), however, no effective processing may improve the quality of raw material and hence of the final product. Quality assurance is necessary for the thriving progress of business and its goodwill. In order to make their distinguishable standard in the food industry, owners are required to maintain a constant standard of their products. Quality control bears importance as its aim is not just to produce a product which achieves the standards of quality which is already available in the market but also to maintain that quality in each piece of its product. Quality assurance sets its standards and then promises the customers to maintain and develop it throughout its business life (2). The point to ponder is that in the food industry the major step, to control the quality of food, can only be taken before putting the raw material in its first process. Once the raw material is added to the process it becomes difficult and almost impossible improve its quality. Quality assurance requires proper quality check from the very beginning of the production process. Without quality inspections at several stages it is impossible to assure the quality even after using the best possible way to reduce the cost price. Quality is something which goes beyond the concept of price controls. Quality requires not the expensive but the most suitable raw material for the product. Many companies in the food industry give priority to food inspection which is carried out once the process of production is finished and the final product is being produced. However, this process only allows approving the finished product if it matches the preset standard and disapproval or rejection of the finished product if it is below the predetermined standards. If we look closely we can observe the importance of quality assurance over inspections at the end of production processes. If the raw material is controlled and inspected in the first instance, there would be no or less need to inspect the finished product. However, it is impossible to give 100% assurance of quality even after a good control over the raw material and processing orders. Hence final product inspection is recommended even after a strict quality control to disapprove the products which are below the fixed standards. It is economically recommended to have such a control over the products quality from the beginning that assures no or less need to the inspection process of the finished product as it may end up in the rejection of some products which is economically adverse for the company. Hence it can be said that effective raw material and process controls are the major aims to be fulfilled by the Quality assurance.' The major issue which harms the quality of food products may be identified as the fact that food industries normally store a considerable amount of raw materials for future use. There are many reasons of storing these raw materials rather than buying them again and again. For example, Suppliers often provide discounts on bulk purchases, a reduced cost of transportation is charged, reduced risk of material insolvency, time saving etc. Material storage is not always beneficial as some raw materials like spices; artificial colors and flavoring essences etc are normally used in smaller amounts and may lose its usefulness if stored for longer periods. Similarly, wheat and sugarcanes must be quickly replaced in the flour and sugar industry. Moreover, vegetables, fruits and meat are highly perishable and need good preservation spaces whereas, materials like sugar and salt may be kept in excellent state for longer periods by just keeping them in a cool and dry place. The inspection of material may also be uneconomical if not planned and judged properly. There is a need to identify the materials which are required to be examined after a certain period of time. Not all raw materials require a regular check. Materials which are used in an insignificant amount can be left unexamined so that the cost of inspections does not exceed the profits earned by a regular examination and testing of the raw materials. A product is produced by using a considerable amount of one or more raw materials, for example cocoa beans in making chocolate, flour in producing bread etc.'Quality assurance concentrates on those dominant raw materials in order to avoid the risks of low quality of finished product. The responsibility of food industry does not end on producing a food product but the basis responsibility is to preserve the product for a specified period of time. The safety of food product after the completion of production process leads to customer satisfaction, whereas, the failure to do so harms the reputation of the company and also leads to a long term loss due to the failure of potential customers' satisfaction. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system is designed and known all around the world to offer the customers guarantee safe food availability. HACCP is designed with an aim to prevent the possible hazards throughout the production process. HACCP's procedures to provide a safe and high quality food involves intellect and intuition to evaluate the production processes in which possible hazards may take place, and after the evaluation HACCP plans to strictly supervise and control those possible risks. It plans a check of food processing progress at different points and the implementation of procedures which may help avoiding the hurdles in the way of quality food production. The HACCP involves three main parts. The first part demands the detection f possible hazards and the severity of those hazard and threats. The hazards are likely to occur while growing, harvesting, manufacturing, transferring product from one process to another, and/or the quality of raw material used. The contamination, expansion or continued existence of microorganisms linked with food safety or spoilage is the common hazards in food production industry. After the identification of hazards, the second part of HACCP demands to identify the Critical Control Points (CCP). These are the points in the production chain which are best suitable to manage and control the hazards from happening. Critical Control Point is the process, method or point which can help reduction or prevention from the introduction of unwanted food spoilage organisms, undesirable contamination, beginning of unnecessary and harmful chemicals and restricts the existence of food-borne pathogens. The third and the last part of HACCP requires to establish and implement regular monitoring processes to verify that each CPP (identified earlier) is in hand and controlled. Monitoring techniques must be designed by keeping an aim to determine that all Critical Control Points are controlled and to provide with the opportunity to make changes in the process or material to avoid the possible hazards. Preventive measures must also be designed earlier in case monitoring shows that the CPPs are not controlled. It is found that because of the ignorance of some factors many cases have been found in which the quality of food has not be maintained. One of the major cases happened in the Europe in the mid 1990s when meat was contaminated with the bacteria form of E.Coli. This case alarmed the authorities in the EU and they further strengthened the private and public quality assurance department. The traceablity systems in quality assurance department have been enhanced to such an extent that consumers prefer food products which have the system of traceability enhanced. Further one of the leading chain McDonalds has enhanced their department of traceability and recently it was said by one of the directors of the chain "We believe it's an essential component of consumer confidence that when an issue develops, within a 48-hour time period'we get the message to the consumer that we can contain the problem, we know where the animal came from, we're ready to deal with any of the ramifications of whatever that issue might be." (Reuters, May 17, 2006). Similarly the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has told that the food businesses around the world have less knowledge of what the food safety requirements are. It has further analyzed that around 52% of the food industry members are unaware of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point). This shows that the knowledge of legal requirements for food safety are alarmingly low amongst the food businesses. And this can mark the causes for the cases which have resulted in the bad quality of food products. Furthermore 38% of the businesses believe that they are responsible to maintain the quality of food while the rest of them do not. This shows that alarmingly low food businesses believe that quality be maintained. And this is again pointed out as a major factor which affects the quality assurance departments of these products. However laws have been made by the EU also regarding the quality of food maintenance. These laws state that food businesses should carry out any step which is important in maintaining food standards. Furthermore a survey was carried out in the Eastern, western and southern health board areas to determine the food quality. The "Survey of the Implementation of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) and Food Hygiene Training in Irish Food Businesses" was carried out in these areas. Many food businesses were invited to take part in this survey which was aimed at showing the awareness of food safety. This survey pointed out a problem within the food industry as 46% of the food businesses were cited as being unable to comply with the standards. They did not have a proper understanding of HACCP and thus they could not protect the food properly. HACCP is a initiative which helps to identify the problems that are faced by food in the process of production. Further it specifies the measures which should be taken with regard to the quality standards of food. Hygiene forms an important part of the HACCP which should be followed by different organizations which are in the food industry. The role of quality assurance can be termed to be very broad in terms of maintaining the whole food chain throughout the world. Standard policies are being made to ensure that every food business in the world is following the measures to avoid any kind of mishap regarding food products. It is derived that food products are to be maintained of high quality from the very start of the production process. 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