Michelle Dennis of Food Infotech Magazine, New Delhi, recently engaged in a captivating dialogue with Swasti Singh, Senior Quality Assurance Manager at Srinivasa Farms Pvt. Ltd. This insightful conversation delved into the realm of food safety protocols within the food manufacturing industry, shedding light on Swasti Singh’s remarkable contributions in this field.
Q1. Can you describe your experience in quality and process improvement within the food production industry, covering various products such as Goat, Chicken, Fruit pulp, Pet food, Meat bone meal, Tallow, Gel bone, Soya, and more?
I have more than 12 years + experience in food processing industry with expertise in
managing quality and operations of Buffalo meat processing, chicken processing,
goat processing, mango processing, poultry feed milling, Soya feed and liquid egg
processing. Have caused multiple certifications varying from HALAL, FSSAI, FSSC
22000, EIA, HACCP, APEDA, KOSHER, etc in the companies that I have worked
for. I have successfully managed customer audits with clients hailing from domestic
market (KFC, Dominos, Licious, Mc Donald’s, etc) and International market
(Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, European countries, UAE, etc). Developed SOPs, flow
charts, HACCP manuals, FSSC manuals, etc for all the processing operations. I
have managed compliances, regulations and market access for domestic (Factories,
PCB, legal metrology, Fire NOC, etc) and international markets. Have conducted
multiple training programs for personnel across all verticals including FOSTAC,
HALAL, Hygiene/HACCP, GMP’s, GVP’s, etc.
Q2. How have your skills in sensory evaluation, ISO documentation, ISO certification, and food safety management system contributed to enhancing the quality and safety of food products in your previous roles?
I have studied, designed and developed FSMS and ISO systems along with SOPs
for all the process operations that have been handled along with LAB testing
procedures. The documentation has been built after careful scrutiny of the
operations and in collaboration with all the concerned to ensure seamless
operations. Manuals were developed with CCP’s, OPRPs, PRPs along with SOPs
for adherence to all compliances and regulations. Have ensured primary
responsibility of meeting health requirements along with those specified in the GOI
notifications which required to plan and execute detailed HACCP based process
control and maintenance of necessary records.
Q3. Could you share some specific examples of successful quality and process improvement initiatives or projects you’ve led, and the impact they had on the overall operations and product quality?
Through the process improvement, I have saved 1.6 million per month in Goat Processing and cost of production of meat bone meal reduced by 10% – 1 .26 Cr saving /Anum. Have mentored the green belt team where they have saved 1 hour of production time which resulted in production within 8 hours which took earlier 9 hours /Per day .
Q4. You mentioned being a Six Sigma green and black belt with TQM expertise. How have these qualifications influenced your approach to quality assurance and process improvement in the food production industry?
The advent of Six sigma and TQM gives professionals like me a completely new perspective of handling issues related to quality and existing process. The approach has become more data driven and with data analysis to resolve the problem. Preventive measures have become of prominence.
Q5. As a lead and internal auditor for FSSC 22000, what are some key challenges you encountered in ensuring compliance with food safety standards, and how do you address them effectively?
Being a FSSC lead and an internal auditor, time is spent on convincing and educating auditee that objective of the audit is gap analysis not fault finding. Having enrollment conversations with auditee and telling them that the audit is about process improvement for their own development and profitability.
Q6. In your current role or in future endeavors, what are your goals and strategies for continuously improving quality and processes in the food production industry, and how do you plan to stay up-to-date with evolving industry standards and best practices?
Following reputable and reliable industry publications such as magazines, newsletters, blogs, podcasts and webinars. I have always been learning constantly from the experiences, opinions and advice of experts, practitioners, peers in the industry. I have joined professional associations that represent and support the interests and development of food engineers, designers and manufacturers. I keep attending conferences and
trade shows that showcase the latest products, services, technologies and innovations in the industry
