Food Quality Magazine

QA Has a New Role in Bioterrorism Act Compliance

More than half of all quality assurance (QA) managers in food manufacturing do not currently interface with their company’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The Bioterrorism Act, passed in 2002 to ensure the safety of the U.S. food supply from a terrorist attack, is quickly changing the role that food quality professionals play in the selection and utilization of ERP software.

ERP selection was often left to a small committee that included the CEO, CFO, operations and purchasing managers. ERP packages were designed to integrate all departments and functions across a company onto a single computer system that can serve all department needs. ERP software, at its best, combines the enterprise into a single, integrated solution that runs off a single database so various departments can easily share information and communicate. When running at an optimum, this integrated approach has a tremendous payback. Until regulations were mandated by the government, QA managers were rarely considered in the ERP selection process or even utilization of the integrated system.

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