7 Food Quality Metrics to Track

Food quality metrics tell a compelling story of how well your company is performing. The cost of quality can have a major impact on your bottom line, but tracking quality metrics allows you to address issues proactively. Through powerful automated solutions, today’s food and beverage companies are taking control of their quality by identifying and eliminating variability and reducing costs related to rework and returns. Here are some important quality metrics you can track to ensure your quality goals are being met:

1. Number of Complaints

Customer complaints are important to track, as they provide insights into how well your facilities are meeting expectations. A sudden increase in complaints always warrants further investigation.

2. Number of Product Defects

The number of defects relative to the total volume of products made can shed light on inefficiencies or processes that could be improved.

3. Overall Equipment Effectiveness

Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) can help determine whether your company’s resources are being optimized. Tracking efficiency helps companies determine when it might be time to consider replacements.

4. Downtime

Time lost during production is a critical metric to track, as it has a direct correlation with profitability. When a machine breaks down or production is halted for another reason, money isn’t being made, so pay special attention to this important metric.

5. Count

The good or bad count should be tracked over shifts and time frames such as weeks or months. This essential metric can be used to drive engagement among employees by encouraging them to meet new goals.

6. Rate

Your goods are likely produced at variable rates, so tracking the factors that contribute to (and result from) variations in speed is important to achieving consistency. While a sharp increase in speed can impact quality control, slow processes can cause your profitability to suffer.

7. Number of corrective actions

In addition to tracking the corrective actions themselves, it’s also a good idea to track which have been done in target time.

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