{"id":95,"date":"2023-03-21T21:08:08","date_gmt":"2023-03-21T21:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.receta.co.uk\/blog\/?p=95"},"modified":"2023-11-08T09:09:26","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T09:09:26","slug":"gmp-compliance-in-food-supplement-manufacturing-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.receta.co.uk\/blog\/gmp-compliance-in-food-supplement-manufacturing-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Becoming GMP Compliant within your Food Supplement Manufacturing Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

Looking to become GMP compliant can be a daunting task, however the benefits of it to your order book can be significant.
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In this article we will discuss the what it means to be GMP compliant, the benchmark tests for GMP compliance and finally, we will discuss how Receta can take care of several sections of your compliance requirements, leaving you free to handle the \u2018physical\u2019 organisation part of the GMP framework guidelines.<\/p>\n

\"GMP<\/p>\n

What are the guidelines I should work towards to become GMP compliant?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In advance of attempting to gain your GMP certification you should make yourself aware of the requirements you will need to adhere to.\u00a0 A great resource for this can be found at:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.foodsupplementseurope.org\/sites\/0023\/uploads\/content\/publications\/good-manufacturing-practice-for-manufacturers-of-food-supplements.pdf?1407341246<\/a><\/p>\n

Another good source of information can be found at:
\nhttp:\/\/www.ehpm.org\/attachments\/article\/117\/EHPM%20Quality%20Guide%20101214.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

And specific to the UK, the governing body \u2013 the MHRA, offers the following guidance, which although centred around medical and pharmaceutical products gives an excellent outline of the requirements you will have to comply with:
\nhttps:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/good-manufacturing-practice-and-good-distribution-practice<\/a><\/p>\n

What does becoming GMP compliant actually mean?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In essence, as the title suggests, becoming GMP compliant means your business is operating within a common framework given the title of GMP or \u201cGood Manufacturing Practice\u201d.\u00a0 Obviously, within each business sector, there are niche requirements dependent upon the processes you go through during manufacturing, the usage of materials and staff interactions; however, the general principals are similar for any business.<\/p>\n

What is the purpose of the GMP Guidelines?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

By moving your business into GMP compliance (and then using that as a potential marketing tool), you can both improve your business offering, make the quality of your finished product improve consistently, streamline and standardise your internal management processes, ensure the health and safety of your staff AND attract a potential sales audience who are specifically looking for their supplier to be GMP compliant.
\nThe underlying goal behind GMP is to standardise several areas of the manufacturing process, thus ensuring customer satisfaction (and in some cases safety) when buying your products.\u00a0 It also ensures you are running the manufacturing parts of your business safely, efficiently and most of all making sure your business can withstand any third party audit, product recall or inspection at any time.<\/p>\n

What are the first practical steps I should look for when starting out with GMP compliance?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As referenced above, by following the general guidelines for GMP compliance, you can effectively create a large tick box document for all of the tasks you believe you need to complete in order to pass the GMP tests. Group the tasks into the sectors of your business and appoint a sector \u2018champion\u2019 who will be responsible for making sure the tick boxes can be ticked for their sector.\u00a0 Set deadlines for the completion of the tasks and have regular meetings with your champions to check progress.<\/h3>\n

What are the pitfalls for becoming GMP compliant?<\/strong><\/p>\n

One the most common issues with GMP compliance is that in some cases, the changes needed to your working practices are quite significant.\u00a0 Although from a management or board level perspective, these changes may seem obvious and something which \u201csimply has to be done\u201d, at ground level that may be much easier said than done.\u00a0 In many cases, the existing working practices are engrained in staff and you may find that you have to overcome some deeply held personal preferences and beliefs in order to get the new required ways of working into practice.<\/p>\n

To this end, I would recommend that before you attempt to make any changes, you first conduct several scoping meetings with your staff.\u00a0 Explain the plans you have and listen to their concerns and ideas for how best to proceed.<\/p>\n

In many cases the \u2018end-game\u2019 plan for how you need to work as a business may not be achievable straight-away, in which case you may need to move your working practices incrementally over several months to a point where you meet your original requirements.<\/p>\n

Failure to do this can have two major effects.
\n1) By moving too quickly, you can alienate your staff and you may find that your big changes never take hold, or
\n2) If you take too long to make the changes OR the changes are not monitored, you may find that your staff quickly slip back into their previous practices, making your job even harder!<\/p>\n

When I\u2019m ready how I become certified as GMP compliant?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Each country or region of the world has its own governing body which deals with GMP certification, an indeed you can employ the services of any number of third party consultants who can help smooth the process of becoming certified.<\/p>\n

You may also wish to approach your governing body directly for an assessment.\u00a0 Be aware that either option usually carries a fee therefore it\u2019s wise to do as much work in advance to be sure you are compliant before going for an assessment.<\/p>\n

How can Receta help with your GMP compliance?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Many of the GMP guidelines are related to physical interactions with staff, machinery and materials within the business, however there are several areas relating to good working practices and record keeping where Receta can really help.<\/p>\n

Many of the guidelines like to encourage you to maintain accurate records of your adherence to the GMP compliance requirements on an on-going basis.\u00a0 This could be:<\/p>\n