FREMONT, CA: Food wastage accounts to roughly $680 billion in industrialized countries. The major factors contributing to these figures are lack of food processing, storage, and distribution facilities. To cut down on food waste, it is essential to process, store, and transport food in a manner that makes it suitable for consumption even after delivery. With food processing industry reaching about 5 percent of growth, the sector is seeing improvements year after year with new business and start-ups.

Most organizations in the food processing industry follow a food quality and safety management system in every step of manufacturing food products. Similarly, a quality management system for storage and transportation can be designed as well, keeping in mind the processes. The Storage and Transport Quality Management Systems (STQMS) works on the Plan-do-check-Act (PDCA) cycle. It has been comprehensively described in the following notes.

•  Scope of the STQMS: A detailed route map will assist the management team in allocating resources and outlining the STQMS plan for implementation. It elaborates the boundaries of the system.

•  Document Control:  it is gravely necessary for maintaining documents on all policies and procedures, defining recordkeeping requirements, which will help all the teams follow the correct methods at the exact times all while retaining records.

•  Training and Development: Training and development are primordial for effective implementation of STQMS, to be followed accordingly.

•  Infrastructure and Practices: The most essential feature of the STQMS is the infrastructure followed by good warehousing practices, housekeeping practices, and transportation Practices.

•  Prerequisite Programs: Many prerequisite programs like pest control, loading, and unloading, temperature control, cleaning and sanitation, infrastructure maintenance are the support system of the STQMS to reduce food safety accidents.

•  Inventory Management: Inventory management decreases the possibility of stock loss due to expiry and pitiable planning.

•  Internal/External Audit Management: Managing the audit process aids in identifying issues that run counter to food safety and quality goals.

•  Preventive Action and Continual Improvement: Correcting problems and implementing proactive measures are the answer to continual improvement in STQMS.