Food Safety - 仁和生技｜保健食品代工廠｜保健食品ODM/OEM

Professional Science

Food Safety

Lessons from the Kobayashi Red Yeast Incident on Food Safety Issues

With technological advancements, the food industry has seen rapid development. However, the core of food production, "food safety," remains an irreplaceable priority. Globally, food safety is receiving increasing attention. The United Nations designated June 7 as "World Food Safety Day" to raise awareness, and our government has implemented the "Five Rings of Food Safety" policy. This aims to ensure comprehensive measures, from source control to public supervision, to improve food safety management. However, food safety cannot solely rely on "experience" or "management processes." Otherwise, even a century-old giant like Japan's Kobayashi Pharmaceutical would not have encountered the toxic red yeast incident. Let us reflect on the key areas for improvement in food safety based on this event.

Unexpected Mishaps

The issue with Kobayashi's red yeast caused by Penicillium acid is not new. However, the root cause of this contamination remains unclear. It is known that all problematic batches were produced between April and October 2023. While speculation suggests that the contamination occurred due to staff negligence in reusing ingredients dropped on the floor, this raises further questions: If such contamination occurred from a single negligence, does it indicate a significantly higher-than-expected presence of Penicillium in the environment??If staff repeatedly reused fallen ingredients, why did contamination occur only this time??Or could there be alternative sources of contamination??While identifying the true source of Penicillium at Kobayashi is not our focus, the critical question is how to prevent such unexpected mishaps in the future.?

Certification as a Foundation, Implementation as the Key

Food factory certifications, such asISOandFSSC, represent rigorous food production processes. From raw material sourcing, storage, and transport to final product manufacturing and shipping, these processes must adhere to certified management standards. Over time, ISO and FSSC certifications have become increasingly detailed to meet modern food safety demands. Kobayashi possesses the 22000 certification, tailored for food production. However, this incident highlights that staff failed to adhere strictly to standard production processes, complicating root cause identification and prevention of recurrence.

Supervising Food Safety with the Strictest Measures

If factory certifications and staff adherence cannot fully prevent food safety issues, what additional measures can enhance food safety control? Ultimately, internal pressure alone may not ensure flawless implementation due to human nature. Therefore, external oversight is essential. Renhe Biotech is the world's first transparent manufacturing facility, allowing customers to visit anytime, observe, and monitor processes. We also upload production processes to the cloud for global review.

Food safety represents not only responsibility and obligation but also an attitude toward society and an educational opportunity for future generations. For contract manufacturers, ensuring food safety is challenging due to high costs. Nonetheless, Renhe Biotech insists on investing in AI monitoring to reduce human errors. With our renowned "Wood in the Forest" brand, we prioritize quality and safety and collaborate with experts worldwide, subjecting our operations to extensive scrutiny. Transparency in our processes allows anyone concerned to evaluate them firsthand.