Page 38 - FoodFocusThailand No.243 July 2026

STRONG QC & QA QC & QA
STRONG

WHEN ONE RESULT CAN BREAK A BRAND:

THE NEW ROLE OF QC/QA

In the past, many organizations positioned the Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) as supporting
functions—responsible for implementing procedures and acting as the final gate before products reached the
market. However, in today’s food industry, that perception has fundamentally changed. A brand’s reputation
can be shaken by a single test result, and once consumer trust is lost, recovering it may be harder than
building the brand in the first place.

The key reason is that expectations from PCR: Fast Results, Proactive Risk Control
consumers and business partners continue to rise. This is where PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) plays a critical role in
People no longer want only food that tastes good or is pathogen detection. PCR identifies the genetic material of target organisms,
competitively priced—they want food that is safe and enabling faster results and higher sensitivity than traditional methods that
truly verifiable. In an era where information spreads rely on multiple culture-based steps. With faster outcomes, QC/QA can
instantly, a single contamination incident or product shift from “waiting for confirmation” to proactive risk management—making
recall can become a major public issue within hours, sharper decisions on lot containment, releasing safe products sooner, and
placing pressure on brands from society, regulators, Another way PCR strengthens QC/QA is through multiplex detection, which
and the wider business ecosystem. enables multiple pathogens to be tested within a single workflow. This
In this environment, QC/QA is no longer about approach fits manufacturers managing complex risk profiles—especially
“testing and recording.” It is about managing risk those producing high-risk food categories or multi-product production
control and building credible evidence across facilities. Multiplex testing reduces repetitive work, lowers resource
the entire food safety system. This is especially consumption, and increases confidence that food safety controls are more
true for foodborne pathogen testing—one of the comprehensive and effective.
most critical areas of food safety. If contamination In practice, PCR systems designed specifically for the food industry
occurs, pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria support standardized, repeatable performance. PCR-based solutions
monocytogenes, or E. coli O157:H7 can affect not developed for detecting pathogens in food and production environments
only consumers but the entire operation, resulting in help laboratories work faster, reduce workflow complexity, and enable
product holds, root cause investigations, production QA/QC teams to make more effective decisions. In addition, cloud-based
stoppages, recalls, and high-pressure public storage and management of PCR test results provide real-time access
communication. to critical data, making it easier to track historical trends, support audit
The challenge is that many manufacturers still readiness, and rapidly retrieve information when investigating food safety
face the limitations of traditional testing methods or incidents.
must send samples to external laboratories, both of What cannot be overlooked is that pathogen testing is not merely a
which are time-consuming. When confirmation of laboratory task—it is a real-world brand protection mechanism. A brand
results takes several days, decision-making slows may be built through marketing, but it can be damaged by a single test
down as well. Some lots must be placed “on hold” result. Organizations that recognize the evolving role of QC/QA and invest
while awaiting results, increasing inventory costs. in faster, more accurate, and risk-aligned testing methods will not only “meet
Meanwhile, if a food safety risk materializes, a standards” but also sustain long-term business confidence.
delayed response can allow the issue to escalate
before it is fully controlled.

38 FOOD FOCUS THAILAND JUL 2026 More Information Service Info C005

22/6/2569 BE 20:30
36-38_Strong QC&QA_Hygiena.indd 38
36-38_Strong QC&QA_Hygiena.indd 38 22/6/2569 BE 20:30