Food Safety System in 15 min
| Product Description | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Food product is made by flour, water, salt and yeast | ||||
| • All powders are mixed, and all liquids are added | ||||
| • Add text here | ||||
| • Add text here | ||||
| • Add text here | ||||
| • Add text here | ||||
| Ingredient statement | ||||
| Ingredient include, flour, wheat starch, salt, vegetable fat, chicory, fibers, yeast | ||||
| Nutritional information | ||||
| Servings | 17.6 oz | Calories | 240 calories | |
| Total Fat | 0.4 oz | Saturated Fat | 0.1 oz | |
| Trans fat | 0.3 oz | Cholesterol | 0 oz | |
| Sodium | 4.2 grains | Carbohydrates | 1.4 oz | |
| Dietary Sugar | 0.07 oz | Sugars | 1.1 oz | |
| Size | XXX | Protein | XXX | |
| Vitamin A | XXX | Vitamin C | XXX | |
| Vitamin D | XXX | Calcium | XXX | |
| Iron | XXX | Potassium | XXX | |
| Regulatory Claims | ||||
| Claim | Status | Claim | Status | |
| Soy Free | Yes | Peanut Free | Yes | |
| Dairy Free | Yes | GMO Free | Yes | |
| Size | Yes | Gluten Free | Yes | |
| Natural Flavors | Yes | Natural Colors | Yes | |
| Certified Organic | Yes | |||
| Physical Specifications | ||||
| Viscosity | XXX | |||
| Color | White | |||
| Chemical Specifications | ||||
| pH | 5 | |||
| Fat Content | XXXX | |||
| Shelf life | Suggestive Storage | |||
| 12 weeks | Refrigerated | |||
| Allergens | Package Content | |||
| Eggs, milk or milk derivatives, nuts | Packed under nitrogen atmospheres | |||
| Microbiological Specification | ||||
| Yeast | <10cfu/g | |||
| Mold | <10cfu/g | |||
| Add text here | Add text here | |||
| Version No. | Issue Date | |||
| 12345 | Jan 1, 2022 | |||
| Product description | • Food product is made by flour, water, salt and yeast | |
| Product description | • All powders are mixed, and all liquids are added | |
| Ingredient statement | Ingredients include: | |
| Ingredient statement | flour, wheat starch, salt, vegetable fat, chicory, fibers, yeast | |
| Nutritional information | Servings: 500g | |
| Nutritional information | Total Fat: 12.18g | |
| Nutritional information | Trans fat: 9.18g | |
| Nutritional information | Sodium: 272mg | |
| Nutritional information | Dietary Sugar: 2g | |
| Nutritional information | Size: XXX | |
| Nutritional information | Vitamin A: XXX | |
| Nutritional information | Vitamin D: XXX | |
| Nutritional information | Iron: XXX | |
| Nutritional information | Calories: 240 kCal | |
| Nutritional information | Servings: 500g | |
| Nutritional information | Saturated Fat: 3g | |
| Nutritional information | Servings: 500g | |
| Nutritional information | Cholesterol: 0mg | |
| Nutritional information | Carbohydrates: 40g | |
| Nutritional information | Sugars: 30g | |
| Nutritional information | Protein: XXX | |
| Nutritional information | Vitamin C: XXX | |
| Nutritional information | Calcium: XXX | |
| Nutritional information | Potassium: XXX | |
| Regulatory Claims (1. Claim - 2. Status) | Soy Free - Yes | |
| Regulatory Claims (1. Claim - 2. Status) | Dairy Free - Yes | |
| Regulatory Claims (1. Claim - 2. Status) | Size - Yes | |
| Regulatory Claims (1. Claim - 2. Status) | Natural Flavors - Yes | |
| Regulatory Claims (1. Claim - 2. Status) | Certified Organic - Yes | |
| Regulatory Claims (1. Claim - 2. Status) | Peanut Free - Yes | |
| Regulatory Claims (1. Claim - 2. Status) | GMO Free - Yes | |
| Regulatory Claims (1. Claim - 2. Status) | Gluten Free - Yes | |
| Regulatory Claims (1. Claim - 2. Status) | Natural Colors - Yes | |
| Regulatory Claims (1. Claim - 2. Status) | ||
| Physical Specifications | Viscosity: XXX | |
| Physical Specifications | Color: White | |
| Chemical Specifications | pH: 5 | |
| Chemical Specifications | Fat Content: XXXX | |
| Shelf life | 12 weeks | |
| Shelf life | ||
| Suggestive Storage | Refrigerated | |
| Suggestive Storage | ||
| Allergens | Eggs, milk or milk derivatives, nuts | |
| Allergens | ||
| Package Content | Packed under nitrogen atmospheres | |
| Package Content | ||
| Microbiological Specification | Yeast: <10cfu/g | |
| Microbiological Specification | Mold: <10cfu/g |
Food product specification sheet – all you need to know
- A product specification template is a document that contains important information and exact requirements about your product, the process involved in making it, and safety standards and details.
- Customers and legal authorities require food product specification sheets as proof that your product follows food safety regulations and has good quality.
- Digital solutions have innovated a way to create templates for product specification documents that contain all the necessary information needed for a complete document.
Use our free spec sheet templates at FoodDocs and create your own specifications for your products in the correct format. Simply edit the words on the form as needed and download.
What is a product specification?
A product specification sheet is a detailed document that contains an accurate description of your product including the necessary requirements related to its production. This crucial document is usually built in the development process and contains answers to the following questions:
- What must be built? (Nature of the product)
- What should this product be used for?
- How is success measured? (Quality parameters)
- Who is this product for? (Target market)
- What value will it bring your business?
A well-rounded product specification sheet must be clear, concise, and accurate when providing a detailed product description. This document control is sometimes called a food product spec sheet, finished product specification, or quality specification. A product specification sheet can be applied not only to finished products but to raw materials as well. It must contain the standards and the actual values obtained from specified quality tests and product measurements related to your product type.
Having a well-prepared and proper spec sheet for all of your products does not only help with compliance requirements from food laws but also for your potential customers to make up their minds about what they think of your product and prevent any bad experiences. A correct product spec sheet can help you increase sales by advertising the quality and uses of your product.
In a food manufacturing setup, a product specification sheet can be used by production process personnel and quality assurance specialists as the basis for the minimum quality parameters of your product. Included in a product specification sheet is also the list of ingredients used to make your food product.
Try our free food product specification template at FoodDocs. Learn which information needs to go in a quality specification sheet and finished product specification sheet by following our templates.
Who needs to provide a food product specification?
In the food industry, if you are supplying, manufacturing, selling, holding food products, you are required to provide product specification documents of your food. This guarantees the buying party the quality and standards of your product. Product specification sheets must be provided by raw material suppliers whenever they present a new batch of materials to their customers. As a protocol, this must be provided in every delivery. This act also ensures the customer that the raw material being provided does not have cheap quality standards.
The buying companies who are asking for documents from their potential suppliers are usually retail, wholesale, or foodservice companies who need specifications to accept the products that meet quality standards. Some provisions provided by the FDA require product specification sheets especially when the product is requesting for registration.
Why do I need a food product specification?
A product specification sheet has a number of uses and can be applied to the following situations:
As a guide for development
In the early development stages of your product, a product specification sheet is important to remind the team and to effectively communicate what is the product, who are you making it for, and what should be the product's value. A clear product specification sheet would provide a good guideline for your team.
A similar principle is applied when it comes to the importance of a product specification sheet for the production and quality assurance team. Your team can always use the document for verification procedures for any important detail about the product. Specifications may be about color, consistency, or any potential defects of the product to look out for. Assurance of food quality with the help of product specifications is easier.
As proof of quality
Quality specifications mostly inform the customer about the ingredients of each product and its condition of production. Potential customers use this document as a reference to verify if the product is what they are looking for or if a product has bad quality. It's most important to provide them with relevant and current information about your products because they're making all dietary and labeling decisions according to this information. In a sense, a product specification sheet aims to educate customers about what they can get from your product.
Food safety
Incorrect information can sometimes cause serious public health safety issues especially when it comes to food allergies. Foodborne illnesses or even death in the case of serious food allergies can rise because of misinformation. If your product has special instructions such as the requirement to be stored in refrigerated conditions and this information was not indicated in your product specification sheet, customers may place them in ambient temperatures and will cause the food to spoil. The more accurate the information you provide especially for complex products, the higher level of food safety is for everyone.
Approval for supplier
A food product specification template helps to ensure that suppliers understand the exact specifications of products being supplied. Also, what quality attributes need to be met and what food safety controls need to be performed. It means that they can use this document as a quality standard required at the delivery on the suppliers' side.
To protect your company
Things can go wrong because the supply chain can be quite long. In addition to your traceability system, you need to keep all your HACCP documents in place to prove that everything has been done properly. Quality specifications can provide reassurance to regulators that the food business took all the needed steps to prevent the problem. In the event that wrong information about your product reached your consumers, they may also have the possibility to use this information for their products. This issue may create a rippling effect which can lead to food safety problems.
In addition to food safety issues, mislabeling your products in product specification sheets can also lead to problems related to food laws from groups of the community. A good example would be the declaration of the Halal status of your product. This matter is very crucial for Muslim consumers and other groups that require a specific compatible product to their beliefs. Another example is with consumers who only buy products fit for their diets such as veganism, vegetarianism, and others. Failure to declare such information can lead to lawsuits and cost your company losses in profits.
What information needs to be on a food specification sheet?
Product specification sheets need to cover all important details, such as product color, flavor, texture, and tolerances for specific defects. A product sheet also must contain specific notifications such as the presence of allergens, potentially toxic compounds, or ingredients that might require regulations for immunocompromised individuals. A finished product specification sheet must also indicate any fortification, preservative, or sometimes even special production process used to make the product.
We have listed some of the most commonly indicated information in a product specification sheet for most types of food businesses.
General information about the product: name, description, reference photos of your product, ingredients, nutritional value, physical, chemical, and biological tests done, directions for use, target consumer, net weight, estimated shelf life, best before date, presence of an allergen, product dimension attribute, and others.
Quality-related information: sensory characteristics of the product such as color specifications, consistency, odor, flavor, and texture, parameters of these characteristics, processing methods, and others.
Labeling information: packaging specifications, manufacturer's details, certifications, GMO status, country of origin, country of sale, method of traceability, intended storage parameters, unit price, design details, and others.
Tips in making a product specification sheet for new and established products
What is the easiest way to create a food product spec sheet?
Like any other legal document for your food business, a product specification sheet can take up a lot of your time and will require intensive revisions. Not to mention, the grave consequences your food business can face if you forget to declare or put wrong information as your actual product specs. Some businesses even require the help of consultants just to make sure that all information is included.
When choosing an appropriate solution, the most common ones are google docs, google sheet, or adobe photoshop for the picture. With the recent innovations in technology and their application in the food industry, we have come up with smart Food Safety Management Software that can do all the work for you when it comes to food safety product requirements. Our team at FoodDocs understands how these documents can be overwhelming for anyone in the food business operations. You would have to deal with these technical requirements on top of managing your operations.
In addition to your product specification sheets, we also offer a built-in HACCP software that can help you compose all needed production documents related to food safety management. With digital solutions, it's easy to make updates by yourself and always be up-to-date. You do not need to worry about the specificity of these templates. You can always customize them if you think that there are other specifications that you want to add. Adding, deleting, and editing information is very much welcome when you are using our templates. Let us help you reach your customers in a better way and fulfill their product technical requirements for better transactions.
What documents do I need?
Inspections and audits from your local authorities can become problematic if you are unprepared. Your product specification sheets have to be ready for the audit at any time. Up-to-date documentation must always be presented to authorities to show them that your facility takes food safety seriously and is ready for the food safety inspection.
Important product manufacturing documents include:
- Delivery notes of all your purchases.
- Traceability records for your production. Feel free to use our template.
- An up-to-date HACCP plan.
- Acceptable specification sheets for all your products.
Get the most up-to-date and complete templates from our free HACCP plan template hub that includes all documents that are important parts of your food safety management system. We are adding new templates weekly, so feel free to use them! Customize the templates according to your needs and easily print them out for your convenience.
If you sign up with our Food Safety Management Software, you also get to avail other features from our software such as:
- Real-time overview of your food hygiene
- Monitoring manufacturing practice
- Secured food safety data compilation
- Ease of access to records
- Cost and time management
- Food safety compliance standards and updates
- Facilitated traceability
- Communication with your team
- Organization of tasks
- Expert advice on food safety
No need to hire a food safety specialist to open your food business
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