Proceedings | Operations Management area | Year 2017
 

The current status of Thai food manufacturing plants certified to BRC standard

by Prachara Chaonituthisai; Prattana Punnakitikasem; Kittichai Rajchamaha
  
  ICFES 2017 in Hanoi, Vietnam February 2017

Abstract

Food Safety Standards have become an inevitable aspect of food businesses worldwide over recent decades. In Thailand, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) is the main food standard that has been implemented by food operators. This study used a questionnaire survey method, involving data gathered from 217 BRC certified firms. The data were then analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. The main features of food managers, their manufacturing plants, and certification bodies (CBs) were characterized. Thai food companies were also classified into groups on the basis of their different categorical context factors. Furthermore, the influence of interval context factors on the effectiveness of the firms was examined. The results of ANOVA indicated that there are no significant differences in the effectiveness of firms between average effectiveness of some context factors, i.e. existence of quality management system (QMS) division, company type, and plant location. Regression analysis revealed that the size of food safety team was positively related to its effectiveness. Moreover, finding revealed that there was high correlation between the food safety team size and the firm size.

Keywords: BRC, context factors, effectiveness, manufacturing, Thai food industry