To maintain and enhance Australia’s very effective food inspection system, continuous improvement is required. A flexible regulatory environment is needed to foster the incorporation of new techniques and methods into food production and inspection to improve food safety. MSQA was one approach taken by AQIS to provide export meat establishments with an integrated system which, when applied rigorously, will assist in the production of safe meat and meat products for human consumption. MSQA is consistent with ISO 9002:1994 and utilises the Codex Alimentarius Commission Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) methodology to address process control.

As the MSQA format is consistent with the ISO 9000 series of quality standards, MSQA is also compatible with the direction taken by some companies to obtain ISO quality system certification.

It is the responsibility of each export establishment to develop and implement the operational procedures that will drive the MSQA system. MSQA integrates HACCP, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and work instructions (WIs) to ensure process control is sustained. Active monitoring and feedback systems are used to demonstrate process control and identify problems that may need rectifying.

The production of safe meat requires that the HACCP system be built upon a sound foundation of pre-requisite programs. These prerequisite programs, in the form of SOPs, provide the basic environment and operating conditions necessary for the production of safe, wholesome meat. They incorporate good manufacturing practice and, wherever possible, best practice within their framework. 

The MSQA structure benefits both industry and government.  Industry can create programs to effectively achieve food safety outcomes, and the government can monitor and verify the company’s programs, and provide feedback to the plant management about the effectiveness of its process control. In addition, this approach allows AQIS to take regulatory action and implement sanctions as and when necessary, and consequently ensures only safe and wholesome meat is being delivered to the market.