It is Quality Week! This week pays tribute to quality professionals worldwide who work tirelessly to ensure product safety. Let us take a look back at some of the milestones in the history of quality.
The American Society for Quality traces the quality movement to the Middle Ages when workers in certain trades and crafts organized into guilds. These guilds even included inspectors who would ensure the quality of goods.
Regarding food and drink, 13th Century England had the Assize of Bread and Ale. This law regulated the pricing and manufacturing of bread and ale, including strict punishments for unscrupulous bakers who might contaminate bread with inedible ingredients so it would weigh more in order to charge a higher price.
[Related: Download our special Quality Week webinar featuring Regulatory Compliance Associates’ Susan Schniepp.]
Another well-known food regulation is the 1516 German Reinheitsgebot, which mandates certain ingredients for brewing beer.
In the United States, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 led to the founding of the FDA. The 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act expanded FDA’s authority to include cosmetics and medical devices. Then, in 1962, the thalidomide crisis resulted in the Kefauver-Harris Amendments, requiring drug manufacturers to ensure both safety and efficacy of a drug product.
As we enter the second decade of the 21st Century, quality remains a top focus for regulated industries. FDA now has an Office of Pharmaceutical Quality, which releases an annual report on the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) recognized 30 years of bringing together the pharmaceutical industry and global regulators to build harmonized practices for ensuring the quality of pharmaceuticals.
How can your organization recognize Quality Week? Consider the following suggestions.
- Hold a quality slogan and/or poster contest
- Recognize an outstanding person on your team
- Highlight how your team has ensured quality over the year
- Share with us your thoughts on quality in our LinkedIn discussion group
- Attend our Quality Week webinar this Thursday, Nov. 11
Redica Systems thanks all the quality professionals worldwide who seek to ensure safe products.
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