As we shop online or in-store, we expect the products that we buy to be safe. These products, after all, have made it to the store shelf and have come a long way from research and development - or so we assume. To ensure that manufacturers provide consumers with consistently safe products, whether they are in food or pharmaceutical industries, there are regional, national, and international standards for good manufacturing practices.
Good manufacturing practices is indicative of a system that keeps food, drugs and medical products, or cosmetics safe and consistent. GMP controls such production with a set of quality standards. Good manufacturing practices protect consumers from any risks that are borne from mistakes in the manufacturing process. It dramatically decreases the possibility of adulteration, mislabeling, and cross-contamination. Sometimes used interchangeably, CGMP stands for current good marketing practices. However, they are two different steps of the manufacturing process. Current good marketing practices ensure that good marketing practices are following in the long term.
Because of current good marketing practices, manufacturers are able to ensure consistent quality and safety. There are five basic principles of good manufacturing practices, also called the 5 Ps. These include people, products, processes, procedures, and premises. They summarize standards across the production processes. People, the first principle, refers to the regulation that employees are expected to follow. Each employee must understand these manufacturing regulations, and their knowledge and training should be updated if new regulations should arise. When people understand what they are doing, it improves productivity and efficiency.
The second P, products, become more reliable and safe when people are properly trained. All products, regardless of the industry, are tested throughout the processes, and quality assurance is crucial. All materials, from raw ingredients to every necessary component, has its own regulations. Products should be observed during packing, testing, and distribution. Processes, the third principle, states that all processes are correctly documents and distributed. An important part of the process is people.
Procedures and premises, the last two Ps, also illustrate critical steps. A procedure is a set of guidelines that must be followed during a specific process because this yields a safe and consistent product. If there is any deviation, this is cause for investigation. Lastly, much like any business, store, or restaurant, all premises should be clean according to good manufacturing practices. This helps to avoid accidents or cross-contamination.
GMP training is an important part of the production process, and affects each one of the 5 Ps. Employees must be trained on GMP, especially when there are changes made, and the success of the end product depends on it.
