There are dozens of food safety software providers. However, only a few offer an unique value proposition to larger food or consumer goods manufacturers. Or even when you need to run bigger food operations for hospitality or produce pharmaceuticals and supplements. Inspectle is one of the few.
You may be wondering what's that unique angle. In a word, it is visual proof. Follow along to get a thorough impartial look at how to add visual inspections to your food safety practices.
Saving you 70% off your time and reducing food waste and costs (see how our helpful calculator to calculate how much you can save specific to your industry).
Table of Contents
Moving Beyond Checklists with Food Safety Software
In food safety, checklists are everywhere. That's great – as any quality manager knows, you got to have your checklists. But they are not enough by themselves.
Checklists might help you remember tasks, but they don't give you the full picture when managing food safety. In large food factories, traditional checklists don’t keep up with the complexity of the job. There are too many moving parts, and the stakes are too high. That’s where Inspectle's food safety inspection software comes in. It's designed to handle the scale and demands of big food manufacturers, making safety checks more efficient and effective.
Let’s have a look at a confectionery factory. Every day, managers need to make sure ingredients like chocolate, sugar, and flavourings meet safety guidelines.
They also need to check that:
the machines used to make the sweets are clean,
the staff are following hygiene rules,
and that all this is logged and ready for inspections.
A checklist might remind them of these tasks, but it won’t help them see if these safety steps are being followed correctly or in real-time.
Inspectle changes how you handle safety checks by giving you a visual tool to see everything at once. Your employees can track all safety actions, not just whether they were done, but how well they were done. Instead of flipping through a checklist at the end of the day, Inspectle shows you live updates with visual proof.
You can track anything and log non-conformities visually for:
cleanliness
temperature controls,
or equipment inspections as they happen.
By having a clear view with photos, you catch problems early, preventing small issues from turning into major safety concerns.
More importantly, you get a real-time and accurate reports for your hygiene score depending on the food safety standard you follow because Inspectle supports ISO 22000, GFSI and even AIB-based food safety standards.
Try for free: see how Inspectle can simplify compliance for you. Start your 30-day free trial
Checklists and Visual Tools Work Together
In smaller operations, a simple checklist might be enough. But in a big food factory, the process is far more complicated. A confectionery plant, for example, deals with batches of different ingredients daily.
Each batch has its own set of safety needs. Chocolate needs specific temperature controls, while hard candies might need different storage conditions. Managing these varied requirements with a simple checklist can lead to mistakes.
That’s where Inspectle's software steps in. It doesn’t just log whether a task was done — if something goes wrong, it gives you a direct visual look at what is wrong by having your workers take a picture and then attaching it to the specific section of compliance documentation that the non-conformity is relevant to.
You can track safety conditions and your hygiene for each production line or area. You also get your overall food hygiene score for the entire plant.
If the temperature in a storage area starts to drift outside safe limits, workers can use Inspectle to record a non-conformity and attach a photo. This helps managers see that in the web app and act fast before the issue escalates. This visual tracking also helps spot patterns.
For example, if a machine is frequently flagged for cleaning, it might need a deeper inspection. Having this data ready makes it easier to solve problems and avoid safety risks.
How Inspectle Food Safety Software Makes Compliance Simpler
Big food manufacturers have to follow strict international standards like ISO 22000, GFSI, and AIB. These guidelines aren’t just suggestions; they are requirements. If a factory doesn’t meet these standards, it risks fines, recalls, or losing its certification. Some businesses might even lose contracts with major retailers if they don’t keep up with these food safety regulations.
Inspectle’s software is built to help companies stay compliant with these safety standards. It keeps track of safety across unlimited areas that you can define and alerts managers when employees have snapped a picture of something needs attention.
If your factory is audited regularly, Inspectle records the results and gives you a corresponding hygiene score to ensure you stay compliant with food safety standards.
This way, when an auditor shows up, all the necessary documentation is available in one place. No scrambling through paper checklists or trying to piece together data from different departments.
The benefit here is that Inspectle’s software is designed around the most common safety standards – including AIB, GFSI, and ISO 22000. Instead of manually checking regulations or looking up requirements, Inspectle already knows what to look for.
It cross-references your actions with the guidelines, so you can focus on the work rather than worrying about missing something.
A Confectionery Example: Why Visual Inspections Matter
Consider the example of a confectionery factory. It has to deal with multiple types of ingredients, all with their own specific safety needs.
Chocolate needs to be stored at a precise temperature,
while sugar has to be kept dry and cool.
If these conditions aren’t maintained, products can spoil or become unsafe to eat.
Cross-contamination can also be an issue, especially when different types of sweets are produced in the same factory.
With Inspectle, you can create inspections that match these specific requirements.
The software allows you to track things like temperature and humidity for given areas, making sure they stay within the safe range.
If anything goes wrong, like a storage room getting too warm repeatedly, anyone from your workforce can snap a quick pic and as a quality or production manager – you can see that reflected in the report for the area in question. It is also reported in your overall hygiene score that the software produces you can track every month.
This level of monitoring helps catch problems early, saving money and preventing safety risks.
Why Big Factories Use Inspectle Instead of Checklists
In a large factory, you need more than just a checklist. Managers need information and proof that tasks are being done right. Inspectle provides this by giving you the tools to monitor each step of the food safety process live. It doesn’t just help you stay compliant with safety standards; it gives you control over the entire process. You can see where the risks are and fix them before they cause bigger problems.
A visual inspection system like Inspectle helps big manufacturers stay on top of safety regulations, track their processes more accurately, and ultimately produce safer food. The days of relying on paper checklists are over—Inspectle offers a smarter, faster, and more reliable way to handle food safety.
Get Access to Accurate Data in Real-Time
Food safety issues don’t wait for the perfect moment. They can happen anytime, and when they do, having the right information quickly makes all the difference. In large food factories, every second counts.
Whether you're producing ready-made meals, snacks, or dried foods, problems can escalate fast. If a freezer fails, temperatures drop, or hygiene standards slip, getting a quick picture can be the difference between catching a problem early and facing a costly recall. This is where Inspectle’s software steps in, giving managers instant access to vital information whenever they need it.
Think about a ready-made meal factory. There are strict temperature controls that must be followed at every stage, from cooking to packaging to storage. A small mistake, like the temperature of a freezer rising even a few degrees, could compromise the safety of an entire batch.
Relying on checklists means someone may only catch the issue after the fact, and by then, it’s too late. With Inspectle, visual monitoring allows managers to see exactly what’s happening with every freezer, oven, and storage unit at any moment. If something is off, the system flags it immediately, and you can act before the problem spreads.
Why Visual Inspections Are Indispensable
In large factories, there’s no room for delays when it comes to food safety. Imagine trying to find a needle in a haystack: checklists might tell you what you need to look for, but they won’t help you find it fast enough. Inspectle is different. You can have eyes on every part of your operation at once. You can see where safety checks are being done, track equipment performance, and get alerts when something goes wrong—all in real time.
For a ready-made meal producer, having visuals means monitoring the entire cold chain more accurately. From the moment the food is cooked to when it’s stored and shipped, everything must be controlled every step of the way. Inspectle helps managers keep track of this by having Inspectle installed to key employees who do regular inspections and any issue can be fixed before any damage occurs.
Compiling together long-term data also helps identify trends. For example, if a certain oven keeps malfunctioning or a storage area consistently has issues with humidity, Inspectle’s system will show this pattern. Managers can use this information to schedule maintenance or adjust processes, preventing future problems from occurring. In this way, the software doesn’t just help solve immediate issues, it also improves long-term food safety.
How Inspectle Works in Real Life: Ready-Made Meals
Let’s consider a real-life scenario. A factory producing ready-made meals needs to monitor cooking temperatures, packaging safety, and cold storage. At any point, if one of these steps fails, the entire batch can become unsafe. For example, if a freezer’s temperature rises even slightly, bacteria can start growing on the food, making it unsafe to sell.
With a checklist, this problem might not be noticed until hours or even days later, when the damage is done. With Inspectle, the situation is different. You can have anyone do routine inspections because the app is just as easy to use as Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok.
Here's how it works in real life:
Any one of your workers can then spot the issue - snap a quick pic with Inspectle mobile app.
You can clearly see in the Inspectle web app with your own eyes that something is wrong.
The team can then fix the problem or move the affected products to another storage unit before the food becomes spoiled.
This quick response saves both money and precious ingredients and almost produced food from going to waste, while making sure the meals that reach consumers are safe to eat.
Beyond the Cold Chain: Monitoring Hygiene and Cleanliness
Inspectle also helps track cleanliness and hygiene across the factory. Ready-made meal production involves a lot of steps, from chopping vegetables to cooking meat to sealing everything in packages. Every area has its own safety risks, and each one must be carefully monitored to prevent contamination. Inspectle’s software allows managers to track hygiene checks in real time, making sure staff are following cleaning schedules, wearing proper protective equipment, and keeping workspaces clean.
For example, if a factory area hasn’t been properly cleaned, the software can flag this for immediate attention. Managers no longer have to rely on paper checklists being ticked off at the end of a shift—they can see what’s happening as it happens. This prevents contamination before it starts, keeping both the food and workers safe.
The Advantage of Real-Time Data in Audits
Inspectle’s real-time tracking also makes audits easier. When auditors come in to check if the factory is following food safety guidelines, having data available instantly saves time and shows confidence in the factory’s operations. Instead of flipping through pages of logs or paper checklists, managers can pull up reports on their screens showing exactly when and where safety checks were done, how equipment performed, and whether any issues were quickly addressed.
This kind of transparency is crucial during audits, where proving that your factory is operating safely and within regulations is mandatory. Inspectle keeps all this information stored and organised, ready to be reviewed whenever necessary. This reduces the stress of audits and proves that your operations meet the highest standards.
Why Big Manufacturers Choose Inspectle
For large manufacturers, waiting for problems to be discovered through manual checks or after an audit is a risk they can’t afford to take. Food safety issues can escalate quickly, leading to recalls, wasted products, or even harming consumers. Real-time access to data, as provided by Inspectle, helps managers stay on top of every safety process. It gives them the tools to see what’s happening across the factory at any given moment, enabling quick decisions and preventing potential problems from turning into bigger issues.
Inspectle’s visual inspection method is the modern answer to keeping food safe, tracking every stage of production, and ensuring that managers have the information they need when they need it most.
Cutting Costs Intelligently in Food Manufacturing
Running a large food factory costs a lot of money. From equipment maintenance to employee wages, the expenses pile up fast. But one area that can quietly drain resources is food safety.
Mistakes in safety can lead to wasted food, expensive recalls, and even lost customers. That’s why using smart tools like Inspectle can help food manufacturers save money while still producing safe and quality food.
Inspectle is a solution that makes inspections easier and gives managers better control over staying compliant with all the major food safety standards. By using it, factories can reduce human error, avoid wasting food, and spend less money on unnecessary recalls.
Here are some common problems food manufacturers face and how Inspectle can solve them.
The Real Problems in the Food Industry
Food manufacturers, especially large ones, have a lot to deal with. Some of the main challenges are:
High labor costs: Inspections take time and require trained workers. Inspections only done with checklists with no visual proof also leave room for mistakes.
Food waste: Spoilage or contamination can ruin entire batches of food.
Costly recalls: If a safety issue goes unnoticed, it can lead to a recall, which is expensive and damages trust with customers.
Equipment breakdowns: Machines need regular checks, and missed maintenance can lead to costly repairs or slow production.
Each of these issues costs food manufacturers money. Let’s look at each one and see how Inspectle helps.
Labor Costs and Human Error
Manual inspections with only checklists are not only slow, but they rely on people doing the checks. This can be a problem because humans make mistakes. In large factories, where there are many machines and lots of different foods being processed at once, mistakes can happen easily. Missing one inspection could lead to big problems, like spoiled food or contamination.
"Food and beverage manufacturers are prone to human error daily and transgressions made during the food production process account for 10.9 percent of food waste, according to a 2019 report published in the Annals of Operation Research," - Katleen Vranckx writing in the New Food Magazine
Visual inspections with a food inspection app like Inspectle can prevent or fix many of these problems by making it easy for workers to spot issues and report them to quality managers.
The High Cost of Recalls
When food safety problems go unnoticed, it can lead to recalls. A recall happens when a product is found to be unsafe after it’s already been sold or shipped to stores. This means the company has to pull the product from the market, throw away large amounts of food, and possibly face legal costs or damage to its brand. Recalls are incredibly expensive and can destroy customer trust.
In 2018, Food Safety News reported that recalls cost companies between $10 million and $30 million on average.
For some companies, that kind of financial loss is devastating. With Inspectle, factories can avoid costly recalls by spotting issues early. For example, if a piece of equipment isn’t working right or if a batch of food hasn’t been stored correctly, the software will alert the manager before the food ever leaves the factory. This prevents unsafe products from reaching customers and helps avoid the high costs of recalls.
Equipment Failure and Maintenance Costs
Food factories rely on machines to do most of the work. When a machine breaks down, it can slow down or stop production entirely. This not only costs money to repair but also causes delays that waste time and resources. Regular maintenance is important, but missed checks can lead to expensive breakdowns.
According to a report by the Aberdeen Group, unplanned equipment failure on average cost food manufacturers $260,000 per hour or over $1 million per outage.
Inspectle can also be used by your equipment maintenance teams to proactively monitor machines. Team members can alert managers faster when equipment needs attention, so maintenance can be done before a breakdown occurs.
This keeps machines running smoothly and avoids the cost of emergency repairs. Factories where maintenance teams use Inspectle save money by reducing downtime and extending the life of their equipment.
Always Ready for Audits
Audits are a fact of life in the food industry. Whether they come from internal teams or external regulators, audits are there to check that factories are following all the right safety rules. These inspections can happen at any time, and they’re often stressful for manufacturers, especially if records and safety data aren’t organised or easy to find.
Being unprepared can slow things down and leave room for errors.
This is where Inspectle makes life easier. It keeps all safety records in one place and makes it simple to access the information you need during an audit. No more sorting through piles of paperwork or hunting down scattered digital files. Inspectle stores everything in real time, allowing you to quickly pull up proof of inspections, equipment checks, and product safety measures.
The Stress of Audits
Regulators want to know if your factory is following food safety standards like GFSI, ISO 22000, or AIB thoroughly. They need to see proof that safety measures have been taken, and they’ll want to check that everything is documented properly. Missing or incomplete records can cause trouble, leading to extra inspections or even fines.
Many factories struggle to keep all the needed paperwork in order. With so many safety checks and processes happening across different parts of a large operation, it’s easy to lose track. One missed document can slow down an entire audit, adding stress to an already tight schedule.
Dr. Barbara Kowalcyk, an expert from the George Washinton University, who is the former Chair of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Science Board is a great advocate for rigorous food safety audits as it makes heatlhy and great-tasting food accessible for everyone – across the spectrum of our society. You can listen to a podcast with her here.
Inspectle helps solve this problem by keeping all safety records in one place. Every check, every inspection, and every piece of data is logged automatically. This means that when an audit happens, you have everything you need ready at your fingertips.
How Inspectle Helps with Audit Readiness
Here’s how Inspectle makes audits easier:
Centralized records: All inspection data is stored in one location, making it easy to find and share.
Real-time updates: Inspectle helps anyone in your workforce record food safety issues as soon as they spot them, so your records are always up to date.
Accessible data: Quickly pull up information on your overall hgyiene score, compliance, past inspections, equipment maintenance, or product safety at any time.
In large factories, different teams often handle different parts of the process, which can make it hard to track everything. With Inspectle, managers can view all data in one place.
This means that even if teams are spread out across departments, the safety information and records of non-conformance they gather is still organised and easy to access during an audit.
Pro-tip: Some companies do these inspections regularly with special quality teams that go across plants. Others hand out access to Inspectle across a wide variety of workers: democratizing food safety across the workforce. You are free to choose how you want to set up your routine inspections as part of your food safety culture. With Inspectle, you get to be the leader. Which is wonderful in a small way.
Avoiding Audit Failures
When factories don’t have the right documentation or records, audits can fail. This can result in warnings, fines, or more frequent inspections. In some cases, failing an audit could even mean a temporary shutdown of operations, costing the company time and money.
Failing audits is one of the biggest concerns for food manufacturers, as it can damage a company’s reputation and disrupt its supply chain. Inspectle reduces this risk by making sure all records are accurate and available when you need them. Whether it’s a routine check or a surprise audit, you’ll always have the information ready to share with auditors.
Inspectle also helps track issues and improvements over time. If there’s a problem that needs fixing, you can document what was done to solve it. This shows auditors that your factory is serious about food safety and constantly working to improve.
The Benefits of Being Prepared
Being prepared for an audit means less stress for everyone involved. When all your data is organised and easy to access, audits become less disruptive and more efficient. With Inspectle, food manufacturers can rest easy knowing that their safety records are accurate and up to date.
Here’s why being ready for audits matters:
Saves time: Having all records in one place makes audits faster and less disruptive.
Builds trust: Showing auditors that your factory is organized and follows safety standards helps build a good reputation.
Avoids penalties: Having the right records available reduces the risk of fines or warnings from regulators.
In large factories, being ready for audits is a must. Inspectle gives manufacturers the tools they need to stay organised and prepared, helping to avoid the stress and potential penalties of a failed audit.
Building Trust Through Transparency
Trust is one of the most important things for a food manufacturer. Customers want to know that the food they buy is safe. Retailers want to work with companies that have a strong track record of safety. If something goes wrong, it’s not just about fixing the problem—it’s about making sure it never happens again. This is where transparency plays a big role.
Today's consumers are more aware of where their food comes from and how it’s made.
They care about whether their food is safe, ethically sourced, and produced under proper conditions. That influences retailers to demand more transparency and accountability from manufacturers.
If a food manufacturers is secretive or disorganised about its food safety practices, retailers might lose trust. But by using tools like Inspectle, manufacturers can show that they are open and responsible about their safety processes.
Inspectle helps build trust by making food safety practices clear and trackable. Giving you and your management the confidence you can be a great partner to retailers and a provider to consumers. It allows quality managers take a seat at important top management discussions:
Producers can be more open about how they handle food, helping both consumers and retailers relate more postively about the products they buy from you.
Gives you a better brand perception.
Leading to more repeat purchases from increased customer loyalty as well as new sales.
Position yourself as a more premium manufacturer and step-by-step increase your margins.
Make introducing new product lines easier because of the improved brand perception.
That's a surprisingly big amount of influence a quality manager can have by improving visual inspections.
Conclusion
The food industry is changing fast, and with it, the demands on manufacturers to keep food safe are greater than ever. Large food companies need tools that not only help them stay compliant but also give them an edge in managing their operations. Inspectle is that tool.
From tracking compliance with global food safety standards like ISO 22000, GFSI, and AIB, to providing fast snaps of non-conformances and cutting down on costs, Inspectle helps food manufacturers take control of their processes. It gives quality managers everything they need to prevent problems, stay organized, and build trust with both consumers and retailers.
FAQ: Top Food Safety Software Questions
What is food safety?
Food safety means making sure that the food we eat is safe and clean. It involves following rules to prevent food from becoming contaminated with bacteria, chemicals, or allergens that can make people sick. Food manufacturers follow strict guidelines called food safety standards to keep their products safe at every step, from preparing the food to packaging and storing it.
What are the main food safety standards?
Food safety standards are rules that food factories must follow to keep food safe. These rules cover everything from how food is processed and packaged to how it’s stored and delivered. Standards like ISO 22000, GFSI, and AIB are used around the world to help companies follow best practices and avoid food safety problems.
What are the main causes of food contamination?
Food contamination can happen for several reasons that include but are not limited to:
Biological contamination: This is when bacteria, viruses, or parasites get into food. It often happens when food isn’t cooked, cleaned, or stored properly.
Chemical contamination: This happens when harmful chemicals, like pesticides or cleaning agents, get into food.
Physical contamination: This is when objects like glass, plastic, or metal accidentally end up in food.
Allergenic contamination: This occurs when food contains allergens like nuts or gluten that aren’t properly labeled.
What should manufacturers do to prevent food recalls?
Manufacturers can prevent food recalls by:
Following strict food safety guidelines and standards.
Regularly inspecting and maintaining equipment.
Keeping detailed records of safety checks and processes.
Training staff on proper food handling practices.
Using technology to monitor production in real-time and catch problems early.
Why is Inspectle the best food safety software?
Inspectle is a food safety inspection software that helps large food factories stay safe and organized. It does it in
Anyone you assign to do that can take quick pictures of non-conformances as soon as they spot them, that they can tag with the appropriate section in the food safety standard.
Then, you as the manager get a thorough and real-time look at the latest issues that spring up, allowing you to fix them quickly.
You also get access to reports for given areas and your entire plant (or multiple plants) as well as access to a hygiene score that helps you understand your compliance.
Is Inspectle easy to use?
Yes, Inspectle is designed to be simple and user-friendly. The mobile apps for taking pictures of food safety issues (or non-conformances as we tend to call them) is just as easy as using Instagram or Snapchat. So anyone can use it. The app is also easily available on both Android/Google Play and iOS/iPhone app stores.
You don’t need to be an expert to use Inspectle — it’s made to help food factories of all sizes keep their operations safe. Especially for food workers and quality specialists who do not have time to learn new software.
What standards does Inspectle support?
Inspectle supports all the main food safety standards used by manufacturers including all AIB, GFSI, or ISO-22000 based standards.
About the Author: Robert Jakobson
Robert Jakobson has worked in the manufacturing industry since 2010. With over a decade of experience in B2B marketing, he specializes in helping companies improve their operations with software and hardware solutions. His deep knowledge of the industry and passion for technology make him a trusted expert. Robert’s experience ranges from product development to marketing, giving him valuable insights into how businesses can use tools like the Inspectle Food Safety Inspection software to stay compliant and improve their processes.