Add a Material
Raw Materials, known as Materials in Safefood 360°, refer to the basic ingredients, packaging materials and chemicals used in the production of Food Products. These Materials are either unprocessed or minimally processed and serve as essential components for creating Final Products.
The following areas of the system include the Materials as part of Master Data:
- Master Data: Customers, Suppliers, Final Products
- Management: Ingredient/Material Nonconformance, Ingredient/Material Management Review
- PRP Control: Cleaning, Contamination Control, Microbiological Material Testing, Pest Control, Material Traceability Record
- Supplier Management: Material Full Assessments Programmes/Records
- Monitoring: Monitoring, Receiving, Batching, Receiving & Inspection* (if applicable to your Site)
Below are the steps that must be carried out in order to add a Materials. Expand each step below for further explanation.
To add a Material in Safefood 360°, navigate to Products & Materials in Master Data using the 'Master Data>Products & Materials' buttons and click the 'Add Material' button to open a blank Ingredient/Material page.
Image: Navigating to Products & Materials via 'Master Data>Products & Materials', Clicking 'Add Material' Button
Image: Blank Ingredient/Material Page
After opening the Ingredient/Material page, there are different sections to complete. Some are mandatory while others are optional.
See below the details on the Ingredient/Material page sections:
Image: Blank Ingredient/Material Details
1. Name: Using the open text field, enter the name of the Ingredient/Material. This name will appear throughout the system where this Ingredient/Material is selected, e.g. Records, Programmes, etc. [Mandatory Field]
Note: The Material 'Name' field has a maximum character limit of 255. The system will not highlight this limit. If you are above 255 characters you will be unable to save the Material. Once you have amended the character limit you will be able to to save the Material.
2. Our Material Code: Using the open text field, enter the internal ID or code for this Ingredient/Material. If you do not have an ID or code for your Ingredient/Material, this field can be left blank. However, the system will not automatically assign a sequential number to the Ingredient/Material.
Tip: The 'Our Material Code' may not always be visible, and is not searchable in Records. If you would like to view/search for the 'Our Material Code', simply add the 'Our Material Code' to the Ingredient/Material name, e.g. 'RC01 :: Raw Chicken :: 2 Kg'.
3. External ID (API field): Only applicable for API-created Ingredient/Material. This field is editable. However, certain special characters or symbols cannot be used within the External ID (API field). If a non-permitted special character or symbol is used, the box will become red. If you hover over the red box the system will provide the pop-up explanation above. The non-permitted special character or symbol should be removed to allow the Ingredient/Material to be saved.
Image: API Error
4. Folder: Select a folder for your Ingredient/Material. It is recommended to maintain a tidy and organised structure within the system for improved efficiency when using the software, e.g. organising folders by Ingredient/Material Category, such as Raw Materials, Semi-Finished Materials, Packaging, Chemicals, etc. If you require to create a new folder, click on the main ‘Materials’ folder, and click the 'New Folder' button at the bottom left side of the folder window. You will be prompted to name your new folder by simply typing into the open text field. To save the new folder, click away from the folder.
5. Material Category: Using the dropdown, select a 'Material Category', e.g. Raw Meat, Ingredients, etc. Navigate through the Material Category folders to find your required Material Category or use the 'Search' bar to search for the Material Category by name. If your required Material Category is not added to your site at the time that you are completing the Ingredient/Material page, one can be added by clicking on the main Material Category folder and then clicking ‘Add New’. This will bring you directly to the ‘Master Data>Categories>Add Specific Category>Material Category’ page where you can add the required 'Material Category' to your site. See here to access the article on Material Category.
Image: Material Category Dropdown
6. Other Categories: Using the dropdown from Master Data, select a Category, e.g, Customer-Supplied Materials, categorised by area such as EMEA, APAC, or by status, such as Temporary Approved, etc. Multiple Categories can be added for one Ingredient/Material. If the Category you are looking for is not added to Master Data at the time of creating the Ingredient/Material, click the Categories folder and clicking ‘Add New’. This will bring you directly to the ‘Master Data>Categories>Add Standard Categories’ page where you can add your Category. See here to access the article on Categories.
Image: Other Categories Dropdown
Note: You can select multiple Other Categories for your Ingredient/Material. However, you can only select one Material Category. The Material Category will be considered as the primary (main) Category. If the Pre-Assessment is used, and Materials are collected, the Material Category selected in the Pre-Assessment Record will populate in the Ingredient/Material Master Data automatically. See here to access the article on Material Category.
7. Barcode Number(s): Using the open text field, enter a Barcode Number associated with the Ingredient/Material.
- Use a comma to separate multiple Barcodes associated with the Ingredient/Material when using the Barcode for use in Receiving & Inspection module.
- Only one Barcode Number can be associated with the Ingredient/Material when using the Barcode for use in Monitoring module.
Note: The Barcode Number(s) field is used on conjunction with the:
- Receiving & Inspection module ‘Barcode Field’ where an Item can be scanned at receiving to ensure it has the correct Barcode (the system looks back here to check the Barcode of the Ingredient/Material when scanned and will flag as a ‘Fail’ if the scanned code is different to any code listed in this field).
- Monitoring module's optional ‘Barcode’ field, where an Item can be scanned during the Monitoring Record to populate the related Ingredient/Material in the Sample field to ensure the correct Ingredient/Material is added, and to make for quicker Record completion. The system looks back here to check the Barcode of the Ingredient/Material when scanned.
8. Country Of Origin: Using the dropdown, select the Country of Origin for the Ingredient/Material. This is a system set list and cannot be edited by the User. To add an additional Country of Origin for this Ingredient/Material, click ‘Add Line’ and select your Country as per the instructions above. If you want to remove a Country of Origin, click the red ‘X’ button and confirm your choice by clicking ‘Yes’, or click ‘No’ or the ‘X’ to return to the Record.
9. Description: Using the open text field, enter a brief description of the Ingredient/Material.
10. Hazards: Using the dropdown, select any known Hazards for this Ingredient/Material. Navigate through the Hazard folders to find your required Hazard or use the 'Search' bar to search for the Hazard by name. If your required Hazard is not added to your site at the time that you are completing the Ingredient/Material page, one can be added by clicking on any of the Hazard folders and then clicking ‘Add New’. This will bring you directly to the ‘Risk>Hazard’ page where you can add the required Hazard to your site. To add an additional Hazard, click ‘Add Line’ and select your Hazard as per the instructions above. If you want to remove a Hazard, click the red ‘X’ button and confirm your choice by clicking ‘Yes’, or click ‘No’ or the ‘X’ to return to the Record. See here to access the article on Hazards.
Image: Hazard Dropdown
11. Notes: Using the open text field, provide additional Notes relating to your selected Hazard.
12. Risk: Using the dropdown, select the Risk from the Risk Values, None (1), Low (2), Medium (3) or High (4). This Risk Value will become the Internal Risk of the Material. Using the 'Attach/Link' buttons, you can attach a file from your device or link a URL to an internal system Record/Document, or any external sources, to help justify your chosen Risk Value for the Risk Assessment. Both the attachment and the link will be displayed in the Risk Assessment to be viewed at another time. Using the 'Report' open text field, you can provide further justification for your Risk Assessment choice.
Image: Risk Dropdown
13. Identity Persevered: If your Ingredient/Material requires Identity Preservation, tick the ‘Identity Preserved’ box. You will then be prompted with a dropdown list from which you can select the required identity, e.g. Allergen, HALAL, Organic, etc. This is a system set list and cannot be edited by the User. You can add multiple Identity Preservation options, as applicable to your Ingredient/Material.
Image: Enabled Identity Persevered
Image: Identity Persevered Dropdown
14. Enable Periodic Review: If you wish to review the Ingredient/Material on a scheduled basis you can enable the Periodic Review and set up the details here. An Ingredient/Material Review Record will open in the ‘Management Review’ module.
Image: Enabled Periodic Review
15. Start Date: Using the calendar field, select the Date you want the Ingredient/Material Review Record to be generated for the very first time.
16. Repeat Every: Set the frequency at which you would like the Ingredient/Material Review Record to be generated. Simply type the number within the first field and select the frequency options from the dropdown, e.g. Years, Months, Weeks, Days, Weekdays, Weekday + Saturday.
17. Action Notice: You should set the Action Notice to '0' if you want the Ingredient/Material Review Record to open on the 'Start Date' noted. However, you can also use the Action Notice to ask Safefood360° to open the Ingredient/Material Review Record a specific number of days before the entered 'Start Date', giving you time to complete the Ingredient/Material Review Record before it becomes overdue. For example, setting the 'Action Notice' as '6 Days' will result in Safefood360° opening the Ingredient/Material Review Record on 4/12/2024, 6 days before the 'Start Date' of 10/12/2024. This gives the User time to complete the Ingredient/Material Review Record in Safefood360° before it goes overdue on 11/12/2024.
18. Send Email Notification: Tick the box to enable the 'Send Email Notification' option. This allows you to note the selected Users who should be notified via email that the Ingredient/Material Review Record has been created and is ready to be completed. By default, the name of the person completing the Ingredient/Material page will be added to the User details. However, this User can be changed. If you leave this box unticked, no one will be directly notified when the Ingredient/Material Review Record opens within the Management Review module.
Note: The 'Action Notice' dropdown options will increase depending on the 'Repeat Every' dropdown option selected, e.g. 1 Year frequency will result in up to a maximum of 365 days 'Action Notice', 6 Months will result in up to a maximum of 180 days 'Action Notice' and 1 Month will result in up to a maximum of 30 days 'Action Notice'.
Image: Enabled Email Notification
19. User: Safefood360° will automatically populate the 'User' name within the name of the User creating the Ingredient/Material but you can update or add any other Users who need to be notified.
20. X: Users can be deleted from the Email Notification User list by clicking the 'X' button.
21. Add Line: More Users can be added using the 'Add Line' button. Clicking the grey dropdown arrow while on the User line will provide you with the full list of Users within your Safefood360° site. You can search through your Users using the 'Search' bar or by navigating through the folders using your cursor. Choose the User you want to add to the Email Notification User list and click 'Select'. You can repeat this for as many Users as needed. Click 'Cancel' to exit the User list.
Image: 'Send Email Notification' User Dropdown
22. User: Once you have clicked the 'Add Line' button, click the dropdown arrow to access the list of Users. This will provide you with the full list of Users within your Safefood360° site. You can search through your Users using the 'Search' bar or by navigating through the folders using your cursor.
23. Select: Click the 'Select' button to add the User to the list.
24. Cancel: Click 'Cancel' to exit the User list.
Image: Completed Ingredient/Material Details
Image: Blank Ingredient/Material Specification
In the Ingredient/Material Specification, you can link an Ingredient/Material Specification Document to your Ingredient/Material. The Ingredient/Material Specification Document must be uploaded to the Documents module before it can be selected from the Documents dropdown. See here to access the article on 'Adding a Document'.
1. Specification: Using the dropdown, select the Specification Document from the Documents module. Navigate through the Document folders to find your required Document or use the 'Search' bar to search for the Document by name. If your required Document is not uploaded to your site at the time that you are completing the Ingredient/Material page, one can be added by clicking on the main Documents folder and clicking ‘Add New’. This will bring you directly to the ‘Master Data>Documents>Add Document’ page where you can add the required Document to your site.
Note: Only one Document can be selected for the Ingredient/Material Specification. If you have more than one Ingredient/Material Specification Document, you can combine them into a single file, provided the file size does not exceed 30 MB, and upload it to the Documents module. Please note that ZIP files are not supported by the system.
Image: Specification Dropdown
2. Version: The Version will show the current Version number of the Specification Document in the Documents module, e.g. 2. The Version cannot be changed here.
Note: A Document Version Number can only be updated by uploading a new file over the current file in the Documents module. See here to access the article on 'Adding a New Document Version'.
3. Approval Status: The Approval Status will show the current Approval Status of the Specification Document in the Documents module, e.g. Approval Not Required, Approved, Awaiting Approval, Awaiting Review, or Awaiting Change. The Approval status cannot be changed here.
4. View: The 'View' button is a blue hyperlink. Clicking the ‘View’ button will open a pop-up window of the Document to preview. This button will not take you to the Documents module.
Image: Completed Ingredient/Material Specification
Image: Blank Supplier Document Settings
Approval Workflow: Similar to the Approval Workflow for Internal Documents, you can assign Users to approve/review Ingredient/Material Documents. The Ingredient/Material Documents are uploaded via:
1. The Pre-Assessment Record via the Material Specification
2. The Material Full Assessment Record via the Doclist
3. The Ingredient/Material Review Record via the new version
If you select multiple Users to review/approve the Documents, all of the Users will need to complete the task, not either or one of them.
1. User: Using the User dropdown, select the User you want to include in the Ingredient/Material Document Approval Workflow.
Image: User Dropdown
2. Review: Click the 'Review' box if you want the User to review each Document added for this Ingredient/Material. The Reviewers will have an action to 'Accept' or 'Reject' each Document.
3. Approve: Click the 'Approve' box if you want the User to approve each Document added for this Ingredient/Material. The Approvers will have an action to 'Approve' or 'Disapprove' each Document.
4. Notify of Change: Click the 'Notify of Change' box if you want the User to be notified by email each time a Document is uploaded and fully approved.
Remember: Within the Approval Workflow, the Reviewers will be notified first. Once all Reviewers have 'Accepted' the Document, the Approvers will be notified. Once all the Approvers have 'Approved' the Document, the 'Notify of Change' will be notified of the Document Approval. See here to access the article on Document Approval.
Note: A User can be selected for one or all three types of Approval Workflows. However, if they are selected for both Reviewer and Approver, they will need to complete two actions, 'Accept' or 'Reject' and 'Approve' or 'Disapprove'. Therefore it is normal practice to have different Reviewers and Approvers.
5. X: Click the 'X' button to remove Users.
6. Add Line: Additional Users can be added by clicking the 'Add Line' button.
Image: Completed Supplier Document Settings
Image: Blank Relationships
When adding an Ingredient/Material to Master Data, you can define the Supplier Relationships by associating the Suppliers who provide you with the Ingredient/Material. This association will reflect in both directions and the system will automatically update the corresponding Supplier page to show the relationship. If the Suppliers are not uploaded yet in Master Data, you can associate the Ingredient/Material to the Supplier when you are manually adding the Supplier to Master Data. This will update the association on the Ingredient/Material page.
1. No.: The Suppliers Identifier from their Master Data Supplier page, will appear here automatically after the Supplier is selected in the ‘Supplier Name’ column. The 'No.' field is not editable within this section. To edit the identifier that appears in the 'No.' field, you must access the original Supplier Master Data page.
2. Supplier Name: Using the Master Data dropdown, select the Supplier you wish to define a relationship with.
Image: Supplier Name Dropdown
3. Supplier Material Code: Using the open text field, you can detail the code or identifier the Supplier uses to identify the Ingredient/Material. Navigate through the Supplier folders to find your required Supplier or use the 'Search' bar to search for the Supplier by name. If your required Supplier is not added to your site at the time that you are completing the Ingredient/Material page, one can be added by clicking on the main Supplier folder and then clicking ‘Add New’. This will bring you directly to the ‘Master Data>Contacts>Add Contact>Supplier’ page where you can add the required Supplier to your site.
Note: When you associate a Supplier to the Ingredient/Material on the Ingredient/Material Master Data page and save the changes, the Material Relationship section on the Supplier Master Data page will automatically update.
4. Relationship to the material stated above: Define the relationship between the Supplier you have just selected and the Ingredient/Material you are adding to the Master Data by choosing ‘Manufacturer’ or ‘Supplied By’ from the default drop-down list. Note that an agent or broker can only supply Materials, and their relationship must always be set as ‘Supplied By’.
5. Supplier Category: If the Supplier you have selected has been associated with a particular Supplier Category on their Master Data Supplier page, e.g. Ingredient or Packaging, it will automatically appear here. The ‘Supplier Category’ field will appear blank if there has been no Supplier Category selected for this Supplier.
6. Supplier Type: If the Supplier you have selected has been associated with a particular Supplier Type on their Master Data Supplier page, e.g. Agent or Manufacturer, it will automatically appear here. The ‘Supplier Type’ field will appear blank if there has been no Supplier Type selected for this Supplier.
7. Risk: If the Supplier you have selected has a Supplier Full Assessment Record completed for them with the Risk Assessment workflow stage enabled, the relevant Risk will automatically appear here. The ‘Risk’ field will appear blank if there has been no Risk Assessment conducted for this Supplier.
Note: If the ‘Risk Assessment - Presence of Control’ workflow stage was enabled and completed in the Supplier Full Assessment Record, the Supplier Risk will be pulled from there. If the ‘Risk Assessment - Presence of Control’ is not enabled, but the ‘Risk Assessment - Absence of Control’ is enabled and completed, the Supplier Risk will be pulled from the ‘Risk Assessment - Absence of Control’ workflow stage of that Supplier Full Assessment Record. If both Risk Assessment workflow stages are enabled and completed, the Risk will be pulled from ‘Risk Assessment - Presence of Control’.
8. Status: If the Supplier you have selected has a Supplier Full Assessment Record or Supplier Audit Record completed for them, the Approval Status from that Record will automatically appear here. If no Supplier Full Assessment Record or Supplier Audit Record has been completed this will appear blank.
9. Archived: If relationships were previously defined here and later a Supplier is archived in Master Data, the 'Archived' box will be ticked to indicate the Supplier’s archived status while maintaining a record of the past relationship. If you wish to remove this data from the Ingredient/Material page, you can click 'X' to remove the row. However, the archived Supplier will still be searchable in the 'Suppliers' tab of the Contacts page.
10. View: You can quickly access the selected Supplier page by clicking the 'View' link. This will open the Supplier page in Master Data in a separate tab.
11. Add Line: Add as many Supplier relationships as required by clicking 'Add Line'.
12. X: To remove a Supplier relationship, click the ‘X’ button.
If you have Customers for whom the Ingredient/Material you are adding is approved, i.e. approved to be used in recipes making the Final Products for the Customer, you can add them here.
13. No.: The Customer's Identifier from their Master Data Customer page, will appear here automatically after the Customer is selected in the ‘Customer Name’ column. The 'No.' field is not editable within this section. To edit the identifier that appears in the 'No.' field, you must access the original Customer Master Data page.
14. Customer Name: Using the Master Data dropdown, select the Customer you wish to add to the 'Customers (Approved For)' list. Navigate through the Customer folders to find your required Customer or use the 'Search' bar to search for the Customer by name. If your required Customer is not added to your site at the time that you are completing the Ingredient/Material page, one can be added by clicking on the main Customer folder and then clicking ‘Add New’. This will bring you directly to the ‘Master Data>Contacts>Add Contact>Customer’ page where you can add the required Customer to your site.
Image: Customer Dropdown
15. Customer Category: If the Customer you have selected has been associated with a particular Customer Category on their Master Data Customer page, e.g. Retail, it will automatically appear here. The ‘Customer Category’ field will appear blank if there has been no Customer Category selected for this Customer.
16. Archive: If relationships were previously defined here and later a Customer is archived in Master Data, the 'Archived' box will be ticked to indicate the Customer's archived status while maintaining a record of the past relationship. If you wish to remove this data from the Ingredient/Material page, you can click 'X' to remove the row. However, the archived Customer will still be searchable in the ‘Customer’ tab of the Contacts module.
17. View: You can quickly access the selected Customer page by clicking the 'View' link. This will open the Customer page in Master Data in a separate tab.
18. Add Line: Add as many Customers as required by clicking 'Add Line'.
19. X: To remove a Customer relationship, click the ‘X’ button.
20. Identifier: The Identifier from the Final Product Master Data page will populate here once the Final Product has been selected in the 'Final Product Name' field. The Identifier cannot be edited from here, it must be edited on the relevant Final Product page.
21. Final Product Name: Using the Master Data dropdown, select the Final Product that is related to the Ingredient/Material. Navigate through the Final Product folders to find your required Final Product or use the 'Search' bar to search for the Final Product by name. If your required Final Product is not added to your site at the time that you are completing the Ingredient/Material page, one can be added by clicking on the main 'Final Products' folder and then clicking ‘Add New’. This will bring you directly to the ‘Master Data>Product & Materials>Add Final Products’ page where you can add the required Final Product to your site.
Image: Final Product Dropdown
22. Archived: If the Final Product has been archived, the 'Archived' box will be ticked. If the Final Product is active within your site, the 'Archived' box will not be ticked. The 'Archived' box cannot be edited from here, the Final Product must be archived or recovered on the Final Product page.
23. View: The 'View' button is a blue hyperlink. Clicking the ‘View’ button will open a new browser tab, bringing you to the Final Product page.
24. X: Any associated Final Products can be removed from the list by clicking the 'X' button.
25. Add Line: More Final Products can be added using the 'Add Line' button.
Image: Completed Relationships
Image: 'Save' Button
1. Save: Click the ‘Save’ button to save the Ingredient/Material to your site.
2: Cancel: Click the ‘Cancel’ button to discard the Ingredient/Material and return to the main Products & Materials page.
Note: It's very important to click the 'Save' button, otherwise the Ingredient/Material will not be added to your site.
Image: Saved New Material
