The application of FMEA analysis in the short cheese supply chain.

Abstract The aim of this study was to apply Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) methodology to determine the biological, chemical and physical failures that may occur during the farmhouse production of white brined cheese (short cheese supply chain) in the Republic of Serbia. For that purpose, the values for occurrence (O), severity (S) and detection (D) were determined. These estimated values were used to calculate risk priority number (RPN), for each potential failure. Very high values for RPN were determined for biological failures in short cheese supply chain. The highest values were determined for milking step, followed by cheese ripening step and transportation of cheese by personal vehicle. The main chemical risks associated with raw milk were the presence of aflatoxins and residues of veterinary medicines. Our results indicated that the greatest risks in short cheese supply chain can be attributed to biological and chemical failures, due to great severity and low level of detection of identified failures. The proposed corrective measures include different pre-requisite programs. Even the application of these measures will not result in great risk reduction, as the severity and detection will remain the same. The lowest RPN values were obtained for physical failures, as they are visible and therefore easier to detect.