| | Food hazards | Food safety management | Employee hygiene and health | Cleaning and sanitizing | Food quality
Food safety refers to the production of food, which is safe and wholesome throughout the shelf life of the product. At the same time that consumers everywhere are demanding safe food, they also want high quality food.
Quality can be defined as the physical attributes of a product that make the food look, smell, taste and feel good. Many of the procedures used to manufacture a safe food product enhance the quality of your product. In turn, developing quality control systems in your manufacturing process contributes to a safe food product. Assuring a safe food product is fundamental to the success of your business.
Both provincial and federal government food regulations are focused on ensuring food safety. Food safety policy and the setting of standards rest with Health Canada. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) handles the inspection of food processing facilities.
As a food processor, one of your goals is to identify possible hazards associated with your product, processing and distribution, which could compromise the safety and quality of the food. You must understand the regulations and take the necessary steps to control hazards, which pose a health risk to the consumer.
Food Hazards
Hazards in food can be:
- microbiological (yeasts, moulds, bacteria and parasites)
- chemical (pesticides, cleaning and sanitizing solutions)
- physical (stones, insect parts, jewelry, pens and glass)
They can enter the food at any stage, from growing and harvesting through to the point of purchase or consumption.
Micro-organisms are small, living organisms. Some are beneficial and allow for the production of bread, cheese, wine and antibiotics. Others, like mould, cause foods to spoil. The micro-organisms known as pathogens make people sick by producing toxins or poisons. Microbial hazards are generally the most significant when it comes to food safety because you cannot see or smell them.
Microbes are found everywhere and can be transferred to food by insects, utensils, equipment, hands, air, dust and water. The requirements for microbial life and growth are similar to that of humans; food, water, warmth and in some cases oxygen. Microbes like the same foods we do. By growing in the food they cause food to spoil and illness in humans.
In food processing, the goal is to:
- reduce the levels of and /or remove spoilage organisms
- eliminate pathogenic micro-organisms
- control the growth of beneficial micro-organisms
It is important to minimize the contamination of the product from the time ingredients are received to the time of consumption. Storage instructions, best before dates and food preservatives help control microbial growth.
Food Safety Basics
The following safety basics help you produce safe food products.
- Examine food and its packaging when they are delivered to your plant and again when you are ready to use it. Avoid using damaged packages as the contents may have been exposed to bacteria or pest infiltration. When in doubt, throw it out!
- Sanitize counter tops, cutting boards and utensils just before use. Avoid cross contamination of surfaces and utensils by cleaning and sanitizing after each use. Keep a separate cutting board for each type of meat used.
- Keep the refrigerator at 4°C or less and the freezer at -18°C or less. Check your refrigerator and freezer with a thermometer. Thermometers that are not sealed units should be frequently calibrated in an ice-water bath until there is a level of comfort with its accuracy, thereafter as required.
- Don’t let potentially unsafe food linger at temperatures where bacteria can grow. The danger zone is between 4°C (40°F) and 60°C (140°F).
- Always wash your hands with soap and hot water before you handle food. Use disposable towels for drying.
- Don’t spread it around! Keep foods, like meat and their juices, separate from others during storage and preparations.
- Be sure that all staff are trained in and follow good personal hygiene and food handling practices.
Food Safety Management
Good Manufacturing Practices
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) are based on Health Canada’s code of practice General Principles of Food Hygiene for use by the Food Industry in Canada. These are internationally recognized practices and procedures that guide food processing operating conditions and processing plant environments to assure the production of wholesome and safe food.
Detailed in the guidelines are general hygienic practices for growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, storing, transporting, distributing and selling food for human consumption. Each practice is presented with a rationale and details of compliance under sections of interpretation. Copies of the Good Manufacturing Practices can be obtained from CFIA.
Contact:
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Edmonton
Room 205, 7000 - 113 Street
Edmonton, Alberta T6H 5T6
Telephone: (780) 495-3333
Calgary
Floor 1, Room 102
110 Country Hills Landing N.W.
Calgary, Alberta T3K 5P3
Telephone: (403) 292-4650
www.inspection.gc.ca
The code allows for flexibility due to the variation in processing operations across the country. Companies need to adapt to their specific operations to ensure food safety concerns are being addressed. The following is a brief outline of GMPs.
Premises
The design and construction of buildings shall: permit the operations to be performed under clean, sanitary and orderly conditions; permit the effective cleaning of all surfaces; prevent contamination of the food; and prevent entry of pests to prevent hazards that might adversely affect the safety of food.
Equipment
Equipment shall be designed, constructed, maintained, operated and arranged to: permit effective cleaning; prevent food contamination of food by other food, dust and foreign material; and permit operation in accordance with intended use.
Personnel
Every person producing food shall: be trained to carry out the duties and responsibilities assigned; and conform to hygienic practices while working in contact with food, food processing equipment and packaging materials to prevent contamination and allow continuous production of safe food.
Manufacturing Controls
Written procedures must be available and followed to ensure the food does not result in a health hazard. Procedures shall include:
- identification of critical control points (CCPs)
- critical limits for CCPs
- monitoring program for CCPs
- corrective action in case of CCP violation
- verification procedures to confirm the food was produced in compliance with the written procedures
The goal of manufacturing controls is to prevent health hazards. This can be achieved using the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems.
Sanitation Program
Processors shall have an effective and written sanitation program that is implemented under supervision of a designated person.
A written, implemented and supervised program assures the level of cleanliness in the establishment. This directly influences the safety of the food produced.
Records
Records of manufacturing controls, lot distribution and complaints must be made and retained for at least one year after the expiration date or for at least two years after the date of manufacture.
Recall
Manufacturers shall have a system that permits complete and rapid recall of any lot of food. The system is to include permanently legible code marks on each package.
The rapid removal of a product from the market is an effective method of protecting public health in cases where food presents a health hazard. Where a manufacturer initiates a health hazard recall, the regional office of the Health Protection Branch must be notified.
Transportation and Storage
Food shall be stored and transported to avoid: contamination of the food; rapid proliferation of micro-organisms in the food; and deterioration of the food or damage to the package to maintain the safety of the product throughout the distribution system.
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a system of assuring food safety by eliminating or reducing hazards in the finished product. It identifies potential hazards your products could encounter, starting with raw materials all the way through to consumption. Procedures are then put in place to control hazards, monitor the critical points, react to non-conforming critical control points and assess the effectiveness of the systems.
For more information on HACCP, contact:
Alberta Agriculture and Food
Food Safety Division
Phone: (780) 427-6159
www.agric.gov.ab.ca
Alberta Food Processors Association
Phone: (780) 444-2272
www.afpa.com
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Phone: (780) 495-3333
www.inspection.gc.ca
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
www.agr.gc.ca
Health Canada
www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Employee Hygiene and Health
The role of food handlers in the production of safe and wholesome food cannot be overstated. In dealing with packaging and raw materials through to the finished products, these people have the ability to make or break any quality management system. Training workers in the hygienic handling of foods, giving them a basic understanding of the nature of micro-organisms, chemical and physical hazards, and providing a written code of sanitary conduct leads a processor towards control of food safety.
The following is an example of a code of conduct for food handlers:
- Persons carrying a disease or who have wounds, skin infections, sores or diarrhea should not be working with food and should inform their supervisor that these conditions exist.
- All food handlers should have a medical examination prior to their employment.
- All food handlers must attend training sessions covering the guidelines for safe food handling, personal hygiene and the reasons for these guidelines. (Contact your local health authority for a course in your area.)
- All persons, including visitors, must wash their hands with soap and warm running water upon entering the processing area and as required throughout production.
- All persons, including visitors, entering the processing area must wear clean protective clothing, a hair covering and appropriate footwear for use only in the plant. This clothing is not to be worn outside, in smoking or eating areas or in washrooms.
- All jewelry, except medic alerts, must be removed prior to entering the processing area.
- Tobacco, gum, and eating or drinking are not permitted in the processing area.
Cleaning and Sanitizing
Cleanliness of the processing area, equipment and utensils is required to prevent contamination of the food and ensure food safety. Soil residues and films harbor micro-organisms and therefore must be regularly and effectively cleaned and sanitized.
A four or five step process to ensure the sanitary condition of equipment and facility is generally recommended. The steps include:
- pre-rinse
- clean
- rinse
- sanitize
- rinse (This depends on type of sanitizer as some may not need to be rinsed off.)
Cleaning is the removal of food residue and films with cleaning agents capable of penetrating, lifting, solubilizing and dispersing soil. Cleaning is followed by rinsing to remove the dissolved soil and chemical cleaning agent. The nature of the food residue, protein, fat or starch dictates the cleaning agents required (caustic soda, acid detergent, etc). Pitted surfaces, dead ends in pipes, rough welds, hard to reach areas and the build-up of resistant films are a few of the challenges to effective cleaning.
Sanitizing is the destruction of micro-organisms that remain on equipment and surfaces, after cleaning. Common chemical sanitizers are chlorine, iodine and quaternary ammonium compounds (quats). Each has different optimal uses. The choice of sanitizer depends on the microbes of concern and the material to be sanitized. Sanitizing is a time and concentration dependent process. Careful regard to directions is very important.
Food Quality
Assuring the quality of your product is fundamental to the success of your business. The foods people choose to eat depend largely on quality and consistency of quality.
Quality can be defined as the physical attributes of a product, which make the food look, smell, taste and feel good. Convenience, perception, nutrition and other factors that meet the needs of consumers are also attributes of quality.
Controlling the quality of your product requires that you define which attributes are of critical importance to your consumer. You must then establish limits on that attribute and establish a way to ensure the attribute remains within the limits during processing.
Quality Control
Quality control (QC) is best achieved through prevention of quality defects, in the same manner as is used to prevent food safety problems. Evaluate your product and identify the important quality attributes. Set up: control limits on the quality; a means of testing; the frequency of testing; and, a documentation procedure.
Establish a record keeping system for test results. Clearly describe what to do when product quality is out of limits. Staff should be well trained and responsibilities should be identified or designated.
Practical Quality Control for Small Companies
Specification sheets can be requested from suppliers of ingredients, raw materials and packaging. These should include specifications of quality and microbiological limits for their products. Spot checks of specified attributes further aids in the control of your product quality.
Formulations and processing procedures must be in writing and a check of methods must be established to ensure each procedure is performed accurately.
In developing and commercializing your individual product the important quality attributes are either prescribed or becomes evident with experience. Documenting the quality and including both objective and subjective measures of quality allows you to keep control as operations expand. This ensures that you can present the consumer with the same, high quality product time after time.
Defining a product may include chemical, physical or microbiological characteristics that are important to the quality and safety of the product. Quality attributes, such as color, flavor and viscosity, are important in the definition of the product. Where possible, use objective tests to eliminate subjective errors of judgment. In jams you would look at viscosity, pH and brix. These tests can usually be performed by anyone as it is the result that is important not the person administering it. These measurements are also routinely used during production to provide assurance that the quality is consistent from day to day.
Some tests can be done in your plant during production using simple equipment like thermometers, pH meters, water activity meters, refractometers and viscometers. Other tests may require more expensive testing equipment and trained staff. They can also be contracted to a local laboratory.
From each batch of product prepared, at least one sample should be taken and tested. The test can be as simple as a taste test to say okay or not okay, and a brief description of any problems. In all cases, the tests performed and results must be documented.
Regardless of the size of your operation, you should have a procedure to code and record where your product is sold. This is used in the event that product quality is not up to standard.
Small processors can determine product shelf life by storing products at conditions similar to that of retail operations and monitoring the product quality over time.
Processors can access a video package called Safe Food Practices for Small Processors from Alberta Agriculture and Food.
Contact:
Alberta Agriculture and Food
Ag-Info Centre
310-FARM (3276) |
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