FSSC 22000 Certification Scheme Version 5.1 for Food Packaging Manufacturers

FSSC 22000 Certification Scheme Version 5.1 for Food Packaging Manufacturers

Jul 14, 2021 | ISO/FSSC 22000

The FSSC 22000 Certification Scheme Version 5.1 for Food Packaging Manufacturers is based on ISO 22000:2018 Food safety management systems – Requirements for any organization in the food chain, Technical Specification ISO/TS 22002-4:2013 Prerequisite programmes on food safety — Part 4: Food packaging manufacturing and the FSSC 22000 Certification Scheme Version 5.1 Requirements for Organizations to be Audited.

ISO 22000:2018 Food safety management systems

Requirements for any organization in the food chain

ISO 22000:2018 was developed within the ISO high level structure (HLS) to improve alignment between ISO management system standards. This similarity makes integrating the Quality requirements of ISO 9001 into an ISO 22000 Complaint Food Safety Management System far easier, and vice versa. Key Elements of ISO 22000:2018 (Sections 4 to 10) requirements for a Food Safety Management System by section are:

 

  • 4 Context of the organization
  • 4.1 Understanding the organization and its context
  • 4.2 Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties
  • 4.3 Determining the scope of the food safety management system
  • 4.4 Food safety management system
  • 5 Leadership
  • 5.1 Leadership and commitment
  • 5.2 Policy
  • 5.2.1 Establishing the food safety policy
  • 5.2.2 Communicating the food safety policy
  • 5.3 Organizational roles, responsibilities and authorities
  • 6 Planning
  • 6.1 Actions to address risks and opportunities
  • 6.2 Objectives of the food safety management system and planning to achieve them
  • 6.3 Planning of changes
  • 7 Support
  • 7.1 Resources
  • 7.1.1 General
  • 7.1.2 People
  • 7.1.3 Infrastructure
  • 7.1.4 Work environment
  • 7.1.5 Externally developed elements of the food safety management system
  • 7.1.6 Control of externally provided processes, products or services
  • 7.2 Competence
  • 7.3 Awareness
  • 7.4 Communication
  • 7.5 Documented information
  • 8 Operation
  • 8.1 Operational planning and control
  • 8.2 Prerequisite programmes (PRPs)
  • 8.3 Traceability system
  • 8.4 Emergency preparedness and response
  • 8.5 Hazard control
  • 8.5.1 Preliminary steps to enable hazard analysis
  • 8.5.2 Hazard analysis
  • 8.5.3 Validation of control measure(s) and combinations of control measures
  • 8.5.4 Hazard control plan (HACCP/OPRP Plan)
  • 8.6 Updating the information specifying the PRPs and the hazard control plan
  • 8.7 Control of monitoring and measuring
  • 8.8 Verification related to PRPs and the hazard control plan
  • 8.9 Control of product and process nonconformities
  • 9 Performance evaluation
  • 9.1 Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation
  • 9.1.2 Analysis and evaluation
  • 9.2 Internal audit
  • 9.3 Management review
  • 10 Improvement
  • 10.1 Nonconformity and corrective action
  • 10.2 Continual Improvement
  • 10.3 Update of the food safety management system
Technical Specification ISO/TS 22002-4:2013 Prerequisite programmes on food safety — Part 4: Food packaging manufacturing

Technical Specification ISO/TS 22002-4:2013 Prerequisite programmes on food safety — Part 4: Food packaging manufacturing is intended to be used when establishing, implementing, and maintaining the PRPs specific to food packaging manufacturing activities.

Technical Specification ISO/TS 22002-4:2013 Prerequisite programmes on food safety — Part 4: Food packaging manufacturing specifies detailed requirements to be specifically considered in relation to ISO 22000:2018, 8.2 Prerequisite Programmes:

  • a) construction and layout of buildings and associated utilities;
  • b) layout of premises, including workspace and employee facilities;
  • c) supplies of air, water, energy and other utilities;
  • d) pest control, waste and sewage disposal and supporting services
  • e) the suitability of equipment and its accessibility for cleaning and maintenance
  • f) supplier approval and assurance processes (e.g. raw materials, ingredients, chemicals and packaging)
  • g) reception of incoming materials, storage, dispatch, transportation and handling of products
  • h) measures for the prevention of cross contamination
  • i) cleaning and disinfecting
  • j) personal hygiene
  • k) product information/consumer awareness
  • l) others, as appropriate

In addition, this ISO/TS 22002-4:2013 adds other aspects which are considered relevant to food packaging manufacturing operations including:

  • 1) Measures for the Prevention of Contamination
  • 2) Rework
  • 3) Withdrawal procedures
  • 4) Food Packaging Information and Customer Communication
  • 5) Food Defence and Bioterrorism

Food Safety System Certification 22000 Scheme Version 5.1 November 2020 Part 2 Requirements for Organizations to be Audited

To meet the needs of the key stakeholders and to ensure an adequate control of food safety, specific additional FSSC requirements for the food safety management system are included in the Scheme. These may be elaborations of the clauses in ISO 22000 and technical specifications for sector PRPs or additional requirements.

The FSSC 22000 Scheme Additional Requirements are:

  • 2.5.1) Management of services and purchased materials
  • 2.5.2) Product labelling
  • 2.5.3) Food defense
  • 2.5.4) Food fraud mitigation
  • 2.5.5) Logo use
  • 2.5.6) Management of allergens (categories C, E, FI, G, I & K)
  • 2.5.7) Environmental monitoring (categories C, I and K)
  • 2.5.8) Formulation of products (category D only)
  • 2.5.9) Transport and Delivery (Category FI)
* NEW * 2.5.10 Storage and Warehousing (All Food Chain Categories)

  1. stock rotation system that includes FEFO principles

* NEW *2.5.11 Hazard Control and Measures for Preventing Cross-Contamination (Food Chain Categories C & I) 

  1. For food chain category I, (Packaging) specified requirements in place in case packaging is used to impart or provide a functional effect on food (e.g. shelf life extension).

* NEW *2.5.12 PRP Verification (Food Chain Categories C, D, G, I & K) 

For food chain categories C, D, G, I and K, site inspections/PRP checks

* NEW *2.5.13 Product Development (Food Chain Categories C, D, E, F, I & K)

A product design and development procedure for new products and changes

  1. Evaluation of the impact of the change on the FSMS
  2. Consideration of the impact on the process flow
  3. Resource and training needs
  4. Equipment and maintenance requirements
  5. The need to conduct production and shelf-life trials

* NEW *2.5.14 HEALTH STATUS (FOOD CHAIN CATEGORY D)

* NEW * 2.5.15 Requirements for Organizations with Multi-Site Certification(Food Chain Category A, E, FI & G)

* NEW * in Food Safety System Certification 22000 Scheme Version 5.1 November 2020 Part 2 Requirements for Organizations to be Audited. See www.fssc22000.com for more details.

How to Develop a Food Safety Culture

How to Develop a Food Safety Culture

Mar 15, 2021 | BRC, HACCP, IFS, ISO 9001, ISO/FSSC 22000, SQF Code

Food Safety Culture

A successful food safety culture is the product of individual and group values, attitudes, competencies and patterns of behaviour that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of the food safety management system. Senior management should plan for the development and continuing improvement of a food safety culture.

Senior management should be implementing a “It is how we do things here” food safety culture. This can be achieved by:

  • Leadership – starting from the top
  • Demonstrating visible commitment
  • Effective communication of company philosophy and policy
  • Ensuring there is accountability from the top of the organization to the bottom
  • Developing employee confidence and mutual trust
  • Developing reward schemes including ‘Employee of the Month’ award
  • Ensuring all employees are accountable, engaged and understand the value of integrity and proactivity
  • Developing an action plan for the development and continuing improvement of food safety culture

To ensure success Senior Management should be directly responsible for food safety by ensuring adequate; organization and support, equipment and facilities, training and education of all employees, reviewing and auditing performance, and driving continuous improvement.

All employees should be empowered and individually responsible for the quality of their work, resulting in a continual improvement culture and working environment for all. Employees should be encouraged and required to notify management about actual or potential food safety issues and are empowered to act to resolve food safety issues within their scope of work.

The philosophy of Food Safety should be promoted throughout the organization and in particular the Food Safety Policy.

Communication processes for promoting food safety include:

  • Team briefings
  • Staff reviews
  • Daily Management meetings
  • Feedback mechanisms
  • Newsletters
  • Notice boards

 

Senior management should monitor and measure through reports and trend analysis the degree of development of the food safety culture by analyzing information including KPIs from:

  • Hygiene & Housekeeping Audits
  • Internal Audits
  • External Audits
  • Non-conforming products
  • Environmental monitoring
  • Review of implementation plan and numbers trained
  • Employee reviews
  • Staff surveys on values and culture
  • Customer Complaints
  • Staff Turnover
  • Staff Exit Interviews

 

All employees should undergo individual food safety culture development which can include:

  • Food Safety Policy
  • Food Safety Objectives
  • Food Safety Management System Overview
  • Job Descriptions
  • Job Training
  • Employee Briefing
  • Individual Objectives
  • CCP Controls – Training Procedures & Record Completion
  • PRP Controls – Training Procedures & Record Completion
  • Employee Review

 

A training matrix can be used for Food Safety Culture Planning:

 

Records of all training should be maintained, including those of induction, on-the-job, refresher and external training. Training schedules and records should be managed by Department Managers and where applicable include the following records:

  • Training register
  • Operator training review
  • Training matrix
  • Department training matrix
  • Individual Training records including:
    • Description of training
    • Skills description
    • Name of trainee
    • Confirmation of training
    • Date and duration of training
    • Trainer details
    • Verification that the trainer has assessed the trainee and found them to be competent
  • Identifying the competencies needed for specific roles
  • Reviewing and auditing the implementation and effectiveness of the training and the competency of the trainer with a view to taking action to improve the training.

 

Pest Management in the Food Operations

Pest Management in the Food Operations

Mar 8, 2021 | BRC, HACCP, IFS, ISO 9001, ISO/FSSC 22000, SQF Code

All food operations should have a proactive system for the prevention of contamination of products by pests that ensures there are effective controls and processes in place to minimise pest activity and ensure any pest infestation does not present a risk of contamination to products, raw materials or packaging.

Most organizations use Pest Control Association registered pest control contractor to implement a Pest Management programme and maintain the site free from pest contamination unless the organization employs a Pest Management Specialist.

A typical Pest Management contract agreement defines:

  • Company and contractor key contact personnel
  • Description of contracted services and how they will be completed
  • Term of the contract
  • Equipment and material storage specifications
  • A complete inventory of pesticides (must be approved by the regulatory authority for use in a food facility) detailing the safe use and application of baits and other materials such as insecticide sprays or fumigants
  • Emergency call out procedures
  • Records to be maintained
  • Requirement to notify facility of any changes in service or materials used
  • Service personnel including evidence of competency by exam from a recognized organization

The contracted Pest Management service should provide:

  • Site visits and inspections (including the periphery and internal and external buildings) based on a documented risk assessment including service records describing current levels of pest activity and recommendations for taking corrective actions.
  • The provision of a plan/diagram of the site showing the location of all pest control monitoring and prevention measures
  • Flying insect controls including fly killing units
  • Emergency 24-hour call-out service
  • Quarterly biologist inspection reports, visit and trend reports with recommendations
  • A current copy of the certificate of insurance that specifies the liability coverage
  • Spill control materials and procedures
  • Material safety data sheet information to ensure proper usage of pesticide chemicals.

A nominated manager or responsible employee should have overall responsibility for Pest Management on site so that Pest Management is manged within site control rather than relying on contractors. Before agreeing to a contract the Pest Management Contractor should be subject to Supplier Approval to ensure that the contractor is qualified and the pest management programmes will comply with applicable legislation. Copies of the Contract, Service Agreement, Pest Control Reports and Pest Management Contractor training records and qualifications should be held in Pest Control File on site. At the start of the contract a detailed survey of the entire facility should be completed by a qualified Field Biologist and the results documented and used to determine placement of Pest Control devices.

Exterior Bait Stations

Exterior rodent bait stations should be set up to deter rodents from entering the facility. Based on the detailed facility survey, exterior bait stations should be placed along the foundation walls on the exterior of the facility and along the site boundaries. Exterior bait stations containing rodenticides should be tamper resistant, anchored in place, locked, and labelled.

Interior Monitoring

Based on the detailed Field Biologist survey, interior monitoring devices should be placed in strategic sensitive areas specific to the rodent species, and other areas of possible pest activity. Interior rodent monitoring devices identify and capture rodents that gain access to the facility. Interior monitoring devices should be placed in areas where pest ingress is first likely to be identified and secured in position.

Elimination of Pest Habitat

The Field Biologist should identify any possible pest habitat around the site in the quarterly inspections. The nominated manager or responsible employee should take actions to remove or eliminate favourable conditions for pests including eliminating any rodent burrows, rodent runs and areas that provide harbourage or may attract rodents or other pests to the site or outside grounds.

Pest Management Reporting

Records of all Monitoring devices should be maintained, including services performed, to ensure that devices are properly placed and inspected to allow trend analysis of activity. Pest Management Contractor reports include:

  • Signs of pest activity
  • Proofing requirements
  • Actions required by site
  • Type of Pest
  • Pesticide or material applied
  • Pesticide registration number
  • Rate of application or percent of concentration
  • Specific location of application
  • Method of application
  • Amount of pesticide used at the application site
  • Next action/follow up date
  • Date and time
  • Review and investigation of any missing baits
  • Signature of pest controller

Temporary placement of any pest monitoring devices for short-term monitoring should be documented in pest management action reports. All personnel should be trained to identify potential issues caused by pests at induction. A pest reporting procedure should be in place such that any incident or sign of pest activity is immediately reported to the nominated manager or responsible employee and any potential product affected quarantined. The nominated manager or responsible employee maintains a log of pest sightings and the action taken by the pest controller. The Pest Control Contractor should provide reports for all visits and advise on any trends and corrective actions.

Site Standards

Pests pose a major threat to the safety of food. Pest infestations can occur where there are breeding sites and a supply of food. Good hygiene practices should be employed to avoid creating an environment conducive to pests. Sanitation, inspection of incoming materials and monitoring can minimise the likelihood of infestation. Buildings should be kept in good repair and condition to prevent pest access and to eliminate potential breeding sites. Holes, drains and other places where pests are likely to gain access should be protected or sealed. Screens for windows, doors and vents should be used to reduce the risk of pest entry. The availability of food and water encourages pest harbourage and infestation. Potential food sources should be protected and stored above the ground and away from walls. Areas both inside and outside food premises should be kept clean. Waste should be stored in covered, pest-proof containers whenever possible. Pest infestations should be dealt with immediately and without adversely affecting food safety or suitability. Treatment with chemical, physical or biological agents should be carried out without posing a threat to the safety of food. Pesticides should not be used in food areas.

Pointers

As well as carrying bacteria, rodents can gnaw their way into materials and can cause substantial damage to buildings.

It is important to prevent access to pests, all access doors should be adequately proofed and/or screened.

Adequate measures in place to prevent birds from entering buildings or roosting.

Bird prevention measures

Establishments and surrounding areas should be regularly examined by a competent person for evidence of infestation.

Pest Management Report
How to Reduce Your Complaint levels

How to Reduce Your Complaint levels

Mar 1, 2021 | BRC, HACCP, IFS, ISO 9001, ISO/FSSC 22000, SQF Code

Food Complaint Levels

I have been involved in many projects to improve product quality and reduce food complaint levels. One of the best tools for indicating where action for improvement needs to be applied is by analyzing your complaint data appropriately.

Whilst you can identify faults in your factory your customers are your 100% inspection service so respect their feedback. Whilst all of your customers will not complain when they find a problem so you will not capture all of your product faults you will however identify trends.

The first step is to collate all of your complaint data. Your data should then be categorized by product type, complaint type and size. Analyzing complaints by numbers alone will not give you a real picture of your performance. What you need to know is the proportion of complaints you are getting for each product. By far the most practical way of doing this is by using the sales volumes to calculate the proportion of complaints you get for each product. Some people use weight or volume such as complaints per ton or 1000 Liters. My preference is to use complaints per million units.

So, you analyze your complaint data product type, complaint type and size per million units. From this data, you can easily spot the worst performing product lines.

You should then analyze the results for the worst performing products:

Are they all the same size?

Are they produced on the same filling machine/production line?

Is it the same type of complaint?

The answers to these questions will generate your corrective action plans. If products with the highest complaint levels are all the same size it could be a particular problem with that size of packaging. If it is all the same type of complaint then why are some product lines worse than others? If product from one particular production line is generating the highest number of complaints per million units then there must be a reason for this, it needs investigating.

You should compare product performance and if there are significant differences you should ask the question why? At this point complaint trends are useful. For example, when I worked with fresh pasteurized milk sour complaints were higher in larger sized containers. The reason for this was not related to the quality of the product but the fact they took longer to consume and spent more time in and out of the fridge. Such products would be targeted for improvement projects as opposed to corrective action to remedy a problem area.

A few words of caution though, your analysis needs to take into consideration the comparative value of the products and the market. People are more likely to complain about higher value products. Also, some retail customers are much better at reporting complaints from customers to the extent that I used to get 10 times the complaint levels from one particular retailer compared to another for exactly the same product.

My last tip the more data you analyze the better. In the past I have analyzed 3 year’s worth of data. Why? It gives a year on year performance so you can see if things have been improving or deteriorating and also it shows any effects of seasonality. For example, it is not reasonable to compare summer levels of “off” complaints on a fresh product with winter levels. This is why in the Northern Hemisphere I would compare August complaint performance with the complaint levels for August in the previous year.

The complaint analyzer that I have developed based on over 30 years’ experience in the food industry is included in our Food Safety Management System Implementation Packages.

How to Develop a Food Safety Management System

How to Develop a Food Safety Management System

Feb 15, 2021 | BRC, HACCP, IFS, ISO 9001, ISO/FSSC 22000, SQF Code

A Food Safety Management System should be planned, established, documented and implemented in order to ensure compliance with company, customer, regulatory and statutory requirements. Senior management need to confirm the scope of the Food Safety Management System including product categories, processes and activities conducted on by the organization.

 

Senior management need to be committed to the food safety management system and establishing and implementing, then fully communicating and supporting company policies, procedures and objectives. Senior management plan, establish, document and implement the food safety management system by:

 

  • Establishing and implementing a Food Safety Policy.
  • Communicating and Maintaining the Food Safety Policy.
  • Establishing and implementing Food Safety Objectives.
  • Communicating and Maintaining the Food Safety Objectives
  • Leading and supporting a food safety culture within the site
  • Conducting regular pro-active management reviews and communicating outputs.
  • Communicating commitment to satisfying customer requirements including food safety, quality and service
  • Supporting and planning the development and operation of the Food Safety Management systems.
  • Ensuring the food safety management system is maintained when changes are planned and implemented.
  • Establishing documentation required for the effective development, implementation and updating of the food safety management system and communicating pertinent information throughout the organization.
  • Providing the human and financial resources, and training, to manage the Policies and Objectives effectively.
  • Providing the infrastructure and work environment to manage the Policies and Objectives effectively.
  • Promoting an ethic of continuous improvement throughout the company.
  • Ensuring the strict observation of all food safety system procedures, the use of correct materials and equipment, recording and reporting of both standard and non-standard events and compliance with the company rules.
  • Providing the resources to audit the Food Safety Management system effectively.
  • Providing the resources necessary for the food safety team to effectively implement a Food Safety HACCP plan.
  • Carrying out regular Management Reviews.
  • Implementing and maintaining Corrective Action, Preventative Action and Continuous Improvement Plans.
  • Communicating effectively throughout the food chain from primary suppliers to end consumers including any relevant food safety information.
  • Providing the resource to ensure the company is kept up to date with all industry codes of practice, legislative, scientific and technical information appropriate to the products in the countries of raw material supply, production and product sales.

 

Due diligence

 

An effective Food Safety Management System demonstrates due diligence of the company in the effective development and implementation of safe food operations. The Food Safety Management System documents are supported by the completion of specified records for the monitoring of planned activities, maintenance and verification of control measures and by taking effective actions when non-conformity is encountered.

What is a Food Safety Consultant and Why Does Your Restaurant Need One?

What is a Food Safety Consultant and Why Does Your Restaurant Need One?

Dec 12, 2018 | BRC, ISO/FSSC 22000, SQF Code

Food Safety Consultant

As a restaurant owner, you need to abide by many food safety standards. This is where a food safety consultant comes in. Here’s why you need one.

Do you run a restaurant or a business with a kitchen? Does it feel overwhelming when you think about all the balls you juggle every day?

Most of the time, a kitchen manager handles everything from kitchen food safety to personnel changes and sometimes the dining room, too. If you feel stretched thin, read this article to find the help you need.

Below, we’ll tell you all about what a food safety consultant is and why you need one. When you’re ready to make the leap, use our quick tips for choosing a consultant that’s right for your kitchen.

What Is a Food Safety Consultant?

Food safety consultants give you confidence that your kitchen complies with all regulations. They are an outside pair of eyes to keep you and your kitchen staff on track.

Protecting your customers from getting sick is of the utmost importance. With guidelines that change all the time, having someone else around to work alongside you on this project is a must.

Why Does Your Restaurant Need One?

You may think that everyone knows how to follow basic safety rules like wearing gloves or avoiding cross contamination. But sanitizing daily and checking storage temperatures isn’t everyone’s first priority.

In fact, some employees choose not to read the instructions or cut corners to speed things up. This can lead to failed inspections, or worse, sick clientele.

While you want to have speedy service, you also need to avoid these problems. When you hire a consultant, it’s a lot easier to meet both goals.

Here are three big reasons your restaurant needs a food safety consultant.

Compliance

There are regulations to follow in any kitchen. No matter which food safety management system you follow, you want to maintain your certifications. Here are some standard food safety certifications:

  • BRC certification (most popular) – British Retail Consortium
  • SQF from Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)
  • FSSC 22000 also from GFSI

You have to follow many guidelines for legal compliance and certification. Staying on top of everything requires a lot of meticulous list-keeping.

If that’s not you, a food safety consultant can help you stay in compliance. Let someone else make the lists and double check them. Having another person on your team to keep track of the nit-picky items is an asset you can’t afford to work without.

Extra Support

When you hire a food safety consultant, did you know you hire extra support? They are they to help organize and manage the system, but they also give advice.

The support an independent consultant gives is invaluable. Your consultant should be able to help with anything from kitchen emergencies to encouragement and recommendations.

While it’s hard to quantify this type of help, the results you see from its implementation won’t be nebulous.

Current Information

The regulations for these and other organizations or laws change often. It’s hard to keep up with all the requirements.

A food safety consultant keeps up with all the guidelines and assesses your specific needs. They’ll help you change processes or procedures when the rule changes, so that you don’t miss a beat.

You can achieve compliance with the help of a consultant, even with ceaseless updates to the regulations.

How to Choose a Food Safety Consultant

That’s great, you’re convinced that a consultant is important for your restaurant. But if you want to hire one, where do you start?

How do you know that the one you’ve picked out is the right fit for your business? Here are a few questions to ask to make sure you’ve made the best decision.

Do They Have Outside Resources?

Food safety consultants should have access to outside resources because of the field they’re in. Even if they don’t know the answer to a question you have, they should be able to find it within their network of experts and colleagues.

Are They Too Cheap?

Don’t rule out an expensive consultant. Most often, you get what you pay for, and having to pay a little more for quality service is worth it.

Ask all the questions before you go with someone who charges less than their competitors. There’s doubtless a reason they can’t charge the same prices as other consultants you looked at.

Trust your instincts, and triple check before you hire the cheapest option.

Do They Understand the Regulations?

Choosing someone who has memorized the rules won’t help you if they don’t understand them. You need a consultant who has experience applying the rules to the real world.

Being able to recite the rulebook doesn’t mean they can interpret it. Food safety consultants are like the judges in the courtrooms of the kitchen. Instead of quoting it, they have to be able to interpret the law.

Ask your prospective consultant if they have experience in the kitchen. If not, give them some real-life scenarios you have encountered in your own kitchen to respond to. This way you can make sure they know how to handle a difficult situation.

Abiding By Safety Standards

Keeping up with regulations doesn’t have to be a headache you’re used to. A food safety consultant can help you be compliant, keep up with changes, and find the extra support you need.

To choose a consultant, ask some basic questions about their experience, resources, and pricing. Soon your restaurant will be a slick machine, and you will be able to focus on other aspects of the kitchen.

With over 20 years of expertise, TCI can help you achieve these goals. For more about food safety management systems developed around your needs, select a consultant package on our website.

Top 10 Food Safety Tips for Restaurants and Commercial Kitchens

Top 10 Food Safety Tips for Restaurants and Commercial Kitchens

Nov 3, 2018 | BRC, HACCP, IFS, ISO/FSSC 22000, SQF Code

Food Safety Tips

Food safety is one of the most important aspects of running a restaurant. Read on to learn about the top ten food safety tips.

You’re surely aware of salmonella, E. coli, listeria, and norovirus — but did you know that there are over 250 food borne illnesses? Each year, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48 million people get sick from a food borne illness. Of those, some 128,000 must be hospitalized, and 3,000 die as a result of getting sick from poor food handling practices. If you supervise a restaurant or commercial kitchen, it is absolutely imperative to understand food safety. We’ve compiled a list of food safety tips to get you started.

Hand It to Safety

One of the most important tips to help keep your commercial kitchen safe is good, old fashioned hand washing. “Employees Must Wash Hands” is more than just a mandatory poster on the kitchen, bathroom, or break room wall. Make hand washing an iron-clad rule. Train your employees in proper hand washing procedures.. And administer strict and swift consequences for those who don’t follow this rule.

Make Gloves Mandatory

In addition, your workers should be trained in the proper use of gloves. Whenever someone is preparing food in a commercial kitchen, they should be wearing gloves. Not only that, but they should change gloves frequently. New gloves should be worn each time the cooks switch from raw to cooked food, for example, and vice versa. Far too many food service workers see gloves as magical shields that somehow render germs powerless, no matter what that person does with their hands. If you see staff members wearing gloves while scratching or touching their skin, and then handling food without changing the gloves, stop them. Retrain your staff as necessary.

Clean and Sanitize Equipment Daily

Of course, the equipment in the kitchen must also be cleaned and sanitized not just on the regular, but properly. Your https://www.foodsafetynews.com/restaurant-inspections-in-your-area/ may have specific requirements surrounding food sanitation, so make sure to ask. In general, you won’t go wrong with hot, soapy water and/or commercial bleach. Wash down all dishes, prep containers, pots and pans, utensils, cooking surfaces, cutting boards, and countertops. Sweep and mop not just the kitchen proper, but also the coolers, freezers, and storage areas.

Set a Regular Deep Cleaning Schedule

It’s also a smart idea to set a firm schedule of how often the entire kitchen should be scrubbed down and cleaned out. Asking your employees to take care of heavy-duty cleaning “as needed” or “when they have down time” is asking for a dirty kitchen that will fail a health inspection. During a deep clean, tackle the ovens, grills, fryers, and appliances. Don’t forget grease traps, range hoods, fans and vents, lighting fixtures, and the like.

Avoid Cross Contamination When Storing Food…

Raw meat and poultry should be kept entirely separate from their cooked counterparts. In addition, keep them away from vegetables, prepared sauces, rolls or bread, and any other foodstuff. This practice ought to be a no-brainer. Anyone who’s ever watched even one episode of “Kitchen Nightmares” knows that raw chicken can’t be kept in a bucket with cooked steak. But you’d be surprised how many shortcuts busy kitchen staff will resort to! The same policy of strict separation goes for knives, cutting boards, utensils, mixing and prep bowls, trays, storage containers, and thermometers. You must have separate prep and cooking tools and supplies for raw poultry, raw meat, raw seafood, cooked proteins, vegetables, and other foods.

Make Proper Food Storage a Priority

Do you understand how different types of food — dry vs. wet, hot vs. cold, vegetables vs. meats — must be stored? Do your employees? You can be certain that the health inspector does, so you should too. Several factors must be taken into consideration when storing food. Ventilation is important, as is temperature. Container sizes, how those containers are sealed, and how food is rotated in and out of containers and storage areas are all crucial to safety in commercial kitchens. Never store food directly on the floor, even if it’s in a box or bin. Never store meat on upper refrigerator or walk-in shelves, where it could potentially drip onto other ingredients underneath. Make sure your employees understand and follow all protocols related to storage.

Follow the Rule of First In, First Out

Want to make certain that your ingredients are as safe as possible, while minimizing the amount of food you need to discard? Be strict about following a “FIFO” policy. FIFO stands for “First In, First Out.” It means that the oldest supplies should be used up first. There are two super simple ways to accomplish this. One is to label every box, bag, package or container with the date it arrived in your kitchen. Then, place it behind any existing stock of that same product or supply in the walk-in or on the shelves. That makes it easier for busy chefs to grab the oldest product first. While FIFO might not be quite as exciting as YOLO or even BOGO, it will help your restaurant or commercial kitchen run more safely and efficiently.

Make Sure Storage Temperatures Are Right

According to the Food and Drug Administration, food should be keep at 41°F or below, while hot food needs to reach 135°F or above. This is to ensure that harmful bacteria never gets a chance to grow. Keep a thermometer in the refrigerator as well as in the freezer. The refrigerator should operate at 40°F or below, while the freezer temperature must be 0°F or below.

Cook All Food to Temp, Too

Similarly, cooking food to the proper temperature will also prevent food borne illness (as well as dishes returned to the kitchen for being undercooked!). Chicken must be cooked to 165°F. Ground beef, veal, lamb, and pork should reach 160°F. Train your cooks to use thermometers often, rather than relying on the look or feel of a dish to know if it’s thoroughly cooked.

Food Safety Tips Are Not Enough

We’ll be honest: these food safety tips are fairly elementary. Most home cooks understand them, and most of your workers probably know the basics of keeping things clean and sanitary, too. In order to truly feel confident that your commercial kitchen or restaurant is in compliance with all necessary regulations and guidelines, contact us. We’ll be able to better assess your needs, and help you achieve compliance, by knowing more about your kitchen!

Information About ISO 22000 Certification

Information About ISO 22000 Certification

Sep 29, 2018 | ISO/FSSC 22000

International Organization for Standardization

ISO or the International Organization for Standardization, develops and publishes world renowned international standards. It is comprised of one hundred and sixty four countries, which includes the United States. It’s a non-government related group that acts as a bridge between private companies and the public. ISO 22000 Certification is a certification that deals with food safety, and was derived from ISO 9000.

 

Technical committees are the ones who develop and create the standards. The committees are comprised of experts from different fields, such as the industrial, business, and technical sectors. They are also the ones who request for standards to be put in place.

 

All proposals for new technical committees must be submitted to any ISO national member body. The member body can choose to observe or participate in the process. The ISO secretariat is the one responsible for the nomination of an individual who will act as the technical committee’s chair person.

 

The standard provides the specific requirements for food safety management. It includes system management, prerequisite programs, HACCP principles, and interactive communication. Reviews on the aforementioned factors were studied by a lot of experts to come up with the standard. Each element was carefully researched to prove its importance in the standardized system.

 

ISO provides standardization certificates to almost every type of industry. Getting certified by the organization simply means that the business or establishment meets strict standardization requirements, and the products manufactured by the company are safe for public use or consumption. It also means that there are work processes in place, which make procedures and instructions clear for every process.

 

Most food chains and restaurants are eager to receive this kind of credential. Safety in food preparation and handling means that there is little to no risk of acquiring an illness through food intake. The standardization integrates HACCP or Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system, and uses application steps which are created by the CAC or Codex Alimentarius Commission.

 

The food systems utilized are the most effective ones. These are launched, operated, and updated within the structured management system’s framework, they are also involved in the organization’s overall management programs. It can be used independently, or it can be used along with the company’s existing management systems. It is often the case that companies already have their own established systems prior to getting certified by ISO.

 

Getting an ISO accreditation ensures the public and the company’s partners, as well as their clients, that the standardized process is used to ensure proper business flow. This means that business hours are used appropriately and effectively, since there is an effective system in place. Employees can also expect speedy completion of tasks, since there are set instructions that can be easily understood and followed under any circumstances.

 

ISO 22000 Certification plays a big part in keeping the techniques and systems used in order. This allows for faster and more efficient production of goods. Not only that, it deals with keeping the establishment free from accidents caused by hazardous materials and improper work flows. Hazard analysis is key to maintaining successful food management.

ISO 22000 Manual

ISO 22000 Manual

Apr 16, 2018 | ISO/FSSC 22000

ISO 22000

ISO 22000 is a certification standard for food safety management systems which is appropriate regardless of the step in the food chain or the size of an organization. When developing an ISO 22000 manual it is necessary to ensure the fundamentals of the standard are covered and the documentation specified in the standard is included. ISO 22000 states that an organization requires the documents necessary to ensure the effective development, implementation and updating of the food safety management system. There are specific references in the standard where it prescribes that the food safety management system will need to have documents and these should be included in an ISO 22000 Manual. The documents required are described in this article.

 

The starting point of any food safety management system and a demonstration of senior management commitment is the documentation, authorization and communication of a Food Safety Policy. The policy should be supported by realistic and measureable Food Safety Objectives. It is also fundamental that procedures are put in place to ensure documents and records related to food safety are controlled.

 

One of the basics in developing a food safety managements system is implementing prerequisite programmes or fundamental conditions which are conducive to food safety. ISO 22000 requires there to be documents that specify how prerequisite program activities are managed. Prerequisite programmes specified in the standard include:

 

  • construction and lay-out of buildings and associated utilities
  • lay-out of premises, including workspace and employee facilities
  • supplies of air, water, energy and other utilities
  • supporting services, including waste and sewage disposal
  • the suitability of equipment and its accessibility
  • management of purchased materials, supplies, disposals and handling of products
  • measures for the prevention of cross contamination
  • cleaning and sanitizing
  • pest control
  • personnel hygiene

This list is not finite as the standard requires ‘other aspects as appropriate’ so an ISO 22000 Manual should include all relevant prerequisites, these will be dependent on the position in the food chain for example ‘Good Agricultural Practices’ in the case of primary producers. Where appropriate procedures should also be in place to control of outsourced processes although in many organizations there is no outsourcing and this is not applicable.

 

The ISO 22000 standard requires a HACCP System to be in place, these documents can be part of the ISO 22000 Manual or in a separate HACCP Manual. Prior to carrying out a hazard analysis there is a requirement for relevant information required to conduct the hazard analysis including:

 

  • Descriptions of raw materials to the extent needed to conduct the hazard analysis
  • Descriptions of Ingredients to the extent needed to conduct the hazard analysis
  • Descriptions of product-contact materials to the extent needed to conduct the hazard analysis
  • The characteristics of end products
  • Descriptions of the intended use to the extent needed to conduct the hazard analysis
  • Descriptions of the reasonably expected handling of the end product to the extent needed to conduct the hazard analysis
  • Descriptions of any possible unintended but reasonably expected mishandling and misuse of the end product to the extent needed to conduct the hazard analysis

 

External documents relevant to the organization’s food safety activities including statutory, regulatory and customer requirements should be available on site and certainly used by the food safety team when conducting a hazard analysis.

 

A HACCP plan and Operational Prerequisite Programme plan will need to be developed by a food safety team for each product category. Descriptions of the methodology and parameters used for the categorization of control measures as belonging to the HACCP plan or Operational prerequisite programmes. The requirement for an Operational Prerequisite Programme plan is unique to ISO 22000 and is the source of some confusion. Clause 7.4.4 Selection and assessment of control measures, prescribes areas to consider when assessing control measures, because of the level of confusion we developed the ‘ISO 22000 HACCP Calculator’ which simplifies this process.

 

For each operational prerequisite programme the food safety hazard or hazards to be controlled, the control measures used, the monitoring procedures used, the corrections and corrective actions and the responsibilities and authorities need to be documented. Records demonstrating control at each operational prerequisite programme should be in place.

 

Documented HACCP plans which prescribe and identify critical control points (CCPs), the food safety hazards to be controlled at each critical control point, the control measures used, the monitoring procedures used, the critical limits applied at each critical control point, the corrections and corrective action to be taken if critical limits are exceeded and responsibilities and authorities. Critical control point monitoring records should be in place in order to demonstrate control.

 

There are number of fundamental food safety procedures that should be documented and included in the ISO 22000 manual these include procedures for the handling of potentially unsafe products, for withdrawing products, for corrections and for corrective action. The ISO 22000 standard is specific in prescribing what should be included in the procedure for corrective action such that the procedure needs to include that specifies the need to identify and eliminate the cause of detected nonconformities, to prevent recurrence, and to bring the process or system back into control after nonconformity is encountered. The corrective action procedure must include a review of non-conformances including customer complaints, a review of trends in monitoring results that may indicate development towards loss of control and a review to determine the causes of non-conformances. Procedures should define how the actions needed are determined and are implemented including the responsibility and authority levels within the organization. Again records of corrective actions should be maintained and also records of the review of corrections carried out to ensure that they are effective.

 

As with all management systems, documented procedures for Internal Auditing including responsibilities and requirements for planning and conducting audits should be in place. The procedure should define how results are reported and how the results of internal audits are reviewed; this is normally during management review of the food safety management system. Records of reviews and Internal Audits should be maintained.

 

The extent of documentation required in order to achieve ISO 22000 will differ from one organization to another depending on the size and complexity of the operation and the competence of personnel, however, the procedures and records referred to should be considered an essential part of any ISO 22000 manual.

FSSC 22000 Food Certification

FSSC 22000 Food Certification

Mar 28, 2018 | ISO/FSSC 22000

FSSC 22000

FSSC 22000 is a GFSI recognised food safety certification scheme that is growing in popularity throughout the world. The FSSC 22000 scheme sets out the requirements for certification bodies to develop, implement and operate a certification scheme to assess the food safety systems of food organisations and to issue a certificate. Initially approved in 2010, the FSSC 22000 certification scheme was successfully re-benchmarked and recognized by GFSI against GFSI Guidance Document Version 6 in February 2013.

 

The FSSC 22000 scheme based on the food safety management standard ISO 22000, relevant food sector publicly available specifications or ISO technical specifications for food safety prerequisite programs and ISO/TS 22003 Food safety management systems – Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of food safety management systems. This allows the scheme to cover a broad range of food sector categories as ISO 22000 covers fundamental food safety management requirements whilst relevant food sector category prerequisite programmes are prescribed in separate specifications that are specific to the food sector. In the case of food manufacturers that process or manufacture animal products perishable vegetal products, products with a long shelf life and (other) food ingredients like additives, vitamins and bio-cultures the FSSC 22000 scheme is based on ISO 22000: 2005 ‘Food safety management systems – Requirements for any organization in the food chain’ and ISO/TS 22002-1:2009 ‘Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 1: Food manufacturing’.

 

So there are 3 elements to meeting the requirements of FSSC 22000 and achieving certification:

 

  • A. Compliance with ISO 22000
  • B. Compliance with Food Sector Category Prerequisite Programmes
  • C. Compliance with FSSC 22000 additional requirements

 

A. Compliance with ISO 22000 ISO 22000 requirements

 

Requirements are described in the clauses of ISO 22000:2005 Food safety management systems – Requirements for any organization in the food chain. The clauses are listed below:

 

  • 4. Food Safety Management System
  • 4.1 General Requirements
  • 4.2 Documentation
  • 4.2.2 Document Control
  • 4.2.2 Document Control
  • 4.2.3 Record Control
  • 5. Management Responsibility
  • 5.1 Management Commitment
  • 5.2 Food Safety Policy
  • 5.3 FSQMS Planning
  • 5.4 Responsibility & Authority
  • 5.5 Food Safety Team Leader
  • 5.6 Communication
  • 5.6.1 External Communication
  • 5.6.2 Internal Communication
  • 5.7 Contingency preparedness and response
  • 5.8 Management Review
  • 6. Resource Management
  • 6.1 Provision of Resources
  • 6.2 Human Resources
  • 6.2.2 Competence, Awareness and Training
  • 6.3 Infrastructure
  • 6.4 Work Environment
  • 7. Planning and Realisation of Safe Products
  • 7.1 General Planning and Realisation of Safe Products
  • 7.2 Prerequisite Programmes:
  • a) construction and lay-out of buildings and associated utilities
  • b) lay-out of premises, including workspace and employee facilities
  • c) supplies of air, water, energy and other utilities
  • d) supporting services, including waste and sewage disposal
  • e) the suitability of equipment and its accessibility
  • f) management of purchased materials, supplies, disposals and handling of products
  • g) measures for the prevention of cross contamination
  • h) cleaning and sanitizing
  • i) pest control
  • j) personnel hygiene
  • k) other aspects as appropriate
  • 7.3 Preliminary steps to enable Hazard analysis
  • 7.4 Hazard Analysis
  • 7.5 Operational Control
  • 7.5 Establishing the Operational PRPs
  • 7.5 Establishing the Operational Pre-requisites
  • 7.6 Establishing the HACCP plan
  • 7.7 Updating of preliminary information and documents specifying the PRP(s) and HACCP plan
  • 7.8 Verification Planning
  • 7.9 Traceability System
  • 7.10.1 Corrections
  • 7.10.2 Corrective Actions
  • 7.10.3 Handling of Potentially unsafe products
  • 7.10.4 Withdrawals
  • 8. Validation, Verification and Improvement of the FSMS
  • 8.1 General
  • 8.2 Validation of Control Measure Combinations
  • 8.3 Control of Monitoring and Measuring
  • 8.4 FSQMS Verification
  • 8.4.1 Internal audits
  • 8.4.2 Evaluation of Individual Verification results
  • 8.4.3 Analysis of results of Verification activities
  • 8.5 Improvement
  • 8.5.1 Continual Improvement
  • 8.5.2 FSQMS updating

 

B. Compliance with Food Sector Category Prerequisite Programmes

 

Food Sector Category Prerequisite Programmes are prescribed and referenced in a number of ways, ISO 22000 requires in clause 7.2 that organisations shall select and implement specific “Prerequisite programmes” (PRP’s) for these basic hygiene conditions and shall consider and utilize appropriate information when selecting the programme (e.g. the requirements as prescribed in the codex general principles of food hygiene, codex codes of practices, food safety legislation and possible customer requirements). In addition the FSSC 22000 scheme includes prerequisite programme specifications: ISO/TS 22002-1:2009 ‘Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 1: Food manufacturing’ for food manufacturers and PAS 223:2011 ‘Prerequisite programmes and design requirements for food safety in the manufacture and provision of food packaging for food packaging manufacturers’.

 

Specific food manufacturing prerequisite requirements are prescribed in the sections of ISO/TS 22002-1:2009 ‘Prerequisite programmes on food safety – Part 1: Food manufacturing’:

 

  • 4. Construction and Layout of Buildings
  • 4.1 General requirements
  • 4.2 Environment
  • 4.3 Locations of establishments
  • 5. Layout of Premises Workspace
  • 5.1 General requirements
  • 5.2 Internal design, layout and traffic patterns
  • 5.3 Internal structures
  • 5.4 Location of equipment
  • 5.5 Laboratory facilities
  • 5.6 Temporary/mobile premises and vending machines
  • 5.7 Storage of food, packaging materials, ingredients and non food chemicals
  • 6. Utilities – Air, Water, Energy
  • 6.1 General requirements
  • 6.2 Water supply
  • 6.3 Boiler chemicals
  • 6.4 Air quality ventilation
  • 6.5 Compressed air and other gases
  • 6.6 Lighting
  • 7. Waste Disposal
  • 7.1 General requirements
  • 7.2 Containers for waste and inedible or hazardous substances
  • 7.3 Waste management and removal
  • 7.4 Drains and drainage
  • 8. Equipment Suitability, Cleaning and Maintenance
  • 8.1 General requirements
  • 8.2 Hygienic design
  • 8.3 Product contact surfaces
  • 8.4 Temperature control and monitoring equipment
  • 8.5 Cleaning plant, utensils and equipment
  • 8.6 Preventive and corrective maintenance
  • 9. Management of Purchased Materials
  • 9.1 General requirements
  • 9.2 Selection and management of suppliers
  • 9.3 Incoming material requirements (raw/ingredients/packaging)
  • 10. Measures for Prevention of Cross Contamination
  • 10.1 General requirements
  • 10.2 Microbiological cross contamination
  • 10.3 Allergen management
  • 10.4 Physical contamination
  • 11. Cleaning And Sanitizing
  • 11.1 General requirements
  • 11.2 Cleaning and sanitizing agents and tools
  • 11.3 Cleaning and sanitizing programmes
  • 11.4 Cleaning in place (CIP) systems
  • 11.5 Monitoring sanitation effectiveness
  • 12. Pest Control
  • 12.1 General requirements
  • 12.2 Pest control programmes
  • 12.3 Preventing access
  • 12.4 Harbourage and infestations
  • 12.5 Monitoring and detection
  • 12.6 Eradication
  • 13. Personnel Hygiene And Employee Facilities
  • 13.1 General requirements
  • 13.2 Personnel hygiene facilities and toilets
  • 13.3 Staff canteens and designated eating areas
  • 13.4 Work wear and protective clothing
  • 13.5 Health status
  • 13.6 Illness and injuries
  • 13.7 Personal cleanliness
  • 13.8 Personal behaviour
  • 13.9 Visitors
  • 14. Rework
  • 14.1 General requirements
  • 14.2 Storage. Identification and traceability
  • 14.3 Rework usage
  • 15. Product Recall Procedures
  • 15.1 General requirements
  • 15.2 Product recall requirements
  • 16. Warehousing
  • 16.1 General requirements
  • 16.2 Warehousing requirements
  • 16.3 Vehicles, conveyances and containers
  • 17. Product Information/Consumer Awareness
  • 17.1 Product information
  • 17.2 Labelling of pre-packaged foods
  • 18. Food Defence, Biovigilance And Bioterrorism 18.1 General requirements
  • 18.2 Access controls

 

Specific food packaging manufacturing prerequisite requirements are prescribed in the sections of PAS 223:2011 Prerequisite programmes and design requirements for food safety in the manufacture and provision of food packaging for food packaging manufacturers’ (The equivalent ISO document is ISO/DTS 22002-4 Prerequisite programmes on food safety — Part 4: Food packaging manufacturing):

 

  • 4 Establishments
  • 4.1 General requirements
  • 4.2 Environment
  • 4.3 Locations of establishments
  • 5 Layout of premises and workspace
  • 5.1 General requirements
  • 5.2 Internal design, layout and traffic patterns
  • 5.3 Internal structures and fittings
  • 5.4 Equipment
  • 5.5 Temporary/mobile structures
  • 5.6 Storage
  • 6 Utilities
  • 6.1 General requirements
  • 6.2 Water supply
  • 6.3 Air quality and ventilation
  • 6.4 Compressed air and other gases
  • 6.5 Lighting
  • 7 Waste
  • 7.1 General requirements
  • 7.2 Containers for waste
  • 7.3 Waste management and removal
  • 7.4 Drains and drainage
  • 8 Equipment suitability and maintenance
  • 8.1 General requirements
  • 8.2 Hygienic design
  • 8.3 Food Packaging contact surfaces
  • 8.4 Testing and Monitoring
  • 8.5 Preventive and corrective maintenance
  • 9 Purchased materials and services
  • 9.1 General requirements
  • 9.2 Selection and management of suppliers
  • 9.3 Incoming raw material requirements
  • 10 Contamination and migration
  • 10.1 General requirements
  • 10.2 Microbiological contamination
  • 10.3 Physical contamination
  • 10.4 Chemical contamination
  • 10.5 Chemical migration
  • 10.6 Allergen management
  • 11 Cleaning
  • 11.1 General requirements
  • 11.2 Cleaning agents and tools
  • 11.3 Cleaning programmes
  • 11.4 Monitoring cleaning programme effectiveness
  • 12 Pest control

 

C. Compliance with FSSC 22000 additional requirements

To ensure control of food safety and compliance with the GFSI Guidance Document additional specific requirements for the scheme are included in FSSC 22000 Certification scheme for food safety systems in compliance with ISO 22000: 2005 and technical specifications for sector PRPs PART I Requirements for Organizations that Require Certification. An example of an addition requirement is that an Inventory of Applicable Regulations is required.