Food Safety Systems Glossary of Terms

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Acceptable Level

The level of a food safety hazard not to be exceeded in the end product provided by the organization.

Accreditation

Approval by an accreditation body confirming the management systems and competence of a certification body to provide certification services against a specified Standard.

Action Criterion

A measurable or observable specification for the monitoring of an Operational Prerequisite Programme (OPRP) as per ISO 22000. An action criterion is established to determine whether an OPRP remains in control. When the action criterion is met, the OPRP is operating in control, when the action criterion is not met the OPRP is not operating in control, this is unacceptable and action should be taken as prescribed in the Hazard Control Plan (HACCP/OPRP Plan).

Adulteration

The addition of an undeclared material into a food item for economic gain.

Agent

A company that facilitates trade between an organization and their raw material or packaging suppliers, but does not at any point own or take title to the goods.

Airlock

A space which permits the passage of people and materials between one area and another with two doors in series which do not open simultaneously, and thus minimises the transfer of pests, dust, odours, or air from one area to the other.

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Allergen

A known component of food which causes physiological reactions due to an immunological response (e.g. nuts and others identified in legislation relevant to the country of production or sale).

Allergen (EU)

Food causing an adverse reaction that is mediated by an immunological response.
Defined allergens are:

Cereals containing gluten (i.e. wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut or their hybridised strains) and products thereof
Crustaceans and products thereof
Eggs and products thereof
Fish and products thereof
Peanuts and products thereof
Soybeans and products thereof
Milk and products thereof (including lactose)
Nuts i.e. Almond (Amygdalus communis L.), Hazelnut (Corylus avellana), Walnut (Juglans regia), Cashew (Anacardium occidentale), Pecan nut (Carya illinoiesis (Wangenh.) K. Koch), Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa), Pistachio nut (Pistacia vera), Macadamia nut and Queensland nut (Macadamia ternifolia) and products thereof
Celery and products thereof
Lupin and products thereof
Molluscs and products thereof
Mustard and products thereof
Sesame seeds and products thereof
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre expressed as SO2.

Commission Directive 2007/68 EC of 27 November 2007 amending Annex III a to Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards certain food ingredients.

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2007:310:0011:0014:EN:PDF

Allergen (US)

The nine foods identified by the law are

Milk
Eggs
Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod)
Crustacean shellfish (e.g., crab, lobster, shrimp)
Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans)
Peanuts
Wheat
Soybeans
Sesame

These nine foods, and any ingredient that contains protein derived from one or more of them, are designated as “major food allergens' by FALCPA.
To help Americans avoid the health risks posed by food allergens, FDA enforces the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (the Act). The Act applies to the labeling of foods regulated by the FDA which includes all foods except poultry, most meats, certain egg products, and most alcoholic beverages which are regulated by other Federal agencies.
The Act requires that food labels must clearly identify the food source names of any ingredients that are one of the major food allergens or contain any protein derived from a major food allergen.
As a result, food labels help allergic consumers identify offending foods or ingredients so they can more easily avoid them.
While more than 160 foods can cause allergic reactions in people with food allergies, the law identifies the nine most common allergenic foods. These foods account for 90 percent of food allergic reactions and are the food sources from which many other ingredients are derived.

Ambient High Care

An ambient area designed, maintained and operating to a high hygienic standard where practices relating to personnel, ingredients, equipment, packaging and environment aim to minimise potential product contamination by pathogenic micro-organisms.

Animal Food

Products which are intended to be fed to non-food-producing animals.

Announced Audit

An audit where the organization/site agrees the scheduled audit day in advance with the certification body.

Approved Supplier(s)

Suppliers that have been assessed and approved by the organization based on risk assessment as capable of meeting the sites food safety requirements for materials and/or services supplied.

Assessor (for Accreditation Bodies)

Person assigned by an Accreditation Body to perform an assessment of a Certification Body.

Assured Status

Products produced in accordance with a recognised product certification scheme, the status of which needs to be preserved through the production facility (An example schemes would be GlobalGAP or “Organic Certification” such as Soil Association Certification).

ATP Bioluminescence Techniques

A rapid test for the cleanliness of surfaces based on ATP (adenosine triphosphate) – a substance used in energy transfer in cells and therefore detects the presence of biological material on a surface. The acceptable levels for a clean surface can be defined based on a short history of analysis. the test is It is based on the firefly's ATP luminescent reaction. The ATP collected from a surface reacts with Luciferin/Luciferase compounds present in the sample to create bioluminescence light. The amount of bioluminescence light is measured by the Luminometer and is expressed in Relative Light Units (RLU).

Audit

1.Systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining audit evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the audit criteria are fulfilled.An audit can be an internal audit (first-party) or an external audit (second party or third party), and it can be a combined audit (combining two or more disciplines).

2. A systematic examination to measure compliance of practices with a predetermined system, and whether the system is implemented effectively and is suitable to achieve objectives.

3.A systematic and independent examination of a site’s food safety system by a qualified food safety auditor to determine whether food safety, systems, hygiene and management activities are undertaken in accordance with that system documentation and comply with the requirements of the food safety standard.

Audit Checklist

A list of requirements available for use by an auditor when conducting an audit.

Auditor

A person employed or contracted by a licensed certification body to audit a site’s food safety management system.

Auditor Authenticity

A person possessing the appropriate competence and skills to carry out an audit.

Brand Owner

The owner of a brand logo or name who places the said logo or name on to retail products.

Branded product

Products bearing the logo, copyright or address of a company that is not a retailer.

Broker

An organization that purchases products for resale to businesses such as manufacturers but not to the ultimate consumer.

Calibration

1. Calibration is the comparison of measurement values delivered by a device under test with those of a calibration standard of known accuracy. Primary standards of measurement are used to provide traceability to customer's instruments by calibration.

2. Set of operations that establish, under specified conditions, the relationship between values of quantities indicated by a measuring instrument or measuring system, or values represented by a material measure or a reference material and the corresponding values realized by standards.

CCP – Critical Control Point

A step at which control can be applied and is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.

Central Site

A certified site at which activities are planned to control and manage a network of certified sub-sites within a multi-site programme.

Certificate

A certificate is issued to a site by a licensed certification body following the successful completion of a food safety certification audit and/or a recertification audit.

Certificate Suspension

Revocation of certification for a given period, pending remedial action on the part of the company.

Certificate Withdrawal

Where certification is revoked. Certification may only be regained following successful completion of the full audit process.

Certification

Certification by a licensed certification body of a site’s food safety management system as complying with the relevant standard/scheme (e.g. SQF Code, BRC, etc.) as appropriate, following a certification audit or re-certification audit.

Certification Audit

An audit of a site’s whole food safety management system, including a desk audit, where the site’s food safety management system is not currently certified.

Certification Body

An entity that has entered into a license agreement with the Food Safety Management Standard/Scheme authorizing it to certify a site’s food safety management system in accordance with the ISO / IEC 17065:2012 and the Standard/Scheme’s Criteria for Certification Bodies.

Certification Cycle

The period between a site’s certification/re-certification audits, typically annually.

Certification Number

A unique numerical provided by the Food Safety Management Standard/Scheme’s Owner and included in the certificate, issued to a site that has successfully completed a certification audit.

Clause

A specific requirement or statement of intent that a site must comply with in order to achieve certification.

Cleaning in Place (CIP)

The process of cleaning and disinfecting food processing equipment in its assembled position without the need for dismantling and cleaning the individual parts.

Codex Alimentarius Commission

1. A body responsible for establishing internationally recognized standards, codes of practice and guidelines, of which HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is one standard

2. The internationally recognized entity whose purpose is to guide and promote the elaboration and establishment of definitions, standards and requirements for foods, and to assist in their harmonization and, in doing so, to facilitate international trade. The Commission Secretariat comprises staff from the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. The Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted the principles of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP).

Company

The entity with legal ownership of the site which is being audited against a Food Safety Management Standard/Scheme.

Competence

Demonstrable ability to apply skills, knowledge, and understanding of a task or subject to achieve intended results.

Compliance

Meeting the regulatory or customer requirements concerning product safety and legality.

Conformity

Fulfillment of a requirement.

Consultant

An expert in an area, a person who may be registered to assist in the development, validation, verification, implementation, and maintenance of a food safety management system on behalf of client site in the food industry categories appropriate to their scope of registration.

Consumer

The end-user of the finished product, commodity or service.

Contaminant

Any substance not intentionally added to food, which is present in such food as a result of the production (including operations carried out in crop husbandry, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine), manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packing, packaging, transport or holding of such food, or as a result of environmental contamination.

Contamination

Introduction or occurrence of an unwanted organism, taint or substance to packaging, food or the food environment. Contamination includes physical, chemical, biological and allergen contamination. Contamination can also mean a correlation of packages among themselves.

Continual Improvement

Recurring activity to enhance performance.

Contract Manufacturer (Co-Manufacturer)

Facilities that are contracted by a certified site to produce, process, pack and /or store part of or all of one or more products included in the site’s scope of certification. Contract manufacturers must follow the requirements outlined in the Food Safety Management Standard/Scheme.

Contract Packer

A company that packages the final product into consumer packaging.

Contractor or Supplier

A person or organization providing services or materials.

Control

To manage the conditions of an operation to maintain compliance with established criteria, and/or the state wherein correct procedures are being followed and criteria are being met.

Control (noun)

The state wherein correct procedures are being followed and criteria are being met.

Control (verb)

To take all necessary actions to ensure and maintain compliance with criteria established in the HACCP plan.

Control Measure

1. Any action and activity that can be used to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.

2. Action or activity that is essential to prevent a significant food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.

Controlled document

A document that is identifiable and for which revisions and removal from use can be tracked. The document is issued to identified individuals and their receipt of the document is recorded.

Cook

A thermal process designed to heat a food item to a minimum of 70°C for 2 minutes or equivalent. Alternative cooking processes may be accepted if they meet recognized national guidelines and are validated by scientific data.

Corporate

An entity that does not manufacture or handle products but oversees and contributes to the food safety quality management system at a certified site.

Correction

1. Action to eliminate a detected non-conformity or deviation.

2. Action to eliminate a detected nonconformity. A correction includes the handling of potentially unsafe products and can, therefore, be made in conjunction with corrective action. A correction may be, for example, reprocessing, further processing and/or elimination of the adverse consequences of the non-conformity (such as disposal for other use or specific labeling).

Corrective Action

1. Any action to be taken when the results of monitoring at the CCP indicate a loss of control.

2. Action to eliminate the cause of nonconformity and to prevent a recurrence. Corrective action includes cause analysis.

3. Action to eliminate the cause of a detected nonconformity or other undesirable situation. Corrective action includes:

Determining & documenting any immediate action required and taken.
Determining the cause of the problem.
Evaluating action needed on the identified cause.
Determining if the problem exists elsewhere in the system and implement actions needed.
Documenting the actions taken and the results of the action taken.
Reviewing, verifying and documenting the effectiveness of action taken with objective evidence.

4. Action to eliminate the cause of a detected nonconformity, deviation or other undesirable situation.

CP – Control Point

Identified by the hazard analysis as essential in order to control the likelihood of introducing or proliferation of food safety hazards in the product and/or the environment.

Crisis Management

The process by which a site manages an event (e.g. flood, fire) that adversely affects the site’s ability to provide continuity of supply of safe food, and requires the implementation of a crisis management plan.

Critical Control Point (CCP)

A step in the process at which control measure(s) is(are) applied to prevent or reduce a significant food safety hazard to an acceptable level, and defined critical limit(s) and measurement enable the application of corrections.

Critical Limit

A measurable value which separates acceptability from unacceptability. Critical limits are established to determine whether a CCP remains in control. If a critical limit is exceeded or not met, the products affected are to be handled as potentially unsafe products.

Cross-docking

Material is unloaded at distribution premises, and handled, but not formally put away into storage.

Customer

1. A business or person to whom a service or product has been provided.

2. A buyer or person that purchases goods or services from a certified site.

3. A customer is a business company or person to whom products are sold.

Customer focus

A structured approach to determining and addressing the needs of an organization to which the company supplies products and which may be measured by the use of performance indicators.

Desk Audit

A review of a site’s documentation by a licensed certification body, forming part of and being the initial stage of the certification audit to ensure the food safety management system documentation substantially meets the requirements of the Food Safety Management Standard/Scheme.

Deviation

1. Failure to meet a critical limit.

2. Non-compliance with a requirement but there is no impact on food safety related to products and processes.

Dispatch / Despatch

The point at which the product leaves the factory site or is no longer the responsibility of the company.

Distribution

The transportation of goods within any container (goods on the move) by road, rail, air or ship.

Documented Information

Information required to be controlled and maintained by an organization and the medium on which it is contained. Documented information can be in any format and media, and from any source. Documented information can refer to the management system, information created in order for the organization to operate (documentation) or evidence of results achieved (records).

Dose Response Assessment

The determination of the relationship between the magnitude of exposure (dose) to a chemical, biological or physical agent and the severity and/or frequency of associated adverse health effects (response).

Effectiveness

The extent to which planned activities are realized and planned results achieved.

Enclosed product area

An area of the factory where all products are fully enclosed and therefore not vulnerable to environmental contamination.

End Consumer

The ultimate consumer of a foodstuff, who will not use the food as part of any food business operation or activity.

End Product

A product that will undergo no further processing or transformation by the organization. A product that undergoes further processing or transformation by another organization is an end product in the context of the first organization and a raw material or an ingredient in the context of the second organization.

Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP)

A program that includes pathogen or indicator swabbing as appropriate to detect risk in the sanitary conditions in the processing environment. Verification of the effectiveness of the pathogen controls that a facility has in place for high-risk foods.

Exempt

A term applied to elements of the Food Safety Management Standard/Scheme that the site does not wish to be included in the certification audit, and has submitted a written request to the certification body to exclude, prior to commencement of any scheduled audit activity.
Normally, mandatory clauses cannot be exempted. The certification body will confirm the reasons for exemption as part of the site audit. The term also applies to products, processes or areas of the site that the site wishes to exclude from the audit.

Exposure Assessment

The qualitative and/or quantitative evaluation of the likely intake of biological, chemical, and physical agents via food as well as exposures from other sources if relevant.

Facility

The site’s premises at its street address. The production, manufacturing, or storage area where a product is produced, processed, packaged, and/or stored, and includes the processes, equipment, environment, materials, and personnel involved. The facility must be managed and supervised under the same operational management. The facility is the site audited during a site audit.

Factory Inspection (versus Internal Audits)

Factory inspections are carried out by any appropriate person to check conformity with good practices including hygiene, pest control, product control, fabrication and prevention of foreign material hazards.

Feed

Any single or multiple materials, whether processed, semi-processed, or raw, which is intended to be fed directly to food-producing animals.

Feed Safety

The principles and practices applied to feed production and manufacturing to ensure that feed does not cause harm to animals or humans.

Flow diagram

A systematic representation of the sequence of steps or operations and interactions of the steps in the process of production or manufacture of a particular food item.

Food

1. Any substance, usually of animal or plant origin, intentionally consumed by humans, whether processed, partially processed or unprocessed. May include water, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, materials included in a processed food product and any other substance identified by regulation (legislation) as a food.

2. Substance (ingredient), usually of animal or plant origin, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, which is intended for consumption, and includes drink, chewing gum and any substance which has been used in the manufacture, preparation or treatment of “food” but does not include cosmetics or tobacco or substances (ingredients) used only as drugs.

food is intended for consumption by humans and animals, and includes feed and animal food;
feed is intended to be fed to food-producing animals;
animal food is intended to be fed to non-food-producing animals, such as pets.

Food Additive

A substance not normally consumed as a food by itself and not normally used as a typical ingredient of the food, the intentional addition of which to food is for a technological (including organoleptic) purpose to enhance the characteristics of such foods. Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste, appearance, or other qualities. The term does not include substances added to food for maintaining or improving nutritional qualities.

Food Authenticity

Food authenticity is ensuring that food or raw materials purchased and offered for sale are of the nature, quality, and substance expected.

Food Chain

The sequence of the stages in food production, processing, distribution, storage and handling of food and its ingredients, from primary production to consumption.

Food Defence

Procedures adopted to assure the safety of materials and products from malicious contamination or theft.

Food Defense

Activities associated with protecting the nation’s food supply from deliberate or intentional acts of contamination or tampering. As defined by the US Food and Drug Administration: Food defense is the protection of food products from contamination or adulteration intended to cause public health harm or economic disruption.

Food Fraud

Fraudulent and intentional substitution, dilution or addition to a product or raw material, or misrepresentation of the product or material, for the purpose of financial gain, by increasing the apparent value of the product or reducing the cost of its production.

Food Handler

Anyone who handles or prepares food.

Food Hygiene

Conditions and measures necessary for the production, processing, storage, and distribution of food designed to ensure a safe, sound, wholesome product fit for human consumption.

Food Packaging

The finished article used to package food.

Food Quality Plan

Usually based on the CODEX HACCP method but for quality instead of food safety, food quality plans include process controls at quality points in production to monitor product quality, identify deviations from control parameters and define corrections necessary to keep the process under control.

Food Raw Materials

Food ingredients, additives, and processing aids used in the manufacture of a product.

Food Safety

Assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared and/or eaten according to its intended use.

Food Safety Hazard

A biological, chemical, physical or radiological agent in food with the potential to cause an adverse health effect.

Food Safety Objective (FSO)

The maximum frequency and/or concentration of a hazard in a food at the time of consumption that provides or contributes to the appropriate level of protection (ALOP).

Food Safety Plan

A plan prepared based on the CODEX HACCP method, including process controls at control points in production to monitor product safety, identify deviations from control parameters and define corrections necessary to keep the process under control.

Food Sector Category (FSC)

A specific sector of the food or feed industry, or the provision of related food safety services.

Food Security

Procedures adopted to assure the continued availability of raw materials and products.

Formula

An exhaustive description of the quantity and quality of raw materials to be used to process the products, as required in customer specifications.

Fundamental Requirement

A requirement of a Food Safety Management Standard/Scheme that must be established, maintained and monitored by the company as failure to meet the requirement could have serious repercussions on the legality or safety of the product supplied.

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)

An organism whose genetic material has been altered so that its DNA contains genes not normally found there.

Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)

Managed by the Consumer Goods Forum, a project to harmonize and benchmark international food safety standards ( www.mygfsi.com ).

GMO

An organism, with the exception of human beings, in which the genetic material has been modified otherwise than natural multiplication or natural recombination.

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)

Practices on farms that define best practices for production, incorporating integrated crop management, integrated pest management, and integrated agricultural hygienic practices.

Good Aquac