MAKAN SAFETY

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Group Leader: Celia Jong Members: Soon Wanli Raine Ong Kimberly Tan Liu Maopei Khoo Zhisin

Saturday, May 29, 2010 @ 10:29 PM

Good Manufacturing Practices

It is necessary of producers to develop and implement procedures to reduce the potential for contamination with microorganisms such as
Listeria monocytogenes in Ready To Eat Food(RTE).

A general recommendations for developing GMPs and SOPs for RTE are listed below:

1. Personnel - disease control, hygiene, clothing, training, etc.

2. Plant and grounds - construction and design, product flow, drainage, etc.
3. Sanitary operations - general maintenance, cleaning and sanitizing, pest control, etc.

4. Sanitary facilities and controls - water supply, plumbing, sewage disposal, rubbish and offal disposal, etc.
5. Freezers and coolers - monitored and maintained to ensure temperature control, alarms, etc.

6. Equipment maintenance and calibration - adequate frequency for thermometers, recording devices, compressed air equipment, etc.
7. Recall program - It is recommended that all RTE facilities develop a recall program and that mock recalls should be conducted periodically to ensure that the program works as planned.

GMPs are not designed to control specific hazards, but are intended to provide guidelines to help processors’ produce safe and wholesome products.

Receiving of all raw materials
Quality checking should be done to ensure that all raw materials have met the specifications.

Thawing of Frozen Materials
Time and temperature should be monitored closely.

Processing
This includes heat treatment and steps like cutting, weighing, mixing, blending. If applicable, the ingredients should be evaluated for chemical composition (% fat and lean) to formulate product to desired endpoint.
HACCP programs that include appropriate controls for identified hazards throughout the processing system should be implemented.

Post-Processing Handling
1. Facility Design
-Physical barrier (preferably from floor to ceiling) for separating raw and cooked
processing areas
- Employee traffic flow to prevent cross-over between raw and cooked areas
- Positive air flow in exposed product packaging rooms
- Use of footbaths before entrance into a RTE area, including preparation of
sanitizing agent, schedule for changing, etc.
- Separate frocks, utensils, etc.
- Proper design, use and cleaning of drains
- Designated equipment and tools for RTE when possible

2. Sanitation
- Full support of management, including sufficient funding for personnel,
equipment, training, and supplies
- Microbial monitoring
- Evaluation of reporting structure for sanitation crew
- Written procedures for completing the sanitation activities including the
appropriate dress/personal hygiene issues for the crews in the RTE areas
- Suggest use of separate cleaning crews and equipment as possible
- Recommend that the RTE rooms be first on the cleaning schedule to prevent
contamination from previously cleaned rooms

3. Employees
- Hygiene
- Gloves
- Appropriate footwear
- Traffice flow
- Product handling

4. Material handling
- Cleaning and sanitizing before entering the RTE processing area
- Material flow must be developed to prevent raw to cook contamination
- Procedures should be developed to prevent contamination of RTE packaging
materials.
- Ensure proper labeling of ingredients/products should be developed
- Process of cleaning/sanitizing the outer package surface to prevent post-processing contamination

Storage of Finished Product
They should be stored at plant-designated time/temperatures to maintain
product shelf-life. Frozen products should be kept frozen. A FIFO or a plant specified product rotation/inventory control schedule should be maintained for finished products.

Loading and Shipping
Finished RTE products should be handled properly on the loading docks and during transport to prevent contamination from raw products and product deterioration by temperature abuse or improper handling practices. Trucks, containers and carriers of finished products should be evaluated prior to loading and shipping to ensure that their condition meets plant requirements for transporting RTE products.

Therefore, it is extremely important that manufacturers of RTE products develop and implement effective Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) as the foundations of a successful HACCP program.

Monday, May 24, 2010 @ 7:33 AM

Retort Pouch

Advantages

Firstly, its light weight and its flexible shape, which, according to Judy Rice at ‘Food Processing’, enables significant money-saving when it comes to freight, storage and shelf display.

Secondly, the fact that the pouch’s “front cover” is vertically displayed offers opportunities for food producers to attract consumers with eye- catching displays and graphic presentations, which are often less obvious with other types of packages or labels.

Additionally, for the shopper, they are easier to use in cooking. Some food scientists even go on to say that pouches have a big advantage over cans as their contents remain better-tasting.

Finally, the retort pouch sometimes has a re-closable zipper, which is a value-added convenience option, allowing better product conservation. The multi-portion packs used in the foodservice and restaurant sectors are especially popular.

“Pouches are easily opened and quickly, easily evacuated of product, reducing costly product waste. And once the packages, are emptied, they can be flattened for disposal--offering considerable disposal space savings over metal cans, glass jars and rigid plastic containers”, says Rice.

In some applications, the retort pouch can even be less expensive than rigid plastic containers.

Disadvantages

Nonetheless, one must also consider that the technology for the conservation of food within the retort pouch continues to evolve.

In the past, there have been quality and control concerns such as pinholes, flex cracks and leaks in the flexible packaging material and seals.

Moreover, the financial factor also has its importance.

Stanley Sacharow argues that, for the retort pouch to capture additional market share, an entirely new supermarket infrastructure is needed as production lines, generally, are not well adapted for the pouches.

Huston Keith also points out that the cost of producing a retort pouch is higher than the cost of producing a tin can.

Bryan Miller, in a 1981 article that appeared in the New York Times’ claims the opposite: “It takes 60 percent more energy to produce, process and package frozen foods than foods in the pouch, which do not require freezing, and about 15 percent more for cans.

Despite these differences in opinion, the market for retort pouches is currently a niche market as it holds immense potential and opportunities for growth.

http://www.flex-news-food.com/console/PageViewer.aspx?page=12653

@ 4:36 AM

PRODUCT RECALL

Definition of product recall:
A permanent removal of the affected products from the market OR temporary removal of product for correction which after that may be returned to the market for sale

Who is involved in product recall in Singapore?
Health Science Authority (HSA).

How do we classify the recall?
There are different levels and classification of recall involved depending on the hazard and the extent of product distribution. These will be determined after the discussion between HSA and the company.

CLASSIFICATION
(1) Class 1 Recall
Product that poses a life threatening situation to consumers. Example: Products with major labeling problem

(2) Class 2 Recall
Product that in unlikely to cause serious harm to consumers.Example: Products with minor labeling problem or fail to meet product specification.

LEVELS
There a total of 3 levels of recall and each recall depends on the extend of distribution area and the classification of defect.
(1) Wholesale level
Involves wholesale sales which may include the wholesalers and retail pharmacies.

(2) Retail level
Involves retail pharmacies as well as private hospitals pharmacies and all medical related establishments. It also includes other retail outlets such as supermarkets as well as the wholesale level.

(3) Consumer level
Involves patients, consumers and the above 2 levels (Wholesale & retail)

How do we then implement product recall? (In Singapore)
Step 1: Company receives a complain.
Step 2: Company to alert the authorities by submitting a form within 24hrs.
Step 3: Discussion with the HAS on the classification and level of the recall.
Step 4: A recall has to be done thus the company have to do the following.
I. Cease all sales of defective products immediately.
II. Keep all defective stocks
III. Inform all affected wholesalers / distributors / retailers to do likewise first through verbal communication and followed by recall letter
Step 5: Arrangement with the affected wholesalers/ distributors/ retailers on collecting the defective products and keeping in the warehouse.
Step 6: Complete the recall and submit full recall report to HSA's Enforcement Branch recall officer within 3 weeks from the date of initiation of recall as well as submit
I. Proof of action taken on recalled stocks (Re-export documents or Certificate of destruction) within 3 months from the date of completion of recall
II. Submit proposal of corrective action(s) for approval (if any)
III. Institute corrective action(s) on approval (if any)

Saturday, May 15, 2010 @ 11:49 PM

HACCP Standards (Basic Principles)

There are seven discrete activities that are necessary to establish, implement and maintain a HACCP plan, and these are referred to as the 'seven principles' in the Codex Guideline (1997).

The seven principles are:

Principle 1
Conduct a hazard analysis.
Identify hazards and assess the risks associated with them at each step in the commodity system. Describe possible control measures.

Principle 2
Determine the Critical Control Points (CCPs)
A critical control point is 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. The determination of a CCP can be facilitated by the application of a decision tree.

Principle 3
Establish critical limits.
Each control measure associated with a CCP must have an associated critical limit which separates the acceptable from the unacceptable control parameter.

Principle 4
Establish a monitoring system
Monitoring is the scheduled measurement or observation at a CCP to assess whether the step is under control, i.e. within the critical limit(s) specified in Principle 3.

Principle 5
Establish a procedure for corrective action, when monitoring at a CCP indicates a deviation from an established critical limit.

Principle 6
Establish procedures for verification to confirm the effectiveness of the HACCP plan.
Such procedures include auditing of the HACCP plan to review deviations and product dispositions, and random sampling and checking to validate the whole plan.

Principle 7
Establish documentation concerning all procedures and records appropriate to these principles and their application

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