Latest Topics from the Forums
4.11.6 Cleaning High-Care & Low-Risk with Same Machine
I work for a RTE meat processing facility. Our raw area is low-risk, but our oven and packaging area is high-care.
We have one wash room where we wash all of our equipment. We wash things by hand and have separate washing tools that are designated for low-risk and high-care items. The problem with washing by hand is it is very time consuming and expensive. My company is bringing in a large, automatic washer to wash all of the equipment. The question I have is how do I effectively use this machine for both low-risk and high-care items?
The goal is to wash as little by hand as possible. I know that I need to validate the separation between low-risk and high-care washing. The only way I can think to do this is by washing high-care items before low-risk items. However, this is likely not always going to be feasible.
Does anyone have any suggestions of how I will be able to validate this new process of using a single machine to wash all items throughout my facility, low-risk and high-care?
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
Illness During Work - Cleaning and Disposal Procedure
Hi all, Myself Vivek. My topic of interest is a procedure for the illness caused during work:
Eg: vomitting.
If the above said incident affects the food what is the procedure for cleaning and disposal.
Can anyone help me???
Percentage of characterizing ingredients?
Hi guys! Everyone here has been incredibly helpful in the past, so I'm hoping someone could perhaps give me some pointers once again. We are now on our way to moving towards ISO 22000 accreditation (!!) and the pressure is on for all our ducks to be in a row. We had a third party auditor here just to give us an idea of how ready we are, and she sat and discussed labeling with me. I've stated this before, but I'm really not an authority on food labeling. I just get told to do it since I'm in IT and know the software. Anyway... :P
She explained the procedure that when we have a "characterizing" ingredient, usually an ingredient appearing in the name of the product, we need to declare a percentage for that ingredient in the ingredient declaration. I.e. for a product called Raspberry Jam we would need to specify the percentage of raspberry in the product.
Now, I've chatted to my boss, and his major concern with this is that he feels such a declaration might be problematic in terms of trade secrets. We manufacture, for instance, a bread mix (premix) that customers of ours can use to make a Cheese & Onion bread. It is a dry mix, they add their wet ingredients and bake. Based on information from the auditor, I would need to then declare something such as Cheese (15%) and onion (17%) on the label. I have no problem, but as stated above my boss is worried that competitors would then be able to determine a rough copy of our recipe since they would then know our percentages of cheese and onion. Are there any ways around this, or is this something that we just have to bite the bullet on? Suggestions would be HIGHLY appreciated!
Curiously, would it also be better (or required) to identify the onion as "onion flakes" and the cheese as "cheese powder"?
*made these up! xD
Thanks a ton, guys and gals.
Levels of Contaminants (metals) in foodstuff
Hi All, I am from a seafood processing Company from India exporting mostly raw and blanched / cook IQF products for EU and US markets. I am hoping that someone can advise or at least point me in the right direction. I am trying to confirm what the limit is for Zinc, Copper and Arsenic in Crustaceans.
My current source of information on Contaminants in foodstuffs is EC Commission Regulation 1881/2006.
Many thanks.
Looking for staff canteen write up (ISO/TS 22002-1:2009)
Hi all, In accordance with ISO/Ts 22002-1:2009, canteen for staff shall be specified storage condition, cooking and holding temperatures, and time limitations. I was wondering if anyone willing to share above staff's canteen write up . Tks in advance.
What is an ALBA List?
Hi, I am from a seafood processing Company in India. Our European buyer is insisting on the implementation of the ALBA LIST in our allergen management programme. How can this be implemented?
Flavoured milk F0 value and process lethality
Hello, Pl. guide us for the calculation of the process lethality for the artificially flavoured milk packed in glass bottles. The initial count TVC count is 6000000 CFU/ml . The flavoured milk is processed at 119 degree centigrade under 1.0 kg pressure.
FSSC Certification for CO2 Manufacturing from Natural Fermentation
Hi all! Any of you who have worked on having a CO2 plant certified for FSSC? I am having a hard time compiling the regulatory requirements for CO2. Offhand, we have checked on ISBT and it said that the hazards at final product are Oxides of Nitrogen and Polyaromatic hydrocarbons. However, we know that methanol and acetaldehyde are present at raw gas. Are these regulated too? From what standards? Are they considered regulated too if they are just potential "impurities" of the final product.
Thanks in advance. a beginner here on ISO 22000. :)
Visitor health condition questionnaire
Hi everyone. I am currently updating my personal hygiene procedure and as a part of it I have visitors health status screening. Could you have a look at it please? Comments are welcome. Particularly I am concerned about symptoms of food poisoning and food borne diseases.
ISO 22000 lead auditor training
I have a great desire to fallow a ISO 22000 lead auditor training at SGS, Now I am a Bachelor of science in food science, working in food manufacturing company, but I haven't any previous auditor training, So can i become a lead auditor or is it hard to fallow it without the previous auditor training?
Supplier Approval Program for Foreign and Domestic
Hello Everyone, Looking for Guidance into preparing a Supplier Approval Program for foreign and domestic. (Domestic- USA) I will appreciate any guidance you could give me. My Company is looking into reviewing and modernizing our current one.
Thank you in advance,
Kellio
Supplier Approval Re-assessment and Exceptions
Hi, We are a supplier of Self Adhesive Label with Basic level BRC accreditation. The supplier approval process has previously been produced by another colleague (who has now left the company) and I with my limited experience have been given the task of updating it.
At the moment there is no risk analysis, just a big list, everyone gets a Self Assessment Questionnaire at the start and a new one fill out again every year. In the proposed update, our supplier list that will now be risk assessed into a "high" and "low" risk category
The "high" risk will get an assessment questionnaire at the start and possibly an audit.
For the low risk suppliers such as Stationery and First Aid Supplies etc they would not get a questionnaire. And as for re-assessment, for the "high" risk if you are monitoring the supplier and they are not having any non conformances do you need to re-send the questionnaire every year? Or can you say if a supplier gets 3 NCR's they get an Audit and then act on its results?
And "low" risk has a new risk assessment very 3 years is this ok?
Would this update comply with issue 5 criterion?
All comments are welcomed.
Thanks
Date gun for use by /best before
Is it recommended to use date gun for marking the shelf life of the product use by/ best before manually by hand and not injecting as printed one on the sleeves. Please suggest.
Should we have a year plan for employee training?
Should we have a year plane for employee training? What are the other subjects with year plans which we should have?
Should Primary Packaging be Considered in Vulnerability Assessment?
Hai guys, Just want to ask if primary packaging is cover in vulnerability assessment aside from ingredients.
Thanks,
Joan
Australian Food Standards Code - March 2016 Version
Hi all, I would like to attend a training/information session for the 2016 version of the Australian Food Standards Code which will be implemented 1st March 2016. I have not been able to find any training/advisory sessions which would update the changes for the new version. Has anyone else heard of any such training? If you could let me know it would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Julie
5.7.3 - Corrective Actions on Non-Conformances
Hello everyone, High Risk Section 5.7.3 states that "Corrective actions shall be implemented to avoid recurrence of the non-conformance. Actions taken shall be documented."
There are many types of printing/laminating/slitting issues that we label as non-conforming that require reworking or a final disposition. Does every single non-conformance, regardless of severity, require a corrective action? If so, what is the most effective way to address them all?
Thank you for your help!
