Page 40 - FoodFocusThailand No.165 December 2019

STRONG QC & QAQA
STRONG QC &

Important Steps to

Food Safety Standard

Since food safety has increasingly become an issue of main concern for consumers, food manufacturers need
to tread more carefully on the subject to protect their brands from being tarnished overnight by contamination.
That is why multiple standards such as ISO 9001, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), and Hazard Analysis
and Critical Control Points (HACCP) have been integrated.

The food safety standards that can be achieved through contaminant- The BRC standard does not only establish detector requirements,
detection tools can be categorized into 2 main types: the HACCP-based it also stipulates that a good sorting automation, in order to reduce the
GFSI standards, along with its 4 minor categories, and the Food Safety risk of machine failure, should have a fail-safe design with the following
Modernization Act (FSMA), based on the Hazard Analysis and Risk Based features:
Preventative Control Approach (HARCP). Although the regulations of these • Automatic sorting system filtering out foreign materials
two categories may slightly vary in terms of structure and coverage, they • Lockable storage for filtered-out products
mainly deal with quality control and points of safety concern such as • Full storage notification
weighing, detecting, and recording processes which can be further • Cover panels installed along detection line until contamination
categorized as follows: storage
• Tracking and tracing • On-screen and sound notification for machine status
• Quality and quantity control • Alarm system for production line failure
• Foreign body detection • Wind pressure monitoring system for sorting machines
• Hygienic equipment design standard • Double-check system ensuring the complete elimination and
• Detector calibration and control proper storage of foreign materials
In terms of contamination, a physical foreign body poses the greatest • Auto-stop system in case of failure or emergency
risk of product recall and undermined consumer confidence. It can occur
at almost every point of the production chain. Highly effective detectors to System Test
be installed in critical control points (CCPs), therefore, can reduce the risk Constant testing to ensure the detector’s effectiveness is another vital
of contamination in final products. point. Quality-checking tools such as metal detector or X-ray machine
The BRC (Issue 7) Section 4.1 mandates the reduction of foreign body must be tested for the following qualifications:
contamination risk. If a metal detector or x-ray machine is installed, the • The machine’s effectiveness in detection must always be
following procedure shall be carried out in order to ensure the risk compliant with the established standard.
elimination. • Foreign material detection system must be fully functional at
If an automatic sorting system is used in combination with continuous all time.
conveyor belts, the contaminated products must be separated from the • All additional systems and notifications must be fully functional
rest and redirected to their specific route that leads to a contamination when tested.
storage. Only authorized personnel can access these contaminated items. • Any additional alarm must be fully functional.
A metal detector can scan for ferrous and non-ferrous metal objects • A fail-safe system must be installed and fully functional.
as well as stainless steel in dry or wet products. If there is a chance that Furthermore, a careful selection of a well-designed quality control
the foreign body is glass, ceramic, rock, hard bone, or rubber, an X-ray system will ensure the highest level of protection for both the consumers
machine shall be considered as an alternative. and the brands.

40 FOOD FOCUS THAILAND DEC 2019

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