GRC 10

Policies, procedures and guidelines to be followed by a food production organization

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Food processing industries are governed by complex laws and regulations that should be met to ensure the food produced is safe and of adequate quality. The policies generally regulate the production, trade, and handling of food, that is, the whole chain from processing, distribution to consumption by the customer. It covers the regulation of food quality control, food safety and relevant control of food trade. Quality requirements are clearly stated to ensure the foods produced are unadulterated and are not subject to any fraudulent practices done to intentionally deceive the consumer. These policies help to ensure the food produced is of good quality and safe for human consumption. (Wang, Vitha, & Kay, 2014)

Every food processing industry should have well-defined policies, procedures, and guidelines to meet the required laws and regulations for the production of safe and quality foods.

Good manufacturing practices and sanitation

These are specific procedures to help minimize contamination of food products by people in manufacturing, processing, packaging and warehouse facilities. The organization is responsible for communication, practicing and ensuring the good manufacturing practices are followed out by the employees and they include: individuals with communicable diseases should not be allowed to work in a food processing industry in areas where contamination is possible, food handlers should follow good personal hygiene practices such as wearing of personal protective equipment, use of effective hair nose and mouth  restraints and cleaning and sanitizing of hands and gloves. Employees should be trained effectively on hygiene, sanitation and pest control. a cleaning and sanitization program should be put in place and should cover the external facility and grounds, internal facility including the floors, walls and ventilation systems, equipment and all food contact areas. (Heinz, Shapton, & Shapton, 2014)

Laboratory analysis

A sampling plan and an analysis frequency should be put in place. Physical analysis including color measurements, moisture content, a chemical pH determination, physical defects, fat and protein analysis should be done. For micro-biological analysis, incubators and autoclaves should be available. The tests conducted include the total plate count, the yeast and mold count, and the coliforms count in the food samples. The results of the tests should be recorded and compared to the specifications.

Following of the HACCP principles

The principles should strictly be followed to ensure food safety. They include conduction of a hazard analysis, identification of the critical control point, establishing of the critical limit for each critical control point, establishment of critical control monitoring requirement, establishment of corrective actions, establishment of record-keeping procedures and establishment of procedures for verifying that the HACCP system is working as intended. (Sriwichailamphan, Mol, & Oosterveer, 2007)

In case of the presence of an audit to be conducted in a food production industry, there are external compliance standards that should be followed to ensure the organization meets the requirements set by the regulations. They include;

Product standards

It is a key tool used to ensure that the processed goods are of the required quality. It defines the food by its physical, chemical and microbiological properties. The chemical characteristics may include moisture, ash, protein, fiber, carbohydrate, fat content, salt, and sodium and cholesterol levels. Size, shape, dimensions, weight, volume, count per package and taste contain some physical characteristics. Microbial standards are dependent on the type of food product. Food poisoning organisms should be first considered for quality control programs. other microbial standards like total plate count and yeast and molds should also be conducted to show and conduct post-process contamination of the food products. (Oosterveer, 2007)

In-process records

These are the records showing what is happening to the products and the process during manufacturing. Both the production personnel and the quality control should have the records. The measuring records to be taken during production include the product weight, shape, size, temperature, product yield, and ingredients used. The in-process measurements should be based on the critical control points whereby a small difference or mistake would cause a hazard to the finished products. They are majorly based on pasteurization time, cooking temperatures and levels of ingredients allowed.

Standard operating procedures

The quality of the finished products is dependent on the type and amount of raw materials and ingredients used. Critical specifications should be included in the SOP since it will determine the wholesomeness, legality, and quality of a food product. The written documentation for the formula should only be available for use by specific individuals and must be followed daily to ensure consistency of the products. (Josling & al, 2018)

REFERENCES

Heinz, H. J., Shapton, D. A., & Shapton, N. F. (2014). Principles and Practices for the Safe Processing of Foods. kent: Elsevier Science. Josling, T., & al, e. (2018). Handbook of international food and agricultural policies . singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte Ltd. Oosterveer, P. (2007). Global governance of food production and consumption : issues and challenges. Cheltenham, UK: Northampton, MA : Elga. Sriwichailamphan, T., Mol, A. P., & Oosterveer, P. J. (2007). Global food chains and environment: agro-food production and processing in Thailand. new york: [S.l.] [s.n.]. Wang, P. G., Vitha, M. F., & Kay, J. F. (2014). High throughput analysis for food safety. new jersey: Hoboken.