An overview of GMPs

 Individuals with communicable diseases

cannot work in areas where food
contamination is possible.
 This includes individuals with boils, sores or
infected wounds.
An overview of GMPs

 Food handlers must follow good personal

hygiene practices.
 Wear protective clothing.
 Clean and sanitize hands and gloves.
 No jewelry.
 Use gloves (non-absorbent) when the job requires
hand covering.
 Use effective hair restraints and covering.
 Eat, drink or smoke only in designated areas.
An overview of GMPs

 Train employees effectively in hygiene,

sanitation and pest control.
 Along with GMPs, a cleaning and sanitizing
program is essential.
 Cleaning and sanitizing should address
three basic areas:
1. Exterior facility and grounds.
2. Internal facility including floors, walls, ceilings
and ventilation system.
3. Equipment and all food contact areas.
An overview of GMPs
 A cleaning and sanitizing program prevents the build
up of dirt and debris, maintains equipment in good
repair, prevents growth and contamination from
microorganisms and prevents the entry and
harboring of insects and other pests.
 The quality program should: outline specific
activities to be performed, any corrective measures,
and schedules for cleaning and sanitizing, identify
approved cleaning compounds, sanitizers and baits
and define a standard. Keep and maintain proper
records.
Warehousing
 Warehousing involves three activities
(receiving, storage and shipping) that are
included in a quality control program.
 The receiving operation is the foundation for
processing finished food products of a
designated quality.
 Guidelines for incoming shipments are:
 Be sure the storage space is clean and
consistent with the first-in-first-out rotation
principle.
Warehousing
 FIFO or first-in-first-out rotation is the removal of
inventory from storage in a systematic way where
earlier stock items are used first.
 This can be accomplished by date coding the
inventory according to the date of receipt.
 Before unloading, inspect the condition of the
carrier.
 Measure temperature, observe and note foul odors,
spills, and insects.
 For refrigerated and frozen products, temperature is
critical.
Quality Assurance-
A Model Program for the Food Industry
 Observe the condition of the containers for damage
which could be a source of contamination.
 Collect random samples from the shipment and
analyze or evaluate the samples in relation to
specifications.
 After unloading, inspect the condition of the carriers
and notice the condition of the floors and walls.
 Take note of any dirt, filth or residues and evidence
of previous spills.
 Do not accept food, ingredient or packaging
shipments combined with chemicals or poisonous
substances.
Quality Assurance-
A Model Program for the Food Industry
 If the shipment does not meet specifications, be
prepared to reject all or part of the load.
 Minimize dock time.
 Move refrigerated or frozen items directly into
storage.
 Date code all incoming shipments directly on the
container or pallet load for stock rotation.
 Improper storage can adversely impact upon the
quality of materials, ingredients and finished
product.
Quality Assurance-
A Model Program for the Food Industry
 Storage in an orderly manner under proper conditions of
temperature and humidity is essential to quality.
 Certain supplies or ingredients may require segregation.
 Rotate the inventory.
 If not properly managed items may ruin in storage areas.
 Shipping is the final step in which a food business can have
direct control on product quality.
 Ship items on a first-in-first-out basis and use the same guide-
lines in shipping that you followed in receiving.
Quality Assurance-
A Model Program for the Food Industry
Laboratory Analysis
 The establishment of specifications and
standards is meaningless without laboratory
analysis or an evaluation program.
 Laboratory analysis is the phase in which a
quality control program is implemented after
product is produced.
 A sampling plan, along with an analysis
frequency (time schedule defining how often
analyses are made), is absolutely necessary.
Quality Assurance-
A Model Program for the Food Industry
 Compile the methods of analysis used in the laboratory in a
special working notebook.
 Micro-biological, chemical and physical analyses of food are
available in the book, Official Methods of Analysis, published by
the Association of Official Analytical Chemists.
 For some analyses, very simple methods are used in the
laboratory.
 By example, for fruits or vegetables, color measurements and
physical defects are sometimes determined by comparing the
product to a chart.
 Other methods like a protein or fat analysis are more
complicated and require specialized equipment.
Quality Assurance-
A Model Program for the Food Industry
 Microbiological methods performed on product
whether it is poultry, red meat, dairy, vegetable
or seafood also requires special instruments
and equip-ment.
 Incubators and an autoclave are necessary in
microbiological analyses.
 An incubator is used to control temperature
conditions and allow bacteria to grow so
groups of bacteria (colonies) can be counted.
Quality Assurance-
A Model Program for the Food Industry
 An autoclave is like a steam cooker.
 This piece of equipment is used to sterilize
laboratory glassware and destroy bacteria,
yeast or mold after an analysis.
 Destruction of the microorganisms is important
so safe disposal is possible.
 Perform all laboratory analyses in a room away
from the processing area.
 At times, a small food plant may not have a
separate area.
Quality Assurance-
A Model Program for the Food Industry
 Therefore, there are three ways to obtain laboratory
analysis results:
 In-house lab.
 Outside independent lab.
 Combination of in-house and independent lab.
 Appoint a qualified individual to conduct analyses,
report the results and manage the job of quality
control.
 Have laboratory tests results recorded and
compared to the specifications or standards.
 Deviations from standards should be communicated
so that additional action can be taken if necessary.
Quality Assurance-
A Model Program for the Food Industry
 Many methods exist for the laboratory analysis of food.
Examples of some methods are:
 Standard plate count, a microbiological method used to count the
numbers of bacteria contained in a product.
 Yeast and mold count, a microbiological method used to count
the number of yeast and mold in food.
 A chemical method (pH) which determines if a food is acidic,
neutral or basic.
 Moisture, a chemical method to determine total water.
 Protein, a chemical method to determine the protein.
 Fat, a chemical method to determine total fat.
Quality Assurance-
A Model Program for the Food Industry
 Recall Plan
 Product recall is having to bring back product from the
distribution system.
 Every food business is susceptible to potential product recall.
 The public image of businesses can be destroyed during a recall
if a well-organized plan is not implemented.
 Why would a product be recalled?
 Products are recovered from distribution as a result of voluntary
action by a business firm or involuntary action due to Food and
Drug Administrative (FDA) action.
 The basic reasons for recall are best described by the FDA recall
classifications:
Quality Assurance-
A Model Program for the Food Industry
 CLASS 1 - As a result of a situation where there is
reasonable probability that the use or exposure to a
defective product will cause a serious public health
hazard including death.
 CLASS II - As a result of a situation where the use
of or exposure to a defective product may cause a
temporary adverse health hazard or where serious
adverse public health hazard (death) is remote.
 CLASS III - As a result of a situation where use of or
exposure to a defective product will not cause a
public health hazard.