INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
FEATURE relevant aspects are managed . All GHPs are important but some have a greater impact on food safety . Therefore , greater attention may be needed to provide safe goods . For example , the cleaning of equipment and surfaces which come into contact with readyto-eat food should warrant greater attention than other areas such as the cleaning of walls and ceilings , because if food contact surfaces are not properly “ cleaned ”, this could lead to direct and immediate contamination risk .
Greater attention may also include a higher frequency of application , of monitoring and of testing and verification . In some circumstances , the implementation of GHPs may not be sufficient to ensure food safety due to the complexity of the food operation and / or specific hazards associated with the product or process , technological advances ( e . g ., extending shelf-life through modified atmosphere packaging ) or end use of the product ( e . g ., products destined for a special dietary purpose ). In such cases , when there are significant hazards identified through hazard analysis as not being controlled by GHPs , they should be addressed in a comprehensive hazard analysis and critical control point ( HACCP ) plan .
Control of food hazards The development , implementation and maintenance of GHPs provide the conditions and activities that are necessary to support safety and suitability of food and beverages at all stages of the food supply chain – from primary production ( farming / producer level ) through to handling of the final product at retail level . Knowledge of the food or beverage , and its production process is essential for the effective implementation of GHPs which may include : appropriate location , layout , design , construction and maintenance of premises and facilities – and should be applied in conjunction with sector and product-specific codes .
GHPs manage many sources of hazards which could contaminate products , such as :
• persons who handle food at harvest , during manufacturing , and during preparation
• raw materials and other ingredients purchased from suppliers
• cleaning and maintaining the work environment
• storage and display .
As previously noted , all FBRs should be aware of , and understand , hazards associated with their businesses , and the control measures required to manage such . FBRs should consider using external resources as needed whether the application of GHPs alone is sufficient to manage some or all of the hazards associated with the operation through control of their sources , e . g . control of water quality – minimises the presence of many potential hazards ( be they biological , chemical or physical ); control of faecal contamination – minimises the potential for contamination with many foodborne pathogens such as salmonella , campylobacter , yersinia , pathogenic strains of E . coli ; control of food handler practices and hygiene – prevents many potential communicable diseases that could be foodborne ; and control of food contact surfaces by cleaning – removes bacterial contaminants , including foodborne pathogens and allergens .
After consideration of the conditions and activities in the business , it may be
determined that GHPs alone may be sufficient to manage the hazards . However , it may also be determined that it is necessary to place greater attention on some GHPs that are particularly important for food safety - e . g . increased stringency of cleaning of a mincer for producing minced meat for raw or lightly cooked consumption , compared to equipment used for producing meat to be cooked prior to consumption ; increased monitoring and / or verification of disinfection of food contact surfaces .
Hazards that occur , or are present at levels where GHP procedures are not sufficient to provide safe food , should be managed by an appropriate combination of control measures that are capable of preventing occurrence of hazards , eliminating or reducing them to an acceptable level . The control measures can be identified in one or more steps throughout the production process .
Adequate and , where necessary , separate facilities for the safe and hygienic storage of food and beverage products , ingredients , packaging materials and non-food chemicals ( including cleaning materials , lubricants , fuels ), should be provided . Storage should allow for segregation of raw and cooked foods or allergenic and non-allergenic . Food storage facilities should be designed and constructed to :
• facilitate adequate maintenance and cleaning
• avoid pest access and harbourage
• enable food to be effectively protected from contamination , including allergen cross-contact , during storage and
• where necessary , provide an environment which minimises the deterioration of food ( such as by temperature and humidity control ).
The type of storage facilities required will depend on the nature of the food or beverage . Separate , secure , storage facilities for cleaning materials and hazardous substances should be provided .
Cleaning and disinfection methods and procedures can be carried out by the separate or combined use of physical methods , such as heat , scrubbing , turbulent flow and vacuum cleaning ( or other methods that avoid the use of water ), in addition to chemical methods using solutions of detergents , alkalis or acids .
Dry cleaning or other appropriate methods for removing and collecting residues and debris may be needed in some operations and / or processing areas where water increases the likelihood of microbiological contamination . Care should be taken to ensure cleaning procedures do not lead to contamination of food , e . g . pressure washing can spread contamination from dirty areas , such as floors and drains over a wide area and contaminate food contact surfaces or even exposed goods .
Cleaning and disinfection procedures should ultimately ensure that all parts of the establishment / facility are appropriately clean . Where necessary , programmes should be drawn up in consultation with relevant experts . Written cleaning and disinfection procedures should be deployed and should specify :
• areas , items of equipment and utensils to be cleaned , and , where appropriate , disinfected
• responsibility for particular tasks
• method and frequency of cleaning and , where appropriate , disinfection and
• monitoring and verification activities .
Eduardo Soares | Unsplash
In the cold chain , from producer to the shelves at retail outlets , cleaning and sanitising is required to manage contamination risk .
Monitoring of effectiveness Application of cleaning and disinfection procedures should be monitored for effectiveness and periodically verified by means such as visual inspections and audits to ensure the procedures have been applied properly . The type of monitoring will depend on the nature of the procedures , but could include pH , water temperature , conductivity , cleaning agent concentration , disinfectant concentration , and other parameters important to ensure the cleaning and disinfection programme is being implemented as designed and verify its effectiveness .
Microorganisms can sometimes become tolerant to disinfecting agents over time . Cleaning and disinfection procedures should follow the manufacturers ’ instructions . Periodic review with disinfectant manufacturers / suppliers , where feasible , should be conducted to help ensure the disinfectants used continue to be effective and appropriate .
Rotation of disinfectants could further be considered to ensure inactivation of different types of microorganisms ( bacteria and fungi ). While effectiveness of cleaning and disinfecting agents and instructions for use are validated by their manufacturers , measures should be taken for sampling and testing the environment and food contact surfaces ( protein and allergen test swabs , or microbiological testing for indicator organisms ) to help verify that cleaning and disinfection programmes are effective and being applied properly .
Microbiological sampling and testing may not be appropriate in all cases and an alternative approach might include observation of cleaning and disinfection procedures , including the correct disinfectant concentration , to achieve the necessary results and to make sure protocols are being followed . Cleaning and disinfection and maintenance procedures should be regularly reviewed and adapted to reflect any changes in circumstances and documented as appropriate .
HACCP SYSTEM GUIDELINES The HACCP system , that has been covered extensively in prior issued of Cold Link Africa , is science-based and systematic , identifies specific hazards and measures for their control to ensure the safety of food . HACCP is a tool to assess hazards and establish control systems that focus on control measures for significant hazards along the food and beverage supply chain , rather than relying mainly on end-product testing .
Development of a HACCP system may identify the need for changes in processing parameters , in processing steps , in manufacturing technology , in end product characteristics , in method of distribution , in the intended use or in the GHPs applied . Any HACCP system should be capable of accommodating change , such as advances in equipment design , processing procedures or technological developments .
HACCP implementation should be guided by scientific evidence of risks to human health . Although it is not always feasible to apply HACCP at primary production , some of the principles can be applied and may be incorporated into good practices programmes ( such as good agricultural practices – GAPs ). It is recognised that implementation of HACCP may be challenging for some businesses . However , HACCP principles can be applied flexibly
COLD LINK AFRICA • January / February 2023 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za 25