1902 - Codex HACCP GMP Internal Audit

Potential sources of contamination from the environment should be considered. In particular, primary food production should not be carried on in areas where the presence of potentially harmful substances would lead to an unacceptable level of such substances in food.

• control contamination from air, soil, water, feedstuffs, pesticides, or any other agent used in primary production;

• control plant and animal health so that it does not pose a threat to human health through food consumption, or adversely affect the suitability of the product; and

• protect food sources from faecal and other contamination.

• sort food and food ingredients to segregate material which is evidently unfit for human consumption;

• dispose of any rejected material in a hygienic manner; and

• Protect food and food ingredients from contamination by pests, or by chemical, physical or microbiological contaminants or other objectionable substances during handling, storage and transport.

• any necessary cleaning and maintenance is carried out effectively; and

• an appropriate degree of personal hygiene is maintained.

• environmentally polluted areas and industrial activities which pose a serious threat of contaminating food;

• areas subject to flooding unless sufficient safeguards are provided;

• areas prone to infestations of pests;

• areas where wastes, either solid or liquid, cannot be removed effectively.

• permits adequate maintenance and cleaning;

• functions in accordance with its intended use; and

• facilitates good hygiene practices, including monitoring.

Where appropriate, the internal design and layout of food establishments should permit good food hygiene practices, including protection against cross-contamination between and during operations by foodstuffs.

• the surfaces of walls, partitions and floors should be made of impervious materials with no toxic effect in intended use;

• walls and partitions should have a smooth surface up to a height appropriate to the operation;

• floors should be constructed to allow adequate drainage and cleaning;

• ceilings and overhead fixtures should be constructed and finished to minimize the build up of dirt and condensation, and the shedding of particles;

• windows should be easy to clean, be constructed to minimize the build up of dirt and where necessary, be fitted with removable and cleanable insect-proof screens. Where necessary, windows should be fixed;

• doors should have smooth, non-absorbent surfaces, and be easy to clean and, where necessary, disinfect;

• working surfaces that come into direct contact with food should be in sound condition, durable and easy to clean, maintain and disinfect. They should be made of smooth, non-absorbent materials, and inert to the food, to detergents and disinfectants under normal operating conditions.

Equipment and containers (other than once-only use containers and packaging) coming into contact with food, should be designed and constructed to ensure that, where necessary, they can be adequately cleaned, disinfected and maintained to avoid the contamination of food. Equipment and containers should be made of materials with no toxic effect in intended use. Where necessary, equipment should be durable and movable or capable of being disassembled to allow for maintenance, cleaning, disinfection, monitoring and, for example, to facilitate inspection for pests.

• harmful or undesirable micro-organisms or their toxins are eliminated or reduced to safe levels or their survival and growth are effectively controlled;

• where appropriate, critical limits established in HACCP-based plans can be monitored; and

• temperatures and other conditions necessary to food safety and suitability can be rapidly achieved and maintained.

Containers for waste, by-products and inedible or dangerous substances, should be specifically identifiable, suitably constructed and, where appropriate, made of impervious material. Containers used to hold dangerous substances should be identified and, where appropriate, be lockable to prevent malicious or accidental contamination of food.

An adequate supply of potable water with appropriate facilities for its storage, distribution and temperature control, should be available whenever necessary to ensure the safety and suitability of food. <br>Potable water should be as specified in the latest edition of WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality, or water of a higher standard. Non-potable water (for use in, for example, fire control, steam production, refrigeration and other similar purposes where it would not contaminate food), shall have a separate system. Non-potable water systems shall be identified and shall not connect with, or allow reflux into, potable water systems.

Adequate drainage and waste disposal systems and facilities should be provided. They should be designed and constructed so that the risk of contaminating food or the potable water supply is avoided.

Adequate facilities, suitably designated, should be provided for cleaning food, utensils and equipment. Such facilities should have an adequate supply of hot and cold potable water where appropriate.

• adequate means of hygienically washing and drying hands, including wash basins and a supply of hot and cold (or suitably temperature controlled) water;

• lavatories of appropriate hygienic design; and

• adequate changing facilities for personnel.

Depending on the nature of the food operations undertaken, adequate facilities should be available for heating, cooling, cooking, refrigerating and freezing food, for storing refrigerated or frozen foods, monitoring food temperatures, and when necessary, controlling ambient temperatures to ensure the safety and suitability of food.

• minimize air-borne contamination of food, for example, from aerosols and condensation droplets;

• control ambient temperatures;

• control odours which might affect the suitability of food; and

• control humidity, where necessary, to ensure the safety and suitability of food.

Adequate natural or artificial lighting should be provided to enable the undertaking to operate in a hygienic manner. Where necessary, lighting should not be such that the resulting colour is misleading. The intensity should be adequate to the nature of the operation. Lighting fixtures should, where appropriate, be protected to ensure that food is not contaminated by breakages.

• permit adequate maintenance and cleaning;

• avoid pest access and harbourage;

• enable food to be effectively protected from contamination during storage; and

• where necessary, provide an environment which minimizes the deterioration of food (e.g. by temperature and humidity control).

• the nature of the food, e.g. its water activity, pH, and likely initial level and types of micro-organisms;

• the intended shelf-life of the product;

• the method of packaging and processing; and

• how the product is intended to be used, e.g. further cooking/processing or ready-to-eat.

Management systems described in paragraph 5.1 offer an effective way of ensuring the safety and suitability of food. Where microbiological, chemical or physical specifications are used in any food control system, such specifications should be based on sound scientific principles and state, where appropriate, monitoring procedures, analytical methods and action limits.

Pathogens can be transferred from one food to another, either by direct contact or by food handlers, contact surfaces or the air. Raw, unprocessed food should be effectively separated, either physically or by time, from ready-to-eat foods, with effective intermediate cleaning and where appropriate disinfection.

Access to processing areas may need to be restricted or controlled. Where risks are particularly high, access to processing areas should be only via a changing facility. Personnel may need to be required to put on clean protective clothing including footwear and wash their hands before entering.

Surfaces, utensils, equipment, fixtures and fittings should be thoroughly cleaned and where necessary disinfected after raw food, particularly meat and poultry, has been handled or processed.

Systems should be in place to prevent contamination of foods by foreign bodies such as glass or metal shards from machinery, dust, harmful fumes and unwanted chemicals. In manufacturing and processing, suitable detection or screening devices should be used where necessary.

No raw material or ingredient should be accepted by an establishment if it is known to contain parasites, undesirable micro-organisms, pesticides, veterinary drugs or toxic, decomposed or extraneous substances which would not be reduced to an acceptable level by normal sorting and/or processing. Where appropriate, specifications for raw materials should be identified and applied.

Raw materials or ingredients should, where appropriate, be inspected and sorted before processing. Where necessary, laboratory tests should be made to establish fitness for use. Only sound, suitable raw materials or ingredients should be used.

Stocks of raw materials and ingredients should be subject to effective stock rotation.

Packaging design and materials should provide adequate protection for products to minimize contamination, prevent damage, and accommodate proper labelling. Packaging materials or gases where used must be non-toxic and not pose a threat to the safety and suitability of food under the specified conditions of storage and use. Where appropriate, reusable packaging should be suitably durable, easy to clean and, where necessary, disinfect.

Only potable water, should be used in food handling and processing.

The type of control and supervision needed will depend on the size of the business, the nature of its activities and the types of food involved. Managers and supervisors should have enough knowledge of food hygiene principles and practices to be able to judge potential risks, take appropriate preventive and corrective action, and ensure that effective monitoring and supervision takes place.

Where necessary, appropriate records of processing, production and distribution should be kept and retained for a period that exceeds the shelf-life of the product. Documentation can enhance the credibility and effectiveness of the food safety control system.

Managers should ensure effective procedures are in place to deal with any food safety hazard and to enable the complete, rapid recall of any implicated lot of the finished food from the market. Where a product has been withdrawn because of an immediate health hazard, other products which are produced under similar conditions, and which may present a similar hazard to public health, should be evaluated for safety and may need to be withdrawn. The need for public warnings should be considered.

Recalled products should be held under supervision until they are destroyed, used for purposes other than human consumption, determined to be safe for human consumption, or reprocessed in a manner to ensure their safety.

• facilitate all sanitation procedures;

• function as intended, particularly at critical steps (see paragraph 5.1);

• prevent contamination of food, e.g. from metal shards, flaking plaster, debris and chemicals.

Cleaning chemicals should be handled and used carefully and in accordance with manufacturers’ instructions and stored, where necessary, separated from food, in clearly identified containers to avoid the risk of contaminating food.

• removing gross debris from surfaces;

• applying a detergent solution to loosen soil and bacterial film and hold them in solution or suspension;

• rinsing with water which complies with section 4, to remove loosened soil and residues of detergent;

• dry cleaning or other appropriate methods for removing and collecting residues and debris; and

• where necessary, disinfection with subsequent rinsing unless the manufacturers’ instructions indicate on scientific basis that rinsing is not required.

• areas, items of equipment and utensils to be cleaned;

• responsibility for particular tasks;

• method and frequency of cleaning; and

• monitoring arrangements.

Buildings should be kept in good repair and condition to prevent pest access and to eliminate potential breeding sites. Holes, drains and other places where pests are likely to gain access should be kept sealed. Wire mesh screens, for example on open windows, doors and ventilators, will reduce the problem of pest entry. Animals should, wherever possible, be excluded from the grounds of factories and food processing plants.

The availability of food and water encourages pest harbourage and infestation. Potential food sources should be stored in pest-proof containers and/or stacked above the ground and away from walls. Areas both inside and outside food premises should be kept clean. Where appropriate, refuse should be stored in covered, pest-proof containers.

Establishments and surrounding areas should be regularly examined for evidence of infestation.

Pest infestations should be dealt with immediately and without adversely affecting food safety or suitability. Treatment with chemical, physical or biological agents should be carried out without posing a threat to the safety or suitability of food.

Suitable provision must be made for the removal and storage of waste. Waste must not be allowed to accumulate in food handling, food storage, and other working areas and the adjoining environment except so far as is unavoidable for the proper functioning of the business.

Waste stores must be kept appropriately clean.

Sanitation systems should be monitored for effectiveness, periodically verified by means such as audit pre-operational inspections or, where appropriate, microbiological sampling of environment and food contact surfaces and regularly reviewed and adapted to reflect changed circumstances.

People known, or suspected, to be suffering from, or to be a carrier of a disease or illness likely to be transmitted through food, should not be allowed to enter any food handling area if there is a likelihood of their contaminating food. Any person so affected should immediately report illness or symptoms of illness to the management. Medical examination of a food handler should be carried out if clinically or epidemiologically indicated.

Conditions which should be reported to management so that any need for medical examination and/or possible exclusion from food handling can be considered, include:<br>• jaundice;<br>• diarrhoea;<br>• vomiting;<br>• fever;<br>• sore throat with fever;<br>• visibly infected skin lesions (boils, cuts, etc.);<br>• discharges from the ear, eye or nose.

Food handlers should maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and, where appropriate, wear suitable protective clothing, head covering, and footwear. Cuts and wounds, where personnel are permitted to continue working, should be covered by suitable waterproof dressings.

Personnel should always wash their hands when personal cleanliness may affect food safety, for example: • at the start of food handling activities;<br>• immediately after using the toilet; and<br>• after handling raw food or any contaminated material, where this could result in contamination of other food items; they should avoid handling ready-to-eat food, where appropriate.

• smoking;

• spitting;

• chewing or eating;

• sneezing or coughing over unprotected food.

Visitors to food manufacturing, processing or handling areas should, where appropriate, wear protective clothing and adhere to the other personal hygiene provisions in this section.

• do not contaminate foods or packaging;

• can be effectively cleaned and, where necessary, disinfected;

• permit effective separation of different foods or foods from non-food items where necessary during transport;

• provide effective protection from contamination, including dust and fumes;

• can effectively maintain the temperature, humidity, atmosphere and other conditions necessary to protect food from harmful or undesirable microbial growth and deterioration likely to render it unsuitable for consumption; and

• allow any necessary temperature, humidity and other conditions to be checked.

Conveyances and containers for transporting food should be kept in an appropriate state of cleanliness, repair and condition. Where the same conveyance or container is used for transporting different foods, or non-foods, effective cleaning and, where necessary, disinfection should take place between loads. Where appropriate, particularly in bulk transport, containers and conveyances should be designated and marked for food use only and be used only for that purpose.

Lot identification is essential in product recall and also helps effective stock rotation. Each container of food should be permanently marked to identify the producer and the lot. Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (CODEX STAN 1-1985, Rev. 1(1991)) applies.

All food products should be accompanied by or bear adequate information to enable the next person in the food chain to handle, display, store and prepare and use the product safely and correctly.

Prepackaged foods should be labelled with clear instructions to enable the next person in the food chain to handle, display, store and use the product safely. Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (CODEX STAN 1-1985, Rev. (1991)) applies.

Food hygiene training is fundamentally important. All personnel should be aware of their role and responsibility in protecting food from contamination or deterioration. Food handlers should have the necessary knowledge and skills to enable them to handle food hygienically. Those who handle strong cleaning chemicals or other potentially hazardous chemicals should be instructed in safe handling techniques.

• the nature of the food, in particular its ability to sustain growth of pathogenic or spoilage micro-organisms;

• the manner in which the food is handled and packed, including the probability of contamination;

• the extent and nature of processing or further preparation before final consumption;

• the conditions under which the food will be stored; and

• the expected length of time before consumption.

Periodic assessments of the effectiveness of training and instruction programmes should be made, as well as routine supervision and checks to ensure that procedures are being carried out effectively.

Managers and supervisors of food processes should have the necessary knowledge of food hygiene principles and practices to be able to judge potential risks and take the necessary action to remedy deficiencies.

Training programmes should be routinely reviewed and updated where necessary. Systems should be in place to ensure that food handlers remain aware of all procedures necessary to maintain the safety and suitability of food.