Choosing the Right Preventive-Control Training in Food Manufacturing (Food Manufacturing)
Choosing the Right Preventive-Control Training in Food Manufacturing
Chuck Zona and Cheryl Murley
Food Manufacturing – March 26, 2014
The passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) provided the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with a higher level of control over safety procedures utilized in food production facilities. The agency is now allowed to inspect facilities more frequently, and is permitted expanded access to records, granting legal authority to review food production facilities’ safety records. FDA inspectors can request access to and evaluate all safety records they determine necessary to complete their investigation.
Food production facilities are required to implement a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan. Generally, a thorough HACCP plan will identify hazards, specify the steps put in place to prevent or minimize those hazards, identify monitoring procedures, record monitoring results and specify actions taken to correct problems that arise.
A persistent problem in the food industry is the presence of foreign material (e.g. metal wear products from machinery, latex glove fragments and production machinery oil) from ingredients, processing equipment and the environment. Physical contamination can occur at any point during production. To establish the correct preventive measures and develop a successful program that withstands FDA scrutiny, food quality employees need specialized materials analysis training that enables them to characterize and identify raw material and processing contaminants and their sources.