Saturday, November 28, 2015

HACCP Food Safety - Keep Safe Through Seven Principles


If you're in the business of selling edible items, you might want to take a look at HACCP food safety principles. Standards for keeping edibles safe for consumption is a basic requirement, but the concepts outlined in the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points take safe practices to a whole new level.

There are seven principles to look into. In general though, what the system seeks to accomplish is to prevent contamination at all levels of production from preparation to distribution. The stress on prevention instead of post production detection is ideal because looking into each critical step before distribution ensures that no minute hazard or contaminant is missed. What exactly are these principles?

The first principle stresses analyzing hazards. This is the step where possible hazards are identified for all stages in production. In an internal food safety audit an auditor can identify elements that are chemical, biological or physical in nature. Hazards can take the form of microbes, toxins or physical particles.

After identifying potential hazards, the second principle moves on to determine the control points in which contamination can be prevented. Establishing control points can be as simple as outlining a procedure such as raw item handling, cooking, packing and distribution.

The third principle combines the concepts behind the first and second principles. At this level maximum or minimum limits are set for each of the specific control points to prevent contamination. The most basic example is minimum heat settings for cooking specific edible items.

The fourth HACCP food safety principle organizes the third principle by defining procedures and persons responsible for monitoring control points. This means that there is clear documentation to follow on how each step of production is checked and who performs these regular checks.

The fifth principle focuses on taking corrective measures in case checks show that standards are not met. This may entail going back to the first stage of the production process or completely throwing out potentially contaminated items before they can be pushed out to consumers. Corrective steps have to be identified in advance so that it is clear what steps need to be taken in the event of contamination.

The sixth HACCP food safety audit principle involves checking the system of monitoring itself. There should be a regular process in place that looks into equipment or tools that are needed for monitoring the production process. Monitoring devices and the different parts of the tools used in production should be in top condition to make monitoring effective and successful.

The seventh and last principle revolves around documentation. Every part of the system from hazard analysis to monitoring device evaluation should have detailed guidelines in place. Furthermore, these should be based on standards that are based on accepted and proven scientific research.

There is no doubt that following HACCP food safety principles is crucial primarily because it is the best way to ensure consumer well being. From a business perspective, it is also worth noting that following these principles is also essential to secure better business results. You'll be in business longer and have more clients if you make sure you have a solid system that can keep customers healthy and happy.

Build A Stronger Business With A Food Safety Auditor. Find One At http://www.iconsultingsolutions.com.au.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Hayley_Martin/621325

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4751065

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving!


"It is not happy people who are thankful: it is thankful people who are happy."

Wishing You and Your Family a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Superior Food Safety Consulting Services


Using “Do the Right Thing” ® proprietary methodology, Superior Food Safety’s expert will visit your site and evaluate your company’s current food safety system against GFSI and regulatory requirements. Using strong analytical skills, the expert will identify any gaps in your existing Food Safety Culture, Food Safety System Designs, and Food Safety Requirements. Once the gap analysis is completed, our expert will recommend specific strategies, forecast systematic issues and create a Project Timeline for the improvement and/or total implementation of a reliable, cost-effective food safety program. Superior Food Safety’s “Do the Right Thing” methodology has been proven successful in helping clients achieve GFSI certification audits with good to excellent scores.

GFSI systems and FSMA

Superior Food Safety assists employees from diverse backgrounds at low and high-risk food manufacturing plants as they implement, manage, and maintain FSMA compliance programs and GFSI systems (SQF, BRC, FSSC2200, IFS, etc.). Our proprietary methodology, Do The Right Thing ® ,is based on core principles of integrity and personal responsibility – the key factors in all successful food safety operations. This unique methodology helps our clients develop and build their own Risk Management Culture ® that forms the foundation of all future safety endeavors in their organization.

Step One
GFSI / FSMA Gap Analysis 
The first step toward compliance is the evaluation of your current food safety programs against FSMA or GFSI system requirements. This involves an extensive review of your documents, building, processing equipment, employee practices, current food safety system design, and company culture. This process gives us a big picture understanding of the gaps in your system and helps identify exactly where change needs to be implemented to meet industry and government safety standards.

Step two
System Design 
The gap analysis provides the information needed to determine if your company requires re-designation of food safety responsibilities. It is important that responsibilities are aligned with each manager’s job description and line of command. Clearly defined responsibilities and a well-designed chain of command foster personal accountability and system-wide success.

Step Three
Budget Evaluation 
It is also crucial that managers know how to correctly calculate the budget for a comprehensive food safety system. Superior Food Safety helps you anticipate and budget for capital projects, building and equipment updates, consulting services, training, and other system necessities. Clearly identifying these costs is the first step to ensure that senior management commits the required resources for the success of the implementation phase.

Step Four
Project Timeline 
Once the responsibilities are designated and the resources allocated, Superior Food Safety builds the project timeline and recommends a deadline to meet FSMA compliance or achieve GFSI certification. In this phase, your company will designate a Project Manager and a GFSI or FSMA Steering Management Team that will be meeting on a regular basis to follow up on project status for support and accountability. It is crucial that senior management be represented on this team as a demonstration of management commitment.

Step Five
Collaborative Project Website 
Superior Food Safety’s role in the execution phase is to provide support and technical guidance. Your company owns and executes the system. We have developed a state-of-the-art collaborative web-based system linked to companies’ and consultants’ e-mails that allows real-time tracking of project status, online training, and review of documents. This collaborative, project management site ensures everyone’s accountability and support.

Step Six
Management Training
Superior Food Safety will deliver customized training on how to use the website and other tools for tracking and maintaining selected FSMA or GFSI standards. Each manager responsible for each task must gain a perfect understanding of the execution phase.

Step Seven
Project Execution 
The team will start the execution of the project after all the previous steps have been completed. Superior Food Safety’s role will be to support, guide, review and approve documentation as needed. We are also available to execute internal audits, HACCP reviews and validation and verification procedures.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

SQF IA Training in Napa December 9th, 10th, 11th - Sign Up Before Tomorrow for Early Bird Rates!!

Register Before November 20th for Early Bird Rates! 

IMPLEMENTING SQF-SQF CODE, 7.2 EDITION
Two Day Course - December 9, 10 (Napa Winery Inn)

The goals of the Implementing SQF course are to:
  • Promote an understanding of the SQF Code.
  • Create a knowledge base to facilitate the successful implementation of an SQF System.
  • Show how a HACCP-based approach manages food safety and quality hazards in an operation.

Course Content Outline
  • Section 1. SQF Overview
  • Section 2. Preparing for SQF Certification
  • Section 3. SQF Certification Process
  • Section 4. SQF Certification Process (HACCP and HACCP for Quality)
  • Section 5. SQF Systems Elements
  • Section 6. Food Safety Fundamentals and Prerequisite Programs

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL GFSI AUDITS WORKSHOP
One Day Course - December 11 (Napa Winery Inn)

The goals of the Internal and External GFSI Audits course are to:

Provide and improve the knowledge, skills and abilities required by GSFI auditors, food industry professionals and internal auditors on:
  • Food Safety Management Systems
  • Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Agricultural Practices
  • HACCP Program
  • Review ISO-19011 Auditing Principles
  • Gain understanding of the GFSI schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC2200, Global G.A.P.) from the auditor point of view

This workshop complies with the training requirements for GFSI professionals and Internal auditors for GFSI approved schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC22000, Global G.A.P. among others)

This workshop has been designed by MSc. Oscar Camacho with more than 28 years of experience managing Food Safety and Quality Systems in the food industry, and based on the weaknesses found with his customers while providing auditing and consulting services.

Download flyer for complete details and pricing

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

SQF IA Training in Napa December 9th, 10th, 11th - Sign Up for Early Bird Registration Ending Soon!

 
IMPLEMENTING SQF-SQF CODE, 7.2 EDITION
Two Day Course - December 9, 10 (Napa Winery Inn)

The goals of the Implementing SQF course are to:
  • Promote an understanding of the SQF Code.
  • Create a knowledge base to facilitate the successful implementation of an SQF System.
  • Show how a HACCP-based approach manages food safety and quality hazards in an operation.

Course Content Outline
  • Section 1. SQF Overview
  • Section 2. Preparing for SQF Certification
  • Section 3. SQF Certification Process
  • Section 4. SQF Certification Process (HACCP and HACCP for Quality)
  • Section 5. SQF Systems Elements
  • Section 6. Food Safety Fundamentals and Prerequisite Programs

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL GFSI AUDITS WORKSHOP
One Day Course - December 11 (Napa Winery Inn)

The goals of the Internal and External GFSI Audits course are to:

Provide and improve the knowledge, skills and abilities required by GSFI auditors, food industry professionals and internal auditors on:
  • Food Safety Management Systems
  • Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Agricultural Practices
  • HACCP Program
  • Review ISO-19011 Auditing Principles
  • Gain understanding of the GFSI schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC2200, Global G.A.P.) from the auditor point of view

This workshop complies with the training requirements for GFSI professionals and Internal auditors for GFSI approved schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC22000, Global G.A.P. among others)

This workshop has been designed by MSc. Oscar Camacho with more than 28 years of experience managing Food Safety and Quality Systems in the food industry, and based on the weaknesses found with his customers while providing auditing and consulting services.

Download flyer for complete details and pricing

Sunday, November 15, 2015

SQF IA Training in Napa December 9th, 10th, 11th - Sign Up for Early Bird Discounts

 
IMPLEMENTING SQF-SQF CODE, 7.2 EDITION
Two Day Course - December 9, 10 (Napa Winery Inn)

The goals of the Implementing SQF course are to:
  • Promote an understanding of the SQF Code.
  • Create a knowledge base to facilitate the successful implementation of an SQF System.
  • Show how a HACCP-based approach manages food safety and quality hazards in an operation.

Course Content Outline
  • Section 1. SQF Overview
  • Section 2. Preparing for SQF Certification
  • Section 3. SQF Certification Process
  • Section 4. SQF Certification Process (HACCP and HACCP for Quality)
  • Section 5. SQF Systems Elements
  • Section 6. Food Safety Fundamentals and Prerequisite Programs

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL GFSI AUDITS WORKSHOP
One Day Course - December 11 (Napa Winery Inn)

The goals of the Internal and External GFSI Audits course are to:

Provide and improve the knowledge, skills and abilities required by GSFI auditors, food industry professionals and internal auditors on:
  • Food Safety Management Systems
  • Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Agricultural Practices
  • HACCP Program
  • Review ISO-19011 Auditing Principles
  • Gain understanding of the GFSI schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC2200, Global G.A.P.) from the auditor point of view

This workshop complies with the training requirements for GFSI professionals and Internal auditors for GFSI approved schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC22000, Global G.A.P. among others)

This workshop has been designed by MSc. Oscar Camacho with more than 28 years of experience managing Food Safety and Quality Systems in the food industry, and based on the weaknesses found with his customers while providing auditing and consulting services.

Download flyer for complete details and pricing

Thursday, November 12, 2015

HACCP Standards


Most foodservice companies are spot-checked by health inspectors for cleanliness and correct foods temperatures, and cited for code violations. Too many restaurants try to please the inspector, when what they ought to be doing is striving for clean, safe conditions simply because it's the right thing to do, day in and day out.

The foods safety system that's been in use since the 1960s is HACCP-Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points, which was developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to evaluate its methods of assuring that all foods produced for U.S. astronauts were free of bacterial pathogens. Nothing might be worse than having gastrointestinal difficulties in space! Even these days, decades later, HACCP is considered the absolute standard for food security, far a lot more efficient than simply spot-checking for violations.

It combines up-to-date technical info with step-by-step procedures to help operators evaluate and monitor the flow of food through their facilities. The core objective from the process would be to identify and manage the 3 types of foods security threats in any commercial kitchen:

1. Biological contaminants or microorganisms. These include bacteria, viruses, and/or parasites, which already exist in and on many raw foods products and can be passed on by unknowing employees or clients.

2. Chemical contaminants. These can come from improper storage or handling of cleaning items or pesticides, from cross-contamination, or from substitutions of certain recipe ingredients.

3. Physical contaminants. These are the most common cause of food contamination-foreign objects within the foods, including hair, bits of plastic or glass, metal slivers, and the like-which can be deadly if choked on. You will find seven basic HACCP actions:

1. Identify hazards and assess their severity and risks.

2. Figure out critical control factors (CCPs) in foods preparation.

3. Determine important control limits (CCLs) for each CCP identified.

4. Monitor important control factors and record data.

5. Take corrective action whenever monitoring indicates a critical limit is exceeded.

6. Establish effective record-keeping system to document HACCP program.

7. Establish procedures to verify that HACCP program is functioning.

The first step would be to choose what hazards exist at every stage of a food's journey via your kitchen and decide how serious each is in terms of your overall security priorities. On your own checklist, this may include these items: Reviewing recipes, paying careful attention to times for thawing, cooking, cooling,
reheating, and handling of leftovers.

Giving employees thermometers and/or temperature probes and teaching them how to use them. Correctly calibrating these devices. Inspecting all fresh and frozen produce upon delivery. Requiring hand-washing at certain points within the foods preparation process and showing employees the right way to wash for maximum sanitation. Adding quick-chill capability to cool foods more quickly in amounts over 1 gallon or four pounds.

You will find as many of these possibilities as there are restaurants. The second action is to identify critical control factors (CCPs). This means any point or process in your system where loss of control might result in a wellness risk. If workers use the same cutting boards to dice veggies and debone chickens without washing them between uses, that is a CCP in require of improvement.

Vendor delivery vehicles ought to be inspected for cleanliness; product temperatures should be kept within five degrees of optimum; expiration dates on food items should be clearly marked; utensils should be sanitized; and the list goes on and on. The third action would be to determine the standards and limits for what is appropriateand what isn't, in each of the CCP areas, for your kitchen.

The fourth action within the HACCP program would be to monitor all the steps you pinpointed in Action two for a specific period of time, to be sure every area of concern is taken care of correctly.
Some CCPs may remain on the list indefinitely, for constant monitoring; others, once you get the procedure right, might be removed from the list after several months. Still others may be added to the monitoring list as required.

Step 5 kicks in whenever you see that one of the "critical limits" (set in Step 3) has been exceeded, and corrective action should be taken. Action 6 demands that you simply document this whole procedure. Without documentation, it's hard at best to chart whatever progress your facility may be making. If there's a problem that impacts customer wellness or security, having written records is also very essential.Finally, action 7 requires that you establish a procedure to verify whether the HACCP program is functioning for you.

This might mean a committee that meets frequently to discuss wellness and security issues and to go more than the documentation needed in Step six. Despite its thorough and science-based method to foods safety, some operators are reluctant to make use of the HACCP plan, simply because of its technical language and also the fair amount of procedural discipline and documentation it involves.

For this reason, in June 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new, simpler set of implementation guidelines aimed at school foodservice. Unfortunately, the name is as unwieldy as some believe is the HACCP plan itself: "Guidelines for School Food Authorities Developing a School 

Food Security Plan Based on the Procedure Method to HACCP Principles." Francesco Zinzaro has been involved with online marketing for nearly 3 years and likes to write on various subjects. Come visit his latest website which discusses of Restaurant Fridges and fridges supplies for the owner of his own business.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Francesco_Zinzaro/478030

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4076088

Monday, November 9, 2015

Thank You Napa Chamber of Commerce!


Superior Food Safety would like to thank the Napa Chamber of Commerce for a great event on October 29th. We were able to have a booth and showcase our business at the Napa Fairgrounds. We were also able to meet and collaborate with many other businesses in the region. If you would like more information about the Napa Chamber of Commerce go to www.napachamber.com.

If you are in the food manufacturing industry and would like consulting or training for food safety please visit us at www.superiorfoodsafety.com.

Friday, November 6, 2015

SQF IA Training in Napa December 9th, 10th, 11th - Sign Up for Early Bird Discounts

 
IMPLEMENTING SQF-SQF CODE, 7.2 EDITION
Two Day Course - December 9, 10 (Napa Winery Inn)

The goals of the Implementing SQF course are to:
  • Promote an understanding of the SQF Code.
  • Create a knowledge base to facilitate the successful implementation of an SQF System.
  • Show how a HACCP-based approach manages food safety and quality hazards in an operation.

Course Content Outline
  • Section 1. SQF Overview
  • Section 2. Preparing for SQF Certification
  • Section 3. SQF Certification Process
  • Section 4. SQF Certification Process (HACCP and HACCP for Quality)
  • Section 5. SQF Systems Elements
  • Section 6. Food Safety Fundamentals and Prerequisite Programs

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL GFSI AUDITS WORKSHOP
One Day Course - December 11 (Napa Winery Inn)

The goals of the Internal and External GFSI Audits course are to:

Provide and improve the knowledge, skills and abilities required by GSFI auditors, food industry professionals and internal auditors on:
  • Food Safety Management Systems
  • Good Manufacturing Practices and Good Agricultural Practices
  • HACCP Program
  • Review ISO-19011 Auditing Principles
  • Gain understanding of the GFSI schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC2200, Global G.A.P.) from the auditor point of view

This workshop complies with the training requirements for GFSI professionals and Internal auditors for GFSI approved schemes (SQF, BRC, FSSC22000, Global G.A.P. among others)

This workshop has been designed by MSc. Oscar Camacho with more than 28 years of experience managing Food Safety and Quality Systems in the food industry, and based on the weaknesses found with his customers while providing auditing and consulting services.

Download flyer for complete details and pricing

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Superior Food Safety Training Services



Superior Food Safety training is offered at top facilities in beautiful downtown Napa in the heart of California wine country. While receiving the best in food safety training, our clients also enjoy exceptional weather, stunning nearby countryside vistas and access to some of the world’s best restaurants and wineries. We also provide customized, on-site training for our clients worldwide. All classes are offered in English and in Spanish.

Our highly praised training services cover all prerequisite programs for Food Safety Management Systems, HACCP and FSMA. We are developing more detailed training in areas such as Food Defense, Preventative Controls and HARPC, Integrated Pest Management Systems, Environmental Monitoring, Crisis Management, Food Safety and Quality Continuous Improvement, among other offerings.

At these more detailed training sessions, Superior Food Safety welcomes experts who enrich our course offerings with their deep experiences in various food safety fields. If your concern is food defense, for example, we would offer an expert who teaches the steps needed to guard against bioterrorism and outside threats to your company’s food safety.

Whatever your needs, Superior Food Safety can gather the necessary resources to present you with the training and expertise that will set you on the path for success.