Showing posts with label Personal Hygiene. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal Hygiene. Show all posts
Food Safety System Prerequisite Program PAS 223:2011 in Manufacture and Food Packaging- Establishments, Layout (workspace) and Utilities
Saturday, August 9, 2014
We discussed the Basic content in this article Food Safety System Prerequisite Program PAS 223:2011 in Manufacture and Food Packaging and now in much more detail from Establishments, Layout and worspace, and Utilities.
The prerequisites requirements discussed for Establishments includes guidelines about design, construction, location of establishment, maintenance, internal and external environment conditions maintained for the nature purpose of the food packaging manufacturing operations. It means hat all areas within the boundaries of organization shall protect the against any contamination.
Layout and workplace prerequisites includes internal design, layout, traffic patterns, internal structures including fittings, equipment, any temporary/mobile structures, storage of raw material, intermediate materials and finished product packaging.
Internal designs should be designed and constructed to support good hygiene and manufacturing practices. All movement pattern designed in way to protect from contamination all the times. External and internal opening should be handled/closed in a proper way to reduce any chances of contamination.
Storage used to store raw materials, intermediate materials, chemicals or finished food packaging shall provide protection from dust, condensation, drains, waste and other sources of contamination. All items should stored off the floor and sufficient distance from the walls.
Utilities gives details about the distribution routes around production ans storage to prevent contamination. Water (Ice or steam), Air quality and ventilation used in direct food packaging must have requirements and monitored accordingly. Room air supply shall be controlled to prevent microbial contamination. Ventilation systems to be designed and constructed to flow from clean to contaminated area, cleaning, filter changing and maintenance. Compressed air and other gases systems shall be constructed, maintained and monitored. The intensity of light shall be appropriate to the nature of operation.
Utilities gives details about the distribution routes around production ans storage to prevent contamination. Water (Ice or steam), Air quality and ventilation used in direct food packaging must have requirements and monitored accordingly. Room air supply shall be controlled to prevent microbial contamination. Ventilation systems to be designed and constructed to flow from clean to contaminated area, cleaning, filter changing and maintenance. Compressed air and other gases systems shall be constructed, maintained and monitored. The intensity of light shall be appropriate to the nature of operation.
Food Safety System Certification 22000 (FSSC)
Monday, February 10, 2014
FSSC 22000 contains a complete certification scheme for Food Safety Systems based on existing standards for certification (ISO 22000, ISO 22003 and technical specifications for sector PRPs). The certification will be accredited under the standard ISO guide 17021. Manufacturers that are already certified against ISO 22000 (ISO 22000:2007 Implementation) will only need an additional review against technical specifications for sector PRPs to meet this certification scheme. Organizations that want to integrate quality in their management systems follow the requirements of ISO 9001.
It is developed for the certification of food safety systems of organizations in the food chain that process or manufacture animal products, perishable vegetal products, products with a long shelf life, (other) food ingredients like additives, vitamins, bio-cultures and food packaging material manufacturing.
FSSC 22000 is ready for new scopes at the moment the necessary technical specifications for sector PRPs have been realized and large players in the international food sectors would request FSSC 22000 to cover these sectors.
Personal Hygiene in Food Preparation
FSSC 22000 has as mission to be the globally leading, independent, non-profit, ISO-bases and GFSI-accepted food safety certification scheme for the whole supply chain.
The FSSC 22000 certification scheme has been given full recognition by the Global Food Safety Initiative Board of Directors. This follows an extensive benchmarking process using the requirements laid out in the GFSI Guidance Document Version 6.
The Foundation for Food Safety Certification retains the ownership and the copyright and the licence agreements for certification bodies
More Information from FSSC 22000
Policy of Disposable Gloves Handing in Food Preparations
Friday, June 1, 2012
.jpg) |
| Disposable Glove |
·
These are to be used when
direct hand contact with food is necessary e.g. Ready-to-eat foods, such as salads and sandwiches; food that
is not later cooked
·
Disposable
gloves must be changed when they become contaminated, soiled or torn, or when
the food service worker leaves the food preparation area. They should also be
changed frequently to minimize build-up of perspiration and bacteria inside the
glove.
·
Disposable
gloves worn during preparation of raw foods, such as uncooked meat and poultry,
must not be used to prepare ready-to-eat food. Use raw food gloves just for raw
foods and ready-to-eat food gloves just for those foods.
·
Ready to
eat grill foods, a glove can be worn on the hand that is used to prepare
ready-to-eat ingredients, leaving the other hand uncovered for placing raw
ingredients on the grill.
·
Heavy duty plastic gloves are provided for
washing up and cleaning duties.
·
IMPORTANT – Gloves do
not replace the need for frequent hand
washing
because it is effective in reducing
contamination.
More Information: Department of Health
.jpg)
Personnel Hygiene (Clause 7.3) in BRC for Food Safety Issue 5 & 6
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Personnel Hygiene comes under Fundamental Requirement ( Requirement of the standard that relates to a system which must be well established, continuously maintained and monitored by the company as absence or poor adherence to the system will have serious repercussions on the integrity or safety of the product supplied)which states that standard shall be documented and adopted by all personals (contractor and visitor) and also related with risk of product contamination.
- Personnel must have training of raw materials handling, preparation, processing , packing and storage areas.
- Personnel hygiene shall be documented and communicated to all personnels.
- Jewelery policy and hand washing frequency will depend on product risk assessment.
- Fingernails shall be short, clear and unvarnished while no false nails are permitted.
- Perfumes and after shave not permitted.
- Smoking (where permitted under law), eating and drinking shall be permitted in designated areas segregated for food handling and storage areas.
- All cuts and grazes are covered by colored plasters (preferably blue) and containing metal detectable stripe. samples to be checked with metal detectors.
- Use of personnel medicines to be controlled to minimize the contamination risk.
BRC Food Safety Issue 6 Includes
- Staff compliance to hygiene rule to be checked regularly.
- Visitors to be controlled by wearing gloves/ non handling of food if not compiling to hygiene requirement of fingernails.
- Colored plasters e.g Blue( Different from product) to be available.
More Reading
- Personal Hygiene in Food Preparation Areas: Key to Delivering a Safe Product
- What is New BRC Standard issue 6
- The BRC Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 6 with Checklist
- Guide to the BRC Food Safety Standard
Sources: BRC Food Safety Global Standard
Personal Hygiene in Food Preparation Areas: Key to Delivering a Safe Product
Friday, February 25, 2011
In today’s environment, it seems that personal appearance remains a key driver for employee identity. Especially in the younger generations, makeup, fingernails, piercings, jewelry, etc. are important to the average worker and are personalized to a great extent. Overcoming these potential hazards to the food preparation area is not an easy task, as these items tend to make the average employee feel more presentable to the customer. Working while ill is also a common but unfortunate practice due to the need for continued income and employees feeling good enough to work, but bad enough to spread their germs! Some employees also come from agricultural environments where feeding the livestock before coming to work is a daily chore. Knowing how to control these factors is important to any foodservice operation.
Good personal hygiene is a basic requirement for implementing a strong food safety program. All foodservice employees must follow Standard Operating Procedures for personal hygiene that comply with the Food Code and that are customized for their work area. Despite this fact, it is interesting to note that research conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shows that poor personal hygiene practices can be seen in retail foodservice establishments, which includes elementary schools, hospitals, nursing homes and restaurants.
So, how do you best approach this subject without alienating a potential employee or making existing employees feel that their identity, personal life and presence is affected in a negative manner? This is the fun part! First, it is all about education. The WHY is what seems to make the most difference to the younger generations who put much value into their appearance. It is smart to begin talking about the importance of personal hygiene as soon as a potential employee is interviewed and subsequently hired. Explain that the requirements are a part of the job that they are applying for and that as a foodservice worker, they must pay close attention to personal hygiene. Policies on personal hygiene should be reviewed with employees and posted as reminders.
Brochures with photos are useful as these can provide actual pictures of DOs and DON’Ts. Be creative and take actual photos of employees working for your company and in environments to which the staff members can relate. Be colorful and be sure to get smiles from your models so that they emulate a positive attitude about this important subject.
More importantly, the employees need to understand the great privilege it is to feed families. If this is the focus, it seems to be less about appearance and more about delivering a safe and fresh product to the customer. If you speak to average customers, it is very interesting to note that they view a safe, clean department as one that has employees working with visible hairnets, gloves and no fancy jewelry that could end up in their food. They are not looking for beauty or a celebrity-type appearance! They are concentrating on providing a good meal to their families and trust you to deliver.
Provide your employees with options for proper hairnets, beard nets and gloves so that they are easy to order and easy to access. Sometimes too many options can be a deterrent to compliance as the choices can get confusing and cause negligence.
Some key communication points to an employee working in a food preparation area are the following:
• Workers who have a cold, the flu or another communicable illness should inform their supervisor and not handle food.
• Report to work in good health, clean and dressed in clean attire.
• Change apron when it becomes soiled.
• Wash hands properly, frequently and at the appropriate times.
• Keep fingernails trimmed, filed and maintained.
• Avoid wearing artificial fingernails or fingernail polish.
• Wear single-use gloves if artificial fingernails or fingernail polish are worn.
• Do not wear any jewelry except for a plain ring with no stones, such as a wedding band.
• Treat and bandage wounds and sores immediately. When hands are bandaged, wear single-use gloves to cover the bandage.
• Cover any lesion containing pus with a bandage. If the lesion is on a hand or wrist, cover with an impermeable cover, such as a finger cot or stall, and a single-use glove.
• Keep clean by bathing daily, using deodorant and washing hair regularly.
• Keep hair under control by wearing a hair restraint.
• Eat, drink, use tobacco or chew gum only in designated break areas where food or food-contact surfaces may not become contaminated.
• Wear clean clothing/uniform and/or apron.
• Wear suitable and effective hair restraints while in the kitchen.
• Avoid wearing jewelry, which can harbor bacteria and cause a physical hazard if parts fall into the food. Jewelry can also pose a personal safety hazard if it is caught in the equipment.
• Keep fingernails clean, unpolished and trimmed short.
• Wear a bandage and plastic gloves if you have open cuts or sores. In some cases, employees should perform other non-food-related tasks until the wound heals.
• Do not chew gum while on duty.
• Do not smoke cigarettes while performing any aspect of food preparation.
• Avoid unguarded coughing or sneezing. Wash hands after coughing or sneezing.
• Wash hands thoroughly
• before starting work
• during food preparation as often as necessary to prevent cross-contamination when changing tasks and when changing from handling raw foods to cooked foods
• after coughing; sneezing; using a handkerchief or tissue; eating; drinking; smoking; handling raw meats, poultry and fish and garbage; sweeping; picking up items from the floor
• after using chemicals and cleaners,
• after using the toilet, handling soiled equipment and utensils
• and after switching between raw foods and ready-to-eat foods
Hand Washing Guidelines
• Use water as hot as can be comfortably tolerated.
• Moisten hands and add soap. Lather to the elbow if possible. • Scrub thoroughly.
• Wash all surfaces, including backs of hands, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails.
• Rub hands together for at least 20 seconds.
• Rinse thoroughly under running water.
• Dry hands thoroughly with a paper towel or hot air dryer.
• Don’t touch anything that will re-contaminate your hands. Use a paper towel to turn off the water faucet and open the restroom door if necessary.
Following such good personal hygiene procedures will help to ensure a strong food safety program in any foodservice organization. All it takes is communication! Education, creativity and pride in one’s job are key aspects to achieving this important goal.
Food Safety Magazine can give you more Information.
Good personal hygiene is a basic requirement for implementing a strong food safety program. All foodservice employees must follow Standard Operating Procedures for personal hygiene that comply with the Food Code and that are customized for their work area. Despite this fact, it is interesting to note that research conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shows that poor personal hygiene practices can be seen in retail foodservice establishments, which includes elementary schools, hospitals, nursing homes and restaurants.
So, how do you best approach this subject without alienating a potential employee or making existing employees feel that their identity, personal life and presence is affected in a negative manner? This is the fun part! First, it is all about education. The WHY is what seems to make the most difference to the younger generations who put much value into their appearance. It is smart to begin talking about the importance of personal hygiene as soon as a potential employee is interviewed and subsequently hired. Explain that the requirements are a part of the job that they are applying for and that as a foodservice worker, they must pay close attention to personal hygiene. Policies on personal hygiene should be reviewed with employees and posted as reminders.
Brochures with photos are useful as these can provide actual pictures of DOs and DON’Ts. Be creative and take actual photos of employees working for your company and in environments to which the staff members can relate. Be colorful and be sure to get smiles from your models so that they emulate a positive attitude about this important subject.
More importantly, the employees need to understand the great privilege it is to feed families. If this is the focus, it seems to be less about appearance and more about delivering a safe and fresh product to the customer. If you speak to average customers, it is very interesting to note that they view a safe, clean department as one that has employees working with visible hairnets, gloves and no fancy jewelry that could end up in their food. They are not looking for beauty or a celebrity-type appearance! They are concentrating on providing a good meal to their families and trust you to deliver.
Provide your employees with options for proper hairnets, beard nets and gloves so that they are easy to order and easy to access. Sometimes too many options can be a deterrent to compliance as the choices can get confusing and cause negligence.
Some key communication points to an employee working in a food preparation area are the following:
• Workers who have a cold, the flu or another communicable illness should inform their supervisor and not handle food.
• Report to work in good health, clean and dressed in clean attire.
• Change apron when it becomes soiled.
• Wash hands properly, frequently and at the appropriate times.
• Keep fingernails trimmed, filed and maintained.
• Avoid wearing artificial fingernails or fingernail polish.
• Wear single-use gloves if artificial fingernails or fingernail polish are worn.
• Do not wear any jewelry except for a plain ring with no stones, such as a wedding band.
• Treat and bandage wounds and sores immediately. When hands are bandaged, wear single-use gloves to cover the bandage.
• Cover any lesion containing pus with a bandage. If the lesion is on a hand or wrist, cover with an impermeable cover, such as a finger cot or stall, and a single-use glove.
• Keep clean by bathing daily, using deodorant and washing hair regularly.
• Keep hair under control by wearing a hair restraint.
• Eat, drink, use tobacco or chew gum only in designated break areas where food or food-contact surfaces may not become contaminated.
• Wear clean clothing/uniform and/or apron.
• Wear suitable and effective hair restraints while in the kitchen.
• Avoid wearing jewelry, which can harbor bacteria and cause a physical hazard if parts fall into the food. Jewelry can also pose a personal safety hazard if it is caught in the equipment.
• Keep fingernails clean, unpolished and trimmed short.
• Wear a bandage and plastic gloves if you have open cuts or sores. In some cases, employees should perform other non-food-related tasks until the wound heals.
• Do not chew gum while on duty.
• Do not smoke cigarettes while performing any aspect of food preparation.
• Avoid unguarded coughing or sneezing. Wash hands after coughing or sneezing.
• Wash hands thoroughly
• before starting work
• during food preparation as often as necessary to prevent cross-contamination when changing tasks and when changing from handling raw foods to cooked foods
• after coughing; sneezing; using a handkerchief or tissue; eating; drinking; smoking; handling raw meats, poultry and fish and garbage; sweeping; picking up items from the floor
• after using chemicals and cleaners,
• after using the toilet, handling soiled equipment and utensils
• and after switching between raw foods and ready-to-eat foods
Hand Washing Guidelines
• Use water as hot as can be comfortably tolerated.
• Moisten hands and add soap. Lather to the elbow if possible. • Scrub thoroughly.
• Wash all surfaces, including backs of hands, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails.
• Rub hands together for at least 20 seconds.
• Rinse thoroughly under running water.
• Dry hands thoroughly with a paper towel or hot air dryer.
• Don’t touch anything that will re-contaminate your hands. Use a paper towel to turn off the water faucet and open the restroom door if necessary.
Following such good personal hygiene procedures will help to ensure a strong food safety program in any foodservice organization. All it takes is communication! Education, creativity and pride in one’s job are key aspects to achieving this important goal.
Food Safety Magazine can give you more Information.
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