Semi-quantitative study to evaluate the performance of a HACCP-based food safety management system in Japanese milk processing plants

This study aimed to gain an insight in the performance of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)-based food safety management systems (FSMS) implemented in Japanese milk processing plants. Since 1995, Japan has a comprehensive approval system for food manufacturing establishments by evaluating the development and implementation of GHP and HACCP by the food manufacturing companies/operators. An FSMS-diagnostic instrument was applied to assess the level of the core control and assurance activities in the FSMS and to judge the risk level of the context wherein the companies operate. The data were collected in 13 dairy companies (mostly located around Tokyo area) and involved in-depth interviews performed (by the National Institute of Public Health) with responsible quality assurance persons of respective companies.The results revealed that the microbial food safety output was higher for companies with national HACCP approval. They have more advanced FSMS in combination with a less risky context. All Japanese companies scored high on technology-dependent activities (i.e. preventive measures and intervention processes), but less in managerial activities as monitoring and typical quality assurance activities as validation and verification of the FSMS. Japan has a detailed vertical legislation, leading to a “hazard-based” and ”legislation-based” FSMS compared to a “science- or risk-based” FSMS common in Europe.     

Implementation of a food safety management system according to ISO 22000 in the food supplement industry: A case study

This work aims to present a methodology to carry out hazard and control measures assessments to properly establish operational prerequisite programmes (oPRPs) and the HACCP plan in the food supplement industry according to the ISO 22000 standard. This study focused on the manufacture of propolis, royal jelly and vitamin C ampoules, sold as energy boosters. Seven of the 13 hazards identified in this study were significant: two hazards were in the reception step (residues of pesticides, antibiotics and/or heavy metals (code 2) and contamination by pathogens (code 3)), two in the ingredients weighing step (cross-contamination by metabisulphite (code 9) and contamination by pathogens (code 10)), one in the mixture preparation step (contamination by pathogens and/or proliferation of microorganisms (code 11)) and two in the ampoule-filling and -sealing step (cross-contamination by metabisulphite (code 12) and contamination by pathogens (code 13)). After assessing the control measures, critical control points (CCPs) were determined in the hazards with codes 2, 9 and 12, which could be managed by an HACCP plan. The remaining hazards were managed by establishing oPRPs. Implementation of the ISO 22000 standard in the food supplement industry guarantees food safety and helps improve their competitiveness in the global market.     

Implementation of traceability and food safety systems (HACCP) under the ISO 22000:2005 standard in North Africa: The case study of an ice cream company in Algeria

Our study aims at establishing and implementing the HACCP and traceability system, in an integrated approach, of ice cream processing in order to control food borne safety hazards, to minimize the production and distribution of unsafe or poor quality products, thereby the potential food safety risks and associated food recalls. Internal information capture points were identified in ice cream process and the corresponding traceability information to be recorded were determined. Biological, physical, chemical and allergens hazards that could emerge at each stage of the production were identified. After hazards identification, the critical control points (CCPs) and operational prerequisites programs (oPRPs) were selected using a decision tree. Results showed that cleaning-in-place, filtration, pasteurization, cooling storage and transport stages were the critical control points identified. Critical limits, monitoring methods and frequency, responsibilities and corrective actions of the processes are also presented. Finally, the impact of implementation of food safety system (HACCP) on aerobic plate count (APC) and coliforms in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavoured ice cream was investigated. The results of HACCP adoption showed the reduction of APC in all flavours of the ice cream samples tested, being higher for the strawberry from 4.18 ± 3.03 till 3.80 ± 2.71 log CFU/g. Besides, a significant decrease of coliforms from 2.39 ± 1.76 till 2.11 ± 1.42 and 2.54 ± 1.62 till 2.02 ± 1.15 log CFU/g was observed in ice cream samples with a chocolate and strawberry flavour, respectively. In conclusion, the implementation of traceability and HACCP system, under the ISO 22000 standard has allowed tracking and tracing of ice cream products improving the microbiological quality of the ice creams.     

The performance of food safety management systems in the raspberries chain

The Food Safety Management System – Diagnostic Instrument (FSMS-DI) was used to determine context factors, core control and assurance activities, as well as food safety outputs for three Global G.A.P. certified and six Non Global G.A.P. certified orchard raspberries farms, and eight cold stores (all of them having certified FSMS systems, often in combination with BRC, IFS and/or FSSC 22000 standards). Examined orchard farms operate at moderate to high-risk context. High risk is mainly related to the microbiological and pesticides contamination of raspberries and open cultivation system, which can provoke additional contaminations (e.g. bird droppings). However they differed in chain and organizational characteristics. Non Global G.A.P. certified orchard farms were mainly characterised by low to basic performance of the FSMS combined with low food safety outputs, while in Global G.A.P. orchard farms moderate performance of FSMS resulted in moderate to advanced food safety outputs. Cold store companies represent the subsequent link in the raspberries chain, with the raw material food safety risks directly connected with the orchard farms final product. This is related to the production process of frozen raspberries without any physical or chemical intervention step which might reduce the level of potentially present microorganisms or chemicals in raspberries. The core control and assurance activities in the FSMS present in the cold stores are mainly at medium to high level, resulting in medium to advance food safety outputs.     

Example of a microbiological criterion (MC) for verifying the performance of a food safety control system: Campylobacter Performance Target at end of processing of broiler chickens

New Zealand has focused on improving the food safety control systems for slaughter and dressing of broiler chickens in order to get a reduction in Campylobacter levels on carcasses at the end of primary processing. Each processor decides which good hygienic practice-based and hazard-based control measures to apply. Codex guidelines provide valuable information to assist with these decisions. To verify that the resulting control systems are effective, New Zealand established a microbiological criterion for Campylobacter which is applied after slaughter and dressing and initial chilling of broiler chickens. New Zealand calls this a regulatory Campylobacter Performance Target (CPT). Samples are tested by a direct plate enumeration method. Results are analysed using a “moving window approach” to aid data interpretation and decision-making. A “moving window limit” failure occurs when the log count for seven or more out of 45 samples in the moving window are greater than the established target of 3.78 log₁₀ cfu/carcass. If processors meet the “target” this verifies that their process is under control. If processors fail the “target” they are expected to take corrective actions to restore control. If the processor's actions do not restore control in a timely fashion, the regulator applies further controls. This example is based on actual data from New Zealand poultry processers. The application of this microbiological criterion is flexible and other countries may be able to adapt this approach to suit their particular circumstances.     

Barriers and benefits to the adoption of a third party certified food safety management system in the food processing sector in Shanghai,China

Despite the recent passing of legislation by the National People's Congress of China in 2009, many food businesses in China have yet to implement a third party certified food safety management system (FSMS). While the extent literature identifies a number of internal and external barriers and benefits, the extent to which these impact on the business is thought to be dependent upon how much progress the firm has made on its journey towards quality assurance and the environment within which the firm operates. To test this proposition, the barriers and the benefits accrued from the implementation of a third party certified FSMS were explored by segregating the participating firms into three distinct groups; (i) those that have yet to implement a third party certified FSMS; (ii) those that were in the process of adopting a third party certified FSMS; and (iii) those that were already operating under a third party certified FSMS. Contrary to expectations, in what is a highly competitive market, those firms which were operating under a third party certified FSMS were more likely to question the benefits they had derived than those firms that were either in the process of adoption or had chosen not to adopt a third party certified FSMS. Irrespective of the stage of adoption, the major constraint to the implementation of a third party certified FSMS was the need for the organisation to focus on more immediate issues and the lack of any strategic long-term planning.     

苏桥地下储气库群注采工程风险与安全保障体系

毗邻雄安新区的苏桥地下储气库群是目前世界上储层埋藏最深、运行压力最高的地下储气库群,其注采工程面临着一系列的技术难题和安全风险。为此,从自然环境、社会环境和工程建设等3个方面对该地下储气库群进行了分析。结果表明:(1)该地下储气库群地理位置较为特殊,存在着受自然灾害影响的风险;(2)该地下储气库群位于京津冀中心地带,存在着一定的社会风险;(3)该地下储气库群地质条件复杂,在施工建设过程中也存在着一定的风险。由此构建了由三级安全保障系统和三级安全控制系统组成的保障体系:(1)基于完井工程、井下管柱和井口安全的三级安全保障系统,从源头上保证该地下储气库群强注强采的安全;(2)在地下储气库安全控制设计中,提出了从单井到地下储气库群一体化系统的设计理念,建立了单井就地独立控制、井场集中联动应急安全控制、远程统一控制等三级控制系统。结论认为:三级安全保障系统和三级安全控制系统的应用,有力地保障了该地下储气库群的平稳运营。     

The application of the Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP) and Food Safety Objective (FSO) concepts in food safety management,using Listeria monocytogenes in deli meats as a case study

To establish a link between governmental food safety control and operational food safety management, the concepts of the Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP) and the Food Safety Objective (FSO) have been suggested by international governmental bodies as a means for competent authorities to make food safety control transparent and quantifiable. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the concepts of ALOP and FSO could be practically linked using currently available data. As a case study, the risk of severe listeriosis due to consumption of deli meat products in the Netherlands was taken. The link between the concepts was explored following a “top-down” approach, using epidemiological country data as the starting point, and following a “bottom-up” approach, using data on the prevalence and concentration of the pathogen at retail as the starting point. For the top-down approach, the mean estimated value derived for ALOP was 3.2 cases per million inhabitants per year due to deli meats (95% CrI: 1.1–6.6). For the bottom-up approach, mean ALOP values ranged considerably, 12–44 cases per million inhabitants per year due to deli meats (with 95% CrI ranging from 5.2 to 122), depending on the combination of input parameters used in the risk assessment model. The level of detail considered in the stochastic models applied considerably influenced the ALOP and FSO estimates. Models based on both approaches however were able to describe the link between ALOP and FSO and our results showed that meaningful estimations are feasible, although interpretations need to be made with care.     

Routine quality control in honey packaging companies as a key to guarantee consumer safety. The case of the presence of sulfonamides analyzed with LC-MS-MS

One of the main challenges in the Horizon 2020 framework is to ensure sufficient food and feed, while monitoring safety throughout the food chain. In this context, the objective of this paper was to evaluate the efficacy of the routine quality control that honey companies carry out on raw batches (before entering the industrial packaging process) considering the presence of sulfonamides. A total of 279 honey samples were analyzed in this study: 178 raw honey samples were taken on reception in different companies, and 101 samples (from the same industries) were purchased locally. The validation of the methodology applied (LC–MS/MS) before analyzing the samples, confirm the reliability of the results obtained. All the purchased samples were found to be negative for sulfonamides, however, in 9 raw samples sulfathiazole (6 samples) and sulfadiazine (3 samples) were found, which represents 3.4% and 1.7% of the 178 raw samples analyzed, respectively. Therefore, if monitoring is carried out routinely at reception, risk can be decreased to a negligible level. The results confirm that using a suitable analytical methodology and implementing an appropriate routine quality control on reception is totally effective to avoid the presence of sulfonamides in the commercialized product, thereby ensuring consumer safety.