Food and Beverage · PDF fileWhen touring a food and beverage facility, ... adulteration of food through the ... could be carrying contaminants. In some processing plants,

Food and Beverage Plant Tour Guide

Table of Contents

Industry Factors & Products

5 Known Food Processing Issues 3-4

Top 3 Brady Products 5-6

Area Breakdown

Receiving 7-12

Ingredient Storage/Warehouse 13-14

Pre-Production Staging 15-16

Production 17-36

Packaging 37-40

Finished Good Warehouse 41-42

Shipping 43-44

Glossary of Terms

Customer Issue Priority Ranking

Primary Secondary Tertiary

2

5 Known Food Processing Issues

When touring a food and beverage facility, keep in mind these

5 key factors related to safety and productivity goals.

1. Food Safety Regulatory Compliance: Food safety is the

number one issue facing food processors. Food recalls cost

processors millions and damage brand reputation. Because

food safety directly impacts public health, government

agencies develop stringent regulations while grocery stores

often require food processors to comply with GFSI standards

to ensure food safety. To comply with these standards, food

processors must develop protocols and ensure implementation.

Most protocols live in binders on office shelves. It’s critical to

bring this information to the processing floor.

2. Food Safety Sanitation: Because of the emphasis on food

safety, sanitary processing facilities are critical. Therefore, food

processors conduct wash downs to sanitise critical areas of

their processing facility. Wash downs generally occur every

night on third shift and whenever a production line changes over

to a new product run. The area that gets washed down and the

degree of wash down will vary by type of food. Generally, meat,

dairy and seafood plants have the harshest conditions.

3. Workforce Education: Safe & efficient food production

happens on the processing floor. And the processing floor

often creates a challenging and dangerous work environment.

Therefore, it’s critical to train front-line employees on proper

procedures and protocols and then continually reinforce this

training. This can be extremely challenging at processors

with high turnover, multiple languages spoken or low reading

proficiency among front line employees.

5 KNOWN FOOD PROCESSING ISSUES 3

5 Known Food Processing Issues

4. Food Quality/Waste Reduction: Food processors aim to

make the highest quality food with the least amount of waste.

To enhance quality, processors implement standard operating

procedures to ensure consistency. They also implement

critical control points such as x-ray or metal detection to

ensure food safety. Food that doesn’t pass quality and safety

standards must be sent back to the beginning of production

for necessary re-work.

Additionally, food processors try to get the highest yield

possible. Essentially, if they start with 100 lbs / 45.3kg of

ingredients, they’d like to get as close to 100lbs / 45.3kg of

finished product as possible. However, inefficiency in the

production process can lead to lost yield.

5. Workplace Safety: Food processing plants are dangerous

places to work. In fact, it is 59% more likely to be injured in a

food processing plant compared to average private industry

manufacturing. Top contributors to injuries include exertion/

lifting, slips, trips and falls, and getting caught in machinery.

5 KNOWN FOOD PROCESSING ISSUES

4

Top 3 Brady Products

1. ToughWash™ Labels and Printer Systems

labels stand up to harsh processing environments so you can create a safer, more productive visual work environment without compromising food safety

reminders, warn of electrical hazards and call out other safety concerns at the point of concern.

2. ToughWash™ Signs and Tags

injection molded signs and tags stand up to harsh processing environments so you can create a safer, more productive visual work environment without compromising food safety

lockout tags, sanitary operating procedures, critical control point procedures, inspection tags and more

TOP 3 BRADY PRODUCTS 5

Top 3 Brady Products

3. Lockout/Tagout Solutions

& lockout tags create a best practice solution to ensure workplace safety

for sanitation and maintenance daily

TOP 3 BRADY PRODUCTS

6

RECEIVING

Access to Plant

Signage can direct drivers to the appropriate receiving doors (food vs non-food), provide standard operating procedures for delivery and detail hygiene practices that must be followed.

People ID products can be used for temporary badges and access control.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ How do you currently alert your drivers to proper procedures for delivery?

■ How do you alert drivers to any hygiene practices they should be following for delivery?

■ How do you control the access the drivers have within the plant?

7

Access to Plant

GFSI programmes and some governments

around the world require food processors

to take steps to prevent the intentional

adulteration of food through the

implementation of Food Defense plans.

Food defense plans identify potential

areas where someone could intentionally

contaminate the food supply and then

outline risk mitigation steps. This largely

stems from concerns related to

bio-terrorism within the food supply.

In receiving, truck drivers from outside

companies will be delivering food

ingredients and food processing supplies.

It’s important for food processors to identify

& verify the driver making the delivery

and control their access within the food

processing plant.

RECEIVING

8

RECEIVING

Receipt & ID

Brady printers and labels can be used to set up a colour-coded system to create visual identification of materials.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ What do you currently use for visual identification of materials to ensure plant workers know what’s in a package, when it was received and when it will expire?

■ How do you visually identify allergens?

9

Upon receipt, some companies will

use barcodes or RFID integrated into

their ERP system to identify and track

the flow of materials through storage

and into the processing environment.

However, many processors still do this

manually using visual identification.

It’s important to track food ingredients

to identify lot numbers, date/time of

receipt and presence of allergens in

the event of a recall.

GFSI schemes often single out the

tracking of allergens. Mislabelled or

misidentified allergens are the number

one reason for recalls and can have

deadly consequences for consumers.

Receipt & ID

RECEIVING

10

RECEIVING

Non-Conforming Products

Brady floor markings and signage can be used to create a visual work space that identifies proper storage areas.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ How do you identify the proper area for handling non-conforming receivables?

■ How do you identify the proper bins for disposal of packaging that might contain contaminants?

11

As part of GFSI programmes,

non-conforming products must be

identified and held in a separate

area for inspection. Non-conforming

products could include packages

with a high amount of bird droppings

on them, ripped packages, expired

ingredients, allergens or questionable

products.

Furthermore, all packaging of

materials (shrink wrap, bands,

cardboard) should have a marked

area for disposal as the packaging

could be carrying contaminants. In

some processing plants, plastic

receiving pallets will actually be

washed and sterilised.

Non-Conforming Products

RECEIVING

12

INGREDIENT STORAGE/WAREHOUSE

Storage

Brady floor markings, labels and signage can be used to create a visual work space to help with organisation and work flow.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ How do you identify storage spaces for allergens?

■ How do you identify best practices to

13

Similar to any warehouse

environment, it’s important to visually

identify appropriate storage areas

for all items. Specifically for food, it’s

essential to identify storage areas

for potential allergens, because

unidentified allergens are the leading

cause of food recalls.

To avoid any cross-contamination,

any packages that have been

compromised or have expired should

not be stored near good ingredients.

Finally, any identification that can be

used to assist with work flow to ensure

expired food from being on the shelf.

Storage

INGREDIENT STORAGE/WAREHOUSE

14

PRE-PRODUCTION STAGING

Staging


Solution

Probing Questions

■ How do you visually identify appropriate staging areas for ingredients?

■ How would a mix-up in ingredients impact your food production?

15

Many processors do not have

well-marked staging areas for

materials about to go into production.

This can cause several issues:

random locations near the

processing line can create

workplace safety concerns

related to slips, trips and falls.

identified, the wrong ingredient

could be used in product

formulation, causing quality

issues, a recall or need for

re-work.

Staging


16

PRODUCTION

Wash Down and Sanitation

ToughWash™ signs can be used to provide

sanitary operating procedures for each

piece of equipment (similar to providing

visual lockout procedures).

ToughWash™ Tags can be used to identify

machine components, tools or utensils that

must be removed from the environment for

sanitisation.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ How do workers know the appropriate procedures for cleaning and sanitising equipment?

■ How do workers know if tools and utensils have been sanitised?

■ How would you benefit from having visual procedures for sanitation on each machine?

17

Because of the emphasis on food safety,

sanitary processing facilities are critical.

Therefore, food processors conduct

wash downs to sanitise critical areas of

their processing facility. Wash downs

generally occur every night on third shift

and whenever a production line changes

over to a new product run. The area that

gets washed down and the degree of wash

down will vary by type of food. Generally,

meat, dairy and seafood plants have the

harshest wash down conditions.

Wash Down and Sanitation

PRODUCTION

18

PRODUCTION

Line Clearance for Sanitation

Solution

Probing Questions

■ How do you currently document your line clearance procedures?

■ With the tightening regulations from the FDA and with GFSI, do you feel you will be required to provide a higher level of documentation going forward?

■ How would you benefit if you could prove your line clearance using electronic data?

InspectNTrack™ Software can be used to ensure a complete inspection of sanitation and provide detailed documentation that the line has been appropriately cleared for production.

19

Before food production can start each

morning, food processors must ensure that

their production line has been completely

sanitised (99.999% free of bacteria).

Additionally, processors that use allergens

on their food line must also ensure that

the sanitation process has removed any

allergen residue to eliminate

cross-contamination concerns.

To achieve these results, food processors

follow a stringent wash down process. At

the end of this process, the food processor

must check all surfaces using blacklights,

swabs for ATP and other laboratory tests to

ensure sanitation. The line cannot start until

they have clearance for sanitation.

Today, many processors manually document

this process with paper and binders.


PRODUCTION

20


Line Clearance for Equipment

Brady signage can provide standard operating procedures for changeovers and indicate the appropriate equipment for each type of food being processed.

InpsectNTrack can verify that appropriate maintenance has been conducted on all critical equipment.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ How often do you change over the production line?

■ How do you verify you have the right equipment on the line for production?

■ How do you document maintenance of your critical equipment? Would you benefit from electronic data storage?

PRODUCTION 21

Prior to beginning production,

processors must verify that they have

the proper equipment on the production

line for the food they are about to

produce. This is very important for any

processors that run multiple products on

the same line and conduct changeovers

on the line.

Furthermore, many GFSI programmes

require processors to keep maintenance

records for all critical processing

equipment.

Line Clearance for Equipment

PRODUCTION

22


Line Clearance for Product

Brady signage can provide standard operating procedures for commissioning a line for full production.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ My understanding is that you need to run a passable product before opening full production. Would standard operating procedures on commissioning a line be of benefit?

PRODUCTION 23

Prior to the start of full production

runs, food processors must first run

a passable product through the

produced that passes inspection,

the line can then begin running at full

production.

Line Clearance for Product

PRODUCTION

24


Lockout / Tagout

VLOP Writing Services ensure that the LOTO information can be posted in an easy to understand format at the point of lockout.

Metal detectable, wash down resistant placards and tags can be used at the point of lockout without causing food safety concerns.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ Have you ever considered creating visual lockout procedures at the point of lockout?

■ Are the lockout tags you use today metal detectable?

PRODUCTION 25

environment, lockout tagout is a

standard practice in food processing.

Unlike every other manufacturing

environment, the wash down process

occurs every night and requires

the sanitation crew to disassemble

components, and lockout or tagout

equipment as needed.

Lockout / Tagout

PRODUCTION

26


Safety Signs & Labels

Metal detectable wash down resistant signs and labels can be used to alert employees of safety hazards, without causing food safety concerns.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ Do you fully label all the safety hazards in your processing environment?

■ How do the labels you use stand up to the wash down process?

■ Are your labels metal detectable?

PRODUCTION 27

Food processing environments pose

a number of safety hazards that

should be identified with appropriate

signage. Because of the hazards in

food processing, it’s 59% more likely to

be injured in food processing than the

average private manufacturing plant.

Some of these hazards include pinch

points, sharp knives, wet and slippery

floors, heavy/repetitive lifting and

confined spaces.

In a recent survey of 300 food

processors, more than 40% indicated

they had not marked all safety hazards.

Warning Signs

PRODUCTION

28


Standard Operating Procedures

Metal detectable wash down resistant signs and labels can be used to alert employees of standard operating procedures, without causing food safety concerns.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ How do you communicate operating procedures to your employees on the line?

■ How does turnover affect your ability to ensure operating procedures are being followed?

■ How would operating procedures at the point of work create efficiencies for you?

PRODUCTION

Standard Operating Procedures1. Dedicated area and sanitation (FC 3-502.12.B.5.b2. Prevention of cross-contamination (FC 3-502.12.D.2.c)3. No bare-hand contact of ready-to-eat foods (FC 3-502.12.B.5.a)4. Chilled food storage - time and temperature monitoring (FC 3-502.12.D.2.f)5. Labeling - maximum shelf life - disposition (FC 3-502.12.D.2..e)

29

Placing standard operating procedures

along the processing line can help to

ensure workers follow protocol, making

them more efficient and increasing the

chances of safe food production. This is

especially important due to the varying

education levels, spoken languages and

frequent turnover of food processors.

Product re-work can account for

significant costs and loss of time. If a

product doesn’t pass final inspection

due to improper processing, it will need

to be re-worked through the line.

Some food processors will change over

production lines. Having changeover

procedures at the point of operation can

ensure a smooth transition that allows

the line to be commissioned for food

production more quickly.

Standard Operating Procedures

PRODUCTION

30


Critical Control Point

Metal detectable, wash down resistant signs and labels can be used to alert employees of critical control points, without causing food safety concerns.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ Do you have any signage indicating your Critical Control Points (CCPs) throughout the plant?

■ Would highlighting your CCPs create awareness among your employees as to the importance of your CCPs?

PRODUCTION 31

Almost all government agencies and GFSI

programmes require food processors to

implement HACCP plans. Essentially, they

must identify all potential hazards to food

safety and then identify the critical control

point that will eliminate that risk. Examples

of critical control points could be an oven

that cooks chicken to 170°F/ 76.6°C or an

x-ray detection system or metal detection

system at the end of a food line.

To be compliant with the regulations,

each employee operating machinery at

a critical control point must be able to

communicate the appropriate information

related to the control point to an inspector.

The food processor must be able to

prove they have validated the machine is

achieving the control point and verify that

the tests have happened over time.

Critical Control Point

PRODUCTION

32


Critical Equipment Maintenance

InspectNTrack™ Software can ensure the timely maintenance and documentation for critical equipment.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ How do you currently document your equipment maintenance?

■ Are you confident the maintenance has been taking place? Can you prove it?

PRODUCTION 33

GFSI requires that any machine on

the critical equipment list must have

documented maintenance records to

ensure it’s in compliance.

Critical Equipment Maintenance

PRODUCTION

34


Pipe Marking

Pipe markers provide clear and reliable visual markings of pipe contents and direction of flow.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ Do you have any concerns with the performance of your pipe markers?

■ Would you use more pipe marking if you felt there were better solutions available?

PRODUCTION 35

Food processors may have pipes to

transport liquids. All of these pipes

should be identified with the direction

should be the marking of potable water.

Additionally, food processors often use

Ammonia to cool areas of the plant.

These pipes must be properly identified.

Pipe Marking

PRODUCTION

36



InspectNTrack™ Software can be used to ensure a complete inspection of sanitation and provide detailed documentation that the line has been appropriately cleared for production.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ How do you currently document your line clearance procedures?

■ With the tightening regulations from the FDA and with GFSI, do you think you will need a higher level of documentation going forward?

■ How would you benefit if you could prove your line clearance using electronic data?

PACKAGING 37

Similar to the production line, packaging

lines must be completely sanitised

(99.999% free of bacteria) prior to beginning

packaging each morning. To achieve these

results, food processors follow a stringent

wash down process.

At the end of this process, the food

processor must check all surfaces using

blacklights, swabs for ATP and other

laboratory tests to ensure sanitation. The line

cannot start until they have line clearance

for sanitation.


PACKAGING

38

PACKAGINGPRE-PRODUCTION STAGING

Line Clearance for Equipment & Supplies

Brady signage can be used to place standard operating procedures at the point of packaging, creating an efficient and thorough line changeover.

Brady floor marking and labels can be used to better identify the appropriate packaging materials to avoid mix-ups.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ How often do you change over the packaging line?

■ How do you verify you have the right equipment and labels on the line for packaging?

PACKAGING

Standard Operating Procedures1. Dedicated area and sanitation (FC 3-502.12.B.5.b2. Prevention of cross-contamination (FC 3-502.12.D.2.c)3. No bare-hand contact of ready-to-eat foods (FC 3-502.12.B.5.a)4. Chilled food storage - time and temperature monitoring (FC 3-502.12.D.2.f)5. Labeling - maximum shelf life - disposition (FC 3-502.12.D.2..e)

39

Similar to the production line,

packaging lines must be inspected

to ensure the appropriate equipment

and supplies are available for

packaging the specific product being

produced that day.

Most important is ensuring that the

correct packaging labels are on

the line. Mislabelled allergens and

ingredients are one of the biggest

because the wrong label was applied

to the product.

Line Clearance for Equipment & Supplies

PACKAGING

40


Storage


Solution

Probing Questions

■ How do you currently identify proper storage areas in your warehouse for finished product?

■ Do you post instructions in your

product flow?

FINISHED GOOD WAREHOUSE 41

Similar to any warehouse

environment, it’s important to visually

identify appropriate storage areas for

all items.

To avoid sending out bad product,

any packages that have been

compromised or have expired should

not be stored near good product.

Finally, any identification that can be

used to assist with work flow to ensure

expired food from being on the shelf.

Storage

FINISHED GOOD WAREHOUSE

42


Bulk Food - Load Out

Brady signage can be used to indicate proper clothing for a sanitised load out area and standard operating procedures for load out to ensure food safety.

Solution

Probing Questions

■ How do you ensure a sanitary environment inside your load out area?

SHIPPING 43

Some processors have a “load

out” area where food is shipped

in bulk (truck or container loads).

Because the food has the potential

for exposure to contaminants when it

is transported into the bulk container,

the load out area must be highly

sanitised.

SHIPPING

Bulk Food - Load Out

44

CLP/GHS

Because of the chemicals used within the wash down environment, you will likely find a need

GENERAL PLANT NEEDS

General Plant Needs

Shadow Boards

Because of concerns with sanitation and cross-contamination, food processing plants like to have separate tools and equipment for each area of their processing plant. In order to keep track of the tools, they will often colour code them and use shadow boards to organise them in the appropriate areas of the plant.

Pipe Markers

Although pipe markers were mentioned as part of the production floor, you will find the need for pipe markers throughout the processing plant. Whether it’s to identify ammonia pipes or potable water, it’s critical to know what’s in each pipe.

45

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

REGULATORY BODIES

Codex Alimentarius:

internationally recognised standards, codes of practice, guidelines and

other recommendations relating to foods, food production and food

safety.

European Commission: Executive body of the European Union

responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding

the Union’s treaties and day-to-day running of the EU.

European Food Safety Authority: Provides independent scientific

advice and communication on existing and emerging risks associated

with the food chain.

Global Food Safety Institute (GFSI): A retail driven accreditation that

aims to create a global standard for food safety from farm to fork

(www.mygfsi.com).

Popular GFSI schemes include SQF, BRC, IFS and Food Safety System

Certification 22000.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): Responsible for

developing and executing federal government policy on farming,

agriculture, forestry and food

(www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome).

U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA): Responsible for protecting

and promoting public health through regulation and supervision of Food

Safety (www.fda.gov).

46

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

TERMS

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP): All microorganisms use ATP for fuel.

Its presence is a good indication of biological materials. Facilities are

swabbed for ATP at the end of cleaning processes to ensure sanitation.

Adulteration: Food that has been deemed impure due to the

introduction of foreign materials.

Cleaning in Place: A mechanised system that delivers a detergent

solution, water rinse and sanitising solution to clean equipment without

using a manual wash down.

Critical Control Points: A point, step or procedure at which controls can

be applied and a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated or

reduced to acceptable (critical) levels. Cooking to specific temperatures

is the most common critical control point.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): Management software used to

track and identify flow of materials through storage.

FIFO (First in, First Out): Food rotation system that organises and

uses food that was received earlier first, to track product expiration and

ensure safe food.

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP): A systematic

preventive approach to food safety from biological, chemical and

physical hazards in production processes.

Line Clearance for Sanitation: Before food production can start, food

processors must ensure that their production line has been completely

sanitised (99.999% free of bacteria or a 5 log reduction).

Pathogens: Bacteria such as e-coli, salmonella and listeria that can

cause foodborne illnesses.

Re-Work: Processed food that does not pass quality inspections will

need to cycle through the production cycle a second time to pass

quality standards.

Wash Down Process: An aggressive cleaning process using hot,

high pressure water, chemicals and abrasives to sanitise production

equipment to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses.

47

BRADY Africa 361 Olympic Duel, Northlands Business Park, Newmarket Road, Randburg Tel: +27 11 704 3295 Fax: +27 86 501 7775

BRADY Benelux Industriepark C/3, Lindestraat 20, 9240 Zele, Belgium Tel. +32 (0) 52 45 78 11 Fax +32 (0) 52 45 78 12

BRADY Central & Eastern Europe Na Pántoch 18, 831 06 Bratislava, Slovakia Tel. +421 2 3300 4800 Fax +421 2 3300 4801

BRADY Denmark Svendborgvej 39D, 5260 Odense S Tel. +45 66 14 44 00 Fax +45 66 14 44 50

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BRADY Germany Brady-Straße 1, 63329 Egelsbach Tel. +49 (0) 6103 7598 660 Fax +49 (0) 6103 7598 670

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BRADY Romania World Trade Center, Piata Montreal, nr 10 Intrarea F, Etajul 1, Birou 1.16, Sector 1, Bucharest, 011469 Tel: +40 21 202 3032 Fax: +40 21 202 3100

BRADY Russia Avrora Business Park, Office 2305 82/2, Sadovnicheskaya Street 115035 Moscow Tel: +7 495 225 93 62

BRADY Spain & Portugal Av. Ventisquero de la condesa 13, local 17 y 18 28035 Madrid, Spain Tel. +34 900 902 993 Fax +34 900 902 994

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BRADY UK & Ireland Wildmere Industrial Estate, Banbury, Oxon – OX16 3JU, UK Tel. +44 (0) 1295 228 288 Fax +44 (0) 1295 228 219

BRADY WORLDWIDEAustralia ..................................................... 612-8717-6300Brazil .......................................................55-11-3686-4720Canada ......................................................1-800-263-6179China (Beijing) .........................................86-10-6788-7799China (Shanghai) .....................................86-21-6886-3666China (Wuxi) ............................................86-510-528-2222Hong Kong .................................................. 852-2359-3149Japan ........................................................81-45-461-3600Korea .........................................................82-31-451-6600Latin America ............................................1-414-540-5560Malaysia ......................................................60-4-646-2700Mexico .......................................................... 525-399-6963New Zealand .............................................61-2-8717-2200Philippines ...................................................63-2-658-2077Singapore ..................................................... 65-6477-7261Taiwan .......................................................886-3-327-7788Thailand ......................................................66-2-793-9200USA ...........................................................1-800-537-8791

EUR-M-751-EN 03/03/2015

Food and Beverage · PDF fileWhen touring a food and beverage facility, ... adulteration of food through the ... could be carrying contaminants. In some processing plants,

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