Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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✔ MSG Free ✔ All natural flavors ✔ No artificial colors ✔ No hydrogenated fats or trans fats Thick cut potato chips hand cooked in small batches Thick cut potato chips hand cooked in small batches Distributed in the USA Exclusively by BWI, Inc. tel 818-991-6644 www.bwi-imports.com WFFS17 Booth #3523 Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 3523 Preliminary Steps Manufacturers should create a food safety team to put together the Food Safety Plan. This team should be managed by people in production, but can also include employees in maintenance, sanitation, quality assur- ance, purchasing, even marketing and logis- tics. A team approach will reduce the risk of missing key components of the plan, and also encourages ownership across the com- pany. Top management commitment sends a strong message to all. However, there should be one person responsible for the creation, implementa- tion, and oversight of the Food Safety Plan. And that person must be a "Preventive Controls Qualified Individual" (see sidebar). Responsibilities of a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual include "to perform or oversee 1) preparation of the Food Safety Plan; 2) validation of the preventive controls; 3) records review; and 4) reanalysis of the Food Safety Plan." This person should also oversee the food safety team. Basic information about the product and how it is distributed will inform manu- facturers if specific controls are necessary. Information should include shelf life, pack- aging, storage, and distribution systems. It is also important to describe the planned use and consumers of the food, including: • Intended use; • Potential mishandling and unintended use; • Intended consumers (i.e. general public, elderly, etc.); • Labeling instructions relevant to food safety. The next step is to develop a f low diagram that describes the produc- tion process. This visual tool helps the food safety team understand all the intri- cate details of the process, and should food safety update WHAT IS A PREVENTIVE CONTROLS QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL? As part of its implementation of FSMA, the FDA and industry have created the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance, which consists of regulators, academics, associations, and industry. The FSPCA, based at the Illinois Institute of Technology, has put together a curriculum to train people to become Preventive Controls Qualified Individuals. This training is being offered at many land-grant universities, such as Oregon State and North Carolina, and also by nonprofit organizations. Most of the programs take three days to complete and cost between $600 and $800. A person can also be designated as a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual based on work experience. A team approach will reduce the risk of missing key components of the plan, and also encourages ownership across the company. Top management commitment sends a strong message to all. (continued on p. 68) 50 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com