ISO 22000: How to Write an ISO 22000 Prerequisite Program?

Example of an ISO 22000 Prerequisite Program 

We were discussing about ISO 22000 food safety management system basics throughout the last week to give you some insight.  But only the aspects of what prerequisite programs required to comply with ISO 22000 standard in general. However, when you read the ISO 22000 standard to understand the documentation requirements which we hope to discuss little bit later, you will realize that there various other factors that you must comply for the fulfillment of structure of the document. Thus here you can look in to an example of an ISO 22000 prerequisite program which will give you the basics of documentation.  It will also guide you to understand the way of writing, of course this is only a one way of expressing the idea which is not that comprehensive, but you can find various other ways different authors has written. The objective is to give you an idea of basic requirements of the ISO 22000 prerequisite requirements are focus on. But the data and the compliance criteria are varying defend on the operation as well as the specific product manufactured.

An Example Prerequisite Program That can be customize according to your requirements

  

Note: This ISO 22000 prerequisite program is written for a orthodox black tea manufacturing plant as a generic PRP which is not a very comprehensive one, but you can add or remove any part of it to customize for your ISO 22000 FSMS requirements. 

ISO 22000 - PREREQUISITE PROGRAMME

PRP 01 – CONSTRUCTION, LAYOUT AND EQUIPMENT

Distribution:

1.         Director/General Manager

2.         Administration Manager

3.         Administration Officer

4.         Factory Manager

5.         Senior Assistant Factory Officer

6.         Assistant Factory Officer – Rolling

7.         Assistant Factory Officer – Firing 

8.         Consultant – FSMS

1.0       Objective

To prevent and minimise food safety hazards being introduced to products due to layouts, interior design, equipment and construction.

2.0       Scope

This procedure applies to buildings and equipment where processing of food, storing of raw and packing material, in process and finished products.

3.0       Responsibility

3.1       General Manager             – Guidance and compliance with requirements

3.2       Administrative Officer    – Designing of layout and identification of appropriate equipment

                                                       – Installation and maintenance of equipments

3.3       Factory Manager             – Identification of requirements

3.4       Consultant                        – Compliance with FSMS

3.6       Senior Factory Officer     – Monitoring and maintaining the facilities

4.0       Activities

4.1       Design and layout

4.1.1    The internal design and layout shall permit good food hygiene practices; prevent contamination of food during and between operations. When changes are made to initial design and layout those changes shall be carried out without deviating from the said requirements.

4.1.2    The internal design and layout shall permit adequate ventilation to prevent unacceptable accumulation of humidity condensation or dust and to remove contaminated air. Where applicable all nets on window are cleaned or washed once a month.

4.1.3    Separate areas away from production facility for vehicle parks shall be identified and parked accordingly.

4.2       Internal Structures

4.2.1    Construction and finishing of floor shall be so that will facilitate easy drainage and cleaning.

4.2.2    Construction material of the floor shall be resistant to the product manufactured in the specified area, detergents and sterilising agents used.

4.2.3    Floors shall be sloped to avoid residual pools. The floors shall be sloped to drains or gutters at 1 in 40 to 1 in 60.

4.2.4    Sleeves or curbs shall be used as appropriate when pipes, ducts or other equipments need to be passed through the floor.

4.2.5    Gutter drains shall have smooth vertical walls rounded or coved bottoms on a minimum slope of 1 in 100. Sizes are 152 to 304 mm wide and 152 to 203 mm deep. Gutters should be covered with a strong open metal grating rugged enough to withstand any unavoidable heavy traffic. These shall be in short sections of less than one meter so they can be easily lifted for cleaning. Grating shall be rested on ridges or buttons to allow water and small partials to drain away.

4.2.6    Floor drains shall be set in the floor so that the top of the grating is 3mm below the level of the floor. Floor drain shall have a minimum water seal of 36 mm.  Removable secondary strainer shall be used to prevent entry of cockroaches and rodents. Floors shall be slopped to drain.

4.2.7    Stairs and platforms. Decking shall be made from solid plate or wood. Stair cases rises above level of the product shall be encased to prevent dirt being transferred in to the product. Steps shall be made of the same anti-slip material.

4.2.8    Walls, partitions, doors and windows where appropriate shall have smooth and non absorbent surfaces, easy to clean and where necessary disinfect.

4.2.9    The paints suitable for incidental food contact or classed as food grade shall be used on product zone surfaces. The paints that do not contain toxic or tainting materials shall be used in non-food zones.

4.2.10  Design for covers of wires, conduits, pipes etc. The system and the components shall be completely sealed, or exposed so that they can be easily or thoroughly cleaned. Dust tight or explosion proof features shall be included in dry areas. Water proofing and splash proofing shall be included in wet areas.

4.2.11  Ceilings and overhead fixtures shall be constructed and finished to minimise accumulation of dirt and dust and to prevent condensation. Ceilings shall be non porous easy to clean and light coloured with a finish that has desirable light reflectance characteristics. Ceiling shall be free of accumulation of dust and flaking paints. The junctures between walls and ceilings shall be rounded and sealed against dust and water. To minimise overhead equipment and risk of contamination of product, a service floor shall be used to house ducts, pipe works, cables as a floor foaming the ceiling of the production area.

4.2.12  Adequate natural or artificial lighting shall be provided such that the intended inspection or production activity can be effectively conducted Where necessary lighting shall

4.2.12.1           Be sufficient for the work or function.

4.2.12.2           Be of suitable colour where it is important, e.g. for inspection areas

4.2.12.3           Provide suitable contrast between the work and the background.

4.2.12.4           Give minimum glair either from the light units or from the reflection from the other surfaces.

4.2.12.5           Give soft shadows if required but not deep shadowing.

4.2.12.6           Come from fixtures designed and installed to

•         Avoid contamination of food or equipment in an event of breakage.

•          Be insects and dust tight.

•          Be easy to clean and maintain.

4.2.13.1           Emergency lighting

Emergency lighting is required in areas where normal lighting system may fail.

•        Escape lighting – This both shows and lights escape roots and enables orderly evacuation as well as assisting emergency services by locating fire fighting and first aid equipment.

4.2.14  Condition of all internal structures and fittings shall be inspected monthly by the process owner and /or food safety team member and shall be informed to administrative officer for corrective actions if any.

4.3       Preventing access (exclusion measures) for Rodents, Insects, and Birds.

4.3.1    Outer boundaries of factory areas, the walls around the buildings shall be surrounded by tarmac or well paved path preferably 5-6m wide, which must be kept as clean and empty as possible.

4.3.2    When there is no tarmac path the growth of weeds shall be prevented by carefully scheduled use of weed killer and the ground shall be kept flat and levelled as possible. The growth of vegetation shall be controlled effectively by using gravel to cover the ground or utilizing the land as appropriate.

4.3.3    Drainage channels and gratings shall be kept empty and clean. Drainage gratings and corners shall be easy to remove for routine maintenance, but at the same time must be firmly set in place with drainage holes designed to prevent the access of rodents.

4.3.4    The parking of pallets equipment and goods in this area must be kept short. This area shall be well drained.

4.3.5    Foundations shall be in concrete and go down to minimum of 300mm (1feet) below solid ground level.

4.3.6    In case of potentially gnawable walls, a smooth metal sheet at least 300 mm wide (1 ft) shall be used to cover the base of the walls.

4.3.7    Provisions shall be made to arrange special cleaning regimes for the architectural stone pillars on the factory.

4.3.8    The entry doors to production facilities shall be equipped with automatic self closing devises.

4.3.9    Openings around the pipes leading to and away from the premises must be protected, e.g. sealed with wire netting which is then covered and filled with cement.

4.3.10  Windows shall be protected with anti insect netting preferably using virgin plastic mesh of 2mm.

4.3.11  Air intakes/ vents shall be equipped with anti insect netting. If the vents are located in critical production areas they must be equipped with special (HEPA) filters.

4.3.12  Lighting in operational areas shall be such to permit very accurate work and also efficient inspection. Positioning of lights directly over areas where the products are exposed should be avoided.

4.3.13  In places where doorways directly link to the production department from out-door environment, a chamber with double door shall be used. The door shall be equipped with automatic door closures. This chamber shall be maintained dark and an insecticuter shall be in operation.

4.3.14  To prevent access of birds the building as a whole shall be free of window sill’s ledges and protuberances as possible thus not giving birds a chance to lodge or nest.

4.4       Equipment

4.4.1    Equipment and containers which are directly in contact with food shall be designed and constructed to ensure that they can be easily and adequately cleaned disinfected and maintained to prevent contamination of food.

4.4.2    The material used for equipment and containers shall be of non toxic nature for the intended use. List of materials approved by food safety team leader, for use as food contact surfaces, shall be maintained in each production unit.

5.0       References

5.1       Plant layout

6.0       Records

6.1       Format for suitability of internal structures and fittings 

                                                                       FSMS 04/PRP/01/F/00

6.1.1    Receiving/ Withering area                                                   

                                                                       FSMS 04/PRP/01/F/01

6.1.2    Rolling room                                                                           

                                                                       FSMS 04/PRP/01/F/02

6.1.3    Firing                                                                                        

                                                                       FSMS 04/PRP/01/F/03

6.1.4    Sifting & Packing                                                                    

                                                                       FSMS 04/PRP/01/F/04

6.1.5    Packing material stores                                                          

                                                                       FSMS 04/PRP/01/F/05

6.1.6    Finished product stores                                                                             

                                                                       FSMS 04/PRP/01/F/06

6.1.7    General stores                                                                          

                                                                       FSMS 04/PRP/01/F/07

6.2       List of approved materials as food contact surfaces         

                                                                       FSMS 04/PRP/01/F/08

ISO 22000: THE GENERAL PREREQUISITE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS OF ISO 22000

ISO 22000 Prerequisite Programs Requirements - Part VI

ISO 22000 is not a stand-alone food safety management system, but it is part of a larger control system which builds on a series of prerequisite programmes and HACCP based on hazard identification and analysis. Therefore, prior to implementation of a ISO 22000 food safety management system with a HACCP Plan, there are other requirements for the organization to look after, in which one of them is  to develop and implement applicable prerequisite programmes and other supporting systems as a foundation for ISO 22000 FSMS. Prerequisite programmes provide the basic environment and operating conditions for ISO 22000 to operate, which are necessary for the production of safe and wholesome food. They should effectively control the common hazards that apply to the whole operation, leaving HACCP plan of the ISO 22000 FSMS to deal with the specific significant product or process hazards.

In the context of ISO 22000, there is a need to understand the role of prerequisite programmes in prevention or control of common hazards. In addition, it is important to verify the effectiveness of prerequisite programmes to ensure that they effectively manage the common issues not considered in the Hazard Identification and Analyses of the HACCP Plan to comply with ISO 22000. Some prerequisite programmes are actually processes and therefore may have a critical influence at a specific step within the Hazard Identification and Analyses of ISO 22000. When this occurs, that element would be included in the Hazard Identification and Analysis of ISO 22000 and subjected to the HACCP process separately. 

The sanitation and pest control process is one of the major areas considered in good manufacturing practices which are come under ISO 22000 as prerequisite programs, which you can consider as a single program or two separate programs. But these two programs are interrelated; because if you don’t have a proper sanitation program, it means that your plant will definitely attracted by pests. Thus it is mandatory to run both programs in-order to achieve effective sanitation inside your factory to comply with ISO 22000. 

The sanitation programs are different according to the machinery and the product manufactured in different food processing plants. Therefore your ISO 22000 FSMS has to be designed according to those requirements where prerequisite programs has to be targeted to facilitate relevant specific objectives identified, but pest control programs are almost similar for any production operations other than the chemicals/methods utilized and locations specific. 

E Sanitation and Pest Control

The objective of the sanitation and pest control program is to ensure that the facilities and equipment are clean and that pests are excluded from the establishment.

E 1 Sanitation

E 1.1 Sanitation Program

For each area, each piece of equipment and each utensil, the written cleaning and sanitizing program specifies the following:

• Chemicals and concentrations to be used
• Water temperature requirements
• Procedures and frequencies for cleaning and sanitizing
• Instructions for disassembling and assembling equipment

Chemicals are used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and must be Accepted Materials and Non-Food Chemical Products, published by government, EU, FDA, CODEX or any other reputed statutory and regulatory organization.

The sanitation program is carried out in a timely manner. Food or packaging materials are not contaminated during or subsequent to cleaning and sanitizing of equipment.

The sanitation program outlines general housekeeping and special sanitation procedures to be carried out during operations (e.g. mid-shift cleanup).

The written sanitation program specifies the following:

1. The area(s) and equipment to be cleaned, the frequency and the person responsible for each
2. Instructions for cleaning the specified equipment and areas
3. The cleaning equipment to be used and the instructions for its proper operation (e.g. pressure, volume, etc.)
4. The detergents and sanitizers to be used (including commercial and/or generic names) and their concentration levels, water temperature, etc.
5. The method of applying cleaning and sanitizing solutions (e.g. contact time, foam consistency, etc.)
6. Rinsing instructions, including, if necessary, water temperature

The establishment monitors and verifies the effectiveness of its sanitation program by conducting:

• Microbiological testing;
• Routine sensory inspections of areas and equipment; and
• Direct, on-site observation of cleaning procedures.

The sanitation program is adjusted as necessary to incorporate new cleaning procedures (e.g. new equipment, new chemicals, etc.).

The sanitation program may be used to provide control over cross-contamination issues associated with the production of non-allergenic and allergenic products.

Operations begin only after all sanitation requirements have been met (e.g. pre-operation inspection).

E 2 Pest Control

E 2.1 Pest Control Program

The establishment has a written and effective pest control program. Birds and animals other than those intended for slaughter are prevented from entering the establishment.

The written pest control program includes the following:

1. The name of a contact person for pest control at the establishment
2. The name of the pest control company, where applicable, or the name of the person responsible for the program
3. A list of chemicals and methods of application used
4. A map of pest control devices and/or bait stations
5. The frequency of inspection
6. A survey of pests and control information

Chemicals are used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and must be Accepted Materials and Non-Food Chemical Products, published by government, EU, FDA, CODEX or any other reputed statutory and regulatory organization.

Pest control chemicals are used in a manner that prevents the contamination of food.

ISO 22000: THE GENERAL PREREQUISITE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS OF ISO 22000

ISO 22000 Prerequisite Programs Requirements - Part V

ISO 22000 food safety management system basically designed to control food hygiene in a production environment, where it is performed through different actions and set of practices. Hygiene is a set of practices performed for the preservation of health. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between different cultures, genders and aging groups. Some regular hygienic practices may be considered good habits by a society while the neglect of hygiene can be considered disgusting, disrespectful or even threatening. According to ISO 22000 standard, food hygiene is controlled through personnel hygiene and plant sanitation programs which are come under prerequisite programs.

Personal hygiene involves those practices performed by an individual to care for one's bodily health and well being, through cleanliness. Motivations for personal hygiene practice include reduction of personal illness, healing from personal illness, optimal health and sense of well being, social acceptance and prevention of spread of illness to others which are the main objectives of ISO 22000 FSMS to include personnel hygiene as a prerequisite program.  

Other than ISO 22000 requirements, what is considered proper personal hygiene can be cultural-specific and may change over time. In some cultures removal of body hair is considered proper hygiene. Other practices that are generally considered proper hygiene include bathing regularly, washing hands regularly and especially before handling food, washing scalp hair, keeping hair short or removing hair, wearing clean clothing, brushing one's teeth, cutting finger nails, besides other practices. These practices are general practices which were in practice well before ISO 22000 or GMP or any other relevant standard came in to practice. Some practices are gender-specific, such as by a woman during her menstrual cycle. People tend to develop a routine for attending to their personal hygiene needs. Other personal hygienic practices would include covering one's mouth when coughing, disposal of soiled tissues appropriately, making sure toilets are clean, and making sure food handling areas are clean, besides other practices. Some cultures do not kiss or shake hands to reduce transmission of bacteria by contact.

D Personnel

The personnel program ensures that employees follow safe food handling practices.

The program:

1. Sets out how the establishment trains personnel; and

2. Verifies the effectiveness of that training.

D 1 Training

D 1.1 General Food Hygiene Training

The establishment trains employees in appropriate personal hygiene and hygienic handling of food. Training in food hygiene is provided at the beginning of employment and is reinforced and updated at appropriate intervals.

D 1.2 Technical Training

The establishment provides technical training appropriate for the complexity of the manufacturing process and the tasks assigned.

For example, personnel learn:

• The importance of the CCPs for which they are responsible;
• Applicable critical limits;
• Procedures for monitoring the program;
• Action to be taken if critical limits are not met; and
• Procedures for completing records.

Personnel responsible for maintaining and calibrating equipment that affects food safety have been appropriately trained to perform these functions. These employees are able to identify deficiencies that affect food safety and to take the necessary corrective actions.

Personnel and supervisors responsible for the sanitation program are trained to understand the principles governing and the methods required for effective cleaning and sanitizing.

The establishment keeps its employees’ knowledge up to date through additional training in process technology and new equipment operation as appropriate (e.g. specific technical training, apprenticeship programs, etc.).

D 2 Hygiene and Health Requirements

D 2.1 Cleanliness and Conduct

The establishment has and enforces a policy to ensure good personal hygiene and hygienic behaviour and habits that prevent the contamination of food products. The policy includes procedures for hand washing and/or sanitizing, protective clothing and personal hygiene.

All employees who work in food handling areas must maintain personal cleanliness.

Whenever employees enter a food production area, they must wash their hands thoroughly with soap under warm, running potable water. Hands are always washed after handling contaminated materials and after using toilet facilities. Where required, employees use disinfectant hand dips and/or footbaths.

Protective clothing, hair coverings, gloves and footwear applicable to the operation are worn and maintained in a sanitary manner.

Before any employees enter a food handling area, they remove from their person any objects that may fall into or otherwise contaminate food. Jewellery is not worn or carried into food handling areas. Jewellery that cannot be removed (medic alert bracelets, etc.) is adequately covered.

Tobacco, gum, quid (Beetle leaves eating) and food are not permitted in food handling areas.

Access of personnel and visitors is controlled to prevent food contamination.

D 2.2 Communicable Diseases and Injuries

The establishment requires employees to advice management when they are suffering from a communicable disease likely to be transmitted through food. No person is permitted to work in a food handling area when he or she is known to be suffering from or be a carrier of a disease likely to be transmitted through food.

Employees who exhibit infected wounds, skin infections or sores or who suffer from diarrhea are not permitted to work in food handling areas where contamination of food may occur. Employees who have open cuts or wounds do not handle food or food contact surfaces unless the injury is completely protected by a secure waterproof covering.

ISO 22000: THE GENERAL PREREQUISITE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS OF ISO 22000

ISO 22000 Prerequisite Programs Requirements - Part IV

According to the ISO 22000 food safety certification the prerequisite programs are defined as “specified procedure(s) or instruction(s), specific to the nature and size of the operation, that enhance and/or maintain operational conditions to enable more effective control of food safety hazards, and/or that control the likelihood of introducing food safety hazards to and their contamination or proliferation in the products(s) and product processing environment”. In an ISO 22000 food safety management system, prerequisite programs are basically focused on the production environment or in other words people and facility which will affect food safety and the validation of your ISO 22000 FSMS. Thus it is mandatory to look into the prerequisite programs very consistently and thoroughly. ISO 22000 FSMS implementation is not a single day work, where you need to consider all the relevant requirements while you need to implement basic requirements first.


According to the ISO 22000 standard, it is mandatory to control transportation, dispatch and distribution including storage to achieve effective food safety. Thus company has to have an established, implemented prerequisite program covering these requirements for the site, which has to be maintained in order to ensure effective operation of the ISO 22000 Food Safety Management system. When you continue to write your ISO 22000 FSMS prerequisite programs, you can consider below mentioned points in order to understand what you exactly needed in given context.

C Equipment

Equipment and containers used in the establishment are designed and constructed so as to ensure that they can be adequately cleaned, disinfected and maintained to avoid the contamination of food.

C 1 General Equipment
C 1.1 Equipment Design and Installation
Equipment and/or utensils are designed, constructed and installed so as to ensure that they are:

• Capable of delivering the requirements of the process (e.g. pasteurization, thermal processing, etc.); and
• Accessible for cleaning, sanitizing, maintenance and inspection.

Adequate space is provided within and around equipment to prevent contamination of food products during operations. Where appropriate, equipment is properly drained and connected directly to drains.
Equipment is designed so that all food contact surfaces are smooth, non-corrosive, non-absorbent, non-toxic and free from pitting, cracks and crevices.
All chemicals, lubricants, coatings and paints used on equipment that comes into contact with food must be Accepted Materials and Non-Food Chemical Products, published by government, EU, FDA, CODEX or any other reputed statutory and regulatory organization.
Where required, equipment is properly vented. Equipment is maintained in a clean and sanitary manner in accordance with the company’s sanitation program.

Equipment and utensils used to handle inedible material are not used to handle edible material.

C 1.2 Equipment Maintenance and Calibration

Any equipment that has an impact on food safety functions as intended and does not introduce hazards into the operation. The establishment’s preventative maintenance program ensures that equipment functions properly.

The establishment maintains a list of all equipment that requires regular maintenance. It also sets out procedures and frequencies for each maintenance task (such as equipment inspection, adjustment and part replacement, etc.). These are based on the equipment manufacturers’ instructions. In cases where the manufacturers’ instructions are less rigorous or more demanding than warranted by the establishment’s operating conditions, the establishment sets out maintenance procedures and frequencies adequate for the production of safe food.

The establishment has a calibration program for all equipment that affects food safety. For equipment requiring calibration (e.g. thermometers, pH meters, aw (water activity) meters, refrigeration unit controls, pasteurizers, scales, recording charts, hydrometers, etc.), the establishment details calibration procedures and provides a schedule of frequencies associated with each calibration task.

ISO 22000: THE GENERAL PREREQUISITE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS OF ISO 22000

ISO 22000 Prerequisite Programs Requirements - Part III

ISO 22000 specifies the requirements for a food safety management system that involves interactive communication, system management, prerequisite programmes and HACCP principles. Considering the development of ISO 220000, it is necessary to manage basic prerequisite programs. Pre-requisite programs are the universal steps or procedures that control the operational conditions within a food establishment and create an environment favourable to the production of safe food.

Effective implementation of prerequisite programs (PRPs) is essential to establish a sound foundation prior to application of ISO 22000/HACCP or other food safety management systems. Ineffective implementation of PRPs, will likely lead to ineffective implementation of ISO 22000 Food safety management systems and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) systems.

ISO 22000 certification, helps you to identify, manage, mitigate and improve your food safety processes and communication throughout the supply chain. ISO 22000 FSMS is based on state-of-the-art best practices, and is the ideal way to tackle issues around lack of consumer confidence, and the fear of food scares among both clients and end customers, where you need to synchronize most effective and mandatory food safety requirements together for an effective implementation of an ISO 22000 FSMS.

Transportation is one of the major criterion, where each and every product requires transportation in various stages of its manufacturing and product life cycle. Proper and planned transportation is very critical to food safety as well as implementation of ISO 22000 FSMS, because lots of cross contamination and product damages are possible with it. Thus implementation of planned transportation activities are mandatory for food safety, which you can arranged according to your requirements while considering following guidelines.  

B Transportation, Receiving and Storage

This PRP includes the areas which cover under Transportation, Receiving & Storage - Transportation (food carriers, temperature control) and Receiving & Storage (incoming material receiving and storage, non-food chemicals receiving and storage, finished product storage).

The establishment ensures that incoming material (raw material, ingredients, livestock, hatching eggs, chicks, packaging material, returned finished product, food and non-food chemicals) are transported, received, stored and handled in a manner to prevent chemical, physical or microbiological contamination of food.

Effective measures are taken by the establishment to prevent contamination of raw materials, ingredients and packaging materials.

The establishment does not accept incoming materials if they are known to be contaminated with the following:

• Parasites
• Undesirable microorganisms
• Pesticides
• Veterinary drugs
• Toxic substances
• Decomposed or extraneous matter

However, the establishment may accept contaminated materials if, through sorting and/or processing, it has the ability to reduce these contaminants to an acceptable level.

Where required, the establishment obtains certificates of analysis and/or letters of guarantee to ensure that its purchasing specifications are being met.

B 1 Transportation

B 1.1 Food Carriers

The establishment verifies that carriers are suitable for transporting food. Upon receiving goods or prior to loading goods for shipment, the establishment inspects carriers to ensure that they are free from contamination and suitable for transporting food.

Where appropriate, materials used in carrier construction are suitable for contact with food. 

The establishment has a program in place to verify the adequacy of cleaning and sanitizing of all carriers.
Carriers are loaded, arranged and unloaded in a manner that prevents damage to and contamination of food. Finished products are transported under conditions that prevent biological, physical and chemical contamination of food.

Incoming materials are received in an area separate from the processing area(s).

B 1.2 Temperature Control

Materials requiring refrigeration (both incoming materials and finished products) are transported at a regulated and/or acceptable temperature and are appropriately monitored.

Frozen ingredients and frozen finished products are transported at temperatures that do not permit thawing.

B 2 Receiving and Storage

B 2.1 Incoming Material Receiving and Storage

This section covers incoming materials, finished products (including returned goods) and non-food chemical products.

The establishment keeps on file all letters of guarantee required to certify that incoming materials meet its purchasing specifications.

Materials are inspected at receiving, where possible, to confirm that they meet purchasing specifications. Where organoleptic inspections or temperature readings are not possible for these materials, certificates of analysis or supplier audits can be used to verify the letters of guarantee.

Incoming materials that require refrigeration are stored at regulated and/or acceptable temperatures and are appropriately monitored.

Frozen ingredients are stored at temperatures that do not permit thawing.

Incoming materials are handled and stored in a manner to prevent damage and/or contamination.

Ingredients and, where appropriate, packaging materials are rotated according to age to prevent deterioration and spoilage.

Incoming materials that are sensitive to humidity are stored under appropriate conditions to prevent deterioration.

B 2.2 Non-Food Chemical Receiving and Storage

Chemicals are received and stored in a dry, well-ventilated area that is separate from all food handling areas. Non-food chemicals are stored in designated areas such that no possibility exists for cross-contamination of food or food contact surfaces. Where required for ongoing use in food handling areas, chemicals are stored in a manner that prevents contamination of food, food contact surfaces or packaging materials.

Chemicals are stored and mixed in clean, correctly-labelled containers and are dispensed by trained, authorized personnel.

All non-food chemicals must be Accepted Materials and Non-Food Chemical Products, published by government, EU, FDA, CODEX or any other reputed statutory and regulatory organization.

B 2.3 Finished Product Storage

Finished products are stored and handled under conditions that prevent deterioration.

Stock rotation is controlled to prevent deterioration and spoilage.

Returned, defective or suspect products are controlled, clearly identified, and isolated in a designated area until they can be disposed of appropriately.

Finished products are stored and handled in a manner that prevents damage (e.g. stacking heights are controlled and forklift damage is prevented).