New Trends in Food Safety – Cold Plasma

Plasma Technology in Food Safety

Food has long been associated with numerous food-borne diseases, whereas food safety is a major concern for the food industries, regulatory bodies, and customers. Pathogenic microorganisms are a major hassle concerning the food processing industries, as they have an unfavorable impact on the health and economy of the public, where processing techniques such as pasteurization, autoclaving, canning, and steam sterilization are used to eliminate pathogenic microbes. However, they possess several side effects, viz., nutritional loss, affect sensory properties and degrade functional properties of the food. Thus, the food industry continually strives for innovative technologies and approaches to improve food production and processing methods as demand for raw or non-heat-treated foods is increasing due to the preference of consumers for healthy foods and improved consumer awareness.
 
Despite the competitive advantages of such innovations, the industry faces a global challenge of ensuring food security for a rapidly growing population due to the nature of the foods and the production methods that are prone to microbial and/or pest contaminations. Thus, the current food industry is focused on enhanced microbial food safety and quality without compromising the nutritional, functional, and sensory characteristics of foods, regardless of the difficulties or costs involved. Hence, the food industry relies on a range of intervention strategies, whereas processing steps are employed at points along the food chain to control contaminants to ensure both product safety and/or extend the shelf-life. The methods and technologies applied are to be the focus on most of the described factors while designing applications for novel tech applications.
 
One such emerging technology is plasma technology, which is a green processing technology that offers many potential applications and operates between most of the above requirements of the industry. Based on recent research and development data indicates that plasma processing has caught the interest of various areas of industry, including cereal, meat, poultry, dairy, fruits, vegetables, packaging, etc. as it helps to modify the food material for the desirable trait and maintains the nutritional and textural properties in addition to microbial decontamination. Thus, plasma technology can be used to improve microbial quality and prevent rapid physical, chemical, and sensory changes, which has shown that the process is effective in offering higher-quality products for consumption by extending the shelf life of foods.
 

The plasma treatment is used for enhancing antimicrobial activity, structural modification, decontamination of surfaces, and disinfection of food-processing instruments. The treatment is more effective due to the combined hurdle effect of CP with other emerging novel technologies such as nanotechnology applications including nanofiber, nano-emulsion, nanoparticles, and nano-encapsulation, and emerging non-thermal technologies, pulsed electric field (PEF), pulsed light (PL), and ultra-sound processing on food or food packaging materials to ensure food safety.
 
What is Plasma?
Plasma is referred to as the fourth state of matter, which is an ionized gas comprising several excited atomic, molecular, ionic, and radical species, co-existing with electrons, positive and negative ions, free radicals, gas atoms, molecules in the ground, or excited state, and quanta of electromagnetic radiation (UV photons and visible light).
 

The plasma is classified as thermal or non-thermal plasma, whereas in thermal plasmas, the ionization and chemical processes are mainly governed by the temperature, which can reach more than 20,000 K. Thermal plasma systems are used for applications requiring enormous heat, such as coating technology, welding, cutting, and treatment of hazardous wastes. In non-thermal plasmas, different temperatures can be achieved for different plasma species, mostly around room temperature, which uses energy more efficiently to gain better chemical selectivity. In non-thermal plasmas, the electron temperature governs ionization and chemical processes, where plasma is in a metastable state with a roughly zero net electrical charge.
 
Only non-thermal plasma is applied to food products. Cold plasma can be generated in gases like helium, argonium, oxygen, nitrogen, and a mixture of these gases. Non-thermal plasma can be formed by electrical, microwave, and radiofrequency power sources that generate a high electrical potential difference between two or more electrodes. There is an increased interest in atmospheric pressure cold plasma technologies in food applications because they do not require vacuum systems and enable continuous material processing.
 

The plasma consists of an ionized gas comprising several excited atomic, molecular, ionic, and radical species, co-existing with electrons, positive and negative ions, free radicals, and gas atoms, molecules in the ground or excited state, and quanta of electromagnetic radiation (UV photons and visible light). The reactive species generated during plasma application depend on the gas and operating conditions applied.
 
Helium and argonium plasma generate plasma species that do not react with many bioactive compounds and are mainly used for sanitization. The cold plasma on food consisted primarily of applying jet plasma using helium and argonium, which produced reactive species that are mainly inert to the chemical compounds present in food. These inert gases, and inert plasma, induced minimal chemical changes on the main food constituents, where cold plasma does not alter the food quality while being very efficient in sanitizing it. Later application of cold plasma migrated to the use of nitrogen, air, and modified atmosphere. Hence, air plasma is a potent source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), which tend to react when in contact with living cells or with organic compounds. The interaction can rapidly disrupt their normal metabolism when plasma reactive species contact living cells or organisms, where several chemical reactions may occur when these species encounter organic molecules. Plasma reactive species can be in the form of atoms, molecules, or ions with unpaired electrons.
 

Free radicals are very unstable and usually react very fast with other molecules, which is extremely important in plasma treatment. The plasma technology has explored several chemical reactions with these non-toxic, free radicals, opening opportunities to improve product quality. Hence, the air plasma free radicals include hydroxyl (HO•), superoxide (O₂• −), alkoxyl (RO•), peroxyl (ROO•), and nitric oxide (NO•). The air plasma non-radical species include ozone (O₃), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and singlet oxygen (1O₂). The concentration of these species in plasma depends on the plasma technology being used, the operating conditions used to generate plasma, and environmental conditions (such as temperature and relative humidity). Among the reactive oxygen species (ROS), hydroxyl radical is the most potent oxidant, followed by ozone and alkoxyl radicals, which react very rapidly with nearby molecules when they are formed.
 
Applications

Cold plasma can be successfully used for microbial destruction on fresh products to increase shelf life as an alternative source for surface sterilization and disinfection process, which can act on both vegetative cells and spores with shorter periods. The destruction of microbial DNA by UV irradiation, volatilization of compounds from the spore, so-called “etching” of the spore surface by adsorption is because of reactive species like free radicals.
 
NTP has been applied in the decontamination of raw agricultural products such as apple, lettuce, almond, mangoes, melon, egg surface, and ready-to-serve food systems (cooked meat, cheese).
 
The plasma technology offers high potential in food packaging as it enhances the adhesion properties, polymerization and helps in good printability.
 
Low-temperature gas plasma sterilization allows fast and safe sterilization of packaging materials such as plastic bottles, lids, and films without adversely affecting the properties of the material or leaving any residues.
 
Cold plasma can be utilized for sterilization of heat-sensitive packing materials like polythene ethylene and polycarbonate as the temperature is low.
 
Early germination of seeds can be achieved by treating the seeds with plasma due to active particles that penetrate through the seed coat and directly influence the cells inside.
 
References

https://www.ifst.org/sites/default/files/JamesBradleyTechnologyMovingForwardPlasmafortheFood.pdf
http://www.ijarse.com/images/fullpdf/1525085019_JK1800IJARSE.pdf
https://www.advancedsciencenews.com/plasma-technology-2017-lab-food-industry/
https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9122098/Cold Plasma Processing on Fruits and Fruit Juices: A Review on the Effects of Plasma on Nutritional Quality. Processes 2021, 9, 2098.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-016-1699-9, Understanding the Role of Plasma Technology in Food Industry. Food Bioprocess Technol 9, 734–750 (2016). 

New Trends in Food Safety – Clean Labels

What is Food Clean Labelling?

The food industry has invested a great deal of time, money, and other resources to research, develop, and commercialize technological advancements over the course of history. Such developments are intended to provide consumers with what they desire in food products in the way of better tasting, safer, longer shelf life, and more universally available, with less cost. However, these developments in food science and technological advancements are not voluntary trends from food manufacturers, which have always been due to consumer pull on various important issues, rather than due to food manufacturer’s push. Hence, today consumer demands are based on requirements of safe, functional ingredients that protect foods from spoilage, extend shelf life, improve color and texture, deliver superior taste, lengthen freshness, and cost less. Even though food science and technology enable foods to be distributed and provide greater variety to more consumers worldwide, the functional benefits of given ingredients can contribute to a more sustainable food supply as the population of the world increases, thus contributing to global food security.

 

Today, the increasing consumer trend is to know exactly what is and what is not included in the packaged foods that are sold in the market, as consumer attention has focused more and more on the marketing claims and ingredient lists on packaged foods. Hence, consumers are looking for foods that don’t contain ingredients, which they perceive to be ‘bad’ or unknown ingredients that many struggles to pronounce due to their scientific-sounding names, where consumers want the processed foods to be as close to ‘real,’ ‘healthy’ foods as possible.

 

“Clean Label” is an evolving concept that has shifted in its meaning and significance over the years. The clean label trend has its roots in a distrust of synthetic food ingredients with chemical-sounding generic names that consumers do not understand with the fear of whether these ingredients are justifiable. Thus, many manufacturers, food services, or restaurants reformulate their specific food products to clean up their labels. In contrast, the definition of the clean label continues to evolve, now encompassing such far-reaching attributes as an ingredient’s traceability and a company’s ethics. Nevertheless, a clean label generally refers to food products that do not contain additives (E numbers), although there is no complete scientific evidence always to believe even though that additive-free products are healthier, clean label products are becoming more popular. Thus, a clean label can be mainly referred to as non-scientific, plain language on the packaging, reduced allergens and additives, and fewer, more recognizable ingredients. Further, certain manufacturers may also communicate their ethically sourced, organic, or non-GMO ingredients as part of this trend. Clean label is not about consumers eating less packaged foods but about a desire to have these same packaged foods made with more ‘wholesome’ ingredients that are closer to their natural state.

 

Food laws do not regulate the clean label, but it has been an important consideration for manufacturers and consumers, which is to be indicative of products that are such as organic, UTZ, Fair Trade, Halal, Kosher, vegetarian, vegan, and/or free from. Hence, the clean label is most strongly associated with “natural” ingredients that are easily recognizable and considered safe by consumers, whereas cleaner formulations are associated with shorter ingredient lists, as fewer ingredients appear to signify more natural and higher quality products. On the contrary, additives are often an essential part of the recipe for extending shelf life and improving the consistency and sensory qualities of food. Because many ingredients may be made from entirely naturally sourced materials but still not be considered suitable for use in clean label products. Hence, the term “natural” has no precise legal definition, and there are many non-synthetic additives on the food additives list that have been assigned under E numbers. i.e., In the EU, a product labeled “no” (colors, preservatives, etc.) must not contain any of the substances covered by EU regulation no 1333/2008.

 

Major food and beverage manufacturers have always tried to and will respond to consumer demands and requirements to maintain brand relevance. As a matter of fact, these consumer trends have created more significant influences over the composition of food products as a function of their desire for natural, non-artificial, and additive-free formulations. Hence, providing such differentiation offers a way for companies and brands to communicate benefits to consumers and provide a critical competitive advantage by perusing such trends to move away from competitors. i.e., claims and certifications such as non-GMO, gluten-free, and Rainforest Alliance Certified have increasing importance for products, whereas “clean label” shows that it is moving from a trend to a rule.

 

In addition, a large portion of consumers has a negative view of functional ingredients due to the limited or not granted access to the relevant information that leads to a less complete understanding of their benefits and unique values. Such information is crucial for consumers to have a balanced viewpoint to guide their decision-making, which can be a source of frustration to food scientists and product developers who wish for the perfect world to be driven by science-based rational thinking. Hence, many food trade associations have recognized that the industry must do a better job of providing and communicating balanced information to consumers, where the industry has an obligation to pursue this goal rather than tacitly acquiescing to one side of the story to dominate the dialogue.

 

As “Clean Label” is not a government-regulated term, there are a few different viewpoints that manufacturers can use to satisfy these consumer demands. The two major common methods are to have “free-from” statements and shorter ingredient lists, where “Free-from” statements can include “trans-fat free,” “gluten-free,” or “no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.”  Shorter ingredient lists are achieved by reformulating products to make them closer to a ‘home-made’ style.

 

Another recognized shift in processed food products is that companies are exchanging current ingredients that have scientific-sounding names with more recognizable naturally derived ingredients. I.e., there has been a great demand in the past few years for natural food sweeteners, colorings, and flavorings to be sourced from natural ingredients, rather than being artificially made, where some packaged foods are now being made with dyes such as beets, turmeric, and paprika; sweeteners such as maple syrup and stevia; and flavors such as natural vanilla flavor instead of artificial vanilla flavor, in response to such demands. Some manufacturers in unnatural food categories, such as soft drinks, have taken the initiative to take a clean label approach by using natural sweeteners and colors. The interchange can really impact the marketing approach to promote using recognized food materials for color, flavor, and sweetness, rather than additives that can be considered ingredients rather than additives, thus providing a clean label. Nonetheless, many countries have been successfully investing in research to source natural ingredients to replace some synthetic ingredients that have been used in packaged foods for years. Although the clean label approach provides an improvement to the ingredients used in processed foods, consumers should still remember to limit their intake of these foods because they are likely still high in fat, sugar, and salt. 

 

The Disadvantages

However, the transformation to simpler, non-chemical-sounding ingredient lists are creating a significant challenge for the food industry to respond to the shift in consumer trends and meet their evolving wants and needs. Thus, the challenge of removing these perceived “undesirable” functional ingredients falls on product developers and food-scientist support teams of both consumer product companies and ingredient suppliers that can result in real or potential trade-offs of which consumers may not be fully aware. Whether or not one believes consumers are being unduly influenced to view so-called artificial colors, flavors, and additives as not good for them, and even when the science does not support this, the reality is that consumers should and do have free choice to avoid them regardless of the reason. Consequently, food and beverage companies must respond to their consumer base to stay relevant in the marketplace.

 

Hence, removing these functional ingredients and additives from foods can have drawbacks as to the limited choices available, where the food industry is doing the best job feasible to find suitable substitutes or alternate formulations that maintain the organoleptic properties, safety, shelf life, and cost of clean-label alternatives. Thus, there is a practical limit as to what can be achieved, and the consumer will need to accept some trade-offs when food safety and regulatory compliance cannot be sacrificed in the process. I.e., preservatives traditionally used in sauce manufacturing and condiments, which are FDA-approved safe substances added to food to inhibit microbial growth or retard deterioration. A possible clean label goal would be to remove preservatives where technically feasible without compromising food safety or product quality. The most apparent solutions would be a requirement to keep the product refrigerated or to replace the artificial preservatives with natural materials. The former would result in an inconvenience, and both would result in increased product cost.

 

Another downside of clean label claims is that they could increase litigation risks for manufacturers. Because “natural” and “healthy,” “clean label” has no legal definition and is therefore open to the interpretation of the consumer. Yet, certain natural flavors contain synthetic non-flavor ingredients, such as artificial preservatives, colors, and emulsifiers. And some natural ingredients are produced by fermentation processes using genetically modified organisms. If a “reasonable consumer” could be misled by such clean label claims, then the manufacturer may be hit with costly and damaging lawsuits.

 

On the other hand, many food formulators worry that the clean label movement unfairly demonizes safe and legal ingredients that have been used in foods for decades with no evidence of adverse health effects. Synthetic food additives have been rationally designed and improved over the years to be highly efficient at what they do, whether it be preservation, emulsification, or flavoring. Natural alternatives, if they exist, are typically less efficient and more costly. The irony of the clean label movement may be that its proponents wish to turn back the clock to great-grandmother’s days when great-grandma might have been happy to have access to time-saving, effective, safe, and inexpensive ingredients that kept her food fresh longer.

 

References

https://www.qualityassurancemag.com/article/clean-label-trade-offs/

https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2018/04/04/The-dark-side-to-clean-labels-Fear-of-difficult-to-pronounce-ingredients-could-threaten-safety-stability

https://cleanlabelproject.org/

Clean label: the next generation - AOCS. https://www.aocs.org/stay-informed/inform-magazine/featured-articles/clean-label-the-next-generation-september-2017?SSO=True

Kajzer, M.; Diowksz, A.,The Clean Label Concept: Novel Approaches in Gluten-Free Breadmaking. Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 6129. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11136129

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319429985_Clean_label_The_next_generation/link/5b1aa5480f7e9b68b429d4bf/download

Management of Work Environment for ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000

Work Environment

Writing a work environmental management program is not an easy task, considering various food industry risk mitigation requirements, food safety, regulatory requirements, and customer requirements that are inherent to any given specific food. However, the work environment is the most impactful area where little ignorance can cost disasters while being most cost-effective for food manufacturers to look at as a way of eliminating the root causes at minimal impact. Thus, there are various factors to look at while designing an individual plan for a specific food product or processing facility, depending on whether it manufactures a single product or multiple products. If so, are there any high risk, low-risk product mix or any allergen is used in the manufacture if a wet process or dry process is used, what kind of human or machinery involvement, how they are cleaned, what chemicals are used, etc. need to be assessed while considering CCPs, OPRPs, and risk zones within the manufacture and site schematics of the facility? Hence, you have to develop a comprehensive  environmental management program that balanced the internal environmental requirements as well as out side environment.   

 

Environmental Impacts Plan and Controls

The following activity will help you carry out a risk assessment of the environmental impact of your food facility. If you have more than one site, assess the risk for each site separately. Start by taking an overview of all the processes and activities on your site.

Decide if they present a high, medium, or low actual or potential environmental risk during normal operating conditions or if you had an accident. Then identify areas as High, Medium, or low risk and complete an individual assessment on each considerable environmental risk identified. 

Factors to consider as you carry out your risk assessment can include but are not limited to processes, activities, and equipment such as raw material storage, including the condition of containers, plant operation and maintenance, oil separator operation and maintenance, and material transport routes.

Raw materials, water, energy, and waste must be evaluated based on volumes of raw material used, recorded/ metered water use, gas and electricity used, recycling/recovery, and disposal of waste.

Accurate calculations of Emissions from your site to air, water, sewers, and land must be calculated before design your recovery systems.

Site location and impact on the local environment and communities need to be evaluated on the distance to surface waters, groundwater and water abstraction points, surface water drains and foul drains/sewers that flow across and off your site, soakaways, Sustainable Drainage Systems, and unsurfaced ground, your sites flood risk, housing, and community facilities near your site, protected areas or toxic environments.

You should assess what could happen if you had a spill or accident and risks posed to the environment and people, as well as possible effects of accidents, flooding, vandalism, and failure of containment. Nonetheless, the physical, chemical and biological properties of any material that may be spilled during the operation need to be identified and provide pollution control equipment.

 

Site Plan

Prepare a site plan that shows locations of the following items, including site entrances and exits available to the emergency services and the buildings and other main constructions.

The drainage is a very critical area, which must include, foul drainage (marked in red), surface water drainage (marked in blue), combined drainage marked with a red ‘C,’ and showing the direction of flow, discharge points to the sewer, watercourse or soakaway and location of manhole covers and drains, location of stop and diverter valves and interceptors, location of pollution control equipment, for example, drain covers and spill kits.

Service mains must be identified, including the routes of water supply, gas, electricity, mains water stop tap, and gas and electrical supply isolating valves/switch.

Nonetheless, show the storage areas of hazardous materials, such as oil and fuel tanks/drums, chemical stores, raw materials, waste materials, etc., process lines with location and direction of main process lines/pipes.

Clearly mark accident and emergency response items, such as personal protective equipment, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, fire water tanks/ponds, pollution control equipment (spill kits), sand bags, alarms, first aid kits, etc.

Identify vulnerable receptors on-site or adjacent receptors that could be affected by the site operations, such as porous/unmade ground, watercourses, springs, boreholes, ecologically sensitive sites, residential properties, schools, offices, hospitals etc.

Most importantly, identify internal pollution control points, such as inspection or monitoring points, raw or processed areas.

Identify the location of any on-site trade effluent or sewage effluent treatment plant.

 

Once you conducted the given activities, you come to a point where you need to write down it into a procedure that is basically covered under Prerequisite Programs of the ISO 22000. The following is an example of how to write a generic environmental management program that was based on a single product (black tea manufacturing facility) with medium risk under wet and dry manufacturing processes. The procedure can be used in ISO 22000: 2018 or FSSC 22000 food safety management systems with specific modifications for a given site.     

         

 

ISO 22000 - PREREQUISITE PROGRAMME

 

PRP 00 – WORK ENVIRONMENT

 

Distribution:

Director/General Manager

Factory Manager

Factory Officer

Quality Assurance Manager

Assistant Factory Officers

Consultant – FSMS

 

Objective

The objective is to outline the establishment, management, and maintenance of a clean and safe work environment.

 

Scope

This procedure covers the processing and storage areas of orthodox black tea manufacture, which covers the handling of refuse tea and appropriate disposal according to SLTB regulations. 

 

Responsibility

General Manager – Providing guidance and establishing requirements

Factory Manager   – Providing necessary facilities

                                 – Maintenance of the facilities

Q A Manager                     – Identification of necessary requirements

Asst. Factory Officers       – Monitoring the effectiveness

Consultant – FSMS            – Ensuring the FSMS requirements are fulfilled

                                            

Activities

The process flow is designed and organized to create a continuous flow of product through the process and prevent cross-contamination. The process and storage areas must be separated, the flow of personnel and cross movements must be restricted.

Pathways must be demarcated to prevent cross-contamination.

Packaging materials and other inventories must be received and stored separately from raw materials to ensure that there is no cross-contamination.  Unprocessed raw materials must be received and segregated to ensure that there is no cross-contamination.

A sufficient supply of fresh air must be provided to each processing area, depending on the operation.

According to the situation, necessary resources must be disposed of as and when required to provide a clean and hassle-free work environment for the employees.

The management must ensure to create non-discriminatory, non-confrontational working conditions to reduce environmental stress to obtain an effective work attitude from the employees.

High-risk foods must be processed under controlled conditions and subjected to post-process handling, which is protected/segregated from other processes, raw materials, or operators who handle the raw materials to ensure cross-contamination is minimized.

Areas in which high-risk processes are conducted must only be serviced by operators dedicated to that function.

Employee access points must be located, designed, and equipped to provide employees with facilities to practice a high standard of personal hygiene and the use of distinctive protective clothing to prevent product contamination. Employees engaged in high-risk areas must change into clean clothing or temporary protective outerwear when entering high-risk areas. Employees entering the production and high-risk areas must:

Take a clean, white smock from the rack outside the production area and put it on, and smocks must cover outer clothing.

Take the correct size, clean recommended shoes from the shelves outside the production area, remove street shoes, and put them on.

Take a disposable hair cover from the box by the entry point and put it on, and make sure to capture all loose hair; as well as the men with facial hair must also use beard nets.

Wash hands just before entering the production area, following the procedures posted by the sink, and apply a clean pair of gloves.

When exiting the room, deposit smocks and shoes in the receptacles provided and do not return them to the clean smocks and shoe racks.

Maintenance workers and visitors must use foot covers and clean smocks when entering production areas, where traffic must be minimized during the production.

The sanitation supervisor must visually observe the presence of the adequately smocked employees at the beginning of the shift and after the lunch break, and every 2 hours. If employees are found to be inappropriately dressed, they are instructed to dress correctly.

Product transfer points must be located and designed so as not to compromise high-risk segregation and to minimize the risk of cross-contamination.

The humidity, temperature/heat, light, airflow, and noise must be controlled, or protection measures will be provided when required. 

Inspections for foreign matter contamination must be conducted to ensure plant and equipment remain in good condition, the equipment has not deteriorated, and is free from potential contaminants.

Glass-made materials used in the facility must be listed in a glass register, including details of their location.

Containers, equipment, and other utensils made of glass, porcelain, ceramics, laboratory glassware, or other such material must not be permitted in food processing /contact zones, except if the product is contained in packaging made from such materials or measurement instruments with glass dial covers or thermometers.

Regular inspections must be conducted to ensure food handling/contact zones are free of glass or other such material and to establish changes to the condition of the objects listed in the glass register.

Glass instrument dial covers on processing equipment and thermometers must be inspected at the start and the end of each shift to confirm that they have not been damaged.

Wooden pallets and other wooden utensils used in food handling/contact zones must be subject to regular inspection for their suitability and dedicated for the purpose, kept clean, and maintained in good order. 

Loose metal objects on equipment, equipment covers, and overhead structures must be removed or tightly fixed so as not to present a hazard.

The knives and cutting instruments used in processing and packaging operations must be controlled, kept clean, and well maintained. 

The responsibility, methods, and frequency for monitoring, maintaining, calibrating, and using screens, sieves, filters, or other technologies to remove or detect foreign matter must be documented and implemented.

Metal detectors or other physical contaminant detection technologies must be routinely monitored, validated, and verified for operational effectiveness. The equipment must be designed to isolate defective products and indicate when it is rejected.

Records must be maintained of the inspection of foreign object detection devices and any products rejected or removed by them. Records must include any corrective actions resulting from the assessments.

In all foreign matter contamination cases, the affected batch or item must be isolated, inspected, reworked, or disposed of.

If glass or similar material breakage occurs, the affected area must be isolated, cleaned, and thoroughly inspected, including cleaning equipment and footwear, and cleared after inspection by the responsible AFO prior to the commencement of operations.

The employees must be fairly treated according to the human resource policies implemented.

Relevant occupational health and safety measures must be implemented, including fire safety, smoke protection, maximum weight limits, including protective uniforms, goggles and gumboots, and first aid whenever applicable.

The sickroom and relevant infrastructure must be provided with on-call facilities for medical treatments in case of an emergency.

Floors of processing areas must be maintained clean and dry during production time.

Walls, roofs, ceilings, and overhead fixtures must be cleaned regularly to prevent the accumulation of dirt and dust.

All solid waste must be collected in closed bins and removed from the factory to the enclosed collection point regularly to prevent accumulation.

The collected waste must be disposed of with care to avoid cross-contamination and multiplication. 

All internal drains must be maintained clean to prevent the stagnation of water.

All external drains must be cleaned once a month to prevent water stagnation.

External housekeeping activities must be supervised by an Assistant Factory Officer on a rotatory basis.

Environmental monitoring (microbiological tests) must be conducted according to the testing schedule to evaluate the level of air-bone contamination.

Necessary improvements and upgrades must be made based on the findings of periodic evaluations.

Continuous communication between officials of the core production processes and support services must be ensured.

The refuse tea released to the environment must be confirmed to the legal requirements.

The functionality and effectiveness of waste disposal must be monitored by the Factory Manager.

Solid waste must be disposed of according to the statutory and regulatory requirements.

Sewage disposal must comply with sanitary and regulatory requirements specified by the regional health inspection services.

Facilities and methods of disposal of the contracted refuse tea collectors (if any) must be monitored and approved by the company.

The administration buildings and peripheral areas must be kept organized and well cleaned, where individual cleaning staff must be hired as necessary.

 

References

The testing schedule for environmental monitoring

Refuse tea disposal methods and schedules of SLTB

Environmental Risk Assessment

Site Plan 

List of Key Site and Emergency Contacts

List of Substances and Storage Facilities

Preventing Accidents / Possible incidents and what to do if they happen.

 

Records

Test report – environmental monitoring – FSMS 04/PRP/10/RP/01

Refuse tea disposal record – FSMS 04/PRP/10/RC/01 

Cleaning checklist for admin and peripheral areas – FSMS 04/PRP/10/RC/02  

Glass, brittle plastic, and ceramic preventive control plan – FSMS 04/PRP/10/RC/03

 

Reference:

ISO/FSSC 22000/FSMA Preventive Control Generic Model: FSSC/ISO 22000 & FSMA Preventive Controls Integrated Food Safety Management System – A private Label Version

http://www.fwr.org/WQreg/Appendices/Food_and_drink_LIT_8422_963b8b.pdf

Food Labeling - VI

Canadian Food Labeling Requirements

Canada is another country like US FDA, which has its own specific requirements based on scientific research inputs, including consumer and industry inputs, which has created slight differences compared to US and FDA regulatory requirements. As usual in every food label, there has to be a Common name or an exemption, and that information must be included in the Principle display panel (PDP) with a non-decorative font where letter size has to be 1.6mm or greater.  The common name has to be appropriated to the product within the package. The net quantity has to be declared within the PDP, and it has to be declared with metric units or given units defined in Canadian legislation. The volume, weight, count, and the correct bilingual symbols must be used to indicate the quantity with the font size matching the appropriate PDP size to the letter size ratio. If optional Canadian or US units are used, they must be adequately identified, and priority must be given to the metric units before writing the optional units.
 
The list of ingredients has to follow new guidelines, including all major ingredients in descending order of proportion by weight or as a percentage with their appropriate common names.  The product components must also be declared where necessary, and sugar-based ingredients must be grouped and declared under "Sugars." There are 11 priority allergen materials declared under Canadian food labeling requirements including, Eggs, Milk, Mustard, Peanuts, Crustaceans and molluscans, Fish, Sesame seeds, Soy, Sulphites, Tree Nuts, Wheat, and Triticale.
 
Proper allergen labeling is the only way consumers with food allergies and sensitivities can find out if a food is safe for them to eat, where it is your responsibility to ensure that food products are correctly labeled. Thus, identification, prevention, and control have to be applied accordingly. The priority allergens must be declared using the prescribed source name or common names, including gluten and added sulphites in the list of ingredients, or in a "food allergen source, or in a cross-contamination statement at the end of the list of ingredients in any allergen source is presented. The lists of ingredients and allergen statements must be in English and French as the same declarations.
  

The information in the list of ingredients has to be displayed on a panel other than the bottom on a continuous surface with no intervening material with an appropriate presentation, including background and/or border with the appropriate colours and contrast recommended in the Industry Labelling Tool.
 
The name and principal place of business must be declared in the PDP, including information on locally manufactured or imported products with reasonable traceability. Hence, the product must clearly declare Canadian manufacturer/importer name and principal place of business, grouped with the geographic origin, or preceded by the expressions "Imported by / importé par" or "Imported for / importé pour" or foreign name and principal place of business. 
 
Date markings have to be represented for all the products that are not exempted where "Best Before" Date (durable life of 90 days or less, unless exempt food or packaged where sold at retail) must be in the correct wording "best before / meilleur avant" used in English and French or in one language if exempt from bilingual labeling. The date has to be clearly given or explain where, if the date is located elsewhere on the label with appropriate presentation (order of info such as yr, m, day, use of bilingual symbols for months) for consumer reference. If a product required a Packaged on" date based on the processing requirements, it has to be declared as of date making with correct wording and following bilingual requirements.
 
The product may require storage instructions based on the type of product or environmental conditions (if storage conditions differ from normal room temperature or may be required by food-specific legislation).
 
The Expiration date has to be presented if there is no exemption for expiry, which must be legible and available for consumer references.
 

The Core Nutrition Information Table refers to the core nutrition information that is mandatory for most Nutrition Facts tables, which is not an exact replica of the table in the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR). This table is available for the public for references to use while preparing your NFts. The nutrient information presented in a Nutrition Facts table is based on a specific amount of food such as edible proteins, where amount must be indicated under the Nutrition Facts heading using the phrase "Per (naming the serving size),” "Serving Size (naming the serving size)," or "Serving (naming the serving size)." The serving size is a quantity of food that can be reasonably consumed at a single eating occasion by an adult or a child based on the target consumer. Preparation of an NFt is a long technical process where interested parties must consult the Health Canada site and reference the Nutrition Labelling – Directory of Nutrition Facts Table Formats. This process requires meticulous attention and understanding before processing an NFt.  
 
Origin of the product is an essential factor, which identifies where the product is manufactured and consequences to the consumers due to the geographical, biological, and political reasons as well as countries that are explicitly polluting or contaminating the product due to low hygienic practice or food fraud. Thus, it is mandatory to let the consumer know where the product is manufactured or processed. Hence, sufficient information must be provided with contact details for complete traceability.     
 
Review of the newly enforced changes on Canadian labeling regulations

After the last review of the Labelling requirements, several changes were made to the label appearance and Daily Value calculations. Thus, new changes have reflected deviations from FDA/Codex model in order to reflect the latest science while more focusing on nutrients of public health interest and addressing the needs and concerns of the Canadian consumer.
 
The Daily Values (DV) refer to nutrient amounts Canadians should consume OR not exceed (depending on the nutrient). The amounts are used to calculate the percent DV that is seen on the Nutrition Facts table, per reference age group. Daily Value reference age groups have been updated to reflect the age groups described in the DRI documentation. Hence, the Canadian Nutrition Facts table provides Daily Value standards for three age groups instead of two, where new table differentiates between the nutritional needs of infants aged six months to less than one year and children of aged one year to less than four years, as well as adults and children four years and older. The current changes are based on the latest recommendations from the US Institute of Medicine and the Canadian Community Health Survey.
 

The Nutrition Facts table appearance has been updated to reinforce the desired changes put forth by the regulations, where calories are displayed more prominently, with a larger type size and more surrounding white space. The serving size amount is more accurately reflects with more consistent amounts that Canadians typically eat in a sitting, thereby making it easier to compare nutrient amounts in similar foods. Nonetheless, the order of nutrients has changed to reflect major contributors to calories such as fats, carbohydrates, and protein which are now the first listed underneath Calories. The major vitamins and minerals requirements have been changed to accommodate current major concerns in the society and food products. Hence, Potassium is now an essential nutrient, and vitamins A and C are no longer core nutrients, but they may be listed voluntarily. In addition, the new table requires that vitamins and minerals amounts must be listed along with the percent Daily Values to help consumers compare the levels found in supplements. Further, a percent Daily Value of sugars has been added to the list to help consumers determine whether a food contains a little or a lot of sugar to adjust their sugar intake accordingly. A new footnote has been added to inform consumers how to use the percent Daily Value to make dietary choices, where "*5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot."
 
Trans-fats are voluntary on the pre-existing table but are no longer displayed on the new Nutrition Facts table because research suggests that the type of fat is more important than the amount. Hence, it was determined that this information was not necessary to assist consumers in making healthy dietary choices.
 

Potassium is now an essential nutrient on the Nutrition Facts table, which was an additional nutrient on the pre-existing table. Thus, Potassium was added to the core group to increase consumer awareness because most Canadians are not consuming adequate amounts of Potassium, and it is an essential nutrient for maintaining healthy blood pressure. Hence, the Daily Value for Potassium has increased from 3500 mg to 4700 mg per day.
 
Choline is a new additional nutrient for the Nutrition Facts table, which was previously not allowed to be listed on the table, but now Choline can be voluntarily listed. The Choline is required in order to maintain liver function, where the Daily Value amount of 550 mg for adults has been set based on this research and the DRI recommendation.
 
Sugars are an essential nutrient for both the pre-existing and new Nutrition Facts tables, but a DV standard has been added to the new table, where adults' DV standard is 100 grams. The DV was added to the list to warn consumers that it could be used as the new DV footnote to help determine whether a food contains a little or a lot of sugar. Research suggests that an increased sugar intake leads to an overconsumption of calories, which has been associated with obesity and chronic diseases. This enforcement measure will help educate consumers about the sugar content of foods to assist in making healthy dietary choices.
 
Folate is an additional nutrient on the Nutrition Facts table whose unit has changed, which was reported as mcg of total folate on the pre-existing table. But the new Nutrition Facts table requires manufacturers to declare folate as mcg of DFE (Dietary Folate Equivalents). Thus, the DV standard has increased from 220 mcg to 400 mcg DFE for adults. Hence, the change in amount and unit follows the recommendation of research data, where mcg DFE is the measure used for folate in the DRI standards. DFE accounts for the differences in bioavailability between the folate found in food and folic acid, the synthetic form.
 

Vitamin A and C are no longer considered as essential nutrients on the Nutrition Facts table, which are now voluntary, and are listed below the core minerals. Because studies suggest that Canadians are consuming adequate amounts of these vitamins and that they are no longer nutrients of concern, however, the Daily Value for vitamin C has increased from 60 mg to 90 mg per day for adults. Besides, the Daily Value for vitamin A has changed from 1000 RE to 900 mcg RAE per day, where the new unit more accurately reflects the conversion of carotenoids to vitamin A in the body.
 
Food labeling regulations require that an ingredient statement be shown on the package near the Nutrition Facts table, making the ingredient statement easier to read and understand. It has to be displayed using black type on a white or light background, with a standard sans serif font, where ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, in upper and lower case letters, and are separated by a bullet point or a comma. Necessary components of an ingredient should be listed by the common name, and it has to be shown in parentheses after the ingredient. The food colors are listed by their specific common names instead of just listing the word "colour."
 

Nonetheless, new regulations provide additional guidance for the reporting of sugar-based ingredients in the ingredient statement where, if a product contains more than one sugar-based ingredient, all those ingredients are grouped together in the ingredient list and are listed in descending order in parentheses after the word, Sugars/Sucres. Hence, the combined weight of all sugar-based ingredients decides the order that the Sugars group is listed on the ingredient statement. The objective is to help consumers see that sugars have been added to the food and understand how the amount of sugar added compares to other ingredients. In the pre-existing ingredient statement, sugar-based ingredients are listed separately in the ingredients list, making it difficult for consumers to understand that the total amount of sugars may be high. As to current regulation changes, ingredients designated as sugars must include all sugar such as white sugar, beet sugar, raw sugar or brown sugar or agave syrup, honey, maple syrup, barley malt extract or fancy molasses, as well as fructose, glucose, glucose-fructose/high fructose corn syrup, maltose, sucrose or dextrose, and fruit juice concentrates or purées concentrates that are added to replace sugars in foods.
 
Reference:
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/technical-documents-labelling-requirements/directory-nutrition-facts-table-formats/nutrition-labelling.html#a1
http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/eating-nutrition/label-etiquetage/changesmodifications-eng.php
https://esha.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ebook-health-canada-new-food-labelling-regulations.pdf
https://inspection.canada.ca/food-label-requirements/labelling/industry/food-labelling-requirements-checklist/eng/1393275252175/1393275314581
https://inspection.canada.ca/food-label-requirements/labelling/industry/label/eng/1388160267737/1388160350769
https://inspection.canada.ca/food-label-requirements/labelling/industry/general-principles/eng/1392324632253/1392324755688
https://inspection.canada.ca/food-label-requirements/labelling/industry/general-principles/eng/1392324632253/1392324755688