Swainson's Handbook of Technical and Quality Management for the Food Manufacturing Sector

M Swainson

• Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781782422754
• eBook ISBN: 9781782422877
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Food Science
• Index: Technology & Engineering

This book is focused on the expansive and highly demanding subject of Food Industry "Technical & Quality Management". As the world's most vital industry "Food Production" is complex, multifaceted and continuously scrutinised. Food scares and product recalls, on national and international scales, demonstrate the persistent challenge to identify, monitor and control all hazards, and also address the increasing criminal threats of Food Fraud, Adulteration & Intentional Contamination.With the benefit of unique perspectives gained by working across Quality, Technical and Operations Management roles at all levels within the food industry, Swainson's Handbook of Technical and Quality Management considers the very diverse remits and particular challenges of those working to assure product Quality, Safety and Legality in the sector.This book provides insights and guidance on the "Applied Practice" of Industrial Quality and Technical Management, written from the perspective of the industry practitioner. "Knowing what to do is half of the challenge, but being able to then make it happen is crucial" – a fact which is often less well considered in food sector information resources.Split into two sections, the book first reviews generic aspects of Food Quality and Technical Management activities with particular regard to: Food Sector Challenges and the Role of Technical and Quality Management; Defining Technical and Quality Standards; The Food Safety and Quality Management System; Raw Materials and Packaging Supplier Control; Site Standards; Product Control and HACCP Considerations; Operations and Process Control; Personnel Control; Audits; Non-Conformance, Recall & Crisis Management; Managing the Technical Department.In the second part of the book Guest Authors share their expertise on a range of specialist topics, providing significant breadth and depth to the content which includes: Review of Third party audit schemes; Insights into supplying supermarkets with regard to good technical and quality management practices; Enforcement authority perspectives on the food manufacturing sector. Also covered are the specific sector challenges of food quality and safety assurance in Fruit and vegetables; Herbs and spices, Cereals, Baked products, Canning and "Cook – Chill" Ready Meals, Soups and Sauces.- Compiled expertise of food sector specialists with extensive industrial experience.- Edited by an industry and academic expert with over 25 years experience of technical and quality management in the food sector.- Contains Technical and Quality Management information that is relevant to a wide range of sectors in the food industry.- Also examines Technical and Quality Management practice in specific food applications and reviews relevant compliance standards.

Part I

Aspects of Food Quality and Technical Management Activities

Outline

• 1 Food sector challenges and the role of technical and quality management
• 2 Defining ‘technical and quality standards’
• 3 The food safety and quality management system (FS & QMS)
• 4 Raw materials and packaging supplier control
• 5 Site standards
• 6 Product control and hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) considerations
• 7 Operations and process control
• 8 Personnel control
• 9 Audits
• 10 Nonconformity, recall and crisis management
• 11 Managing the technical department

1

Food sector challenges and the role of technical and quality management

Mark Swainson, National Centre for Food Manufacturing, University of Lincoln, Holbeach, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom

Abstract

The food industry is often fast moving and complex in nature. Its operation sees many daily challenges which require to be monitored and addressed by effective business systems and well trained, professional staff members. This chapter provides an introduction to the sector and an overview of typical topics related to food safety, quality and legality. The management approach of technical and quality-related roles is considered, as are typical food safety system approaches.

Keywords

Food industry; food safety; nutrition; commercial viability; management approach; technical management; quality management; HACCP; TACCP; VACCP; corporate social responsibility

1.1 Food industry overview

As one of the largest industries in the world the food sector is dynamic, often complex and always multifaceted. To work effectively the ‘food system’ requires the application of science and technology, coupled with business and management skills, across the agri-food supply chain ‘from farm to fork’.

The nature of the food manufacturing sector being operated in will usually define the appropriate science, technology, systems and approaches best placed to assure the quality, safety and legality of the product manufactured. When seeking to control such matters it is very helpful to reflect on the breadth and complexity of the global ‘food system’.

Providing for one of the most basic needs of mankind, that of the requirement for safe and nutritious food, the food industry faces an ever-growing challenge to feed a rapidly rising global population, which is predicted to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100 (United Nations 2017) (Fig. 1.1).

Figure 1.1 UN projected world population until 2100. Source: From United Nations Department of Public Information, https://www.un.org/development/desa/publications/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/Population_Graphic_R.webp. © 2017 United Nations. Reprinted with the permission of the United Nations.

Consequently, food production and supply is often one of the largest employers and manufacturing sectors in countries as they focus on the provision of safe and nutritious food to their populations. The rapid and continuing population growth across the globe means that this is likely to continue. There is also an additional increasing productivity requirement as due to population growth, agriculture and food systems will have to operate on land resources which are increasingly limited by population growth.

Key aspects of the agri-food supply chain or ‘food system’ chain include:

• • agriculture/farming;
• • transport and distribution;
• • food processing/manufacturing;
• • food sellers – e.g., retailers (shops and supermarkets), food service outlets (restaurants, canteens) and food markets; and
• • consumers.

Alongside the food supply chain being often global and always critical to human survival, health and wellbeing, there are a significant amount of business interests engaged across the sector (Fig. 1.2).

Figure 1.2 The food production chain. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017.

All parts of the system require services such as:

• • equipment manufacturers;
• • technology providers;
• • utilities – e.g., energy and water;
• • packaging businesses;
• • waste and recycling services; and
• • transport and storage.

Food and drink manufacturers therefore have a very significant economic and social impact locally, nationally and globally. Food industry manufacturing businesses typically combine the produce from farms and primary production businesses, processing and ‘adding value’ to foodstuffs before the onward journey of the finished packaged product through to the end consumer, typically via retailers or food service groups.

The products manufactured in the sector range from base foods such as vegetables, fruits, cereals, raw meats, eggs and dairy products, oils, herbs, spices and sugars, through to further processed foods which include ready-to-eat (RTE) foods such as sandwiches, wraps, salads and prepared fruits and ready-to-cook (RTC) foods such as ready peeled and washed vegetables and prepared meats, through to multicomponent products e.g., ready meals.

1.2 Typical challenges faced by the food production and supply system

1.2.1 Food safety: HACCP, TACCP and VACCP

HACCP: As foods are inevitably intended for consumption they have significant potential to cause harm if the food contains a particular hazard. Recognised hazard categories in the food industry include microbiological, chemical, physical and allergenic contaminants. These hazards and the approaches to their control form a significant part of the workload of the Quality or Technical Manager, working to identify the threats to food safety, form control strategies and then implement and manage appropriate systems/procedures which eliminate or reduce these hazards to an acceptable level. This approach is often termed the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system.

Adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commissions the principles and practical application of this internationally recognised HACCP approach to controlling food safety is presented online by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Corporate Document Repository (http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y1579e/y1579e03.htm).

While HACCP is focused on controlling accidental contamination of foods, over time the potential for intentional contamination or other criminal activities with regard to food production has highlighted the need to develop a food safety assurance system focused on the prevention of deliberate food safety incidents or food fraud.

Threat assessment critical control point (TACCP). Due to a number of high profile food safety issues caused by criminal activity or malicious intent, TACCP has recently become recognised as a key aspect of food safety management. TACCP is defined by PAS 96:2014 as the ‘systematic management of risk through the evaluation of threats, identification of vulnerabilities and implementation of controls to materials and products, purchasing, processes, premises, distribution networks and business systems by a knowledgeable and trusted team with the authority to implement changes to procedures’.

The threats considered and sought to be controlled by TACCP include: economically motivated adulteration (EMA), malicious contamination, extortion, espionage, counterfeiting and cyber-crime.

A particular aspect of TACCP is the importance of seeking to understand the mindset, motives, capabilities and opportunities of the potential ‘attacker’ of the food production system. The potential attacker is defined by seven separate categories of individual: the extortionist, the opportunist, the extremist, the irrational individual, the disgruntled individual, the hacktivist and other cyber criminals, and finally the professional criminal.

TACCP system development is best progressed by a multidisciplinary team in order to ensure knowledgeable coverage of as many aspects as possible. Many of the multidisciplinary team may be the same team members who make up the business HACCP team, though care should be taken not to assume that this is the case, as the TACCP team members will need to possess a number of different skill sets compared to the standard HACCP team. The TACCP team will need to consider: who might want to conduct an attack? How might the attack be carried out? Where are the vulnerabilities in the current system? How can they be stopped? (These are very different questions to those considered by the HACCP processes.)

‘Attacks’ can take many forms, from the replacement/substitution of ingredients, false or misleading marketing/labelling (often for commercial gain), through to intentional contamination. Once the threats, vulnerabilities and risks have been assessed then critical controls can be developed to provide the level of assurance required. The TACCP team should then routinely review these food protection arrangements.

Publicly available specification PAS 96:2017 ‘Guide to protecting and defending food and drink from deliberate attack’ provides further details and is available via this link: https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/pas962017.pdf

VACCP (vulnerability assessment and critical control point). TACCP and VACCP can be viewed as interrelated processes which combine to help control intentional product safety threats. The TACCP focus is to identify specific threats of criminal/malicious activity which seek to undermine food safety or food quality. The VACCP focus is to consider how vulnerable each point in the supply chain is to that threat of criminal/malicious activity.

VACCP involves scanning the operational horizon for possible indicators of adulteration, contamination or substitution and any other potential breeches of supply chain integrity. The VACCP team are typically encouraged to ‘think like a criminal’ when seeking to identify opportunities for illegal commercial gain, or ‘consider malicious intent’ if seeking to contaminate the food products under consideration.

Product adulteration, dilution, counterfeiting, unapproved adjustments to recipes, mislabelling (or misdescription), incorrect species and incorrect country of origin labelling are all examples of actions to be considered when reviewing where these issues could occur in the product supply chain and manufacturing processes.

Vulnerabilit...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• List of contributors
• Biography
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• How to use this book
• Introduction
• Part I: Aspects of Food Quality and Technical Management Activities
• Part II: Specialist Topics
• Index