Complete Food Safety Consulting Services

Design of Preventive Control Plans for Regulatory and GFSI Compliance

All activities related to food production and handling involve some hazards. A hazard is a biological, chemical, allergenic or physical agent that has the potential to harm the consumer. Not all hazards represent the same risk potential as others. The level of risk to the consumer depends not only on the type of hazard, but also on who might consume a food product, the level of contamination in the product, and the kind of food.

The risk is an estimate of the probability of a hazard to be present in the food and the consequence for the consumer. The preventive controls reduce the risk associated with those hazards. For example, cooking can reduce the risk of vegetative pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes.

The design of the preventive control plants should be based on risk analysis to be able to define the level of risk (risk assessment), find the best alternative to reduce the risk (risk management) and convey the level of risk (risk communication).

Incident Management

Food manufacturing facilities are complex systems with several components and therefore incidents that compromise the safety and quality of the product occur. Some examples of food safety incidents are:

• Process deviations (CCP and CP deviations)
• Equipment failure that conducts potential process contamination
• SOP deviations that may cause process contamination
• Environmental Monitoring results out of specifications
• Finish product testing results out of specs Food safety issues (contamination, out of specification, recall, and withdraw) at the supplier or co-manufacturer level
• Regulatory non-compliance issues

Time is critical, and the issues have to solved in a short period to reduce extra cost and protect the brand and the consumer. Conducting an adequate risk assessment to define that magnitude of the risk and formulate effective and viable risk management and communication strategy is crucial to prevent a crisis. The risk assessment should be conducted by a food safety expert, and that has the knowledge and experience to ask the right questions and estimate the risk using the appropriate technical tools and resources. Once the risk is assessed, the risk management option that protects the brand and the consumer should be selected, and the risk communication strategy defined and rolled out.

We partner with our clients to help them assess and manage their food safety incidents and define effective corrective actions.

Safety Assessment of New Food Products & Extensions

All activities related to food production and handling involve some hazards. A hazard is a biological, chemical, allergenic or physical agent that has the potential to harm the consumer. Not all hazards represent the same risk potential as others. The level of risk to the consumer depends not only on the type of hazard, but also on who might consume a food product, the level of contamination in the product, and the kind of food.

The risk is an estimate of the probability of a hazard to be present in the food and the consequence for the consumer. The preventive controls reduce the risk associated with those hazards. For example, cooking can reduce the risk of vegetative pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes.

The design of the preventive control plants should be based on risk analysis to be able to define the level of risk (risk assessment), find the best alternative to reduce the risk (risk management) and convey the level of risk (risk communication).

Validation of Preventative Controls

An essential part of the food safety system is to define the control measures that are put in place to address the hazards identified in the hazard analysis. Equally important is to prove that the control measures, if properly implemented, are able to reduce the risk associated with the identified hazards effectively.

There is a range of approaches that can be used to validate a control measure.

• Scientific or technical information published in books and peer-reviewed journals
• Experimental data obtained using scientific principles (challenge studies)
• Data collected at the plant level – environmental monitoring data, sanitation monitoring  data, finished product testing data.
• Predictive modelling

We have a series of resources that include white papers, scientific publications, and predictive models that we use to conduct validations.

Second Party Audit & Third Party Audit

Today food safety audits are more stringent than ever. In addition to the documentation of the food safety management system, some aspects are key among others:

• Preventive controls
• Sanitation
• Employee hygiene and food handling practices
• Premises

Co-manufacturer (Co-packer Selection)

Entrepreneurs choose to use the services of co-manufacturers because they offer a variety of services in addition to manufacturing and packaging products.

The advantages of working with a co-manufacturer are:

• Using a contract manufacturer will reduce the need to hire staff.
• Using an existing facility that has all certifications required will be a less expensive option at start-up.
• The experience of working with a co-manufacturer will help to determine the costs and procedures involved in getting the new product to market
• The co-manufacturer may have access to bulk purchasing of ingredients and packaging

The range of services available from a co-manufacturer will vary depending on the size and experience, the type of facilities and the capacity of the plant.

It is critical to select the right co-manufacturer, and there are many aspects to consider before the selection is made:

• Regulatory compliance of the co-manufacturers operations
• Ingredient specifications
• Quality control and monitoring by the co-manufacturer
• Completion/delivery dates for the finished products
•    Liability issues
• Other contractual clauses that may apply to your specific product

Supply Chain Management

The scope and speed of global food trade have increased substantially in the last twenty years. Food safety issues can have an international and even a global dimension, as international trade increases through new trade agreements. Food from unsafe source is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness and product recalls. Food processors implement a series of control mechanisms in their plants, but in many cases, those are no able to reduce the risk introduced by raw materials/ingredients at acceptable levels to ensure the safety of the finished product. For instance, handpicked fresh fruits can introduce viruses in the plant and typically heat treatments are not designed to address this risk. Pasteurization does not destroy bacterial toxins, and therefore they will be present in the finished product. Recalls for undeclared allergens in most cases are related to ingredients that contain allergens that were not declared in the certificate of analysis and specifications. Ingredients and raw materials are also a source of foreign material contamination in some cases challenging to detect by the processor due to the size of the contaminant, the type of product being manufactured, the kind of process

Historically, there have been some recalls and outbreaks caused by contaminated ingredients and raw materials. For example, the recall of chicken burgers, nuggets and strips from different Canadian private labels due to Salmonella contamination. The chicken was identified as the source as it was not adequately treated at the supplier’s manufacturing facility to reduce the Salmonella load to appropriate levels. Five people were sickened in the E coli O157 outbreak caused by a chicken salad that contained a mix of onions and celery. The celery was identified as the source of the contamination. Fresh produce according to CDC potentially caused the multi-state outbreak of E coli O26 linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill, which has had an economic impact on the company’s share. As a result of the consumer’s demands for more fresh, unprocessed food with fewer additives and exotic flavours, the processors are challenged to manufacture safe food while trying to satisfy consumer’s needs. Thus, the supplier food safety assurance program plays a central role in food safety. Some of the elements of the program are: a supplier approval process for ingredients and packaging, an approved supplier list, supplier performance evaluation system, contingency plan when it is necessary to source from non-approved suppliers in case of emergencies, incoming materials specifications, a written specification change procedure, procedure for non-and conform incoming materials.

With the increasing media exposure and the new regulations in the U.S. and Canada, the management of the supply becomes critical for companies to keep consumer confidence. Every step along the food supply chain must be held accountable for what they supply. Members of the supply chain must have a clear understanding of the production and processing controls necessary as well as have them functionally verified and validated to address the hazards that may be associated with the foods they handle both up and down the supply chain.

Based on risk, we design and implement effective supply management systems to control hazards associated with the supply chain.