Prepared by: Taruna Navraksha Irfaan Shashi Food Quality & Certification

Food  The term “food” covers any unprocessed, semi-processed, or processed item that is intended to be used as food or drink. This includes any ingredient incorporated into a food or drink, and any substance that comes into direct contact with a food during processing, preparation, or treatment.

The distinction between food quality and food safety Food quality is the extent to which the all the established requirements relating to the characteristics of a food are met. Food safety is the extent to which those requirements relating specifically to characteristics or properties that have the potential to be harmful to health or to cause illness or injury are met. Food qualityFood safety Some food quality characteristics (e.g., counts of total bacteria, coliform bacteria) can be used as indicators of food safety, although they are not considered specifically as food safety characteristics. A food that does not conform to the food safety requirements automatically does not conform to the food quality requirements. On the other hand, a food can conform to the food safety requirements, but not conform to the other quality requirements.

Which food requires quality management? Food quality and food safety principles and practices are applied to:  Foods from farm produce and livestock production.  Manufactured and processed food products for consumers.  All raw materials, ingredients, processing aids, food-contact packaging materials, and food-contact surfaces that are used in the preparation of food and beverage products.

Common examples of quality characteristics of food Identity of a food in relation to a standard (e.g., standardized food) Declared gross or net quantity of a unit of the food or net fill of a food container Declared or claimed amount of one or more stated components of a food Appearance, Aroma, Flavour, Texture, Viscosity, Shelf-life stability, Wholesomeness Fitness for use as human food, Adulteration, Packaging, Labeling

Systems and programs for food quality  The food industry, like many other industries, has used basic quality control programs, and more complex quality assurance programs and quality management systems, in its efforts to achieve food quality; some food companies use the ISO 9000 Quality Management System Standard.  These programs and systems can include components that are devoted specifically to food safety. For instance, GMPs and the HACCP system can be integrated into a food industry, quality management system, or inspection and monitoring of materials, products, and processes for food safety hazards can be part of a quality control program.

Food Laws, Regulations and Standards  The legal requirements for food safety and food quality have been established by many national governments, with the objective of protecting consumers and ensuring that foods are fit for human consumption. These requirements are contained in food laws and regulations, the scope of which varies from one country to another.  In addition to food laws and regulations, food standards also establish requirements for the safety and quality of foods; however, unless a food standard is part of food regulations it is not a legal requirement.  The Codex Standards are the best examples of food standards.

Food Certification  Certification schemes provide a means by which producers can inform their ultimate customers about their products, and give guarantees that the information is well founded.  It also operates in the area of assuring compliance with compulsory hygiene and food safety standards.

ISO 9000 family of standards  A coherent set of four quality management system standards facilitating mutual understanding in national and international trade (ISO 9000:2000).  ISO 9000:2000  ISO 9001:2000  ISO 9004:2000  ISO 19011:2002  The standards have been developed by the International Organization for Standardization to assist all types and sizes of organizations to implement and operate effective quality management systems.

Codex Alimentarius and the HACCP system Codex Alimentarius: Set of internationally recognized food standards developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.  Codex Alimentarius Commission: A joint, subsidiary body of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO). The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established in 1962 for the purpose of developing, promoting, and harmonizing standards for food in order to facilitate international trade. The Codex Alimentarius Commission has developed an internationally recognized food standard HACCP system.  Since the late 1980s, there has been widespread use of the HACCP system specifically to achieve food safety; the system addresses food safety primarily on the basis of prevention or elimination of unacceptable hazard levels.

Food Safety Pyramid

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point System (HACCP) The HACCP system is based on a universally recognized set of 7 principles that are used for the development of an HACCP plan for a food, namely:  Principle 1: Conduct hazard analysis (biological, chemical or physical)  Principle 2: Determine critical control points (These are points in a food’s production at which the potential hazard can be controlled or eliminated)  Principle 3: Establish preventive measures with critical limits for each control point  Principle 4: Establish procedures to monitor the critical control points  Principle 5: Establish corrective actions to be taken when monitoring shows that a critical limit has not been met  Principle 6: Establish procedures to verify that the system is working properly  Principle 7: Establish record-keeping and documentation procedures

The main benefits of HACCP  Manage Food Safety risks in your Business  Due Diligence for Senior Management  Customer confidence  Control of your risks and safer processes  Scientific process  Focus on managing food safety risks at the ground level  Ensuring all staff have appropriate skills and competencies in Food Hygiene for their work activities  Abide by appropriate standards for food handling, hygiene, premises and equipment  Safe Business is good Business is repeat business  Framework for regulatory compliance

ISO ISO is an international standard that defines the requirements of a food safety management system covering all organizations in the food chain from “farm to fork”.  Ensure integrity of food chain supply.  "MS ISO 22000" means the Mauritian Standard for Food Safety Management Systems established under section 18 of the Act.

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References  htm htm  ftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/Publications/Booklets/Inspection/fics_2005e.p df ftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/Publications/Booklets/Inspection/fics_2005e.p df  ointsHACCP/default.htm ointsHACCP/default.htm   services/management-systems/Standards-and-Schemes/ISO-22000/ services/management-systems/Standards-and-Schemes/ISO-22000/  = &Mode=Html&Search=No = &Mode=Html&Search=No  Food quality assurance : principles and practices / Inteaz Alli, CRC Press LLC, New York,  Jacques Trienekens &Peter ZuurbierI, Quality and safety standards in the food industry, developments and challenges, Int. J. Production Economics 113 (2008) 107–122.