tain chlorophyll. This has dual benefits: It prevents foreign material from
getting into a consumer’s package of
salad, but also keeps it out of the wash
system, enabling the sanitizer in the
wash to focus on the water and the
leafy greens rather than any extraneous material.
After the laser sorter, the product is
sent to the wash system, where it passes
under a dunk reel, which ensures max-
imum contact time with the wash water. Self-cleaning filters keep the wash system
water clean throughout the processing day. In addition, Earthbound reconfig-
ured their wash system to place the chillers directly over the wash system, as op-
posed to having the chillers off in a corner of the plant with thousands of feet of
plumbing that could lead to potential dead zones and/or harborage for biofilm.
Some other tips include:
• Regular checks on the health status
of the harvesting crew
• Regulating the time and tempera-
ture requirements for compost be-
fore it can be used
• Validation of input processes
• Exclusion or at least the inspection
of fields for feral animal activity
prior to harvesting
• Having a sound HACCP plan
harvested commodity, fix the equipment and whatever else needs to be done
on the farm. It becomes imperative that if a company is receiving imported
seeds, grains or produce of any kind from a foreign source, that a compre-
hensive audit be conducted of the growing, packing, processing and ship-
ping areas.
•
•
•
Improving Safety
In the beef industry, regulatory efforts and public outcry have driven
change. Through better herd management, better farm practices, more
monitoring and testing, reducing the
size of the production lots and incorporating frequent sanitation breaks,
the beef industry has left a template
for all of industry to follow. Granted,
produce is exposed to a plethora of
other issues from environmental, irrigation and soil contamination, making
the challenge more daunting.
The efforts taken domestically are
not necessarily those taken in every
country that supplies the U.S. with
food. In many areas of the world,
growers often share the land with the
animals that serve either as their
beasts of burden or as their source of
protein. The animals roam the growing fields, drink and defecate in the
water used for irrigation and hygiene
utilities for the fieldworkers are
nowhere to be found. The landowner
determines when the compost will be
used by feel; and those same unwashed hands are used to inspect the
Mitigating Food Safety Risk in Manufacturing
Below are some thoughts for the food manufacturer to consider in food
safety programs:
• Hire a qualified food safety auditor who can impart helpful solutions on
ways to improve safety rather than just giving out an audit score. Ask for a
client list and call a few companies that have worked with the auditor. Au-
ditors have a responsibility in the food industry to share our knowledge,
our concerns and the latest techniques and to provide assistance to the
suppliers.
Institute a statistically sound microbiological sampling program for raw
materials and finished products that address the pathogens of concern.
• Have an aggressive environmental swab program that actually looks for
and identifies niche areas where microbial pathogens may have taken residence.
Have a documented employee training program that addresses foodborne
pathogens and the employees’ responsibility in the food safety program.
• Be aware of every employee’s health status.
• Have strict control of contractors and contractors’ equipment, including the
ladders. You don’t know if the ladder being used in your plant has just been
used on a dairy farm. Have a sanitation program for your internal ladders.
Have a competent internal audit team focused on food safety and
pathogen control.
