Clinical Industrial Hygiene

Workers responsibility in food business

during implementation of food safety system

INTRODUCTION

• Food production represents obligation to efficiently monitor and control hygienic conditions in production process, regardless of operations in case:-– Food preparation– Processing– Packaging– Warehousing– Transportation– Handling– Distribution or sales

• The producer is obliged to identify all steps and activities in food production process.

• This means that a producer has to analyze all risks related to food, establish all points in process where risks could arise and, at the end, to decide which one of these points is critical for food safety.

• Once critical control points (CCPs) are established, a producer has to initiate efficient measures for monitoring and controlling each one of them.

Modern control system

Modern control system for foodstuff safety must be laid in written form; therefore it must be completely documented.

The personnel implementing the system must be well educated and trained as well.

The system must be continuously checked, evaluated and, if necessary, modified.

The most important is to apply the system in practice consistently and, within possible limits, to be improved continuously.

• HACCP - Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point

Food safety management systemIn the last few decades became significant part

of international and national strategy for human nutrition improving

Has a clear goal related to decrease of food illnesses

There is wide and clear support for HACCP principles application in practice.

Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC, 2003) gave clear recommendations how to use HACCP in food industry and other food businesses.

States since 2006 (Regulations EC, No. 852/2004)-New regulations on hygiene in EUoRequire that all sectors in food chain, except

primary production, should entirely apply HACCP system

HACCP application in food businesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina will become obligatory with adoption of adequate documents which should be soon created.

• Numerous factors influence successful HACCP implementation and maintenance – Company size– Financial strength of a company– Technical expertise– Managerial skills

PROBLEM STATEMENT

• During the last two decades in Bosnia and Herzegovina occurred great migrations and mixing of population with different mentality, cultural, working, educational and other specifics, having smaller or larger influence on the situation in this industry branch.

• Large shopping malls were opened and promptly employed labor power of different educational and knowledge backgrounds, especially knowledge related to food and hygiene in the food handling process.

• A lot of individual particularities of employees, especially attitude toward work, hygiene, superiors, personal wages, shift work, private problems and other specifics, and personal habits are difficult to be separated from professional requirements, therefore they must be observed in the context of foodstuff safety assurance.

• The companies that implement HACCP– Large companies may ensure assumptions for

fulfilling the mentioned requirements and may easily implement foodstuff safety system such as HACCP.

– Unlike them, small and middle companies may consider these requirements as potentially insurmountable obstacles.

– Similar experiences have food production businesses in other Balkan countries. Bas and associates (2007) stated the data that only 16.5% of catering companies in Turkey measures and records temperature of all products, which is a serious problem.

• Violaris et al (2008) consider that newly established companies in Cyprus more easily implement HACCP as they have new equipment and new “European” way of thinking; companies old between 5 and 15 years have difficulties with implementation; while companies older than 15 years easily accept safety systems.

• The authors believe the second generation of directors influenced it, directors who more easily adjust to new requirements. Researches in Europe (Taylor, 2001; Taylor and Cane, 2005) showed that small companies are less suitable for investment in hygiene and food safety.

MATERIALS & METHODS

• Questionnaire designo Is designed on the basis of questions

from similar questionnaires in earlierGood knowledge of companies’ positionProduction typeCompanies’ affiliation to a certain

sectorDetailed knowledge of HACCP

principlesAccording to the expected information

o The questionnaire included questions related to production process employee-respondent is involved in, the questions they should have known answers on.

o In the pilot phase, survey was held in five companies, and afterwards questions are partially modified and adjusted to knowledge level of employees working in food businesses.

• The questionnaire given to the employees had totally 30 questions and consisted of two parts:-

I. General part related to the company and the surveyed employees (Consist of 7 questions)

II. A part related to respondents’ understanding of problems related to food safety and their awareness of need for applying product safety control system (consist of 23 questions)

• For all questions set in the questionnaire were offered multiple answers (between two and thirteen), and the respondents were expected to give their answers by encircling a number or letter before the text in a line.

• The survey encompassed employees in food businesses:-Manufacturing industry (food industry, food

canning) Employees in warehousing Distribution companies (commercial chains,

hotels, restaurants, fast food shops, etc.)Every respondent independently gave answers

on the asked questions. Total time they had for fulfilling the

questionnaire was 45 minutes and it was anonymous.

The survey encompassed 117 companies and 2114 respondents, and it was conducted from May to June in 2009.

After the survey was carried out, analysis of acquired answers was performed.

RESULT

DISCUSSION

The Food Safety Management System (FSMS) is a programme that identifies and controls food safety hazards at every stage of food preparation through a holistic system of controls covering the following elements:-

1. HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system) principles, A scientific and systematic approach to identify, prevent and reduce food-borne hazards in the food process chain.

2. Pre-requisite programmes, which are the basic programmes and practices that establishes and maintains a hygienic environment. (e.g. a daily regime to monitor food handlers’ practices during food preparation, to screen staff to ensure those who are unwell are not to handle food, regular pest control regime and cross-contamination prevention procedures)

3. Efficient and accurate maintenance of documentation and records to ensure the efficient monitoring of FSMS and allow traceability of hazards to the contamination source.

HACCP is a tool to assess hazards and establish control systems that focus on prevention rather than relying mainly on end-product testing.

Any HACCP system is capable of accommodating change, such as advances in equipment design, processing procedures or technological developments.

HACCP can be applied throughout the food chain from primary production to final consumption and its implementation should be guided by scientific evidence of risks to human health.

As well as enhancing food safety, implementation of HACCP can provide other significant benefits.

In addition, the application of HACCP systems can aid inspection by regulatory authorities and promote international trade by increasing confidence in food safety.

Though HACCP method is the best way to minimize hazards in the food production, the food safety literature demonstrates that success in building up a successful HACCP system.

Sometimes seems to be difficult and complex because of some hurdles.

As WHO reported, these hurdles vary from country to country or from business sector to business sector and may be due to internal and external factors like the knowledge level on HACCP or available resources as internal factors.

Others that related to external factors may be the accessibility of government or industry support (WHO, 1999).

• Among all these hurdles, lack of knowledge seems to be the major hurdle, because just the staff with knowledge can put the system in progress successfully.

• As Fletcher and co-workers (2009) concluded, HACCP’s effectiveness relies on the knowledge and skills of both management and staff.

• Eves and Dervisi (2005) declared that one of the most important difficulties in caterings was inadequate knowledge.

• PRIMARY PRODUCTIONo Primary production should be managed in a

way that ensures that food is safe and suitable for its intended use.

oWhere necessary, this will include:-1. Avoiding the use of areas where the environment

poses a threat to the safety of food2. Controlling contaminants, pests and diseases of

animals and plants in such a way as not to pose a threat to food safety

3. Adopting practices and measures to ensure food is produced under appropriately hygienic conditions.

o Potential sources of contamination from the environment should be considered.

o In particular, primary food production should not be carried on in areas where the presence of potentially harmful substances would lead to an unacceptable level of such substances in food.

o The potential effects of primary production activities on the safety and suitability of food should be considered at all times.

o In particular, this includes identifying any specific points in such activities where a high probability of contamination may exist and taking specific measures to minimize that probability.

o Producers should as far as practicable implement measures to:-

1. Control contamination from air, soil, water, feedstuffs, fertilizers (including natural fertilizers), pesticides, veterinary drugs or any other agent used in primary production

2. Control plant and animal health so that it does not pose a threat to human health through food consumption, or adversely affect the suitability of the product

3. Protect food sources from faecal and other contamination.

o In particular, care should be taken to manage wastes, and store harmful substances appropriately.

• HANDLING, STORAGE AND TRANSPORT

o Procedures should be in place to:-I. Sort food and food ingredients to segregate

material which is evidently unfit for human consumption

II. Dispose of any rejected material in a hygienic manner

III. Protect food and food ingredients from contamination by pests, or by chemical, physical or microbiological contaminants or other objectionable substances during handling, storage and transport.

o Care should be taken to prevent, so far as reasonably practicable, deterioration and spoilage through appropriate measures which may include controlling temperature, humidity, and/or other controls.

• CLEANING, MAINTENANCE AND PERSONNEL HYGIENE AT PRIMARY PRODUCTION

o Appropriate facilities and procedures should be in place to ensure that:-

1. Any necessary cleaning and maintenance is carried out effectively

2. An appropriate degree of personal hygiene is maintained.

There are 7 documented principles of HACCP which,together with the preliminary procedures, make up

the 12steps to HACCP.

Microbiological cross-contamination

Pathogens can be transferred from one food to another, either by direct contact or by food handlers, contact surfaces or the air.

Raw, unprocessed food should be effectively separated, either physically or by time, from ready-to-eat foods, with effective intermediate cleaning and where appropriate disinfection.

Access to processing areas may need to be restricted or controlled.

Where risks are particularly high, access to processing areas should be only via a changing facility.

Personnel may need to be required to put on clean protective clothing including footwear and wash their hands before entering.

Surfaces, utensils, equipment, fixtures and fittings should be thoroughly cleaned and where necessary disinfected after raw food, particularly meat and poultry, has been handled or processed.

Personal hygiene

• To ensure that those who come directly or indirectly into contact with food are not likely to contaminate food by:-1. Maintaining an appropriate degree of personal

cleanliness2. Behaving and operating in an appropriate

manner.

• People who do not maintain an appropriate degree of personal cleanliness, who have certain illnesses or conditions or who behave inappropriately, can contaminate food and transmit illness to consumers.

• People known, or suspected, to be suffering from, or to be a carrier of a disease or illness likely to be transmitted through food, should not be allowed to enter any food handling area if there is a likelihood of their contaminating food.

• Any person so affected should immediately report illness or symptoms of illness to the management.

• Medical examination of a food handler should be carried out if clinically or epidemiologically indicated.

• Food handlers should maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and, where appropriate, wear suitable protective clothing, head covering, and footwear.

• Cuts and wounds, where personnel are permitted to continue working, should be covered by suitable waterproof dressings.

• Personnel should always wash their hands when personal cleanliness may affect food safety, for example:-

1. At the start of food handling activities2. Immediately after using the toilet3. After handling raw food or any

contaminated material, where this could result in contamination of other food items, they should avoid handling ready-to-eat food, where appropriate.

• People engaged in food handling activities should refrain from behaviour which could result in contamination of food, for example:

1. Smoking2. Spitting3. Chewing or eating4. Sneezing or coughing over unprotected

food.

CONCLUSION

• Success of Food Safety Management System implementation, as the HACCP System is, in companies which work with food, depends of employed workers personal knowledge, and of their personal responsibility level for food safety.

• In Bosnia and Herzegovina, workers employed in companies which work with food have developed high level of responsibility for sanitary measures and HACCP System realization, also for minimizing of risk for health of consumers or users of their products or service.

THANK YOU