Help with Quality Standards in Super Markets

Hi all and wish you a good day

i just recieved a new job as Quality Control Supervisor inside a Hyper Market ( sure contains fresh fish, meet, milk products, vegtables,......) but i dont know from where shoudl i start whats the standards as its first time for me to cach such role

please if any one has worked in the same role or at least has any knowledge kindly support me

Thanks all for reading my text and waiting for kind reply

Hi all and wish you a good day

i just recieved a new job as Quality Control Supervisor inside a Hyper Market ( sure contains fresh fish, meet, milk products, vegtables,......) but i dont know from where shoudl i start whats the standards as its first time for me to cach such role

please if any one has worked in the same role or at least has any knowledge kindly support me

Thanks all for reading my text and waiting for kind reply

Hello Vet_Shabana, Can you confirm the scope of your new Quality Control Supervisor role and what experience you have to fulfill it. Surely the Hype market will be working with certain standards and perhaps hold certification to some standards. Please confirm.

There is wealth of information available, but you need to be more clear with your questions and provide more information if you want specific advice that is useful to you.

Welcome to the forums.



Regards,
Simon

First of all thanks Simon for your concern and reply

Actually, i was working as quality control supervisor in Meat Processing Factory (Burger, Frankfurter, Mortdella,... and so on) and also i worked as Food Quality Auditor in Fast Food Chain.

As i mentioned i just recieved an offer to work in a Chian Grocery or Hyper Market but the proplem is i dont know any thing about the scope or even the job description .

I am expected to initiate the Quality Department as i am the first person to join in this rule and to initiate policies and standards inside the market.
By other mean, this hypermarket is new fast growing chain and the leader Hyper market here in my country in this field just certified by ISO 22000 from SGS and i think that the reason why this hyper market want to start a quality control department and i should be there man

So, i have no idea even (1) what to audit ? may be th recieving and the stroage of goods, hygienic measurment of the whole place and workers still distrubed and i dont khnow (2) from where should i start?

Hopely this time you got clear information and looking for your support brother

Warm Regards

Dear vet-Shabana,

I presume the hypermarket also contains chilled / frozen goods.

It is difficult to believe that an establishment of the type you mention could open without satisfying basic local hygiene laws (???) which usually demands visible documentation of the type Simon referred. Plus ongoing records.

Do i understand correct that yr proposed working place is already certified to ISO 22000 ?

If so, a manual / product specifications / iso 9001 / haccp type working procedures / records must be documented. Locked in the MD's safe?. It is also difficult to see how certification would be possible without of some "Quality" related section containing real people.

I suggest you (initially) request to see some of the above-type items. Perhaps someone is simply testing yr starting capabilities

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear Charles

thanks for reply and concern.

I think you miss understand me , I said that theres a leader market here which is already certified and the place I will join would like to compete this leader market but this is what I think not sure

concerning with basic hygiene standards I agree with you that any hyper market should have a minimal hygienic standards but I think in my case its not assigned to a specialized person or professional person and defiantly its assigned to a skilled technician

Also, thanks fro your advice but sure I know HACCP, GMP&GHP, ISO series and I am already ISO22000 registered I was working with huge factory iso 22000 certified and in fast food chain as iso22000 auditor but that make me post this topic that its first time for me to handle such place you know inside Meat processing you role is clear inside the production area and in fast food chain also its clear that you are making several audits on the restaurant branches but inside Hyper Market its not clear for me or by other mean my head is just limited to those items as I mentioned before like receiving and storage of goods, frozen and cooled meat cuts and fish and so on

So, what I need exactly is what else should I take care inside the Hyper Market?, is HACCP applicable inside the market? Is there any specific Prerequisite programs or standards? and that’s all

Thanks again with my best regards

Not sure if this will help or not but these are the standards a world class supermarket requires from vendors (suppliers).

Woolworths Quality Assurance (WQA)

Actually, i cant find expressive words to thank you my brother simon not only for the links but for all your concern and quick reply.

Sure, Its very useful espicialy that sector WQA Category Requirements and it gives a good feedback on how its going inside the market so again thank you.

Still looking for any supportive materials but this time dont waste your time and effort on (my crazy requests ) but only i mean during your rotuine work or browsing if you catch any thing of intrest in this topic get it here

I really hope to help in any topic you add (but i know that i wount cuz looks you are higher in experience and knowledge )

Best Regards

Dear Vet-shabana,

I am not quite sure what "Supervisor" means but i presume you are the leader of the QC section since it appears that you are expected by management to set the complete system up (almost single-handed? ) ?

Clearly, yr priorities will be somewhat defined by any standard you are immediately required to certify to but this aspect seems currently undetermined in yr case so i hv just considered a general situation.

The ideas below will inevitably run in parallel but they represent some priorities IMO. other people may hv different methods of course. I hv excluded any items like internal lab. functions since i assume you will outsource such things.

(1) IMEX, With respect to the products range handled ,the most immediate commercial driven requirement given to the QA section will be to compile product specifications since without these nothing can be purchased . This inevitably draws in all the associated quality / safety factors for which i guess yr experience has already provided a good knowledge base. It will also necessitate producing suitable documentation for any monitoring / records purposes.

(2) A second priority will probably be to set up a system for supplier evaluation using the technical base of (1).
You might say that (1) and (2) generate the purchasing function from a QA perspective.

(3) Set up the system for maintaining the quality / safety control when receiving / (processing?) / storing products within yr premises.

I think you will see that the concepts above are, not surprisingly, analogous to the sectional approach presented within ISO 9001. In fact the various segments of this standard nicely illustrate the building blocks IMO. ISO 22000 amplifies 9001 by orienting it towards safety as you know. Excepting for topics like oprp, a basic haccp system should cope with yr initial practical safety requirements IMO.

I'm not sure how much technical backup you hv available but this seems a very sizeable undertaking to me. I hope you are being suitably remunerated for it .

Best of Luck,

Rgds / Charles.C

Again, thanks for you reply and concern charles

i will join officialy withi 2 weeks so, till now i dont even know what a backup will be available there what tools how many workers and so on and may be thats why i am little worried and would like to alot of stuff before i start

Actually i already knows the Marekt Manager there so when he called me and said i need you i replied ok without discussing any details so i still have no clear data exept that they dont have a well organized QQDepartment and i am expecting to perform this mission.

Regarding your question about Supervisor, here when you are fresh graduate from faculty of veterinary medicine if you joined a Meat or Chicken processing factories and your job will be inside the production area so your title will be QC Supervisor by mean of that you are going to supervise the techinician in the production line and assure they are respecting the Hygiene measurement and ISO or HACCP standards according to the quality system inside.

Any way, sorry for talking to much and its really my pleasure to recieve your replies and thanks again for your advice

Wish you luck 2 brother

Reagrds

Any way, sorry for talking to much and its really my pleasure to recieve your replies and thanks again for your advice

Please do not apologise vet_shabana, it's not possible to talk too much on a discussion forum, that's the whole point of them and it is an interesting topic. Good luck in your new role and please do keep us up to date with your progress and feel free to ask more questions.

Hi borthers how you doin hope you are all fine

I would like to thank you again simon for you welcoming and concern and i promise to keep intouch and update ou with my new task

Finally, i know whats my mission

I think you were right charles and the man was testing my capabilities

I just visited them yesterday to know more and theres a Quality Assurance Manager and i will be reported to him adn my title will be Food Quality Auditor.

But during my conversation with the QAM he asked me about GMP and i said its like Personal Hygiene and Facilities design and so on but he said thats wrong the personal hygiene is now part of GHP its not GMP any more so i hop you guys let me know whats your opinion in tis issue

Best Regards

Regards All

Dear Vet-Shabana,

This is probably a terminology issue. There are many interpretations of GMP / GHP existing. Whatever, the statement that GMP should not include hygiene issues seems unlikely to be validatable IMO (but it may not be strategically wise to put that question to yr new Boss ).

Have a look at this reference which would seem to support yr position.

http://www.fao.org/d...3e/y4743e0h.htm

However a specific official definition (s) may exist locally or perhaps traditionally for your specific product operation ?.

ISO 22000 implies that it “depends” and refers to GHP and GMP as “equivalent” (along with a collection of others) which is probably partly to avoid arguments.

Personally I have never referred to GHP in any QA procedure, only GMP, so far no auditor has questioned this but who knows ?

I daresay other people will have different opinions or contrary evidence.

Rgds / Charles.C

added - PS - my above link is a bit old (2003) so it might be wise to check that the sources mentioned in it still have same basic definitions (they probably do)

GHP /or GMP not that important; the improtant bit is doing it. If your boss wants to call them GHP's do likewise and if that's his only gripe I think you should do well in your new job.

Good luck and keep us posted / feel free to ask further questions.