Product Samples for Employees - Under SQF is this allowed?

We manufacture frozen dough products in our plant.  The day after the product has been frozen (as the customer would recieve it) we test bake our products.  If the product is up to standards we ship it out to customers- but here is where my question lies.  The samples which we test baked are then placed on a rack and employees are allowed to take them home for personal consumption.  Under SQF is this allowed?  Should we be tracking where the items go and who takes what?  If the product is still on the rack in the morning it is then thrown out.  Again, this is just test baked items not whole cases, or batches or anything with great volume.  Thoughts or comments?  Thanks!!!

If the product that you use is tracked as taken out of your finished product stream for quality analysis and you don't lose that level of traceability then you should be fine from and SQF perspective.

The biggest problem you would possibly have is if you tried to perform a recall and had a portion you couldn't find.  If that portion is able to be tracked as an amount that was taken into the QA lab for baking testing then you should be fine.

We used to give out extra yogurt samples that were not organoleptically tested to the employees and never had a problem with SQF.

I've never come upon any part of the code that deals specifically with this issue.

I agree with Mr. I.  As long you have traceability you should be fine.  In the event of a problem, you know that your employees got those samples and can notice them not to eat the product. 

There are a few mentions of this under SQF code;

As you can see this covers procedures for in house handling.  What you allow employees to do with product outside of your facility is I think a good business practice for limitation of liability.  

• Product is not in branded containers
• Product is accounted for in the event of recall (gap reconciliation)
• Employees are formally screened and educated for allergens
• What ever else you can think of... etc.

The SQF section dealing with eating things being processed means on the line and really doesn't have anything to do with people taking food home.  It's more about people not eating food as your producing it and increasing micro risk to the product.

Yup.  I was more or less illustrating what GFSI standards would be relative to a good business practice.  

I'd say in the interest of your employees health you might want to wait for micro or other release criteria to come back good to go before you let them eat it. 

I don't see an issue as long as you are logging samples taken, this is not the same as online sensory testing. Your employees are not taking saleable product home, they are taking baked 'test samples' which I assume are loose and unbranded.

Regards,

Tony

I'd say in the interest of your employees health you might want to wait for micro or other release criteria to come back good to go before you let them eat it. 

This is an excellent point.

We didn't allow people to take the yogurt home until the coliform test was complete.

I'd say in the interest of your employees health you might want to wait for micro or other release criteria to come back good to go before you let them eat it. 

Maybe but don't QA taste products before micro results are out every day in the real world?

Regards,

Tony

Maybe but don't QA taste products before micro results are out every day in the real world?

 

Regards,

 

Tony

We are expendable lol.

I'd say in the interest of your employees health you might want to wait for micro or other release criteria to come back good to go before you let them eat it. 

Would be embarrassing if the crew got sick and couldn't work......

Id have said about the micro too, and make sure its not in any branded packaging, customers get twitchy about that!

We run numerous product trials here, and I wait for entro & TVC results then make sure everyone who wants, gets a sample. Everything is in plain packaging (if its our trial, can't vouch for our customers trial samples though!)

we gave it out in it's normal packaging and never had a problem... our product and what we copacked.  I know a bunch of factories that do that around here.  Maybe we are just more honest around here :shades:

we gave it out in it's normal packaging and never had a problem... our product and what we copacked.  I know a bunch of factories that do that around here.  Maybe we are just more honest around here :shades:

Or Naive  :secret:

Maybe but don't QA taste products before micro results are out every day in the real world?

 

Regards,

 

Tony

:o 

You don't swallow, though, right?   That's why you have a spitting sink.  When I worked in dairy there was no way I'd swallow before I got mirco results. I guess it's based on risk, as I'd gladly ingest our chocolate before it's met release. 

Obligiatory  joke about Tony swallowing. :tongue:  

:o

You don't swallow, though, right?   That's why you have a spitting sink.  When I worked in dairy there was no way I'd swallow before I got mirco results. I guess it's based on risk, as I'd gladly ingest our chocolate before it's met release. 

 

Obligiatory  joke about Tony swallowing. :tongue:  

:roflmao:

Obligiatory  joke about Tony swallowing. :tongue:  

For sure I swallow :yeahrite:

How about you?

For sure I swallow :yeahrite:

 

How about you?

:gitane:  :yikes:

That's why you have a spitting sink. 

To keep the weight down :wtg:

Otherwise it's a free meal, no? :spoton:

For sure I swallow :yeahrite:

 

How about you?

Nice girls spit, Tony.  Unless you're married. Then you can swallow.

 

 

Otherwise it's a free meal, no? :spoton:

:rofl2:I guess that's one way to get your protien

Nice girls spit, Tony.  Unless you're married. Then you can swallow.

:rofl2:I guess that's one way to get your protein

Some of us may not be old enough for this conversation..... :yikes:  :roflmao:

Lol I'm pretty sure we all are...


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Actually I am a Toys R Us kid.......never gonna grow up....never never never

But is this what we have become? :ROFLOL:


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Ain't it great???  :shutup: