15 replies to this topic

[PetBone]

Today's hot debate is whether you can ever allow something that has fallen on the floor to be used...

 

Not sure if answers to specific questions would vary but a few examples that we discussed today are:

• Sealed finished goods, seal not broken. Can this be cleaned off and used?
• Finished goods, not sealed (product did not touch the floor). Can the packaging be cleaned off and the sealing process continue?
• Unused packaging. Can this be cleaned off and used?

My response has always been if anything hits the floor, its garbage just on principle. I am going to look in the FDA food code or SQF standards has any specific direction on this. But I am curious to see what everyone else does in regards to this.

Edited by Charles.C, 31 October 2014 - 03:06 PM.
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[Mark H]

We are a distributor of food products, generally "package in package". By this I mean a shipping case with either 1 or 2 inner containers, 1 being sealed (i.e. plastic, mylar etc.) Based on our HARPc analysis, We have found the risk of adulturation to be minimal. That said, we also keep a very clean warehouse.

 

My $.02 and YMMV.

 

 

[Charles.C]

Dear PetBone,

 

Try looking back a week or so, there was a long discussion on options for meat falling onto the floor. Perhaps surprisingly, official tolerances were shown to exist, in the USA anyway.

 

Logically the product/process may perhaps have some relevance also.

 

Rgds / Charles.C

[Setanta]

Sealed packages, in perfect condition we have left go.
Packaging unsealed or unused gets tossed.
How will you determine the level of cleanliness?

[PetBone]

Sealed packages, in perfect condition we have left go.
Packaging unsealed or unused gets tossed.
How will you determine the level of cleanliness?

 

Your question is exactly why I just would prefer to side with caution and throw out anything that hits the floor. I don't know how you could determine that conclusively and at an expense that would be less than just throwing out what hit the floor. Lets be honest, this debate is generally met with resistance due to the money it represents.

Edited by Charles.C, 31 October 2014 - 03:32 PM.
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[Snookie]

I see both sides of this.  I don't want to waste good food, but also want to make sure the consumer gets a safe product.  Personally this is why I was almost every package I get before opening;  I wipe can lids down, pouches etc.  Besides it could have fallen on the floor anywhere from factory to the grocery store.  I know a bit OCD, but who knows what is has been through and where it has been. 

Edited by Snookie, 31 October 2014 - 06:46 PM.

[Mike Green]

I see both sides of this.  I don't want to waste good food, but also want to make sure the consumer gets a safe product.  Personally this is why I was almost every package I get before opening.  I wipe can lids down, pouches etc.  Besides it could have fallen on the floor anywhere from factory to the grocery store.  I know a bit OCD, but who knows what is has been through and where it has been. 

....so I'm guessing your never eating in Birmingham(UK) then ?

 

I'm gonna play devils advocate a bit here....and suggest that your production area floors are significantly cleaner than some of Birmingham's fast food restaurant prep benches   !!!

 

Mike

[Snookie]

....so I'm guessing your never eating in Birmingham(UK) then ?

 

I'm gonna play devils advocate a bit here....and suggest that your production area floors are significantly cleaner than some of Birmingham's fast food restaurant prep benches   !!!

 

Mike

 

Scary huh.....except we can also get a bit too crazy about it as well. 

[RG3]

 tumblr_ne2ifslnHs1rq1pj8o1_400.jpg   59.62KB   2 downloads

[Snookie]

Where would civilization be without the 5 second rule.   

[Jelena C]

Be honest, when it hits the floor there is like zillion factors that can be considered and no matter how many procedures or rules you write there will always be a potential trouble, like irresponsible worker or not enough cleaning - answer is a simple, if it is packed and it hits a dirty floor, wash it and use it and avoid content get in touch with the outer packaging material. We must strengthen our immune system      

[CMHeywood]

You would have to justify (test data, etc.) why you would ship or scrap the material.  Are you production floors clean enough so anyone licking the floor would not get sick?  The issue here is to consider what sort of contamination could get transferred into or onto the food.

[Mulan1010]

As with anything you do, you must consider your product, process and environment.  Like CMHeywood said above, you have to justify what you do. - We are a fully cooked meat manufacturing facility that falls under USDA and we do allow for product that hits the floor to be addressed and reused (what we call reconditioning) in specific situations.  Our specific procedures for reconditioning are addressed in our SSOP's as well as our GMP's.

• Sealed finished goods, seal not broken. Can this be cleaned off and used?  In our process we do allow for this.  Our finished product is packaged in waterproof plastic packaging and the packages are vacuum sealed.  As long as the packaging is not compromised then we allow for the package to be rinsed off and sanitized.   If the packaging is compromised then the product goes into inedible.   
• Finished goods, not sealed (product did not touch the floor). Can the packaging be cleaned off and the sealing process continue?  In our process the product would go into inedible and the packaging disposed of.
• Unused packaging. Can this be cleaned off and used?  In our process it would depend.  If the roll of film hit the floor on the solid side only then we would remove several of the outer layers and dispose of them.  Please note that our packaging area is dry pick up so the floor would not be wet.  If the roll of film hit the floor on the rolled side where all edges are exposed then we would dispose of the roll.   

We also allow for raw intact pieces of meat that come in contact with the floor to be reconditioned as long as we see the product drop and immediately pick it up and take it to a designated sink for reconditioning, recondition the product and then immediately place it back into the process.  Please note our process takes 2.5 to 3 hours from start to finish, about 1 hour start to cooking step at most, and our room temperatures are maintained at an average of 39^oF.

 

Any exposed finished product (after cooking) that is exposed would go to inedible without question.

[OrganicCandyAng]

We allow finished product that hits the floor to be packaged as Finished Goods (candy packed in a sealed pouch) but we do NOT allow it to be reworked because then you are potentially exposing the product you are opening and reusing as bulk to the outer package that hit the floor.

[Charles.C]

We allow finished product that hits the floor to be packaged as Finished Goods (candy packed in a sealed pouch) but we do NOT allow it to be reworked because then you are potentially exposing the product you are opening and reusing as bulk to the outer package that hit the floor.

 

Hi trusweets,

 

It appears that you are also potentially exposing the consumer of the unucky pouch (and potentially its adjacent pouches) to receive cross-contamination from the floor to hands,etc.

 

Seems a rather debatable RA IMO.

[OrganicCandyAng]

Hi trusweets,

 

It appears that you are also potentially exposing the consumer of the unucky pouch (and potentially its adjacent pouches) to receive cross-contamination from the floor to hands,etc.

 

Seems a rather debatable RA IMO.

 

 

I'm not sure what unucky is?

 

Regardless, the pouch is sealed and it hits a floor that's cleaned daily - you could make that argument for anyone who is on the fence or using product when it hits the floor.