To identify and control any potential risks from metal contamination

Hello all, 

I hope you are doing great!!

I want to identify and control any potential risks from metal contamination in a standard bakery production environment and the risk assessment should include the following:

Raw materials

Equipment

Sieving

Procedures

Security

processing 

If you have done this before can you help with docs, templates etc

Thanks you in advance.

D

When I worked in a bakery, we had an x-ray machine and a record with it. There wasn't really a proper record, we just had a three ring booklet type where we wrote daily checks and the "calibration" of the x-ray machine. I dont think you need as much data in terms of metal detection for raw materials as you would need for the final product. I mean you will be running the product through the metal detector after it's baked and packed anyway, no? 

When I worked in a bakery, we had an x-ray machine and a record with it. There wasn't really a proper record, we just had a three ring booklet type where we wrote daily checks and the "calibration" of the x-ray machine. I dont think you need as much data in terms of metal detection for raw materials as you would need for the final product. I mean you will be running the product through the metal detector after it's baked and packed anyway, no? 

Hi doggy,

No wish to be negative but yr OP is of prodigious scope. Almost book-size IMO.

You may get more relevant responses (unless you are writing a Book) by narrowing yr requirements, eg -

What kind of raw materials ?

what type of material used for the "equipment" ?

what kind of processing ?

But maybe the posters here will prove me wrong. Hope so.

Hi Charles,

Thank you for the posts. We do daily checks and everything and lastly metal detect the final product and ship out. Our process is that:

We sieve the dry ingredients (mainly flour, spices, salt, etc), mix with wet ingredients, mixed product goes into a hopper, rolled flat, cut into required shape and size by a cutter, sprinkled with toppings-could be seeds or cheese, baked, cooled, flat bread packed into acetate trays, boxed and coded, metal detected and shipped.

With this process in mind, i want to for example take raw materials: identify hazards, harm that could occur from the hazard, do a risk rating (LxS), get some control measures in place.

Note that the above should be based on metal contamination before it reaches the metal detector.

I hope this helps

D

Hi doggy,

I deduce yr  intention is to develop a haccp plan which particularly focuses on the metal detector as CCP.

I don’t know any file on the forum which directly matches yr query so I have created an example  in the attached excel.

At all the steps in yr process where you believe there is a possibility of metal contamination you use the green text boxes/content which I have shown for Step 1A in sheet 1.

At the metal detector step (5A) you use the green text boxes/content which I have shown for Step 5A in sheet 1.

The meaning/interpretation of the Risk Assessment letters, eg VL, VS  is explained in sheet 3

I hope the above is intelligible. And relevant. :smile:  If otherwise, pls inform/clarify.

PS - the numbers in the boxes will always be subjective.

Example - metal contamination - risk assessment, 2.0.xls   39.5KB   43 downloads

We used to handle dry powders for baking. We would mix and pack them for the consumer to then add to water/eggs etc. known as  HOME BAKE packs .

We had sieves which had recorded integrity checks each bag/batch . The checks were looking for damage (the sieves themselves may cause a metal contamination if they are broken), and FB indicating a concert. The sieve mesh was stamped on the side. The size was  chosen based on the potential size of contaminant and the flow of product through it. If the size is too small flow will be too restricted and shakers may be needed. On the other hand if the size is too large it will not be effective at retaining FB. Risk assess and rationalize. 

We also had magnets in the throat of the mixing vessel and on the hopper of the packing vessel. The magnets also had recorded checks for the same every batch/bag. The magnets were tested for strength annually by a contractor traceable to national standards. (Gauss strength)

Then in line of the packing lines we had metal detectors /or x-rays. All challenged hourly, recorded,  and calibrated.

Before all that some evaluation of the suppliers and their controls is necessary.