Determining CCPs at a potato farm
Hi, I am new to the forum and food safety in general.
The company I work for has never had a HACCP plan and we have been trying to create one.
I work for a potato farm where we grow, harvest and pack our own product.
Once the potatoes are harvested they are transported to the packing house straight from the field.
They are conveyed into a flume, pre-sorted, spray washed with a sanitizer, ran through the dryer, sized and graded, packaged, palatalized, placed in cold storage, shipped on pre-cooled trucks.
We are having a hard time determining if there are any CCPs since we are a low risk commodity. The only two we could think of is the sanitizer and the grading which would be the last chance to remove foreign objects.
Any help would be appreciated
Morning,
A CCP that we have in my workplace are metal detectors. Maybe when the potatoes go through the packing process you can add a metal detector. There have been incidents where a screw has gotten loose and fell in the product and packaged.
Hi, I am new to the forum and food safety in general.
The company I work for has never had a HACCP plan and we have been trying to create one.
I work for a potato farm where we grow, harvest and pack our own product.
Once the potatoes are harvested they are transported to the packing house straight from the field.
They are conveyed into a flume, pre-sorted, spray washed with a sanitizer, ran through the dryer, sized and graded, packaged, palatalized, placed in cold storage, shipped on pre-cooled trucks.
We are having a hard time determining if there are any CCPs since we are a low risk commodity. The only two we could think of is the sanitizer and the grading which would be the last chance to remove foreign objects.
Any help would be appreciated
Hi cowgirl,
It typically comes down to your risk assessment (ie hazard analysis) and possibly the specific FS standard involved.
It is true that the wash/"sanitize" stage, eg via hydrocoolers, is currently often set as a CCP in fresh produce haccp plans although, rather than a (debatable) bactericidal logic for the potato itself, the CCP is currently more often justified as necessary to prevent water borne pathogen cross-contamination occurring between incoming raw material / washed product. This is discussed in some (non-potato) fresh produce haccp plans here.
Can also have a look at these potato-ish threads/post -
http://www.ifsqn.com...facturing-area/
(esp.Post 13)
http://www.ifsqn.com...-control-point/
(esp posts 3,4)
http://www.ifsqn.com...ato-pack-house/
(eg Post 3)
Hi potato cowgirl
take a look at the attached, this is just from potato intake at pack house, which I used previously, it was concluded no CCP's just QCP's,
got me through BRC on several occasions
let me know if you need any more help
wrighty
HACCP CCP EVALUATION.docx 21.29KB 89 downloads
HACCP Flow.docx 43.43KB 78 downloads
Thanks so much!
Wrightly This is very helpful!
Hi potato cowgirl
take a look at the attached, this is just from potato intake at pack house, which I used previously, it was concluded no CCP's just QCP's,
got me through BRC on several occasions
let me know if you need any more help
wrighty
Hi wrighty,
Thanks for the input but, with all due respect, I am frankly amazed that BRC found yr "haccp plan" acceptable. (assuming that we are talking about BRC7)
One basic comment is that BRC's haccp is based on Codex. afaik "QCPs" do not exist in a haccp plan in such context. ("quality" features are not safety hazards).
Originally when I did the Haccp plan, I put the QCP's as CCP's but was given a non-conformance from the BRC auditor, as they said they were quality issues. I have used the same Haccp plan for the last 10 years including version 7 and it has been approved by several different BRC auditors,
Our facility continues to be accredited to BRC's highest grade so must be doing something right!
Originally when I did the Haccp plan, I put the QCP's as CCP's but was given a non-conformance from the BRC auditor, as they said they were quality issues. I have used the same Haccp plan for the last 10 years including version 7 and it has been approved by several different BRC auditors,
Our facility continues to be accredited to BRC's highest grade so must be doing something right!
Hi wrighty,
I deduce that only one BRC auditor out of 10 found yr use of QCP in a Codex-based haccp plan atypical.
IMO you have proven that 90% of BRC auditors in yr area may not be competent to evaluate haccp plans. That is worrying IMO.
I also deduce you were not obliged to correct the NC found by the first auditor. This is also unusual IMEX.
I gave my help in an area I am familiar with, not only do I get slated, the BRC auditors get slated '90% of BRC auditors in yr area may not be competent to evaluate haccp plans'
I thought this forum was about helping like minded people in the same industry not to slate the ones who offer help
Note to self - don't try and help others
Hi wrighty,
I deduce you didn't agree with my opinions regarding the development of a haccp plan.
No problem.
Hi potato cowgirl,
My very first opinion is you definitely have at least one CCP in your process. We can help more if you post your hazard analysis.
Cowgirl,
The potato processing facilities that we have been in (about ten or so) all had flume as a CP, Sanitizer as a CP and Cooling as a CP. Most shared magnets/aka metal detectors as the CCP on intake from trailers/dumpers and prior to flume.
Cowgirl,
The potato processing facilities that we have been in (about ten or so) all had flume as a CP, Sanitizer as a CP and Cooling as a CP. Most shared magnets/aka metal detectors as the CCP on intake from trailers/dumpers and prior to flume.
Hi SQFC,
flume stages in fresh produce production are also a CCP in some analyses, eg this thread (inter alia) .
Fresh, raw potatoes were determined by the FDA to be "rarely consumed raw" and thus they do not conform to MANY of the HACCP requirements suited for ready-to-eat foods. Wrighty is completely right. Fresh-packed potatoes will never need to be held to the same standard as processed/cooked potatoes, and CCPs are rarely necessary.
It's common sense (as well as FDA supported) that if you buy a box of raw potatoes, it would be absolutely just fine if your potatoes were covered in dirt. People re-wash them, peel them (usually), and then cook them before they consume them-- so CCPs take place in the home setting (cooking to a specific temperature, etc.) NOT in the packing house. What Charles C. is confused about is that CCPs are necessary in many potato PROCESSING facilities. When potatoes are just washed and packed, no CCPs are necessary, and the most highly trained auditors who truly understand CCPs know this.
Charles C. -- It would be good for you to research the FDA Produce Safety Ruling and their exemptions regarding "rarely consumed raw" produce. (21 CFR 112)