2.3.1.2 Specification and Product Development-Frozen Seafood
Good Afternoon, I am working towards a Level 3 SQF Certification. We are a new company that has started production in January. We purchased the machinery and recipes from a company that has been in production for 30 years. I am having a hard time figuring out what to put for R & D since we didn't do any research. We purchased all the info already established. Everything right down to packaging.
I am also having problems trying to figure out what to do about Shelf Life studies. I am marketing and selling these items as frozen. So there is no food safety issue, just quality. So how do I justify shelf life? Remember, I just start production in January so it hasn't been a full year yet for me to sensory evaluation on my own. Please help.
Is 2.3.1.2 Just asking for a procedure and a written response of how we have come up with our year shelf life. Doesn't have to have a micro-bio too?
These products are crab cakes and stuffed crabs, frozen shrimp by the way.
GAP analysis says I need to get this together?
Good Afternoon, I am working towards a Level 3 SQF Certification. We are a new company that has started production in January. We purchased the machinery and recipes from a company that has been in production for 30 years. I am having a hard time figuring out what to put for R & D since we didn't do any research. We purchased all the info already established. Everything right down to packaging.
Any new products? if so, IMEX this always involves R&D ? Refer the SQF Guidance material ?
I am also having problems trying to figure out what to do about Shelf Life studies. I am marketing and selling these items as frozen. So there is no food safety issue, just quality. So how do I justify shelf life? Remember, I just start production in January so it hasn't been a full year yet for me to sensory evaluation on my own. Please help.
Select the quality aspects which you consider will determine shelf life, eg OLQ, odour etc.and do an evaluation study over defined shelf life. Or do ASLT (accelerated shelf-life testing)(more complicated). There are numerous related examples on this Forum.
Is 2.3.1.2 Just asking for a procedure and a written response of how we have come up with our year shelf life. Doesn't have to have a micro-bio too?
I don't use SQF but it is a typical requirement of a valid shelf life declaration that the product micro.data is validatable as remaining compliant with the product specification at end shelf-life. Maybe check the SQF Guidance material.
These products are crab cakes and stuffed crabs, frozen shrimp by the way.
GAP analysis says I need to get this together?
Meaning ?
Hi kahunagurl,
Please see "red" ^^.
PS - Welcome to the Forum ! :welcome:
Hello,
If you are getting your SQF 7.2 certification this year The Food Safety Portion and Quality Portion of the Audit are together. If you are working on your certification for Next year (after January 2, 2018) Then the Quality Module is separate.
If you are in the US, you must have a HACCP Plan and a Food Safety Plan. Look for Seafood HACCP under USDA or FD . the Food Safety Plan is your foundation and The Quality Plan is above . GFSI is similar. There is not a such thing as just a Quality Plan for Food manufacturing.
There must be records of Product specifications, Best by date standards, packaging specifications, prior shelf life test, and labeling specifications. I will start by asking for the records of prior Audits or inspections. They must have submitted these records as part of the Requirements for SQF and Regulatory inspections.
This is the way I see it. This clause has 2 basic components. R&D Policies and Procedures and Product Realization. This is a lecture in itself so I will try to make it short and sweet.
R&D - Must show how do you come up with new products or major changes such as flavor, ingredients, formulas, testing, shelf life, micro testing, and trials. How do you design a new products or make major changes in current products?
Product Realization - How do you introduce the new product or changed product into your HACCP Plan and Quality Plan? Risk assessments of Raw Materials - Food Safety Hazards and Quality Hazards, labeling verification and validation, packaging assessments, product behavior through equipment and environmental testing, and potentially, legislation requirements.
I hope this helps
Hello,
If you are getting your SQF 7.2 certification this year The Food Safety Portion and Quality Portion of the Audit are together. If you are working on your certification for Next year (after January 2, 2018) Then the Quality Module is separate.
If you are in the US, you must have a HACCP Plan and a Food Safety Plan. Look for Seafood HACCP under USDA or FD . the Food Safety Plan is your foundation and The Quality Plan is above . GFSI is similar. There is not a such thing as just a Quality Plan for Food manufacturing.
There must be records of Product specifications, Best by date standards, packaging specifications, prior shelf life test, and labeling specifications. I will start by asking for the records of prior Audits or inspections. They must have submitted these records as part of the Requirements for SQF and Regulatory inspections.
This is the way I see it. This clause has 2 basic components. R&D Policies and Procedures and Product Realization. This is a lecture in itself so I will try to make it short and sweet.
R&D - Must show how do you come up with new products or major changes such as flavor, ingredients, formulas, testing, shelf life, micro testing, and trials. How do you design a new products or make major changes in current products?
Product Realization - How do you introduce the new product or changed product into your HACCP Plan and Quality Plan? Risk assessments of Raw Materials - Food Safety Hazards and Quality Hazards, labeling verification and validation, packaging assessments, product behavior through equipment and environmental testing, and potentially, legislation requirements.
I hope this helps
Hi Kellio,
Sorry to nitpick but some of the initial comments above seem a little questionable. Maybe i hv misunderstood the contexts. eg -
<<Look for Seafood HACCP under USDA or FD .>> - afaik seafood haccp in USA is totally under the Regulatory jurisdiction of FDA ?.
<<the Food Safety Plan is your foundation and The Quality Plan is above . GFSI is similar.>> - afaik GFSI is solely benchmarking Food Safety aspects. (I haven't checked if GFSI also benchmarks BRC's additional non-safety add-ons but I anticipate to be unlikely).
<<There is not a such thing as just a Quality Plan for Food manufacturing>> - Quality Plan is defined in SQF-7.2 (= section 2.4.4) and for SQF8 (Quality Code) (= section 2.4.3).
<<Then the Quality Module is separate.>> - Agreed, but maybe worth adding that one cannot be certified to this SQF8 module independently. eg -
The SQF Quality Code builds on the system elements defined in the various SQF Food Safety Codes. Sites seeking to attain certification to the SQF Quality Code, or retain what was previously SQF Level 3 certification in edition 7, shall first be certified to the applicable SQF Food Safety Code for their industry sector.
Regarding Product Development, I guess there is also substantial help in the SQF-7.2 Guidance material.
I use a Direct Method of shelf life study. You can get an outside approved third party lab to conduct your self life testing but can be very expensive for small companies. if you cant afford an outside lab start your own shelf life. pull 16 samples of your product from a single production run with a date code. Test 8 times in a 2 years period do Sensory (Weight, Uniformity, appearance, odor flavor, texture, color and moisture). Microbiological (TPC, Yeast and Mold. Test the Time of run, then pull the product after 3,6,12,15,18,21,24 months. Keep records when your total plate count-(TPC) goes above <1,000,00 cfu/g , yeast <100,000 cfu/g Mold<100,000 cfu/ product shelf life will be determined by noting the latest date observed without significant outgrowth of possible spoilage organisms. hope this helps
I use a Direct Method of shelf life study. You can get an outside approved third party lab to conduct your self life testing but can be very expensive for small companies. if you cant afford an outside lab start your own shelf life. pull 16 samples of your product from a single production run with a date code. Test 8 times in a 2 years period do Sensory (Weight, Uniformity, appearance, odor flavor, texture, color and moisture). Microbiological (TPC, Yeast and Mold. Test the Time of run, then pull the product after 3,6,12,15,18,21,24 months. Keep records when your total plate count-(TPC) goes above <1,000,00 cfu/g , yeast <100,000 cfu/g Mold<100,000 cfu/ product shelf life will be determined by noting the latest date observed without significant outgrowth of possible spoilage organisms. hope this helps
Hi Crabrays,
Thks for yr input but with due repect, I note that the main product indicated in OP is frozen seafood. (whether RTE or raw is unspecified).
I suspect that yr procedure, data, micro criteria are for some other unrelated storage conditions / product category?.
Charles,
Thank you for the clarification points. It just came different about what I was trying to say. Yes, Seafood HACCP is under FDA website information.
Regards,
Kellio
Charles,
Thank you for the clarification points. It just came different about what I was trying to say. Yes, Seafood HACCP is under FDA website information.
Regards,
Kellio
Hi Kellio,
No problem, I know what you mean, thoughts are so much easier than words. :smile: