Heavy Metal and Pesticide Program Frequency
Hello all,
We are trying to implement Heavy metal and Pesticide program but can't seem to find much information on it.
Does anyone know what is the common practice in grain industries?
Do you test every load? OR Every finished product? OR Make a composite sample and do it once an year or just pick a lucky sample once a year?
Thank you for all the help,
I'm struggling with the same thing. In previous jobs I've worked in both animal feed and powdered bulk food, we tested annually, or sometimes semi-annually, depending on customer specifications. However, I can't seem to find information that regulates this in regards to grain (we're a grain processor)...so, I'm not sure?
I'm struggling with the same thing. In previous jobs I've worked in both animal feed and powdered bulk food, we tested annually, or sometimes semi-annually, depending on customer specifications. However, I can't seem to find information that regulates this in regards to grain (we're a grain processor)...so, I'm not sure?
Hi Parkz58, when you tested annually or semi-annually did you choose a lot number out of random or did you do a composite sample of all lot numbers?
Thanks,
Random lot. I shudder to think about trying to create a composite sample from a year's worth of retained samples of all lot numbers produced...
We do an annually test for each variety by taking a core sample from the first Bin that is going to be used for processing, and now have a customer that wants one for each set of bookings.
We are also in the grain industry. We take a sample from every incoming truck during harvest. We then make a composite sample from these and run heavy metals/pesticide test annually. A little extra work splitting the composite down from all the growers but we feel it is better than a random sample for catching any issues.
Hi,
we are having implemented risk-based:
a) talking to and discussing the supply chain risk with raw material suppliers and getting their monitoring results on regular basis (as results or as summary report) (in most, but not all cases)
b) doing a monitoring test (risk based e.g. 1x/2x/4x or each second or third delivery), but these are "lucky samples" even if they are taken statistically from delivered batch.
c) running an effective issue monitoring program
e.g. Fipronil in eggs
We have had in Germany a nicotin case in 1996, another in 2006 and now the fipropnil case (-> always directed to red mites). Nicotin we monitor directly. "All" (500+ package) we analyse randomly. 1x or 2x/a. Fipronil and metabolites as well as Amitraz were included (but we didn't know that, because we bought the packages where selection was done by the lab). In the governmental setup fipronil was not included. In our discussion with our suppliers we only addressed nicotin.
Last test was done in 11/2016 with < LOD. Good luck, bad luck? After 20th of July we were confronted with the crisis based on criminal energy which has presumably started already in mid 2016.
conclusion: Yes, doing monitoring as a single company is a "good luck" procedure. But I am shure that this case would have become much earlier public if many companies (supplier, customer) and the governmental organizations would monitor together. Supply chain protection for criminal activities is a common challenge for everybody involved in food industry.
Coming back to the reason, the red mites which is a real problem in this market. We have had now 3 crisis (we know about). There are about 12 substances which can be applied tio tackle the red mites. Obvious is that the monitoring should include these substances (and each "newcommer") in the monitoring program, isn't it?
This is one example, .........this is a continous process and in some cases I feel helpless in a global supply chain...but we aren't as long as we act not as a single and can see "a worldwide community".
Rgds
moskito