Expectations for supplier of glass jars to meet BRC 4.10.6.1?
What is the minimum you would require from a glass jar manufacture to meet the requirements of BRC 4.10.6.1?
Currently we purchase from a distributor and have very little information from the manufacture.
We package ready to eat jerky in these jars.
Thank you!
Isn't 4.10.6.1 more about your controls as the user of the glass jars?
Section 4.10 in general is about site control of foreign body risks.
Almost irrespective of what the manufacturer is doing, the intrinsic nature of glass is such that it can make its own foreign body hazards even between arriving at your site and reaching point of use.
How do you prepare the jars prior to use?
The interpretation guide is fairly clear on typical controls such as inversion / cleaning / inspection. And as it's BRC there is of course also an expectation of a procedure based on a risk assessment... ;)
Isn't 4.10.6.1 more about your controls as the user of the glass jars?
Section 4.10 in general is about site control of foreign body risks.
Almost irrespective of what the manufacturer is doing, the intrinsic nature of glass is such that it can make its own foreign body hazards even between arriving at your site and reaching point of use.
How do you prepare the jars prior to use?
The interpretation guide is fairly clear on typical controls such as inversion / cleaning / inspection. And as it's BRC there is of course also an expectation of a procedure based on a risk assessment... ;)
Thank you for your response! I am new to glass jars so please excuse my lack of knowledge surrounding their use.
Currently we are performing a visual inspection upon receipt and at point of use. That's it. Based on the interpretation guideline I believe we should be doing more.
Do you have any thoughts as to the microbiological status of the jars upon receipt? Is there something that we should be obtaining from the supplier in regards to sterility?
Again, thank you!
Not a problem - the purpose of the forum is to share knowledge; we all start out with a little and hope to gradually improve on it ;)
It does sound like a risk assessment is required to consider suitable controls. Visual inspection as a sole measure has its limitations - clear glass fragments within clear glass jars aren't necessarily going to be easy to see, and doing that type of work can be very monotonous such that it's very easy to lose focus/become blind to what you're actually supposed to be doing. A rotation system can help, so that no one is spending extended periods doing the same task, but looking at other types of controls you could implement is certainly worthwhile.
In terms of potential sterility, how are the jars actually supplied to you? I've seen a lot of glass packaging shipped without lids, just covered with e.g. plastic film or similar, so certainly wouldn't be sterile. For many sectors this isn't really an issue - lots of e.g. glass drinks bottles are washed and then used for either hot fill or in-bottle pasteurisation, so this cleans and then "sterilises" (or a close approximation thereto) at point of use. The manufacturer may not be expecting direct use without a cleaning step, so I'd discuss this with your supplier in the first instance.
Also to add to pHruit, make sure the glass is manufactured without heavy metals........you do not want things like cadmium in the mix.