Raw finished product and cooked finished product
Our company is thinking about getting into producing, storing and shipping raw finished product. We currently only produce cooked finished product. Does raw finished product and cooked finished product have to produced and stored separately? Could anyone share their experiences with this process? Any advice or any procedures that anyone could share would be much appreciated.
Hi Crabcake5,
SQF Edition 8 3.7.2.1. "Unprocessed raw materials shall be received and segregated to ensure there is no cross contamination"
I would recommend writing a process that specifies how your "new" raw materials will be received, stored, and segregated. I don't believe it needs to be a completely separate area, just a clearly labeled section of your current storage area would suffice.
What is (are) the product(s)?
the cooked product are RTE crabcakes and lobster cakes. the raw product would be a raw flounder or salmon fillet stuffed with or placed on top a crab spread.
Our company is thinking about getting into producing, storing and shipping raw finished product. We currently only produce cooked finished product. Does raw finished product and cooked finished product have to produced and stored separately? Could anyone share their experiences with this process? Any advice or any procedures that anyone could share would be much appreciated.
Hi crabcake,
As I understand both products are "processed" and fully enclosed by packaging, ie the chance of (finished product) BCP cross-contamination is approx. zero assuming no damage to cartons.
However there appears to be two different allergen labelling situations which may oblige appropriate segregation, perhaps depending on the relevant FS Standard ( which is ? )
RTE production lines/workers typically have to be physically segregated from raw but I'm sure you must be well aware of that already.
When I worked at a Seafood Distributor, they have freezers and fridges that had raw oysters on one side and RTE crabcakes on the other with other RTE products.
What charles said, cross contamination risk is minimal if they are properly sealed and segregated.
Labeling is also one thing. You need to properly label every single thing.
Another issue is Allergen cross-contamination. As you know flounder is a different allergen then let's say crab or lobster (fish-crustaceans), you do not want to store these together next to one another, especially on top of each other. Label them properly and train relevant employees on proper Allergen Management.
Total separation needed.
Presently working with a seafood company that decided to do the same type of thing.
My boos is looking for something that says it would have to be separated in the production area. Is it written or advised anywhere? They are wondering about costs before we commit to doing this process. I have looked over the seafood HACCP book and have web searches about the topic, I haven't found anything. I am honestly looking for documentation on why we shouldn't do it lol
My boos is looking for something that says it would have to be separated in the production area. Is it written or advised anywhere? They are wondering about costs before we commit to doing this process. I have looked over the seafood HACCP book and have web searches about the topic, I haven't found anything. I am honestly looking for documentation on why we shouldn't do it lol
It's RTE food 101
eg BRC8 -
Where high-risk areas are part of the manufacturing site, there shall be physical segregation between
these areas and other parts of the site. Segregation shall take into account the flow of product, the nature
of the materials (including packaging), the equipment, the personnel, the disposal of waste, the flow of
air, the air quality, and the provision of utilities (including drains). The location of transfer points shall not
compromise the segregation between high-risk areas and other areas of the factory. Practices shall be in
place to minimise the risk of product contamination (e.g. the disinfection of materials on entry).
SQF -
4.7.4.1 The processing of high risk pet food shall be conducted under controlled conditions such that sensitive
areas in which high risk pet food has undergone a “kill” step, a “pet food safety intervention” or is subject to post
process handling, are protected/segregated from other processes, raw materials or staff who handle raw materials
to ensure cross-contamination is minimized.