10 replies to this topic

[randomcoffeelover]

Hello! I'm sure I need to spend some time digging through this wonderful forum but off chance someone here could help to point me in a more precise direction (@Charles C?) -I'm based in the UK and am trying to open a specialty coffee roastery. Full disclosure, my husband roasts and but I'm the one attempting to sort out all the paperwork from legal, environmental and operational point of view - have no industry knowledge so much of what I need (most?) for the HACCP document is deep dark woods for me but I'm learning. Nevertheless, may I ask what would you recommend to include in the "manual" to address the major hazard areas (as I'm told by the EHO chap) such as: - toxins: bacteria, moulds, aflatoxins, other microbiological organisms etc. - which ones are the ones to list, how to measure them, with what, what are the ranges, what's the permitted deviation if any, source to validate and quote any numbers used? I've zero idea what I'm meant to highlight here at CCP and preventative action to take. - chemical contamination: is there anything specific that i would need to list? Common sense dictates don't have any external chemicals near your green coffee beans, but is there anything industry-specific that i should know and therefore address please? Apologies in advance for dumb questions, which some I'm sure are, I'm just trying my best to put 'something' sensible together.- physical contamination: I can think of stones and metals but i wonder if i need to have measures in place (screens, metal detector) if our bean provider has checks for these as their CCP already? Our council are being very cryptic of what they want to see addressed, so their help is as good as none. And would chipped fingernails be a CCP? Seems ludicrous to even mention it but I will include it under general personal hygiene. - allergen contamination: is there any to worry about?! I wasn't sure what EHO meant by this. I suppose don't eat peanuts before touching green coffee and not washing hands... Joking but not joking??He was also quite adamant I get an accredited lab to do a microbiological test as well as show moisture levels, water activity, pH levels (!?), and if I decided to buy necessary measuring instruments myself, to indicate acceptable values and reference source. EHO also stressed importance of traceability and recall procedures, as well as additional procedures to ensure that entire HACCP framework is operating as it should.  Frankly, I'm at loss on all those points. Do you know of any sources of reference that I could use? Or maybe someone has a similar HACCP document that I could have a look at and maybe use some of the information to build onto? I realise it's different for each company, but surely chemical, biological and physical hazard CCP (topic- and measurement-wise) are the same for everyone in the coffee roasting business? And finally, perhaps separately, if I were to spend money and buy all the instruments myself (everything is self-funded ), what exactly do I need to think about please? On my list I have: 

 

- trade approved precision scales

- colour meter as an independent roast quality assessment tool (to be used alongside Artisan)

- moisture meter

- ?? What else i'm missing that's "A MUST HAVE"? 

 

​Do you guys use any other tools and what for? I read about salmonella strips (will look into it), what else I should be purchasing, gadget or H&S wise? 

 

Finally, sorry this is so incredibly long - i just don't have anyone to ask! - if i'm a small roaster with one machine situation in a garage adjacent to home and selling exclusively online, do you think I need to write a risk procedure manual too? Say, identify possible risk - loose cables. Corrective action - ensure there are no loose cables lying around and becoming a trip hazard. Verification - check for loose cables before starting work every time. 

 

THANK YOU so much in advance. I appreciate all of your help in advance.

 

​Cheers,

Cynthia (from a major new lockdown in UK!)

[randomcoffeelover]

Oh and one more thing, he also wanted a lab test done to determine BBE date i'll be putting on the label... another seemingly ridiculous and very expensive ask. How do micro roasters determine their BBE? Does everyone go via lab, really? I genuinely doubt. All these lab tests would only show results for that one roast and that one batch, and will not apply across the board, so i'm perplexed why it's being suggested. THANKS AGAIN! 

[Charles.C]

Hi Cynthia,

 

Thanks for yr kind mention and the interesting Post.

 

I'm not in UK but I deduce yr immediate objective is to "compile" documentation which will satisfy an EHO evaluation/audit ?

 

TBH I would anticipate that the detailed expectations for EHO are somewhere laid out for free study ? For example see the (EHO-related) file cf2 attached which is old but admirably concise/informative (note hazard analysis is absent). I don't know if such brevity is long gone in current times. Can compare cf1 to the more analytically detailed cf3

 

Several UK posters regularly post on this Forum and hopefully someone can give more accurate info. on current legal/EHO requirements than I.

 

Regardless, I predict the effort required will critically depend on yr own/(freely?)available technical background(s), particularly in Food Safety/HACCP

 

Also please note that various (paid) FS-related Packages are available on this Forum which IIRC range from GMP/basic haccp programs up to GFSI-recognised Standards.

 

With respect to coffee, for starters you might have a look at this recent thread which may/may not relate to yr specific operation (?) -

 

https://www.ifsqn.co...ng/#entry153913

(Post 10 is the results of a "coffee" search through older Forum threads)

 

I also located file cf1 which is a detailed coffee haccp study but contains a rather crude hazard analysis. You can see how crude by comparison to the layout in the excel example in this post -

 

http://www.ifsqn.com...ge-7#entry50651

 

I hope the above will enlighten somewhat.

 

PS - if you wish to study a "primer" on basic haccp can try this recent post -

 

https://www.ifsqn.co...ll/#entry168743

 

PPS - I also noticed a quite informative section on coffee processing in this book (accessible on Google) -

Food Safety Management: A Practical Guide for the Food Industry,Motarjemi

 

P3S - https://www.ncausa.o...KU/NCAFSMAFSPGC

(But see next Post)

 

 cf1 - FS Manual - Coffee.pdf   2.66MB   114 downloads

 cf2 - HACCP Plan template ( cooked meat pie).pdf   63.4KB   53 downloads

 cf3 - haccp study (meat pie).pdf   203.48KB   43 downloads

Edited by Charles.C, 06 January 2021 - 01:19 PM.
added

[Scampi]

To add to Charles' list

 

https://www.ncausa.o...-Plan-Templates  which is quite recent

 

https://perfectdaily...offee-roastery/  For health and safety info

 

My husband is maintenance manager at a coffee roaster and they successfully obtained and maintain SQF   any specific questions-I may be able to ask him 

 

Good luck--there are tons of resources online re: HACCP and specific to coffee roasting---you just need to dig a little!

[Charles.C]

To add to Charles' list

 

https://www.ncausa.o...-Plan-Templates  which is quite recent

 

https://perfectdaily...offee-roastery/  For health and safety info

 

My husband is maintenance manager at a coffee roaster and they successfully obtained and maintain SQF   any specific questions-I may be able to ask him 

 

Good luck--there are tons of resources online re: HACCP and specific to coffee roasting---you just need to dig a little!

 

Hi scampi,

 

Actually yr 1st link should be equivalent to my P3S but yours is better since the sub-link on my linked web page is broken. Not free though.

 

I agree there is a mass of stuff on the web.

[pHruit]

Hi Cynthia, welcome to the forum

Charles and Scampi have provided loads of great info to start with. I'd recommend reading through it at a slow pace - eventually it will stop looking like gibberish and start making sense

The challenge that you will have with EHO's is that they are primarily there to regulate you rather than advise you. They are generally helpful IMEX (although I know that not everyone shares that view ), but usually more so once you've got an established relationship and they can see you are making a positive effort and are heading in the right direction.
If it all remains somewhat baffling then there is a lot to be said for hiring a consultant - they'll be able to help you set up the key basic elements of your food safety systems and talk you through them, and you'll learn a lot from it as long as the consultant is good.

I know money is usually a significant factor for a new business, but even a couple of days will make a large impact given where you're starting from.

 

Nevertheless, may I ask what would you recommend to include in the "manual" to address the major hazard areas (as I'm told by the EHO chap) such as: - toxins: bacteria, moulds, aflatoxins, other microbiological organisms etc. - which ones are the ones to list, how to measure them, with what, what are the ranges, what's the permitted deviation if any, source to validate and quote any numbers used?

I haven't read through all of the attachments that the other members have kindly provided, but if they're not UK/EU specific then the most likely omission from them will be the applicable aflatoxin limits that your EHO mentioned. For roasted coffee beans (including ground roasted coffee beans) in the UK this is a limit of 5μg/kg for Ochratoxin A. This is set in EU Regulation (EC) 1881/2006.
(And yes, we're not in the EU any more but we have transferred this directly into UK regulation, at least for the time being).

 

 

Oh and one more thing, he also wanted a lab test done to determine BBE date i'll be putting on the label... another seemingly ridiculous and very expensive ask. How do micro roasters determine their BBE? Does everyone go via lab, really? I genuinely doubt. All these lab tests would only show results for that one roast and that one batch, and will not apply across the board, so i'm perplexed why it's being suggested. THANKS AGAIN! 

 

I suspect that most small roasters are simply using whatever the "industry standard" is - it's very common practice for small brands if their products are BBE rather than Use By dated. The idea of the BBE date is that it represents the length of time for which the coffee remains at its best, rather than a limit for it becoming a hazard, and thus putting a date that is too long on it is really only likely to result in people drinking coffee that tastes less good than it should - i.e. it's primarily a risk to your brand identity.

Lab tests for this type of thing are about providing you with indicative information faster than you could do it yourself - typically they store the product in a controlled environment at an elevated temperature, so that it ages faster than it would in normal ambient conditions, and from that you get data that can be used to infer the rate of decline of quality at standard temperatures.
Exactly how much useful information you'd get for a roast coffee I'm unsure, as it's not my area of expertise. You could have a chat with some of the labs that offer this type of service, to see what they think?

There are many options in this area, but I'd usually start with someone like Campden (https://www.campdenbri.co.uk/), Reading Scientific Services (https://www.rssl.com/), Eurofins (https://www.eurofins.co.uk/), or ALS (https://www.als-testing.co.uk/), solely on the basis that their size means they've got a lot of resources and a wide variety of expertise. It may not be a cheap undertaking, though...

 

I did get curious about the limiting factors and found a couple of links that may be useful for you on the shelf life question:

https://scanews.coff...coffee-staling/

https://ir.library.o...tions/th83m221c
 

[randomcoffeelover]

Hi Cynthia,

 

Thanks for yr kind mention and the interesting Post.

 

I'm not in UK but I deduce yr immediate objective is to "compile" documentation which will satisfy an EHO evaluation/audit ?

 

TBH I would anticipate that the detailed expectations for EHO are somewhere laid out for free study ? For example see the (EHO-related) file cf2 attached which is old but admirably concise/informative (note hazard analysis is absent). I don't know if such brevity is long gone in current times. Can compare cf1 to the more analytically detailed cf3

 

Several UK posters regularly post on this Forum and hopefully someone can give more accurate info. on current legal/EHO requirements than I.

 

Regardless, I predict the effort required will critically depend on yr own/(freely?)available technical background(s), particularly in Food Safety/HACCP

 

Also please note that various (paid) FS-related Packages are available on this Forum which IIRC range from GMP/basic haccp programs up to GFSI-recognised Standards.

 

With respect to coffee, for starters you might have a look at this recent thread which may/may not relate to yr specific operation (?) -

 

https://www.ifsqn.co...ng/#entry153913

(Post 10 is the results of a "coffee" search through older Forum threads)

 

I also located file cf1 which is a detailed coffee haccp study but contains a rather crude hazard analysis. You can see how crude by comparison to the layout in the excel example in this post -

 

http://www.ifsqn.com...ge-7#entry50651

 

I hope the above will enlighten somewhat.

 

PS - if you wish to study a "primer" on basic haccp can try this recent post -

 

https://www.ifsqn.co...ll/#entry168743

 

PPS - I also noticed a quite informative section on coffee processing in this book (accessible on Google) -

Food Safety Management: A Practical Guide for the Food Industry,Motarjemi

 

P3S - https://www.ncausa.o...KU/NCAFSMAFSPGC

(But see next Post)

 

cf1 - FS Manual - Coffee.pdf

cf2 - HACCP Plan template ( cooked meat pie).pdf

cf3 - haccp study (meat pie).pdf

 

Hello Charles, 

 

Thank you so much for your reply; i will look into all of that (and dig around for some more). From talking to people elsewhere, it seems our county EHO is extremely strict to say it nicely, and others did not have to go through the hassle we've been put through. No lab tests, no crazy long HACCP documents, so I feel l'll have to fight my corner a bit. The most difficult part at this stage is finding relevant technical information with no background or knowledge; there's a lot of stuff out there, here, other forums, SCA etc. but it all comes through a lense of also having to learn at the same time. 

 

I have not been able to come across any coffee roasting specific HACCP templates but there's a tool online provided by food safety agency that walks you through the major sections by way of asking to provide data/documents/proof not explaining expectations. So the search continues and I'm sure i'll get there at the end. Probably long way around and much later than anyone else would, but that's expected in my situation :)

 

Thank you so much for answering once again. I shall revert with more queries later if I have. 

 

All very best! 

[randomcoffeelover]

To add to Charles' list

 

https://www.ncausa.o...-Plan-Templates  which is quite recent

 

https://perfectdaily...offee-roastery/  For health and safety info

 

My husband is maintenance manager at a coffee roaster and they successfully obtained and maintain SQF   any specific questions-I may be able to ask him 

 

Good luck--there are tons of resources online re: HACCP and specific to coffee roasting---you just need to dig a little!

 

THANK YOU - i will have a look and might come back for more support You guys are best.

[randomcoffeelover]

Hi Cynthia, welcome to the forum

Charles and Scampi have provided loads of great info to start with. I'd recommend reading through it at a slow pace - eventually it will stop looking like gibberish and start making sense

The challenge that you will have with EHO's is that they are primarily there to regulate you rather than advise you. They are generally helpful IMEX (although I know that not everyone shares that view ), but usually more so once you've got an established relationship and they can see you are making a positive effort and are heading in the right direction.
If it all remains somewhat baffling then there is a lot to be said for hiring a consultant - they'll be able to help you set up the key basic elements of your food safety systems and talk you through them, and you'll learn a lot from it as long as the consultant is good.

I know money is usually a significant factor for a new business, but even a couple of days will make a large impact given where you're starting from.

 

I haven't read through all of the attachments that the other members have kindly provided, but if they're not UK/EU specific then the most likely omission from them will be the applicable aflatoxin limits that your EHO mentioned. For roasted coffee beans (including ground roasted coffee beans) in the UK this is a limit of 5μg/kg for Ochratoxin A. This is set in EU Regulation (EC) 1881/2006.
(And yes, we're not in the EU any more but we have transferred this directly into UK regulation, at least for the time being).

 

 

 

I suspect that most small roasters are simply using whatever the "industry standard" is - it's very common practice for small brands if their products are BBE rather than Use By dated. The idea of the BBE date is that it represents the length of time for which the coffee remains at its best, rather than a limit for it becoming a hazard, and thus putting a date that is too long on it is really only likely to result in people drinking coffee that tastes less good than it should - i.e. it's primarily a risk to your brand identity.

Lab tests for this type of thing are about providing you with indicative information faster than you could do it yourself - typically they store the product in a controlled environment at an elevated temperature, so that it ages faster than it would in normal ambient conditions, and from that you get data that can be used to infer the rate of decline of quality at standard temperatures.
Exactly how much useful information you'd get for a roast coffee I'm unsure, as it's not my area of expertise. You could have a chat with some of the labs that offer this type of service, to see what they think?

There are many options in this area, but I'd usually start with someone like Campen (https://www.campdenbri.co.uk/), Reading Scientific Services (https://www.rssl.com/), Eurofins (https://www.eurofins.co.uk/), or ALS (https://www.als-testing.co.uk/), solely on the basis that their size means they've got a lot of resources and a wide variety of expertise. It may not be a cheap undertaking, though...

 

I did get curious about the limiting factors and found a couple of links that may be useful for you on the shelf life question:

https://scanews.coff...coffee-staling/

https://ir.library.o...tions/th83m221c
 

 

Another huge THANK YOU - I think when i wrote the post i felt a little defeated (have a household to run and as small kid and an infant to look after too), some days my brain capacity is, well, low. Lack of sleep is amazing for that Jokes aside, much work for me to do. Thanks again guys, and i'll be in touch. 

[ermias]

To add to Charles' list

https://www.ncausa.o...-Plan-Templates which is quite recent

https://perfectdaily...offee-roastery/ For health and safety info

My husband is maintenance manager at a coffee roaster and they successfully obtained and maintain SQF any specific questions-I may be able to ask him

Good luck--there are tons of resources online re: HACCP and specific to coffee roasting---you just need to dig a little!

[ermias]

Hello Scampi,

Thank you for sharing those useful links. Could you please share the NCA templates as I am unable to view them?

Kind regards.