10 replies to this topic

[EJ2020]

Hi all, I am having trouble assigning risk to the various areas within the production site that I have started working on. I brought them through the decision tree but I am still struggling to fall cleanly into one definition. We also have areas that have mixed activities. I would appreciate any help with deciding the risk zones based on the following information. Areas in the site and activities/products: Zone 1: Coffee Roastery, completely segregated from any other part of production (I am assuming low risk) Zone 2: Hummus and Pesto production. The Hummus products are made using cooked chickpeas and also go through a HPP process after being produced. The pesto products do not have any kill step other than the basil being washed in a chlorine solution before use. Anything entering this area goes through a sanitation tunnel. From the decision tree, I came up with hummus as high risk and pesto as high care. They are both refrigerated products. I guess if they're sharing an area, I can only pick one zone risk i.e. high care? Zone 3: Bakery/Kitchen. This area produces a lot of different products. Some are baked like cookies but some are actually just assembled and packed like caramel squares. There is tempering of chocolate done and we create bars etc. but all products are packed and distributed ambient. Within this area, kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha are prepped before leaving the area to go to a warm fermentation room. As well as this, we make jams and marmalades within the same room. There is a lot going on in this one room and so I assume I assign its risk as the highest risk product requires even if the rules will end up being overkill for the likes of jam which is a stable product? Some of the ambient bakery goods are high enough in seeds and fats like 25% fat content so again I'm not sure where they fall in terms of stability.  Again, any guidance is welcomed as the BRC decision tree didn't help when it came to products that were somewhere in between their questions. Thanks! 

[SQFconsultant]

We are developing a location with multiple areas... low and high risk.

We made a decision to default to high risk as a blanket.

[Charles.C]

Hi all, I am having trouble assigning risk to the various areas within the production site that I have started working on. I brought them through the decision tree but I am still struggling to fall cleanly into one definition. We also have areas that have mixed activites.

 

I would appreciate any help with deciding the risk zones based on the following information. 

 

Areas in the site and activies/products:

 

Zone 1: Coffee Roastery, completely segregated from any other part of production (I am assuming low risk)

Zone 2: Hummus and Pesto production. The Hummus products are made using cooked chickpeas and also go through a HPP process after being produced. The pesto products do not have any kill step other than the basil being washed in a chlorine solution before use. Anything entering this area goes through a sanitation tunnel. From the decision tree, I came up with hummus as high risk and pesto as high care. They are both refrigerated products. I guess if they're sharing an area, I can only pick one zone risk i.e. high care?

Zone 3: Bakery/Kitchen. This area produces a lot of different products. Some are baked like cookies but some are actually just assembled and packed like caramel squares. There is tempering of chocolate done and we create bars etc. but all products are packed and distributed ambient. Within this area, kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha are prepped before leaving the area to go to a warm fermentation room. As well as this, we make jams and marmalades within the same room. There is a lot going on in this one room and so I assume I assign its risk as the highest risk product requires even if the rules will end up being overkill for the likes of jam which is a stable product? Some of the ambient bakery goods are high enough in seeds and fats like 25% fat content so again I'm not sure where they fall in terms of stability. 

 

Again, any guidance is welcomed as the BRC decision tree didn't help when it came to products that were somewhere in between their questions.

 

Thanks! 

 

Hi EJ,

 

I'm not sure if you fully understand the philosophy underpinning BRC's decision tree. It is appropriate, risk-based,  segregation.

 

Additionally certain types of food items are excludable from BRC's analysis with respect to high risk/high care tags..

[JohnFiggins]

Where you are unsure of the correct production zone it is best to refer to the full definitions within appendix 2 of the BRCGS Food Safety Standard. For each area high risk, high care, etc. there are a series of bullet points that must be met to decide if a specific product is appropriate to the area. It is important to consider all the areas as there may be specific features of the production which decide the production zone requirements for product.

 

The production zone will normally extend from the kill step (or micro-biological) reduction step until the product is enclosed and cannot be re-contaminated, for example, from the exit of the cooker until fully enclosed in packaging. Therefore, many sites that require high risk or high care production area will also have low risk or enclosed product areas, for example, raw materials that are handled prior to the cooking step may be in low risk, then there is a cooking step and the need for a high risk area on exit from the cooker, until the product is fully packed where the products enter an enclosed product area prior to dispatch.

It is also possible for a site to manufacture a range of products that require different production risk areas. For example, hot smoked fish is usually high risk since the hot smoking is also a kill step, but if the same site also manufactures cold smoked fish (uncooked) it will need a separate high care area.

 

Looking at some of the examples listed - for roast coffee have you checked the definition of ambient high care to ensure that there is no risk of re-contamination of the roasted coffee. If ambient high care is not appropriate then low risk is most likely.

Some products that are not cooked but have chlorine was or sanitisation (i.e. microbiological reduction step) these are likely to be high care but again check the definitions in appendix 2.

 

John.

[EJ2020]

Hi Charles, 

 

Can you explain what you mean here? Thanks!

 

Hi EJ,

 

I'm not sure if you fully understand the philosophy underpinning BRC's decision tree. It is appropriate, risk-based,  segregation.

 

Additionally certain types of food items are excludable from BRC's analysis with respect to high risk/high care tags..

[EJ2020]

Hi John, 

 

Thanks for getting back to me and for taking the time to write such an elaborate answer. I guess my main concern is that there is a kitchen that creates foods of all different risk categories so should I just assign that room as high care as a default to cover all angles, even though there are products that are lower risk in there? There is no space onsite to create a jam kitchen,  a baked goods kitchen, a kombucha kitchen and an un-baked snack goods kitchen. They are all different risk categories but share the room. So I was confused as to what to call that room when so much goes on in it! 

 

The blending room with hummus and pesto is easy as it is high care and only deals with weighing, blending, packing but as I said, the other room has so many activities, product categories, HACCP flow charts that I just am getting confused as to what it is!

 

Any feedback welcome!

 

Thanks.  

 

Where you are unsure of the correct production zone it is best to refer to the full definitions within appendix 2 of the BRCGS Food Safety Standard. For each area high risk, high care, etc. there are a series of bullet points that must be met to decide if a specific product is appropriate to the area. It is important to consider all the areas as there may be specific features of the production which decide the production zone requirements for product.

 

The production zone will normally extend from the kill step (or micro-biological) reduction step until the product is enclosed and cannot be re-contaminated, for example, from the exit of the cooker until fully enclosed in packaging. Therefore, many sites that require high risk or high care production area will also have low risk or enclosed product areas, for example, raw materials that are handled prior to the cooking step may be in low risk, then there is a cooking step and the need for a high risk area on exit from the cooker, until the product is fully packed where the products enter an enclosed product area prior to dispatch.

It is also possible for a site to manufacture a range of products that require different production risk areas. For example, hot smoked fish is usually high risk since the hot smoking is also a kill step, but if the same site also manufactures cold smoked fish (uncooked) it will need a separate high care area.

 

Looking at some of the examples listed - for roast coffee have you checked the definition of ambient high care to ensure that there is no risk of re-contamination of the roasted coffee. If ambient high care is not appropriate then low risk is most likely.

Some products that are not cooked but have chlorine was or sanitisation (i.e. microbiological reduction step) these are likely to be high care but again check the definitions in appendix 2.

 

John.

[Charles.C]

Hi Charles, 

 

Can you explain what you mean here? Thanks!

 

Hi EJ,

 

By Philosopy I meant that, minimally, one needs to read and understand BRC's concept(s) regarding High Risk/High Care Production Zones as enunciated in BRC Food Standard 8, especially -

 

(1) Section 8, Pgs 54-56, [58-60/117]

(2) Appendix 2, Pgs 89-93, [91-94/117]

 

BRC also publish a monograph which further elaborates/explains their Philosophy and which I believe is accessible via BRC Participate.

 

Essentially - 

 

(1)  Details BRC's operational requirements regarding the manufacture of HR/HC products. Particularly note the  BRC Principle -

 

The site shall be able to demonstrate that production facilities and controls are suitable to prevent pathogen contamination of products.

 

(2)  Gives Guidelines/Explanations, particularly microbiological aspects, for designating/implementing the Production Zones referenced  in (1) (eg see paras 8.1.1-.4). Particularly note -

 

The Standard identifies a number of different production risk zones within the processing and storage facilities which require corresponding levels of hygiene and segregation to reduce the potential for product contamination with pathogenic microorganisms. Identifying production areas in this way helps to ensure that the appropriate food safety controls are in place and to consider whether the movement of personnel and materials between these areas needs to be restricted

 

 

I suggest you first generate a comprehensive map/flowchart of the numerous processes/linkages referred in OP.  From yr OP I get the impression that various Processes which individually may involve either High Risk or High Care zones may be intermingled. This could have immediate segregational implications as per preceding comments.

[EJ2020]

Hi Charles, 

 

Thanks for coming back to me. I am struggling to get the guidance notes etc. from BRC as you need to have a BRC site code to access participate but I don't have one until I get BRC - which by that stage will be too late as I am trying to prep for BRC!

 

Ok so you mean that some of these activities may need to be separated or segregated in the room I mentioned that has tonnes of different flows? Eek this is bigger than I thought! I will start by writing down the flow diagrams for each product and go from there. Any more tips are welcome!

 

Thanks!

 

Hi EJ,

 

By Philosopy I meant that, minimally, one needs to read and understand BRC's concept(s) regarding High Risk/High Care Production Zones as enunciated in BRC Food Standard 8, especially -

 

(1) Section 8, Pgs 54-56, [58-60/117]

(2) Appendix 2, Pgs 89-93, [91-94/117]

 

BRC also publish a monograph which further elaborates/explains their Philosophy and which I believe is accessible via BRC Participate.

 

Essentially - 

 

(1)  Details BRC's operational requirements regarding the manufacture of HR/HC products. Particularly note the  BRC Principle -

 

 

(2)  Gives Guidelines/Explanations, particularly microbiological aspects, for designating/implementing the Production Zones referenced  in (1) (eg see paras 8.1.1-.4). Particularly note -

 

 

I suggest you first generate a comprehensive map/flowchart of the numerous processes/linkages referred in OP.  From yr OP I get the impression that various Processes which individually may involve either High Risk or High Care zones may be intermingled. This could have immediate segregational implications as per preceding comments.

[Charles.C]

Hi Charles, 

 

Thanks for coming back to me. I am struggling to get the guidance notes etc. from BRC as you need to have a BRC site code to access participate but I don't have one until I get BRC - which by that stage will be too late as I am trying to prep for BRC!

 

Ok so you mean that some of these activities may need to be separated or segregated in the room I mentioned that has tonnes of different flows? Eek this is bigger than I thought! I will start by writing down the flow diagrams for each product and go from there. Any more tips are welcome!

 

Thanks!

 

Hi EJ,

 

You may find the attachment in this post (and the thread itself)  informative but please note that attachment  is not the latest edition as emphasised/elaborated in Post 14, et al. The latter version afaik is accessible via BRC Participate. -

 

https://www.ifsqn.co...as/#entry146583

 

As I understand BRC Participate is accessible as an "investment".

[pHruit]

As I understand BRC Participate is accessible as an "investment".

Hi Charles,

BRCGS changed this - it's no longer available as a paid-for subscription, and is instead included in the revised "service fee" that is paid as part of the certification cost. It does mean that the system isn't generally accessible prior to certification, which is the point at which it would arguably be most useful.

Still, BRCGS is now very definitely a commercial entity, and they've got to still sell copies of the Interpretation Guides somehow...

[Charles.C]

Hi Charles,

BRCGS changed this - it's no longer available as a paid-for subscription, and is instead included in the revised "service fee" that is paid as part of the certification cost. It does mean that the system isn't generally accessible prior to certification, which is the point at which it would arguably be most useful.

Still, BRCGS is now very definitely a commercial entity, and they've got to still sell copies of the Interpretation Guides somehow...

 

Hi phruit,

 

Thks correction. I agree yr comment. The term "ridiculous" came to mind.