7 replies to this topic

[andrewmachon]

Hi all. We have a plan in place currently where we have to test canned food (mainly fruit and veg) for a vast array of parameters (heavy metal, pesticides etc ) but whilst the breadth of testing is OK for products being sent from Asia to Europe, the depth is disproportionate - resulting in hundreds and hundreds of samples being taken for testing. I'm looking for a comprehensive risk based tool which looks at past data, global food safety issues, with some data mining to include global and economic factors which may have an effect on the producer / raw material / finished product - so we can base our testing on data and sound logic rather than a very generic approach which is used currently. Would be great if anyone has suggestions, recommendations. Thanks for any help.

[Scampi]

How do you determine a lot?   Are the farmers GFSI certified to a farm food safety program?  Have you compared allowable pesticides and the residue levels by country you export too?

[andrewmachon]

How do you determine a lot?   Are the farmers GFSI certified to a farm food safety program?  Have you compared allowable pesticides and the residue levels by country you export too?

Thanks for your reply.

For every 3 container of canned food produced, the requirement is to test samples from 1. So for a 2000 container order .. that's a lot of samples. 

 

All suppliers are either IFS or BRC or both

 

All goods are exported from Asia to Europe and UK. 

[Scampi]

How was that decision made?  AQL calculator?  https://qualityinspe...hat-is-the-aql/

 

Does all product come with import certificates from the country of origin?  When you say containers, do you mean shipping containers, or cases or individual cans?

 

If I enter the unit number as 2000 the AQL sample size is down to 125 from your 665

 

What is your history of samples not meeting spec?

[andrewmachon]

How was that decision made?  AQL calculator?  https://qualityinspe...hat-is-the-aql/

 

Does all product come with import certificates from the country of origin?  When you say containers, do you mean shipping containers, or cases or individual cans?

 

If I enter the unit number as 2000 the AQL sample size is down to 125 from your 665

 

What is your history of samples not meeting spec?

Unfortunately I have only recently joined the company so have no insight on the decision .. but I've challenged it and now have to come up with a better way !

 

There are no import certificates. The factory is visited by our third party at first production and periodic intervals to check on factory compliance with the specification etc.

 

Containers are shipping containers - handpacked !

 

We have a fail rate of < 1% ( including quality fails also )

[Scampi]

I would call a container a unit assuming they are all from the same production lot, and use the AQL calculator link I had attached.  Then those units become a composite sample (meaning you send them all, but the lab mixes an equal amount from all units into 1) that is tested.   You're more likely to A) catch real issues as the mixture allows for higher counts that may be out of spec and B) reduce sampling time/cost

 

Are you sampling against the selling countries parameters?  are they different/same?

 

How is it that your importing product from another country without import documentation? (curiosity only on this one)

[andrewmachon]

I would call a container a unit assuming they are all from the same production lot, and use the AQL calculator link I had attached.  Then those units become a composite sample (meaning you send them all, but the lab mixes an equal amount from all units into 1) that is tested.   You're more likely to A) catch real issues as the mixture allows for higher counts that may be out of spec and B) reduce sampling time/cost

 

Are you sampling against the selling countries parameters?  are they different/same?

 

How is it that your importing product from another country without import documentation? (curiosity only on this one)

Thanks for your suggestion

 

So you mean take a sample from each of 125 containers. Send to lab and make 1 sample, then test it ? My only concern here would be if they find an out of spec result, then all 125 containers are potentially affected. Under the current plan, if there is an issue from the testing, only 3 containers need to be quarantined.

 

Sampling is done against 1 standard set of parameters - with legal and also some specific requirements

 

I guess there is import documentation but assume it goes with the shipment to the delivery point in Europe .. I haven't been there long enough to know all processes.  

[Charles.C]

Unfortunately this is a Book sized topic.

 

Sampling density depends on yr specific objectives/targets/specifications.

 

Most standardized methods, eg AQL, involve large numbers of samples. The AQL system does offer a Special Sampling option which gives much smaller samples but (obviously) with some tradeoffs.

 

You initially need to define yr quantitative requirements.