Product Risk Zones - BRC issue 8
Hello Everyone
we are seafood processors and have IQF (Individually quick freezing) plant for raw shrimps and fish fillets, I am working on "product risk zones" identification for BRC, I used the decision tree for risk zones identification and identified our processing areas as follows
1. Raw ingredients and packaging materials stores and final cold storage as - Enclosed Areas
2. Raw material receiving and initial cleaning and washing - Low risk areas
3. Shrimp grading - Low risk area
4. treatment with additives - Low risk area
5. IQF freezing - Final processing step - High Care area
so over all our final product falls in criteria for "High care area" but the last point in decision tree says that product should be "ready to eat" or "ready to heat", where as our products are for further cooking and required full cook at the customer end. the other area left is "low risk" but our products are not full filling its criteria as well, so I am struck that what will be the area for our final product to be fit in. if anybody could help me on this, thanks in advance
Hello Everyone
we are seafood processors and have IQF (Individually quick freezing) plant for raw shrimps and fish fillets, I am working on "product risk zones" identification for BRC, I used the decision tree for risk zones identification and identified our processing areas as follows
1. Raw ingredients and packaging materials stores and final cold storage as - Enclosed Areas
2. Raw material receiving and initial cleaning and washing - Low risk areas
3. Shrimp grading - Low risk area
4. treatment with additives - Low risk area
5. IQF freezing - Final processing step - High Care area
so over all our final product falls in criteria for "High care area" but the last point in decision tree says that product should be "ready to eat" or "ready to heat", where as our products are for further cooking and required full cook at the customer end. the other area left is "low risk" but our products are not full filling its criteria as well, so I am struck that what will be the area for our final product to be fit in. if anybody could help me on this, thanks in advance
Hi Nazia,
I deduce yr finished product is frozen raw seafood.
Re - ^^^(red)
Step 4 of tree >>>> Yes >>>> Low Risk.
You presumably also have packing/storage steps. Equally (probably) Low Risk/Enclosed Product.
"Ready to heat" may be the same as further cooking/full cook?
I'm not from the seafood industry, so I may be talking out of turn here, but I would assume that the product would be High Care, simply because if you do not take all of the precautions required in a High Care area, and the consumer does not properly cook the product, there is the possibility of hazards getting through to the consumer.
The most obvious example of this was several years ago when there was an outbreak of salmonella from raw cookie dough that consumers chose to eat without actually cooking the dough.
You have to take into account people misusing your product.
Marshall
"Ready to heat" may be the same as further cooking/full cook?
I'm not from the seafood industry, so I may be talking out of turn here, but I would assume that the product would be High Care, simply because if you do not take all of the precautions required in a High Care area, and the consumer does not properly cook the product, there is the possibility of hazards getting through to the consumer.
The most obvious example of this was several years ago when there was an outbreak of salmonella from raw cookie dough that consumers chose to eat without actually cooking the dough.
You have to take into account people misusing your product.
Marshall
Hi Marshall,
It's an (IMO) stupid UK/European terminology -
Ready-to-eat means that food is pre-prepared and it can be eaten right from the tray. Ready-to-heat meals are pre-prepared meals that are already cooked and only need to be heated before eating. Ready-to-cook meals are typically raw ingredients that are pre-cut, seasoned and mixed, ready for the oven or grill
https://pluspack.com/situation
Note that the flowchart contains no cooking step and has the comment - <<<< our products are for further cooking and required full cook at the customer >>>>>.
BRC are IMO also likely to further bewilder people via Pg6 of this recent document -
f837-position-statements-for-issue-8-v4-31032021.pdf 302.02KB 14 downloads
(Hopefully, if a potential Retail pack, the labelling includes something like "must be cooked" and has cooking instructions)
Thanks everyone for your reply, now it is more clear to me. Charles I think you are right our final process area will be low risk as our products when sell in retail packs contain cooking instructions for full cook.