Control measures for heavy metals and pesticides in the reception of olives

Good day all,we are we are an olive oil crushing industry, Now we are in progress of Food Safety certification program, my question is what are the possible control measures for the control of heavy metals and pesticides during the reception of the olives .

Thanks in advance.

hi, HADR.

First, is to check the implementation of management of purchased material which means that:

1. Source from reputable supplier (which means that they apply good agricultural practices)

2. Audit the system of that supplier

3. Establish confidence level

4. Have what you require in specification

5. Monitor the performance

Depending on the above you may need to check for HM and Pesticide for every delivery, however this may not be sustainable and you also need the risk that you will be taking (as this will rely on sampling). Should you able to establish /manage by PRP, then you may opt to have less frequency of test (due diligence)

I would be asking for a COA for each shipment as part of the  vendor agreement if the pesticide and heavy metals are of great concern

But make sure you know what tolerances and testing methods that they lab they are using follows

 

thanks SCAMPI 

the problem that the suppliers are farmers and can not provide us with COA for each shipment  of raw material 

Also the analysis of pesticides and heavy metals are too expensive and the storage time of the olives should not exceed 24 hours 

 

Hi Hadir,

As per previous Posts, this is all about Supplier Control/Approval.

No idea about Tunisian Resources but the type of (environmental) topic you are querying has often been studied by Official Bodies like  Public Health Authorities (or Local Equivalents). You maybe need to do a little background research.

(If yr Industry has a representative "Trade Organisation," the latter would be a logical starting point).

thank you charles

You would have to have analysis done to determine if the area where the crop is grown has soil that is heavily laced with heavy metals and then you could use a supplier contract for that farm(s) only

As for pesticides, you could come to an agreement about which ones and how often they are applied and when (some pesticides need a 21 day interval before harvest as an example)

If you really are that concerned, i would suggest spending the money to have some analysis done

https://www.research...tamination_risk

https://www.research..._Acid_Digestion

https://www.semantic...e4d68deec1f2b51