New Products Sieve and Filter set up
I am new to using sieves and filters and a customer audit has highlighted we dont have a defined procedure for setting the minimum filter sizes for new products, historically they have relied on staff experience.
Does anyone have a porcedure thay can share and I can adapt, we produce both dry powders and liquids.
regards
John
From my limited experience on this, it depends on your product and what defined limit you would set based on that product. (i.e. what is he smallest size you would want to pass through and find acceptable) It also has to deal with what size you can go to that wouldn't also affect the lines/equipment you use it on. For instance too fine, may end up holding the product back in the line and create an issue for you there (clog, back-up, etc.). I would reach out to the sieve and filter manufacturer and work with them. Also, staff experience can be valuable as they would know the limitations of the equipment/lines in terms of how fine you could go. You should be able to work together to figure out what size best suits you, formalize it and then move forward with documenting and adopting.
Again, my experience is limited, so someone on here may have a much better perspective.
A risk analysis of your product/process may reveal what the expected size of FM hazard could be. Ask yourself: what types of FM can I reasonably expect to see in these products? And how fine of a mesh would I need to prevent them? And would a mesh of this size then affect product quality in any way, by being -too- fine (as Scotty_SQF mentioned)? It's ok to use staff experience to help with the risk analysis, they of course would be familiar with the history of FM incidents and potential sources of the hazard. The issue the auditor likely had is that the process can't simply end there. Your PCQI or HACCP trained staff should absolutely be involved in making decisions related to foreign material control. The risk analysis should be documented so that the reasoning behind your decision goes on record. From there a procedure can be drafted based on your decision.
Hehe yes staff is the way they go at the moment they take a quick look and just throw out a size :)
Hehe yes staff is the way they go at the moment they take a quick look and just throw out a size :)
Yes, that would certainly be an issue! Generally, the FM risk associated with your process should be consistent. The same risks should be present each time you run, unless something else deviates upstream. That's why it makes sense to use a particular mesh size each time, because you'll always be looking to mitigate a particular FM risk. Changing mesh sizes on a whim can indicate that the FM risks involved are not well understood.
I am being lazy hoping someone had done the work for me lol