Product cooling (RTE) in an ingredient storage area
Hi all,
I work in a USDA and FDA Bakery (different products fall under separate jurisdiction). We bake product on trays in double racks, and then the product, still in the racks, undergoes cooling in 2 stages. During the second stage, we transfer the racks into a cooler in the warehouse. This cooler is also used to store RTE meats, boxed and palletized, and raw flours, bagged, palletized and wrapped in plastic.
Here's what we do: cover the racks housing RTE food (that will undergo no further kill step) for transport through the warehouse, then remove the covers for cooling inside the cooler.
The cooler is quite large and has plenty of space for racks in the center. There is no concern for overhead contamination, as all condensation is contained in a closed system. The cooler floor is kept clean and dry. I have conducted a risk assessment (attached) of the situation and I believe the risk is both minimal and within acceptable limits.
My question to members is this: Have you been in a similar situation? Did inspectors or auditors give you any trouble? Is there anything that stands out to you that I may have missed?
Thank you!
We don't co mingle and have a cooler designated for just the one thing with covers left in place.
We pre empt'd any issues with auditors based on another facility that I consulted with after they got slammed for co mingling without covers in place.
I had a similar situation with baked RTE quiches on racks that had to be stored in a cooler to bring them down to <=40F with in a prescribed time. We did not cover the racks, as they moved about 10 feet from the post cook area to the cooler. A cover would have slowed down the cooling, as they contained eggs this was not acceptable. We did, however, pull everything out of the cooler weekly and give it a full clean with chlorinated alkaline foaming cleaner, and a sanitizing rinse. We had designated colored smocks right outside the cooler you were required to put on before entering the cooler, which were replaced daily.
We also had a listeria swabbing program for the cooler, which covered the drain, the area underneath the cooling unit, and random areas on the floor and walls (close to the floor). It worked very well, never had any hits in the cooler.
Because of the eggs in the quiches, it sounds like our product was likely higher risk than yours. Did you do a risk assessment of the drain in the cooler, in case it's not always completely dry? We did have concerns about the cooler unit developing drips, possible freezing up in hot weather, etc..
Hi brookerehberg,
It would appear that your warehouse is an open product area for your baked products and that doesn’t sound like a good idea. Ideally you need to have a separate cooler for baked/RTE.
You mention raw flour, surely that can’t be stored in a cooler?
Kind regards,
Tony
We don't co mingle and have a cooler designated for just the one thing with covers left in place.
We pre empt'd any issues with auditors based on another facility that I consulted with after they got slammed for co mingling without covers in place.
I had a similar situation with baked RTE quiches on racks that had to be stored in a cooler to bring them down to <=40F with in a prescribed time. We did not cover the racks, as they moved about 10 feet from the post cook area to the cooler. A cover would have slowed down the cooling, as they contained eggs this was not acceptable. We did, however, pull everything out of the cooler weekly and give it a full clean with chlorinated alkaline foaming cleaner, and a sanitizing rinse. We had designated colored smocks right outside the cooler you were required to put on before entering the cooler, which were replaced daily.
We also had a listeria swabbing program for the cooler, which covered the drain, the area underneath the cooling unit, and random areas on the floor and walls (close to the floor). It worked very well, never had any hits in the cooler.
Because of the eggs in the quiches, it sounds like our product was likely higher risk than yours. Did you do a risk assessment of the drain in the cooler, in case it's not always completely dry? We did have concerns about the cooler unit developing drips, possible freezing up in hot weather, etc..
I am hoping this situation is temporary (less than 6 months). We don't have a drain in the cooler floor, and we follow a similar sanitation and EM program to you, OrRedFood, without the foam. Our product contains RTE meat in addition to the baked component. Can I ask what GFSI scheme you use? We are SQF.
I am hoping this situation is temporary (less than 6 months). We don't have a drain in the cooler floor, and we follow a similar sanitation and EM program to you, OrRedFood, without the foam. Our product contains RTE meat in addition to the baked component. Can I ask what GFSI scheme you use? We are SQF.
We were under SQF as well. We also had USDA in the plant daily, and they oversaw this process as well. We didn't have enough meat in our quiches to trigger the requirement for USDA to be there during production, but they were always there nonetheless.
Hi brookerehberg,
It would appear that your warehouse is an open product area for your baked products and that doesn’t sound like a good idea. Ideally you need to have a separate cooler for baked/RTE.
You mention raw flour, surely that can’t be stored in a cooler?
Kind regards,
Tony
Hi Tony,
From what I have been told, storing flour in coolers is a common practice (in our area at least, where summer temps are very high). The bags are double-lined and not stored for longer than 45 days, and we've had no moisture issues thus far. We are planning to build another freezer space for our RTE product to cool in, these would be considered temporary or overflow conditions. What do you see being the unacceptable risk if the sausage and flour is fully contained?
Thank you!