Cannery Risk Zoning Guidance for New Canning Facility

Hi Everyone, 

I am new to canning operations and I need help with the classification of risk zones in our facility. Our process is as follows:

1. Receiving live abalone
2. Shucking, trimming, rinsing and salting the abalone
3. Scrubbing and final trimming
4. Weighing
5. Manually filling cans with abalone and potable water
6. Manual clinching of can lids (cans are passed individually through a clincher)
7. Clinched product pass through an exhaust box to create a partial vacuum
8. Manual final seaming (cans are passed individually through a manually operated seamer)
9. Retorting
10. Cooling (by just parking the retort basket in an ambient area)
11. Oiling and ink jetting
12. Final packing in to corrugated cartons
13. Ambient storage
14. Dispatch

I would appreciate any help. 

Thanking you for your support. 

Hi TheronE

Welcome to the forums!    :welcome:

I don't have anything helpful for you, but I thought I would bump your post back up to the top in hopes someone else can be of help.

TheronE,

Do you mean any risk or something more specific? I can assume you mean hygienic zoning, and if this is the case I would insist all processes up to finished canning would be high risk, but I would have to see the process itself. It's difficult to assess from a 1000 ft but your retort process is I'm sure based on a target organism, starting microbial load, and Z, F-value, log reduction, etc. Poor hygiene, sanitation, or abnormal handling practices preprocess of course can cause pathogen outgrowth or other factors not anticipated by established controls.

Hi TheronE,

:welcome:

Welcome to the IFSQN forums.

If you look at BRCGS Global Standard Food Safety Issue 9 Section 4.3 Layout, product flow and segregation then the standard refers you to Appendix 2:

4.3.1 The site shall assess the production risk zones required for the products manufactured, processed or packed at the site, using the definitions in Appendix 2 of the Standard.

From BRCGS Appendix 2 Production risk zones – high risk, high care and ambient high care, I have quoted the relevant information and posted images of the relevant pages.

These production risk zones or areas are classified as:

Open product areas, consisting of:

• high risk (chilled and frozen)
• high care (chilled and frozen)
• ambient high care
• low risk

Enclosed product areas (e.g. warehouses and storerooms)

Non-product areas (e.g. canteens, laundries and offices).

BRCGS Risk Zones.jpg   122.14KB   0 downloads

Your zones will be low risk open product, and enclosed product areas.

Low risk

Products manufactured in this area include the following:

• products that are processed within the final container (e.g. canned)

BRCGS Standard Low Risk Zone.jpg   140.11KB   0 downloads

Note: 'The hygiene standards in such areas generally require greater emphasis on preventing foreign body and allergen contamination, although they will still need to be based on the risks associated with the specific products. Good manufacturing practices, including good process flow, are still expected.'

Kind regards,

Tony