What does Clause 4.4.6 mean in the BRC Food Standard?

Dear BRC users,

What does this sentence mean?

"4.4.6 Product contact liners (or raw material/work-in-progress contact liners) shall be appropriately coloured to prevent accidental contamination."


Anyone can help?

Dear Jesamin
I think you should separate areas with different Barriers (may be coloured lines, or Zonning by any barrier) according to the level of its hazard. for example, the reciving Raw material area should be separated to avoid cross contamination with the production area.

Dear Jessamine,

It may depend on what you are doing – a second possibility is that “liner” often refers to packaging material which in this specific case may be colored so as to prevent / minimise cross- contamination; for example if bulk raw material is acquired in large cardboard outer cartons with inner plastic sheets (liners), these are often preferred to be colored, eg blue, so that any breakage and/or subsequent contamination during further handling / re-processing is more readily detected. Similarly for internal production where a semi-finished product is stored for later re-processing.

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear Jessamine,

It may depend on what you are doing – a second possibility is that “liner” often refers to packaging material which in this specific case may be colored so as to prevent / minimise cross- contamination; for example if bulk raw material is acquired in large cardboard outer cartons with inner plastic sheets (liners), these are often preferred to be colored, eg blue, so that any breakage and/or subsequent contamination during further handling / re-processing is more readily detected. Similarly for internal production where a semi-finished product is stored for later re-processing.

Rgds / Charles.C

I agree with you Charles "liner" in this case is a plastic bag box liner, which is usually coloured "blue" so that it's more difficult to contaminate food product as oppose to a clear plastic liner.

Do you use liners in your process Jessamine?

Regards,
Simon

Thank you fellows.

Let me rephrase to make sure that there is no misunderstanding. You mean “liner” is the inner packaging material or primary packaging material that may contaminate food during handling or reprocessing, so it will be better if it is colored.

Actually my process has two kind of packaging: the 1st one is a cardboard with inner plastic “liner” as you have explained , the 2nd is hard plastic container.

According to your explanation in the 1st case we have liner and the 2nd we don't have. Right?

Jessamine

Dear Jessamine,

I think an answer will depend on yr process. Although a common example of a “liner” is a plastic inner sheet around the product, the intention of this BRC clause may be to prevent contamination from inner contact packaging in general which due to yr process may have a significant risk of re-appearing in the finished product.

Any BRC auditors around ??

Rgds / Charles.C

added - these comments also may apply of course to yr finished product depending on what further actions will be required by the receiver.
If you are interested in an example of another variety of "liner" can try this -
http://www.packaging...jects/peterson/

Dear All,

Yes, plastic liners are the piece of plastic that you may spread it on the tray and then place your products (meat, bakery products and etc) on it. BRC would like us to use the coloured plastic to prevent the contamination.

NY.

Hi all,

Just would like to know intent of this clause. Does this clause concern on the risk of physical hazards ? not biological hazards.

Hi all,

Just would like to know intent of this clause. Does this clause concern on the risk of physical hazards ? not biological hazards.

The intent of this clause is to minimise the risk of physical contamination from a fragment of the liner. For example if the liner is blue it can be seen more easily in a food product than if it were transparent.

Regards,
Simon