Welcome to HACCP Mentor Review where in this episode we discuss the best method to test your metal detector, maintenance hygiene checks, approved supplier HACCP certificates, members of the HACCP team along with the top food recall and food poisoning outbreak.
This Episode:
00:00 – What’s in this episode
00:20 – Who should be on the HACCP team
00:54 – Maintenance Hygiene Checks
01.33 – Action of the Week – Approved Supplier HACCP Certificates
01:50 – Food Recall Wrap-up
02:29 – How do you test your metal detector
03:41 – Food Poisoning Outbreak
04:07 – Share this Video
Welcome
Welcome to HACCP Mentor Review – I am Amanda Evans and in this episode we discuss:
Maintenance Hygiene Checks, Who should be on your HACCP team, How to test your metal detector, Approved Supplier HACCP certificates along with the food recall and food poisoning wrap-up.
Who should be on the HACCP Team
This may be surprising to some, but the HACCP team should consist of a good cross section of representatives not just from quality but also from production, sales, procurement, distribution, maintenance and cleaning. If you have differing production lines, sub-groups may be useful to capture specific line responsibilities and issues. If you happen to contract a food consultant, they are not considered to be the HACCP team.
Maintenance Hygiene Checks
This next item should serve as a reminder of the importance of hygiene checks after the completion of maintenance activities. A Hungry Jacks store located in Perth Australia, has been recently fined $75,000 by the local magistrates court after a woman nearly chocked after consuming an onion ring that had a 1.5cm piece of metal in it. The majority of GFSI standards require that cleaning, inspection, clearance and hand-back procedures be documented and implemented after the completion of all maintenance work within a food production area.
Action Item of the week
Our action item this week is to go and check that HACCP certifications for your approved suppliers are up-to-date and current. If you find some certificates are close to expiry, make a note in your calendar or diary to follow up ASAP.
Food Recall Wrap Up
The standard undeclared allergen recalls have occurred again this week but I also note an unusual reason for a food recall. Humphrey’s Market in Springfield Illinois, USA initiated a recall due to products produced without benefit of inspection. Frozen, ready to eat (RTE) and raw poultry products are the subject of this particular food recall. Not really sure how product can get produced these days without any inspection activities.
How do you test your metal detector? 
The most common method of testing a metal detector (that I see) is to place the test piece on top of the food product and run it through the metal detector. It is one of those methods that I constantly challenge because in my opinion I consider it not be reliable.
In every audit that I complete, I ask the food handler or operator to place the test piece in the actual product and then run it through the metal detector. Nine times out of ten, the metal detector will not pick up the test piece when inserted directly into the product. I also like to embed different types and sizes of metal into the product to see if the metal detector reacts.
I think a lot of food companies rely on this end product testing and also use the metal detector as a ‘control measure’ for metal contamination. Look at the capabilities of the actual machine and see if it will indeed mitigate the risk of the metal hazard in your final product. Your hazard analysis should at least be based on the equipments capability.
Food poisoning Outbreak
Our food poisoning of the week comes from Australia where at last count (18 January 2013) eighteen (18) cases of listeria infection have been reported nationally. Two (2) deaths have resulted due to the infection in addition to a miscarriage from a NSW woman. Acting Chief Health Officer for Victoria, Dr Michael Ackland reported that illnesses have been linked to batches of cheeses manufactured by Jindi Cheese.
Share this video
That wraps it up for this edition. Feel free to share this video and don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more HACCP Mentor videos like this.
Thanks for watching, I am Amanda Evans from HACCPmentor.com.
Do we place the test standards in the ascending order of sensitivity while testing all the three standards together?
It doesn’t really matter what order you do the test.
I’m looking for published verification test procedure. In specific why we test each test bar three times verses once.
This would normally come from the supplier of your metal detector. Please contact them for verification methodology.