Process descriptions: What to consider when developing for your production steps

Process descriptions or process narratives are a fantastic way to show what happens at each step in your food production or handling process. In this post, find out questions you need to be asking to ensure you can develop a useful and comprehensive process description.

What is a process description?

A process description seeks to explain what happens at a step in your process. It describes the equipment used, the purpose of the step, any interactions with people and raw materials or products involved. For the unfamiliar, it serves to provide a relatable narrative without physically witnessing the step in operation.

The relationship to food safety hazard identification

When we have a better understanding of what happens at each step in our process, we can better identify potential hazards that can occur. For example, say we want to evaluate the ‘mixing’ step for potential food safety hazards. If an open mixing bowl is used, we will need to consider:

• environmental hazards like pests, overhead lighting, dirt / dust.
• If the mixing bowl is mechanical and made from metal, we will need to consider metal as a physical hazard and machine lubricants as a chemical hazard.
• biological hazards like Salmonella, E.Coli or Hepatitis A, if food handlers handle the product during this step
• cleaning chemical residue if the bowl has not been rinsed correctly during the sanitation process
• cross-contact with allergens, different food types processed

Looking through a different lens

If you have a HACCP based food safety program or a food safety plan based on the requirements of the FSMA Human Foods Rule implemented in your business it is a requirement to identify and assess potential biological, chemical, allergenic, and physical hazards at each step in the process.

However, when you are assessing the same step for hazards relating to intentional adulteration, you will be looking at different aspects of the step under evaluation and in a different context.

Possible questions to answer about the step under evaluation

To get you started in formulating your process descriptions here are some questions to answer:

• Is there a piece of equipment used at the step under review?
• Is the equipment open or an enclosed system?
• What is the equipment made of? e.g. metal, glass, wood, plastic
• Do you need multiple people to operate the piece of equipment or just one person?
• Are different foods processed on the equipment that have different allergen profiles?
• How is the equipment cleaned and to what level? e.g. after each use, each production
• Can an attacker touch the food at the step under evaluation?
• Is the step hidden or out of view from other workers?
• Are there alarms or indicators that would trigger if someone tried to directly access the product to cause contamination?
• Is the step located in a secure room?
• Is the step located under any lighting, conveyors, platforms or stairways?
• Is there perimeter space around the step?
• Who has access to the step?
• Are food handlers required to handle to food with their bare or gloved hands?

An example of a process description

This example is taken from the FSPCA Human Foods training course. The step under review is ‘Measure ingredients’.

Here is another example from one of my recent consultancy projects. This was for the step of ‘Pre-pack Storage’ and covers different products that get processed at the same step.

Wrap up

In summary, process descriptions or narratives are an essential tool in understanding each step of the food production or handling process. To ensure a comprehensive and useful process description, it is essential to ask the right questions, such as what, how, when, where, and who. By doing so, you can identify and address potential risks and hazards, leading to safer and higher quality food products.