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This information can be used to develop food safety and quality programs that meet the requirements of modern Regulatory, Customer and Industry Standards:
When considering the development, documentation, and implementation of Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment within food safety and quality management systems, the following information should be considered to ensure effective outcomes:
Inaccurate equipment used to measure or test products or processes can compromise food safety regulatory requirements and the safety and quality of food products. Calibration programs are implemented to ensure measuring and testing equipment are accurate and capable of facilitating their intended requirements.
Calibration is a technique used to define the appropriate operational parameters of measuring and testing equipment. This is usually done in two steps:
Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment involves comparing the accuracy of such devices as compared to a reference device or a specially constructed and certified piece of calibration equipment. Calibration involves making many observations over the defined operational range to which the measuring or testing equipment will be subjected and comparing the outcome device’s reading to the true temperature value. The outcomes of calibration will allow assessment and verification of specific temperature measuring equipment as part of the Food Safety System. Calibration of temperature measuring equipment is essential to ensure that a device is performing accurately.
Depending on the type of equipment or device to be calibrated, it may be calibrated internally by the food business, or externally by an appropriate service provider. Calibration is commonly considered a component of the maintenance program.
Measurement and testing equipment devices that may require scheduled calibration include:
Additional devices include:
Calibration has the obvious benefit of determining whether or not your temperature measuring devices are registering a true temperature reading. For a food safety system to remain verified, it must use temperature measuring devices that can accurately measure the temperature of potentially hazardous foods to plus or minus 1 Degree Celsius or 1 Degree Fahrenheit. If you calibrate your thermometers internally within your food business, it is also important to ensure that the reference thermometer to which you compare other temperature measuring devices is accurate and frequently calibrated to recognized standards.
Whether monitored by external or internal parties, refrigeration plays a crucial part in any food safety program. The following protocols should be considered regarding the maintenance of refrigerated systems:
Calibration activities can generally be classed as either absolute or local, according to their methods:
Absolute calibration is when readings are systematically measured against an electronic instrument that has been calibrated according to controlled methods and against recognized standards. Governmental authorities around the world maintain the scientific standards relating to the calibrating of the calibration equipment itself. Absolute calibration is usually completed in a manner that is traceable to scientific standards and is indicative of a true result.
In some circumstances where it may not be possible to perform an absolute calibration, a local calibration, also known as a comparative test can be performed to ascertain the working accuracy of a measuring or testing device. The feasibility of such testing relies on the calibration of the equipment being used to compare measurements and the control of variables that may alter readings.
Requirements for laboratory testing equipment and materials should include:
Thermometers are perhaps the most commonly calibrated measuring and testing devices of the food industry. The following are examples of how to complete local calibrations for temperature measuring devices.
For ice point calibration, blend crushed ice with enough water to make a blended ice and water mixture for maintaining the ice point temperature. Stir the mix continuously and do not let the thermometer stem or sensing element touch the bottom or sides of the container during immersion. Allow the thermometer display to remain stable for a minute, and then read the temperature. The temperature should read 0 Degrees Celsius or 32 Degrees Fahrenheit.
For boiling point calibration, make sure the water is a rolling boil, and the vessel containing the boiling water is sufficiently deep enough to remain unaffected by air cooling. Place the stem of the thermometer probe into the center of the boiling water, do not touch the bottom or sides of the container. Allow the thermometer display to remain stable for a minute, and then read the temperature. The temperature should read 100 Degrees Celsius or 212 Degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that all necessary safety precautions are taken when adopting this method to prevent and avoid scalding.
For maximum accuracy, temperature measurements have historically been made with devices that directly contact food. Today, contact thermometers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and employ various technologies. One thing they all have in common is a contact surface, or probe, which actively senses the heat of food it touches. The sensor may be a liquid that expands and contracts; a bimetal, or combination of two different metals that expand or contract at different rates; a ‘thermocouple’ that generates a small voltage; or a thermistor that varies its electrical resistance, all in proportion to the applied heat. The sensor reacts and the temperature is indicated on a dial, gauge, or display.
The compact size of most of the devices enables them to be carried in users’ pockets, readily available to check the temperature of a variety of food items. Contact thermometers have several drawbacks, the largest of which is a delay in reaction time. For example, anyone who has waited for a final temperature reading from a meat thermometer knows that its response time can be slow.
Another problem with contact thermometers is the need to avoid cross-contamination. When taking multiple temperature measurements, users must clean and sanitize probes that come into contact with food, hands, and other surfaces that may transmit unwanted microorganisms to other food being checked. The use of infrared thermometers, however, avoids these problems.
Infrared or IR is the name given to a range of electromagnetic wavelengths longer than visible light but shorter than microwaves. Infrared technology is used extensively today, most notably in television remote controls. Infrared devices do everything from keeping French fries warm at fast-food restaurants to helping airborne rescuers locate crash survivors. The technology is well developed and, with advances in optics and electronics, it’s a technology that’s becoming more accurate and cost-effective for users. To measure a surface temperature, the user aims the Infrared Thermometer at the target food, presses a button, and reads the temperature display.
The device has an optical lens that collects the radiated infrared energy from the object and focuses it on the detector. The detector converts the energy into an electrical signal that’s amplified and displayed as a temperature reading. An infrared thermometer measures temperature by sensing the magnitude of radiated energy at infrared frequencies. Using this data and the actual temperature of the detector, the thermometer calculates the temperature of the surface that emitted the energy.
Since air is essentially invisible at Infrared frequencies, the infrared thermometer can measure food surface temperature without contacting food. This reduces the risk of cross-contamination. It also saves time by eliminating the thermal lag-time necessary when a contact thermometer’s probe must heat up or cool down after contacting food. As prices for quality Infra-Red thermometers have dropped, and have become affordable for most users, an increasing number of manufacturers are producing and selling thermometers with varying capabilities and limitations.
Non-contact Infrared thermometers are quickly becoming an integral part of Food Safety and Quality routines. Infrared thermometers quickly register a surface temperature, which facilitates general food safety system surveillance by allowing the scanning of numerous food temperatures over a short time.
Quality Infrared thermometers assure the greatest accuracy in the food critical zone called the Danger Zone, where harmful bacteria grow most rapidly. The term Danger Zone describes temperatures above 5 Degrees Celsius or 40 Degrees Fahrenheit and below 60 Degrees Celsius or 140 Degrees Fahrenheit. If potentially hazardous foods such as dairy products, seafood, meats, and eggs remain within this range for more than a short time, food-borne bacteria can multiply and create toxins that may cause food-borne illness if consumed. While food safety inspectors enforce adequate precautions, the owners, operators, and staff of a business bear the everyday responsibility of providing healthy quality food, which means awareness and a plan of action to ensure foods are kept out of the temperature danger zone.
Simple precautions and continuous monitoring will help ensure safe and healthy working and eating environments. A non-contact thermometer can assist you in taking food temperatures quickly and accurately. With an average half a second response time, you can take multiple readings in rapid succession. For example, you can scan a food service buffet to ensure hot and cold holding areas are at appropriate serving temperatures. Optimized for use with organic products and equipped with a better filter detector to look through water vapor more effectively, specialized Infrared thermometers cater to the requirements of the Food Service Professional. Quick, simple scans with an Infrared Thermometer save time and money by instantly locating potential problems.
As mentioned earlier, infrared energy is emitted from the surface of the food. However, the surface temperature of food is not always the same as its core temperature. Anyone defrosting or cooking a dense meal in a microwave oven is familiar with this property of food. There is a real danger in placing too much reliance on a surface temperature reading when the food at the core can remain in the danger zone.
Accuracy problems can also be caused when infrared thermometers are used in uncontrolled environments to measure low temperatures. When food approaches the freezing point of water, the low infrared energy emitted from its cold surface may be quite difficult for the optical detector to distinguish from the background environment. Coupled with thermometer optics that are more likely to be at a higher, room ambient temperature, there is a significant chance that inaccurate readings will be obtained unless the device is used precisely as intended by the manufacturer.
Steam or other vapor that comes between food and an Infrared thermometers’ optics can also cause erroneous readings as well, as can frost and food packaging materials. An inaccurate Infrared thermometer reading can also occur when a user takes a thermometer from the ambient temperature in one room and uses it in another room, without allowing the device to stabilize at the new ambient temperature. Known as thermal shock, this change in ambient temperature confuses the thermometer as it tries to produce a result while the temperature of the individual components of the optics is changing.
These and other potential limitations of use keep infrared thermometers from being accepted as enforcement tools. However, when used as intended, the devices provide quick, accurate temperature readings, making them sufficient and effective screening tools. If necessary, a reading by an Infrared Thermometer can be followed by measurement using a contact thermometer to check a food’s internal temperature. Typical applications for Infrared Thermometers include measuring surface temperatures of food in hot or cold food service buffets, where multiple consecutive readings of unpackaged, accessible food can be taken quickly. With this screening completed, the user can follow up with a contact thermometer whenever questionable readings are obtained.
Since users of infrared thermometers play a critical role in the proper and effective operation of the device, they must be adequately informed about the capabilities and limitations of the thermometer. Information is usually included with each thermometer, to help educate users about the device, including:
The calibration of fixed devices located in cool rooms and freezers may be completed using the following method in the nominated sequence:
Though this is a simple method for rating the accuracy of temperature measuring devices, scientifically based principles regarding the correct use of thermometers and other temperature measuring devices must be adhered to gain the most accurate results.
Calibration of these devices is important, particularly where the devices are used for hot holding. To verify the devices’ capability to hold foods at appropriate temperatures, records of calibration and servicing must be maintained. Due to the sensitive nature of the device’s operation and the associated potential for foods to become unsafe if not held at correct temperatures, it is vitally important that required repairs be carried out before the equipment is used again. Providers of external calibration services should be included within the approved supplier program.
Heating units may include:
A five-point calibration of the scales can be done by first zeroing the scale, then placing, in turn, the weight on each of the 4 corners of the scale platform and then in the middle. The read-out should be the same as the weight at all 5 points checked. An acceptable degree of accuracy is generally for the business or customer to decide, but plus or minus 1% of the weight of the unit being weighed is normally considered to be an acceptable tolerance.
It is also recommended at least annually, that all scales be calibrated by a certified external service provider. In this regard, it should also be noted that Fair Trading Laws in some countries and regions require that trade scales be externally certified by an accredited Service Provider. We recommend that you refer to your local Fair Trading Government website for specific requirements.
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment Development requirements in relation to their items.
Scales can easily be calibrated internally by using a standard weight reference. When choosing a standard weight reference to use, normally a weight similar to the product weight that the scales are used to measure is advisable. For example, you might use a 100 gram or ounce standard weight reference for a scale used to measure a 110 gram or ounce product. In this example, it would not generally be appropriate to use a 1000 gram or ounce standard weight reference for a scale used to measure a 110 gram or ounce product.
Internal calibration is recommended daily for food businesses manufacturing or selling products by net or gross weight within the retail sector.
Depending on the type of pH testing device being calibrated, it may either recognize the pH buffer automatically or perform the calibration adjustment automatically. Alternately, most pH units can also be adjusted manually to ensure they are accurate in their measurements.
It is generally considered best practice for pH meters to be calibrated before each session of use. Each pH testing device is slightly different in its accuracy, which also changes with the age of the device. Un-calibrated pH testing devices can give results that are not accurate; the outcome of which can potentially cause food safety hazards within products, particularly where acidity is used to control potential microbiological growth within foods. The calibration of pH testing devices is also commonly known as pH electrode calibration, as parameters set are not device-dependent, but electrode dependent.
The process of calibrating pH testing devices calibration procedure calls for use of two or three pH calibration buffers. These buffers are commonly liquids and have a controlled and known pH. To calibrate the pH testing device, the pH electrode is dipped into the pH calibration buffer and the displayed pH on the device being tested is adjusted to meet the known pH of the calibration buffer.
In the food processing industry, one of the most common foreign materials found in food is metal. Metal contaminants can be unintentionally introduced to food products and become a safety hazard to consumers. One approach to prevent the contamination of food products from metal is through the use of metal detectors.
Metal detectors can detect metal contaminants such as ferrous (Iron), non-ferrous (Copper, Lead, Brass), and Stainless steel.
Depending on the type of the metal detector, and the nature of operations, metal detection units are commonly calibrated by passing a ‘Standard Reference’ test piece through the device using a validated ‘best practice’ method. The sensitivity of the unit and the effectiveness of the detection systems are recorded.
The frequency of such calibrations is determined by risk assessment.
Dosing involves the mixing and application ratios and amounts of chemicals applied. The critical factor in ensuring foods will not pose any safety risk to consumers in this context is adhering to science-based mixing and application rates for chemicals. These ratios are usually defined within the chemical manufacturer’s instructions for use, in conjunction with best practice, regulatory, and industry requirements.
Mixing ratios are the dilution rate for chemicals, which are generally mixed with water for application. These are formulated on scientific data to ensure that the chemical application is not only successful regarding its intention but also to ensure that any risk for chemical contamination is controlled.
Application ratios define how much of the diluted chemicals are applied within a specific area, or onto a specific crop. These can be justified by the scheduled calibration of chemical application equipment, which may be documented on a Chemical Application Equipment Calibration Log.
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment Development requirements in relation to their items.
Document: A document provides guidance and/or direction for performing work, making decisions, or rendering judgments that affect the safety or quality of the products or services that customers receive.
Documented policies, procedures, work instructions, and schedules form the basis of any food safety and quality management system. The following documentation formats may be considered to ensure ongoing compliance with specified requirements for Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment Documentation requirements in relation to their items.
You may wish to visit the Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment Templates section of haccp.com for examples of Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment documentation, record, and resource formats commonly applied within food safety and quality systems.
Implementation: Implementation is the application of documented food safety and quality system elements into the actual business operation.
The implementation of Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment within any food business requires genuine commitment from senior management, staff, and visitors to ensure the nominated goals of implementation are achievable on an ongoing basis. It is a step that requires significant planning and consideration of general and specific food business circumstances to ensure the outcomes of Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment do not negatively impact the safety and quality of the food items dispatched from the business.
Implementation of Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment must include a clear definition of responsibilities and authorities for all levels of participation by senior management, staff, and visitors to the site.
When implementing Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment within food safety and quality system, you may wish to consider the following requirements before completion:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment Implementation requirements in relation to their items.
Monitoring: Monitoring is the act of reviewing and confirming measurable parameters of a defined process or product status.
Monitoring requirements within food industry sectors are generally identified against limits of acceptability defined within HACCP plans, implementation procedures, and work instructions. Monitoring usually includes some element of record-keeping, which may be maintained manually or through digital systems. It is important to consider that advancements in technology have spawned many systems and processes which are self-monitored and or self-adjusted when variances are identified. Regardless of the system used; the goal of any monitoring activity is to provide sufficient evidence that any limit of acceptability has been met.
Traditional Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment monitoring requirements include manual recording and the application of corrective actions when the results of monitoring are found to be outside acceptable limits. Corrective Actions should also generally be strongly linked to the monitoring process where applied to ensure full traceability of the applied actions.
The following examples of monitoring activities and record formats may be applicable to Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment:
storage location, use location, frequency of internal calibration, responsibility for internal calibration, internal calibration methods used, internal calibration tolerances, frequency of external calibration, responsibility for external calibration, external calibration methods used, external calibration tolerances and relevant internal and external validations for accuracy.
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment Monitoring requirements in relation to their items.
You may wish to visit the Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment Templates section of haccp.com for examples of Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment documentation, record, and resource formats commonly applied within food safety and quality systems.
Corrective Action: Corrective action is mandatory action to be taken when a deviation to the Quality System occurs, particularly concerning a Critical Control Point.
Preventative Action: At any step in the process where a hazard has been identified, preventative action must be put into place to prevent re-occurrence.
Corrective Action and Preventative Action are implemented to ensure identified non-conformances are documented, investigated, and rectified within appropriate timeframes. Corrective action is any action applied to regain control over a product, process, policy, or procedure that has been identified as being non-conforming or outside nominated limits of acceptability. Preventative action is any action applied to prevent any identified non-conformance from reoccurring.
The outcomes of corrective and preventative actions should result in regained process control after effective application. Specified corrective actions are commonly linked to the HACCP Plans and the food business certification process.
Below are Corrective Action and Preventative Action examples which may be associated with Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment related non-conformances:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment Corrective Action requirements in relation to their items.
Verification: The act of reviewing, inspecting, testing, checking, auditing, or otherwise establishing and documenting whether items, processes, services, or documents conform to specified requirements.
Verification is the detailed review of all food safety and quality system elements to confirm that they are effectively developed, documented, implemented, monitored, and reviewed. All food safety and quality system elements, including documented policies, procedures, training, HACCP plans, and their operational applications must be verified on an ongoing scheduled basis. The verification process commonly includes a defined schedule for which verification activities are required, how often they are conducted, who is responsible, and detailed documented procedures for each nominated verification activity.
The general goal of an established verification process is to ensure any systemic non-conformances are identified and rectified within an appropriate time frame. When non-conformances are identified through the verification process, Corrective Actions and Preventative Actions should be implemented to ensure they do not impact the effectiveness of the food safety and quality system.
The following examples of verification activities may be applicable to Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment:
It is generally considered best practice for reviews of the Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment listings to be reviewed at least annually. As an element of this process, validation certifications should be requested and updated within the Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment systems.
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment Verification requirements in relation to their items.
You may wish to visit the Verification Activities section of haccp.com for examples of best practice applications for this food safety and quality system element.
Validation: The process of gathering evidence to provide a scientific basis for the documented act of demonstrating that a procedure, process, and activity will consistently lead to the expected results. It often includes the qualification of systems and equipment.
Validation is the provision of evidence to support the limits of control or acceptability for food safety or quality parameters nominated within systemic elements. Limits of control or acceptability are commonly included within documented food safety and quality systems elements such as procedures, HACCP plans, and specifications.
Common sources of validation include regulatory and legislative standards, finished product specifications and customer requirements, industry codes of practice and guidelines, verified and validated research, historical product, and process control outcomes, and analytical testing.
The general goal of an established validation process is to ensure any inappropriate limits of control or acceptability are identified and rectified within an appropriate time frame. When non-conformances are identified through the validation process, Corrective Actions and Preventative Actions should be implemented to ensure they do not impact the effectiveness of the food safety and quality system.
Validation activities are commonly defined within the verification schedules and procedures of established food safety and quality management systems.
The following examples may be applicable to the validation of the limits of control or acceptability for Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment Validation requirements in relation to their items.
You may wish to visit the Validation Activities section of haccp.com for examples of best practice applications for this food safety and quality system element.
Skills and Knowledge: Skills and knowledge are attributes of human interactions commonly linked to competency within any specified job-related task.
Training and competency requirements for Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment must be ongoing, including regular scheduled reviews to ensure the effectiveness of training and competency outcomes.
Team members who have defined responsibilities regarding Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment should have knowledge including:
Team members who have defined responsibilities regarding Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment should have skills including:
Team members who have defined responsibilities regarding Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment should have access to resources including:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Calibration of Measuring and Testing Equipment Training, Competency, and Resources requirements in relation to their items.
You may wish to visit the Training, Competency, and Resources section of haccp.com for examples of best practice applications for this food safety and quality system element.
haccp.com was created to support food businesses and food industry professionals in achieving and maintaining the stringent requirements of food industry compliance.