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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 Food Retail Standards within food safety and quality management systems, the following information should be considered to ensure effective outcomes:
Food Retail businesses are generally required to meet the same regulatory standards as other food businesses within any given region, though some requirements are applied differently due to the ‘ready to consume’ status of foodstuffs facilitated as Food Retail offerings. Industry and Customer Standards may also be applied similarly to other food businesses.
Key elements of food compliance for Food Retail businesses are identified below, including:
Some jurisdictions may class Food Retail businesses as Catering and Food Service businesses where they are supplying customers and/or consumers directly with ready to consume foods prepared at their site. In such cases, some (or all) requirements for Food Retail businesses may also apply to the Catering and Food Service business.
Further information regarding Catering and Food Service Standards can be found within the haccp.com Catering and Food Service Food Standard Element.
Every time a consumer eats, they are reliant on many stages of the food supply chain to ensure that their food is safe and of substantial quality. The food supply chain commonly begins in the paddock and progresses through various stages including preparation, packing, warehousing, distribution, processing, presentation, and service. Every part of the supply chain must be responsible for their role in controlling potential hazards that may render foods unsafe or unsuitable for consumers. Most foodborne illness incidents are the result of a lack of control of hazards during one or multiple stages of the paddock to plate food chain.
In the current age of rapidly changing legal requirements and rampant litigation, Food Safety Management systems are a prescribed and essential component of all food businesses and their suppliers. Having a well-managed and maintained Food Safety Management System operating within your business need not be an overly complex, expensive, or time-consuming task. The pre-requisite for any Food Safety Management System is a commitment to science-based food hazard analysis, identification and control, and elements that are part of any quality management system: Policy, Structure, Training, Awareness, Responsibility, Communication, Documentation, Monitoring, Validation, and Verification, Corrective Actions and Preventive Actions. The fundamental scope and purpose of any Food Safety Management System rely on science-based knowledge, a comprehensive management system, and a willingness to meet the requirements for the production of safe and quality foods for your customers.
It is a common misconception when food safety incident occurrences are immediately blamed on a previous chain of supply step holder. As food production and service have become more complex, the onus for food safety and quality accountability is relevant to everyone who is involved in the “paddock to plate” food chain. It is not just those who are in direct contact with the food that needs to be aware of food safety and quality requirements: It is also the housekeeper who had returned from the restroom to fold your napkin with unwashed hands; the kitchen hygienist who has wiped a soiled kitchen workbench with the same cloth used to polish your plate; the production worker with an unreported communicable illness; the warehouse supervisor who ignores temperature fluctuations in a storage chiller; or the wait staff member who had removed dust by blowing into your soon to be filled butter pot! The application of Food Safety Management is far-reaching in its scope and purpose in our modern age, and everyone involved is accountable for food safety within our business operations.
Further information regarding Food Safety Management can be found within the haccp.com Food Safety Management Food Standard Element.
A Food Safety Management System is a detailed plan of action which if applied correctly, will result in safe foods. There is no precise template for any given food industry sector as each food business is different. A science-based approach such as HACCP will produce appropriate outcomes, as all potential hazards will be identified and controlled. Food Safety Management Systems need to be specifically tailored to each food business operation to ensure potential hazards are identified and controlled. It is important that everyone involved with food businesses from Paddock to Plate, is aware of their roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities within the Food Safety Management System, and that their participation in such is proactive.
haccp.com has been designed to provide users with food safety knowledge, as well as giving defined direction for the development of new and existing Food Safety Management Systems.
A Food Safety Management System is a set of developed, documented, implemented, monitored, verified, and validated procedures related to the production of safe food, often accompanied by structured pre-requisite programs. A successful Food Safety Management System has many elements, all of which are necessary to produce safe food and to prove due diligence in doing so. Food Safety Management Systems are very much specific to each food operation, but they all rely on the same founding principles.
The following elements are nominated as being essential to any Food Safety Management System:
As components of the scope and purpose of your Food Safety Management System, it should generally be stated that the primary objective of the Food Safety Management System is to maintain status as a producer of safe foodstuffs and to exceed consumer expectations regarding food safety.
Specific requirements for any Food Retail Standards Food Safety Program will be defined by the relevant Regulatory Authority. In some cases, Food Safety Program requirements may also be mandated as part of Industry and/or Customer Standards.
The following Food Standard Elements are generally relevant to Food Retail Businesses (and the scope of related Food Safety Programs):
Further information regarding all of these Food Standard Elements can be found at haccp.com.
Potentially hazardous foods that require temperature control must be stored within their Specified temperature ranges to ensure the safety of consumers. Hot and cold temperature holding related Critical Limits may include Holding temperatures of:
It is important to consider here that Chilled Potentially Hazardous Food Products with lower specified storage temperatures may not successfully achieve their shelf life (or intended food safety status) where such items are stored at higher chilled temperatures, even if those higher chilled temperatures are within prescribed Regulatory limits for the storage of Chilled Potentially Hazardous Food Products. Food Products must always be stored within their specified storage temperature ranges to ensure safe and suitable outcomes for consumers.
Where applicable to the implemented method of Temperature Controlled Storage facilitated by the Food Retail Business:
Further information regarding Temperature Management can be found within the haccp.com Process Control Standard Element.
Food Compliance Culture is the cumulative outcome of human beliefs and behaviors within a food business and the meaning people attach to those beliefs and behaviors. Food Compliance Culture determines how different levels of staff communicate with one another as well as how employees deal with clients and customers.
As an element of contemporary Food Business Management practices, the methods for implementation and management of a strong Food Compliance Culture varies from business to business and site to site. As such, it is difficult to ‘measure’ levels of Food Compliance Culture within any given organization.
Further information regarding Food Compliance Culture can be found within the haccp.com Food Compliance Culture Standard Element.
Food allergens only affect a relatively small percentage of the population but can be life-threatening under certain circumstances. Allergens are contained within many different foods and food ingredients but can also be introduced into foods through inappropriate production scheduling, raw material contamination, in-effective raw material, product and work in progress identification and traceability, and in-effective cleaning and sanitation programs. Allergen management programs should be applied with the intent of controlling and managing the use of allergenic materials, production processes, and pre-requisite programs within any food business.
Historically, food safety and quality management systems utilized ‘Cross Contamination’ as a term to define allergen interactions; contemporary food safety and quality management systems use the term ‘Cross Contact’, meaning there may be an acceptable limit of specified allergens within a particular foodstuff. The term ‘Cross Contamination’ generally indicates the un-acceptable presence of a substance within foodstuffs.
Further information regarding Allergen Management can be found within the haccp.com Allergen Management Food Standard Element.
Where a Food Retail business handles exposed Food products, the risk of Allergen Cross Contacts may be present at similar levels observed within Food Production or Food Manufacturing Facilities.
The particular areas of focus for Allergen Management within Food Retail businesses may include:
In many jurisdictions, Food Retail businesses are less heavily scrutinized than Food Processing or Food Manufacturing Businesses. Some jurisdictions account for this through the requirement to nominate a Food Safety Supervisor (or similarly titled position), who is specially trained and accepts responsibility for the Food Safety Programs and related Food Safety Compliance outcomes.
Your Food Retail business must facilitate any specific requirements for Food Safety Supervision within the jurisdictions in which your business operates.
Packaging not only assists in the preservation of food, it also keeps food safe from contamination and damage, and provides a viable marketing opportunity for marketing branded food products. Packaging design and materials should provide adequate protection for products to minimize contamination, prevent damage, and accommodate appropriate labeling. Any packaging materials or gases used must be non-toxic and must not pose a threat to the safety and suitability of food under the specified conditions of storage and use. Where appropriate, reusable, or convenience packaging should be suitably durable, easy to clean and sanitize.
Packaging Standards procedures should be formatted to ensure that packaging conforms to relevant specifications which may be based upon regulatory or industry guidelines, or for customer requirements. Packaging materials or procedures must not impact the safety or quality of the foods being packaged. Unused packaging should be handled and stored in a manner that does not compromise food safety or quality.
The materials used for food packaging are many and varied, including:
The main requirements for determining the suitability for packaging for a particular food item relies on the composition of the food, and the intended purpose for the packaging. Packaging materials must not affect the safety or suitability of the foods being packaged. This is an important consideration regarding the common use of recycled materials to produce food packaging, a factor may also be considered in conjunction with legislative requirements. Modern technology provides the seemingly limitless application of packaging options which facilitates food safety and quality of the highest caliber, whilst allowing increased accessibility and marketability for branded products.
Further information regarding Packaging Standards can be found within the haccp.com Packaging Standards Food Standard Element.
Where a Food Retail business facilitates the Packaging of exposed Food products, the Food Retail business has a responsibility to ensure:
Packaging design and materials should provide adequate protection for products to minimize contamination, prevent damage, and accommodate appropriate labeling. Labeling Standards procedures should be formatted to ensure that packaging conforms to relevant specifications which may be based upon regulatory or industry guidelines, or for customer requirements. Packaging materials or procedures must not impact upon the safety or quality of the foods being packaged. Unused packaging should be handled and stored in a manner that does not compromise food safety or quality.
Further information regarding Labelling Standards can be found within the haccp.com Labelling Standards Food Standard Element.
Where a Food Retail business facilitates the Labelling of Packed Food products, the Food Retail business has a responsibility to ensure:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Food Retail Standards Development requirements in relation to their items.
Document: A document provides guidance and/or direction for performing work, making decisions, or rendering judgments which 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 Food Retail Standards:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Food Retail Standards Documentation requirements in relation to their items.
You may wish to visit the Food Retail Standards Templates section of haccp.com for examples of Food Retail Standards 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 Food Retail Standards 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 which requires significant planning and consideration of general and specific food business circumstances to ensure the outcomes of Food Retail Standards do not negatively impact upon the safety and quality of the food items dispatched from the business.
Implementation of Food Retail Standards must include the clear definition of responsibilities and authorities for all levels of participation by senior management, staff and visitors to the site.
When implementing Food Retail Standards within a food safety and quality system, you may wish to consider the following requirements prior to completion:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Food Retail Standards 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 Food Retail Standards 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 of 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 Food Retail Standards 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.
Common monitoring activities and record formats may be applicable to Food Retail Standards:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Food Retail Standards Monitoring requirements in relation to their items.
You may wish to visit the Food Retail Standards Templates section of haccp.com for examples of Food Retail Standards 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 in relation to 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 is implemented to ensure that any identified non-conformance issues are documented, investigated and rectified within appropriate time-frames. 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 Food Retail Standards Plans and to the food business certification process.
Below are Corrective Action and Preventative Action examples which may be associated with Food Retail Standards related non-conformance:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Food Retail Standards Corrective Action requirements in relation to their items.
You may wish to visit the Corrective Action and Preventative Action section of haccp.com for examples of best practice applications for this food safety and quality system element.
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. It is important that all food safety and quality system elements, including documented policies, procedures, training, Food Retail Standards plans and their operational applications are 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-conformance issues are identified and rectified within an appropriate time-frame. When non-conformance issues are identified through the verification process, Corrective Actions and Preventative Actions should be implemented to ensure they do not impact upon the effectiveness of the food safety and quality system.
The following examples of verification activities may be applicable to Food Retail Standards:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Food Retail Standards 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 system elements such as procedures, Food Retail Standards 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 systemic non-conformance issues are identified and rectified within an appropriate time-frame. When non-conformance issues are identified through the verification process, Corrective Actions and Preventative Actions should be implemented to ensure they do not impact upon 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 validation of the limits of control or acceptability for Food Retail Standards:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Food Retail Standards 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 Food Retail Standards must be ongoing, including regular scheduled reviews to ensure the effectiveness of training and competency outcomes.
Team members who have defined responsibilities regarding Food Retail Standards should have knowledge including:
Team members who have defined responsibilities regarding Food Retail Standards should have skills including:
Team members who have defined responsibilities regarding Food Retail Standards 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 Food Retail Standards 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.