What Is Food Inspection?Â
Food inspection is a vital procedure in food production to ensure safe and good-quality food products. It is the evaluation of the food or the systems controlling the food, raw materials, food processing, and distribution to make sure all products adhere to the standards set by the company.
Most companies, particularly the bigger ones, always use third-party inspection services to examine their facilities. However, some companies prefer in-house inspection. This means their staffs are the ones conducting evaluations and risk assessments. But not everyone is eligible to perform it.
The people in charge of food inspection are usually food technologists and food safety officers. They are trained to identify all the hazards and prevent them from reoccurring as much as possible. They also evaluate a company’s Quality Management System (QMS) and see if changes are needed to maintain the security and quality of food produced.
Furthermore, new technologies are now being used, such as X-ray equipment, to help food manufacturers ensure the safety and quality of their products.
What are the Hazards of Being Inspected?
- Biological hazards: These include bacteria, molds, and viruses able to produce harmful and toxic chemicals not fit for human consumption.
- Chemical hazards: Examples of these are cleaning materials, which can contaminate the food during production.
- Physical hazards: This refers to any object which may accidentally contaminate your food, such as hair.
What are the Best Practices For An In-House Food Inspection?
In-house inspections are of paramount importance to the food production industry to ensure the safety and quality of their products. With this, here are some of the best practices in executing an in-house inspection:
1. Check All Equipment Before And After Production
Before and after the production, it is essential to check the cleanliness of all tools and equipment to make sure that your company is consistently preventing cross-contamination.
It is also important to check all tools and equipment if they are in good condition and are properly working. This is to prevent accidents that may cost someone’s life. For instance, a food conveyor machine has an open wire, but a production staff still uses it, resulting in electrocution.
If you find anything wrong, it would be best to report it immediately and not let anyone touch or use it.
2. Check Everyone Involved In The Food Production Process
Inspect everyone who handles any food material, whether it is a raw ingredient or a finished good. This can help ensure that cleanliness is strictly observed in the production process. So, what are the different things that must be implemented for personnel to follow?
- They should have clean and properly groomed nails.
- They should not smell perfume or anything.
- They should hide their hair with a hairnet, and no single strand should be in sight.
- They should wear proper uniforms at all times.
- They should not use cosmetics.
Ensuring that all personnel conform and follows the standards set by the company is vital to ensure the safety and quality of the food products manufactured by the company.
3. Check The In-Line Production
This is the most critical part of the inspection since this is where the food production process takes place. Make sure that all personnel and processes conform to the standards. As much as possible, check all the aspects of production, from the preparation of the ingredients to the packaging of products.
To help and guide you in inspecting, here are some of the things you should check in the production line:
- The production premises
- The production processes
- The flow of production from start to finish
- The emergency exit route in case there are unavoidable circumstances, such as fire
- The emergency equipment such as smoke detectors, sprinklers, and fire extinguishers
Upon checking, you may also use additional tools, such as metal detectors and scanners, which could help ease the process of manual checking and increase your efficiency.
4. Check The Storage Premises
This step is extremely important to make sure that all of your raw materials, including your packaging, are always safe to use. It can help you check the system and prevent any case of contamination. So, how should you check in a storage facility?
- Make sure that all ingredients and packaging materials are stored in their appropriate areas.
- Make sure that all ingredients are still safe and do not exceed the expiration date. Any expired foods should be immediately disposed of, and all ingredients near them should be considered contaminated and disposed of immediately.
- Make sure that all containers are closed. Open containers may lead to contamination from pests and physical hazards surrounding them.
- Make sure that ingredients are stored six inches above the ground.
- Make sure that the storage facility is adjacent to the production line to prevent further contamination.
Make sure that your company follows these essential factors to help keep your foods safe and high-quality.
5. Check Outside Premises
Aside from checking the storage premises, it is also necessary to check the premises outside your production building as other external factors may also affect and increase the risk of contamination in your food products.
These are factors you need to consider when inspecting the outside of your building:
- Make sure that there is no open sewage near the building to prevent the smell from coming in, which could affect the quality of food.
- Make sure all garbage is appropriately contained, and you have a proper waste disposal system.
- Make sure outside premises are always clean, dry, and free from fecal matter caused by domesticated animals.
These factors should be consistently met to prevent contamination caused by outside forces, especially if you have raw meat or poultry business.
Final Words
Food inspection processes may vary depending on your food company’s nature of business. But the end goal is always the same, to prevent and keep your foods safe from the risks of contamination. As long as you follow the best practices mentioned above, you’ll have high-quality and safe products consumers would appreciate.
