18. Intake, storage and distribution
Vehicle management
Holding area fabrication, equipment, vehicle maintenance, temperature control and breakdown.
This article is written to meet the following sections of the Standards:
| BRCGS Food Safety Issue 8 | 4.16.1 – 4.16.5 Vehicles |
| BRCGS Packaging Issue 6 | 4.8.2, 5.10.4 Cleaning vehicles |
| BRCGS Agents & Brokers Issue 3 | Not applicable. |
| BRCGS Storage & Distribution Issue 4 | 5.1 Vehicle standards (not 5.1.4) 5.3 Vehicle management 5.4.1 – 5.4.3 X Vehicle temperature control 19.3 Vehicle cleaning controls |
| FSSC22000 Version 5.1 | 2.5.9 Transport and delivery ISO 22000:2018 8.2.4 g) transportation |
| IFS Food Version 7 | 4.15.5 Vehicles and equipment 4.15.6 Construction of loading/unloading area |
| SQF Edition 9 | 11.6.5.2, 11.6.5.3 Transport vehicles |
Legislation
Vehicles must be managed so that they comply with local legislation, including:
- Registration with the appropriate authorities.
- Vehicle licences as required by local legislation.
Fabrication standards
The holding area inside the vehicle must be fabricated so that:
- It can be cleaned easily and kept in a good condition.
- Fabrication doesn’t pose a foreign body risk or cause damage to the materials.
- It’s sealed so it doesn’t get wet or damp.
Maintenance
Holding area maintenance
The holding area inside the vehicle has to be maintained. This means it must be cleaned and also free from odours. Where it’s fitted with temperature control systems, these need to be serviced and kept in good working order.
Vehicle maintenance
Vehicles must be on a maintenance programme which complies with local legislation and prevents breakdown.
Cleaning controls
We’ve covered the cleaning programme for vehicles in a previous article. If you want to find out more see this article on cleaning.
Breakdown
Drivers must be trained so that they know what to do in the event of a breakdown or incident.
The driver must know:
- How to report a problem using the emergency contact numbers that they’ve been provided with.
- How to preserve environmental controls in the holding area if the product is temperature controlled.
- What checks need to be recorded before continuing the journey.
There must be a system of back-up vehicles or a rapid-repair service in place, to minimise the impact of incidents on customers.
Temperature control
Validation
Just like temperature control in the storage area – temperature control in vehicles needs to be validated. This is to prove that the materials can be held at the required temperature consistently throughout the delivery.
We covered validation of temperature-controlled areas in Material Storage Controls.
Procedures
The results of validation must be included in driver procedures, so that they understand any limitations of the holding area, or any other requirements such as pre-cooling.
Monitoring
The temperature in the holding area must be monitored, using either data logging systems, or at a set frequency using manual checks. Where the settings can be adjusted, these must be checked and recorded as well.
Vehicle equipment
The equipment provided with the vehicle must be fit for purpose and maintained, such as fastenings, tail lifts and hoses.
Equipment inspections must be carried out by trained staff and comply with the local legislation. Defects must be scheduled for repair, or the vehicle removed from service.
Tankers
Bulk tankers must comply with relevant legislation and certification schemes.
So that the customer can check that the tanker has been cleaned, and that it hasn’t been transporting anything that could pose an allergen or taint risk – load history and a cleaning log must be kept.
Details of at least the last three loads must be provided. And cleaning records must detail when, where and by who the tanker was cleaned.
Tanker equipment must be secure, so hoses must be capped and locked.
Maintenance records must also be kept, including records of filter checks.
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