17. Process control
Material handling
Process controls for material handling, such as debagging, deboxing, rework and recipe control.
Material handling
Certification standards expect material handling process controls to be in place, but with the exception of rework, they don’t specify what they should be or how they must be managed. Customers however, have provided much more detail.
The standards
This article is written to meet the following requirements:
| BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9 | 5.3.5 Rework
4.9.6.1 Debagging and deboxing |
| BRCGS Packaging Issue 6 | No specific clauses |
| BRCGS Agents & Brokers Issue 3 | No specific clauses |
| BRCGS Storage & Distribution Issue 4 | No specific clauses (see topic 18 for storage and distribution related process controls) |
| FSSC22000 Version 5.1 | No specific clauses |
| IFS Food Version 7 | No specific clauses |
| SQF Edition 9 | No specific clauses |
| FSMA Preventive controls for human food (Final 2015) | No specific clauses |
| Additional standards | Tesco, Sainsbury’s, M&S, AIB |
The requirements
Rework should only be reworked into the same product.
Debagging and deboxing procedures must be in place, to prevent material packaging from contaminating the materials.
BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9
There are no changes to Issue 9 which impact the clauses referenced in this article.
Customer
This is a general overview of the type of material handling process controls detailed in customer codes of practice, however your business must refer to your customer’s standards to identify the requirements that are applicable.
Recipe control
Process controls must be in place to ensure that recipes contain the correct ingredients and at accurate quantities. This must be positively confirmed.
Work-in-progress shelf life
All work-in-progress materials must be labelled.
Defrosted and tempered materials, and rework, must be labelled with maximum shelf life.
Carry-over materials must be kept to a minimal and used at the first opportunity.
Prior to freezing materials must the minimum shelf life.
Risk-based ingredients
Where ingredients are to be used in high-care or high-risk areas, that are not going to be processed prior to entering the area, must be opened and prepared in an area which is environmentally comparable to the area that it’ll be entering (for example, high risk).
Tailings
Must be inspected for foreign bodies at a set frequency. Where foreign bodies are found, they must be identified and the appropriate action taken. Action must consider damage to the sieve or filter screen.
Quarantine
Non-conforming product, rejects and returns must be stored in a physically segregated and labelled quarantine area.
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