Baking&Snack - March 2011 - 122

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FOOD SAFETY Q&A

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I also don’t envision that the appropriate regulations to enforce the act will be finalized for at least 1½ years.

there is a breach implies that there are significant issues that need to be addressed. Personally, I do not believe there are significant problems. In addition, given that local health authorities, state and city, often have their own ideas about consumer safety, asking them to step in might be a bad idea. Look at California and Proposition 65. That is something that should really go away as it is selectively enforced and really accomplishes nothing except adding cost to what consumers buy.

need to be well ventilated, and care must be taken to ensure workers don’t spread the allergen through the plant. But simple things like forgetting to turn on the blowers can create issues. This really gets down to good manufacturing and proper sanitation practices. When one takes a close look at outbreaks of foodborne illness, issues related to sanitation can almost always be found. These breakdowns in sanitation often go back to training and education or a lack thereof. It is imperative that all processors make a commitment to training their workers and managers on all procedures and work instructions and that the training be documented as being effective. It is one thing to have someone sit for an hour and listen and another to ensure that he or she actually comprehended what was said. Bakers have long relied on their ovens to solve (or prevent) microbial problems in finished foods. Why is this just a myth? Well, we don’t know whether it is a myth or not. The assumption has always been, “It was baked or cooked, so it is safe.” The salmonella outbreaks from breakfast cereals were an eye-opener for the industry. I am seeing a trend in the baking industry toward validating current processes. Are these cakes, pies or cookies actually receiving enough heat to kill microorganisms of public health significance? The validation work will answer the question as to whether this is a myth or not. This will entail a great deal of work for the industry, however. Large operations have the resources — people and instrumentation — to do this, but what of the smaller operations? And what the large companies do will remain their proprietary data. What the Almond Board of California did following the outbreaks attributed to unprocessed almonds could be used as a model as to how an industry could address this issue. Perhaps the American Bakers Association or another organization can fund the research necessary to determine methods, target organisms, surrogate organisms and the other issues essential for validating a process. Finally, what advice do you give bakers going forward?

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What is the one most important action that a responsible food plant operator can take to protect the safety of food products manufactured in his or her facility? Why? The best thing that responsible food processors can do is to step back and take a long look at what they are doing and determine whether the procedures that they are using in their food quality, safety and sanitation programs are really effective. Subject these activities to a risk assessment and look for ways to do things better and more efficiently. This self-assessment, or internal audit, must also examine whether the operation is actually doing what has been documented. In addition, food processors need to determine whether their food safety management systems are working as a complete process. And if all procedures and work instructions are not properly documented or documented inaccurately, you know you have a problem. Third-party audits are supposed to do this, but audits are really a snapshot of an operation. So the internal audit should be very critical and aimed at finding gaps in the systems and filling them. What are the most common breaches of food safety that you have seen in bakeries or snack plants? I would guess that the most common food safety issue that I have seen in bakeries and snack plants involves mishandling of allergens. Most of the ingredients that are used in these industries are fairly safe such as grains, flour and sugar. However, how allergens are handled needs to be watched. Areas where flour, milk powders and other allergens are mixed and blended

I would encourage bakers to take a long look at what you are doing and seek to do better. Consider bringing in someone from the outside to help with the risk assessment, if you are not confident that you have the expertise in-house. There are always better ways to do things — look for them. Operations that are complacent and accept the status quo are usually the ones that start to falter. Seek to improve in all areas, and be critical of what you are doing at the moment. ◾

BAKING & SNACK / March 2011

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Baking&Snack - March 2011

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