Ensuring food quality and safety

By DENNIS OWUSU BOATENG
COCOA TECHNICAL OFFICER
CSSVD CONTROL UNIT (COCOBOD)

GOOD PRACTICES IN CROP AND ANIMAL PRODUCTION

Implementing quality assurance measures starts at the farm with the application of good agricultural practices (GAPs) and good veterinary practices (GVPs). GAPs are those practices that enhance the production of food that is safe and of good quality, that are environmentally sound and that ensure appropriate handling, storage, shipping and management of the product. When GAPs are appropriately applied to the production of primary food crops, consumers can be assured that the food will meet quality and safety standards at the time of harvest. GAPs might include:
• selecting the right land to be cultivated for food crop production;
• planting the best-quality seeds of the most appropriate varieties;
• using authorized and acceptable chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) according to approved directions (e.g. concentration, frequency, timing of use);
• controlling the quality of irrigation water (if used);
• using appropriate harvesting and on-farm storing and handling techniques;
• using appropriate methods for shipping to markets or food processors.
In much the same way, GVPs have been established to assure consumers that foods derived from animals meet acceptable levels of quality and safety. These practices are the guiding principles in professional veterinary practice for the care and treatment of animals, including animals used for human food production. Some important GVP-related measures are those ensuring that:
• only healthy animals are slaughtered for the purpose of human food;
• any drug used in the control of animal disease is safe for its intended use and used according to approved directions (i.e. appropriate amounts, frequency and timing), and residues of such drugs do not remain in the edible tissues at unsafe levels when the food is made available for consumption;
• chemicals utilized in animal husbandry (e.g. dips for insect pest control) are safe for their intended uses and used according to instructions (i.e. appropriate levels, frequency and timing), and residues of such chemicals do not remain in the edible tissues at unsafe levels when the food is made available for humans;
• live animal inspection and handling are properly conducted before slaughter, and carcass inspection and handling after slaughter;
• appropriate temperature controls, storage conditions, handling and butchering techniques and sanitary conditions are maintained during processing and butchering to prevent post-slaughter contamination;
• shipping and handling practices prevent any unnecessary exposure of the product to contamination.
When appropriately applied, GAPs and GVPs can protect food at the primary stage of production from contamination by extraneous materials (filth, putrid or decomposed materials, rocks, dirt and sand); toxic chemicals and contaminants from the environment (heavy metals, environmental pollution and industrial chemicals); excessive or unsafe levels of agricultural chemical residues (pesticides, fertilizers, veterinary drugs and other chemicals); contamination or damage by pests, insects and vermin; and biological contamination by mould, pathogenic bacteria or viruses - any of which can cause spoilage, crop damage and foodborne illness or chronic health consequences in humans. Increased human health risks may also result from consumption of animal products if animals have been fed contaminated feedstuffs which carry over into edible meat products.

GOOD PRACTICES IN PROCESSING
The quality and safety of food intended for manufacturing or processing can be ensured by applying good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and good hygienic practices (GHPs) to food processing. When properly applied, these measures ensure quality and safety for all the processing or manufacturing steps from the receipt of the raw materials (primary products and other ingredients) to the shipping and marketing of the final products to the consumers.
Implementation of GHPs entails the use of appropriate sanitary measures to prevent microbial contamination and assurance of optimum sanitary conditions for processing food products. GHPs involve:
• the use of appropriate cleaning and sanitizing techniques, including the use of approved and effective agents used at the proper level (strength, concentration) and frequency to prevent microbial buildup on processing equipment and utensils or other food contact surfaces;
• observation of sanitary practices, use of protective clothing and strict observation of rules of personal hygiene by personnel involved in handling and processing food;
• the use of hand-washing and hand-sanitizing dip stations when and where appropriate;
• having time and temperature controls in place to prevent microbial growth in the susceptible intermediate and finished processed foods;
• the use of other sanitary measures that are specifically needed because of the nature of the food being processed, the processing technology or the facilities in which the processing takes place.

GMPs include measures ensuring that:
• food materials and ingredients, including food additives, are of the appropriate level of quality and safety before use and are stored properly to prevent contamination and mix-up with other processing material;
• facilities used in food production are of the appropriate size to prevent overcrowding and to allow proper placement and orderly storage of equipment, raw materials and other product materials such as packaging and labelling;
• layout of facilities permits the orderly flow of production materials and personnel in processing;
• facilities are suitably lit;
• equipment is maintained for proper functioning;
• temperatures, times, pressures, machine operations and other processing parameters are controlled at the specifications level required to assure proper processing;
• appropriate labels are used.
These control procedures also include the examination or sampling of intermediate foods from the processing lines and finished foods from final storage. The products are examined or tested analytically for compliance with product specifications and quality and safety requirements.
When properly applied, GMPs also include the establishment of record-keeping systems for recording the results of quality control activities. Information that might be recorded includes:
• results of quality assurance personnel inspections of production facilities prior to and during production;
• processing parameters during food processing (cooking times, temperature recordings, pressures);
• results of specific methods or procedures for on-line product examination (net weights, can seal tear-down);
• results of examination of the integrity of the package closure systems;
• specific laboratory analysis methods to be used for quality and safety determinations, sample size and established criteria for acceptance or rejection of the lot.
Some food processing methods are very complex while others are relatively simple. Each process must be carefully assessed as to its potential for the presence of foodborne hazards and for the impact on food quality and safety if processing failure should occur, which may at times create unacceptable levels of risk for consumers.