Food Infection Control Management System – American Standardization Organization

Standard for a food infection control management system
By
Technical Committee for Food Infection Control

The Technical Committee of Food Infection Control of the American Standardization Organization has established this standard aiming at providing perfect services and free of food infection hazards.

Introduction

This standard has been set for the corporations that seek the clients` satisfaction and meeting their requirements through control of food infection causes and presenting a product free of food infection. FICMS focuses on the essential requirements, specifications, standards, and required resources for properly implementing service or product, mainly aiming at keeping all parties safe.

1-Scope:

This standard is concerned with the basic food infection control management system standards in planning, implementing, and analyzing the stages of the product or service provided to clients that can be applied in all fields and activities of all establishments, whether productive or service in general. Any establishment that is legally licensed by competent government authorities to practice its activities has the right to obtain a certificate of accreditation. All requirements that follow are mandatory for the establishment that seeks to obtain accreditation.

2- References:

This standard, ASO: FICMS: 1/2020, is a reference for itself.

3-System:

Documents and resources needed to meet the client’s requirements.

4-Adminstration:

Planning, implementation, and analysis.

5-Control:

Control and prevent the causes of food infection.

6-Food Infection:

Gaining infection through food that causes a specific illness.

7- Causes of Contagious Diseases:

Bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, direct or indirect contact.

8-Planning:

Define future goals.

9-Implementation:

Activation, control, and analysis of plans and objectives.

10-Observation:

It`s the assurance of meeting the client’s requirements.

11-Food Infection Control Officer:

Appoint a person to be responsible for planning, implementing, analyzing, preserving and documenting the system, examining and testing services or products, and verifying they fulfill the client`s requirements. He has all the powers and authorities that enable him to perform his functions appropriately and correctly.

12- Quality Control Documents:

Specifications, standards, plans, objectives, samples, and records used in food infection control.

13-FICMS Policy:

The policy states that the top management and all employees shall commit to the requirements of FICMS set by ASO and work to control food infection hazards. This policy shall be documented, explained, declared, and authorized by the top management.

14- Data Analysis

To measure the performance of what has been implemented with what has been previously planned to find out the causes of any differences compared to the planned implementation to reduce or eliminate them, and to know the strengths and weaknesses.

15- Controlling infection injuries

Isolate, distinguish, and control anything infected appropriately and safely, and document the infection in a record.

16- Specifications and standards:

A set of rules that regulate FICMS activity for the benefit of all concerned parties.

The specification and standards can be required by a government, a client, or specific standards of an establishment or other.

17- Health & Safety:

Check the temperature of workers daily before starting the working day.
Exclude any person who is sick or suspected to be ill or injured from the workplace.
Do not allow any visitor who is ill or suspected of being ill in the product areas.
Wear the personal protective equipment during the training course; (gloves – masks – coats – shoes ….)
Sanitize and wash hands well before starting working and after leaving the toilets.
Provide sanitizers, detergents and suitable tools.
Provide regular checkups for workers.
Provide first aid tools.

18- Food Infection Limitation:

Identify all infections and count them in all processes and activities.

19- Hazard Control:

Determine the appropriate method to control food infection hazards.

20-Observing Efficiency and Effectiveness of Hazard Control:

Observe the efficiency and effectiveness of hazard control, and follow the necessary procedures to handle any undesirable results noticed during the observation.

21-Work Environment:

Provide a safe work environment and suitable for the nature of the activity.

22-Cleanliness and Hygiene:

First: Staff hygiene; Hair, beard, nails, face, hands, clothes…..etc. Second: Facility Cleanliness; walls, floors, tables, bathrooms, stairs….etc.

Third: Tools and Equipment Cleanliness; spoons, forks, knives, pots, mixers, machines, cutting boards, appliances …… etc.

Fourth: Cleaning tools; brooms, floor squeegees, mops, and trash cans.

Note 1: –

Use food-safe detergents or sanitizers registered in a separate list (a table of detergents and sanitizers)

Note 2: –

Use hot water in the cleaning process whenever possible.

Note 3: –

Provide all necessary and appropriate means and tools for cleaning and disinfection.

23- Microbiological Tests:

Do the necessary microbiological swabs and analysis regularly to check the proportions of the affecting microbes.

24-Product Safety:

-Conforms to specifications.

– placed in a suitable environment.

– Safe storage.

– placed at a suitable temperature.

– Distinguished and identified.

– Specified with the expiration date.

– Tightly sealed and uncovered.

– Not exposed to pollutants, chemicals, dust and insects.

– Caution to be touched before washing hands or wearing gloves.

– Put in Clean and safe containers.

– Safe handling and delivery.

– Safe cleaning.

or any other influences affecting product safety.

25- Pests Control:

Control pests properly in a way that does not affect food safety.

Do not use chemicals unsafe for food.

Seal all entrances and holes that may cause pests` existence and reproduction.

Observe and study the types of pests that the product or service may be exposed to, and their locations to combat them

Secure and eliminate the residues that lead to pests` existence.

26 – Training and awareness

Train and aware all employees to activate FICMS.

Training certificates must be issued internally or externally after training.

27-Observation, Assurance and follow-up

Assure and observe the effectiveness of FICMS (Assurance and Observation reports)

Observation and follow-up mechanism shall be appropriate to the nature of work.

Follow the necessary procedures if there is any deviation from the plan.

28-Customer Survey (Client Participation ):

To get the client’s opinion and to what extent he is satisfied with the products he obtained to identify the strengths and weaknesses and the chances of improvement for the provided products or service.

The survey shall include the customer opinion about the quality of the products or service, how suitable is the price, and the duration for obtaining the products or service.

29-Customer Complaint:

It is the client`s dissatisfaction with the product or service provided; which can also be an opportunity for improvement and avoiding errors.

The complaint shall be accurately defined and described, identifying the main cause of the complaint, and the appropriate corrective action taken to avoid repeating the same complaint.

The complainant customer shall be satisfied whenever possible.

Complaints, especially recurring ones, shall be limited and presented to the top management to take appropriate corrective actions.

30-Top Management:

It`s responsible for providing all the requirements of the food infection control management system and taking the necessary actions regarding customer opinions and complaints to keep their existence, and documenting the appropriate decisions and recommendations that work on reducing problems, complaints, in cooperation with the food infection control officer.

Table of required documents to be created, implemented, and maintained in the FICMS:

Table (1)

	Required Documents
1	Governmental license for the facility to conduct its activity
2	Accreditation request
3	Decision to appoint a Quality Control Officer (Food Hazard Controller)
4	QC Officer Job Description Card (Food Infection Hazard Controller)
5	Food Infection Hazard Plans and Objectives
6	FICMS Policy
7	Data analysis and performance measurement
8	Food Infection and human infection record
9	Temperature Check Record for food and employees
10	Health and safety instructions
11	Record of Regular Checkups for employees
12	Hazard Limitation Record
13	Hazard Control Record
14	Record of Hazard Control Efficiency and Effectiveness
15	Cleanliness and Sanitization Record
16	Record of Microbiological Wasps
17	Product Safety Instructions
18	Pest Control Record/s
19	Training and Awareness Certificates ( Internal/External)
20	Observation, Assurance and Follow-up Reports
21	Customer Opinion Survey
22	Customer Complaints
23	Top Management Decisions and Recommendations

Standard for a food infection control management system By Technical Committee for Food Infection Control

The Technical Committee of Food Infection Control of the American Standardization Organization has established this standard aiming at providing perfect services and free of food infection hazards.

Introduction

1-Scope:

2- References:

This standard, ASO: FICMS: 1/2020, is a reference for itself.

3-System:

Documents and resources needed to meet the client’s requirements.

4-Adminstration:

Planning, implementation, and analysis.

5-Control:

Control and prevent the causes of food infection.

6-Food Infection:

Gaining infection through food that causes a specific illness.

7- Causes of Contagious Diseases:

Bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, direct or indirect contact.

8-Planning:

Define future goals.

9-Implementation:

Activation, control, and analysis of plans and objectives.

10-Observation:

It`s the assurance of meeting the client’s requirements.

11-Food Infection Control Officer:

12- Quality Control Documents:

Specifications, standards, plans, objectives, samples, and records used in food infection control.

13-FICMS Policy:

The policy states that the top management and all employees shall commit to the requirements of FICMS set by ASO and work to control food infection hazards. This policy shall be documented, explained, declared, and authorized by the top management.

14- Data Analysis

To measure the performance of what has been implemented with what has been previously planned to find out the causes of any differences compared to the planned implementation to reduce or eliminate them, and to know the strengths and weaknesses.

15- Controlling infection injuries

Isolate, distinguish, and control anything infected appropriately and safely, and document the infection in a record.

16- Specifications and standards:

A set of rules that regulate FICMS activity for the benefit of all concerned parties.

The specification and standards can be required by a government, a client, or specific standards of an establishment or other.

17- Health & Safety:

Check the temperature of workers daily before starting the working day.

Exclude any person who is sick or suspected to be ill or injured from the workplace.

Do not allow any visitor who is ill or suspected of being ill in the product areas.

Wear the personal protective equipment during the training course; (gloves – masks – coats – shoes ….)

Sanitize and wash hands well before starting working and after leaving the toilets.

Provide sanitizers, detergents and suitable tools.

Provide regular checkups for workers.

Provide first aid tools.

18- Food Infection Limitation:

Identify all infections and count them in all processes and activities.

19- Hazard Control:

Determine the appropriate method to control food infection hazards.

20-Observing Efficiency and Effectiveness of Hazard Control:

Observe the efficiency and effectiveness of hazard control, and follow the necessary procedures to handle any undesirable results noticed during the observation.

21-Work Environment:

Provide a safe work environment and suitable for the nature of the activity.

22-Cleanliness and Hygiene:

First: Staff hygiene; Hair, beard, nails, face, hands, clothes…..etc. Second: Facility Cleanliness; walls, floors, tables, bathrooms, stairs….etc.

Third: Tools and Equipment Cleanliness; spoons, forks, knives, pots, mixers, machines, cutting boards, appliances …… etc.

Fourth: Cleaning tools; brooms, floor squeegees, mops, and trash cans.

Note 1: –

Use food-safe detergents or sanitizers registered in a separate list (a table of detergents and sanitizers)

Note 2: –

Use hot water in the cleaning process whenever possible.

Note 3: –

Provide all necessary and appropriate means and tools for cleaning and disinfection.

23- Microbiological Tests:

Do the necessary microbiological swabs and analysis regularly to check the proportions of the affecting microbes.

24-Product Safety:

-Conforms to specifications.

– placed in a suitable environment.

– Safe storage.

– placed at a suitable temperature.

– Distinguished and identified.

– Specified with the expiration date.

– Tightly sealed and uncovered.

– Not exposed to pollutants, chemicals, dust and insects.

– Caution to be touched before washing hands or wearing gloves.

– Put in Clean and safe containers.

– Safe handling and delivery.

– Safe cleaning.

or any other influences affecting product safety.

25- Pests Control:

Control pests properly in a way that does not affect food safety.

Do not use chemicals unsafe for food.

Standard for a food infection control management system
By
Technical Committee for Food Infection Control