Standard for Food Hazard Management System
By
Food Hazard Technical Committee
The Technical Committee of food hazard of the American Standardization Organization has established this standard aiming at providing perfect services and flawless products which conform to the specifications and standards previously set.
Introduction
This standard has been set for the corporations that seek the clients` satisfaction and meeting their requirements by presenting a product free of food hazards. FHMS focuses on the essential requirements, specifications, standards and required resources for the implementation of service or the product properly and accurately, mainly aiming at presenting safe food.
1-Scope
This standard is concerned with the basic food hazard 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: FHMS: 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-Hazards:
Biological, physical, chemical, or natural
6-Food:
Everything that gets into the human body and helps it grow.
7-Planning:
Define future goals.
8-Implementation:
Activation, control, and analysis of plans and objectives.
9-Control:
It`s the assurance of meeting the client’s requirements.
10-Quality:
Meet the client`s requirements.
11-Auality Controller
The person responsible for planning, implementing, analyzing, preserving, documenting the system, examining and testing services or products, and verifying they fulfill the client`s requirements. He also 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 the quality control process, and food hazard control.
13-FHMS Policy:
The policy states that the top management and all employees shall commit to the control requirements and limitation of food hazards set by ASO. 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-Quality Assurance:
Measuring the actual quality and comparing it with the required specifications, and following the necessary process to adjust those different ones.
16-Quality Control:
Assurance of the extent to which a product or service conforms to the specifications and standards previously set.
17-Conforming Product or Service:
The product or service meets the specifications and standards that have been previously set.
18-Non-conforming Product or service:
The product or service does not meet the standards and specifications that have been previously set.
19-Control of a product or service:
Identification and control of a conforming or non-conforming product.
20-Specifications and standards:
A set of rules that regulate FHMS activity for the benefit of all concerned parties.
Note: – FHMS quality controller must keep a facsimile copy of the pre-defined specifications and standards so that he can take the charge of inspection and testing process accordingly. This copy must be kept safe away from damage or loss and to be easily retrieved. A copy shall be kept with the top management.
Note- The specification and standards can be required by a government, a client, or specific standards of an establishment or other.
21-Standardization of measuring tools used in examination and inspection: The measuring tools used for testing and inspection shall be calibrated.
This item can be excluded for establishments that do not use measuring tools that require standardization. A catalog of the measuring tool used for inspection and testing can be used to determine whether or not it requires calibration. The establishment administration must provide physical evidence to show the intention of implementing the calibration of the used measuring tools.
22-Basic Phases of Quality Control:
Pre-production or service Phase: Imports testing.
Production or service Phase: Testing stages of service or product.
Final Phase: -Testing the final service or product.
The facility management must identify, plan, implement, and analyze the necessary quality control phases to take over all stages of the product or service to avoid providing any defective services or products to customers.
Note:-
In some facilities, any of these three phases may not be applied due to the nature of their activity.
23-Testing and Inspection:
Assurance of the extent to which a product or service conforms to the specifications and standards that have been set.
24- Product Description:
The ingredients of a product shall be described. Define how to use it and warnings if found.
25-Product Storage:
Store the product properly and safely according to the storage specifications.
26- Probable hazards limitation:
Limit the probable food hazards expected to happen in all processes and activities that may lead to actual danger.
27- Hazard Control:
Define the appropriate method to control the hazards expected to happen, or those that have already happened in all processes and activities.
28- 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.
29- 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.
30- Work Environment:
Provide a safe work environment and suitable for the nature of the activity.
31- 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.
32- Microbiological Tests:
Do the necessary microbiological swabs and analysis regularly to check the proportions of the affecting microbes.
33-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.
34- 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.
35 – Training and awareness
Train and aware all employees to activate FHMS.
Training certificates must be issued internally or externally after training.
36- 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.
37-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.
38-Top Management:
It`s responsible for providing all the requirements of food hazard 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, and defective rates of services or products in cooperation with the quality controller( food hazard controller).
Table of required documents to be created, implemented, and maintained in the FHMS:
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 Hazard Controller) |
5 |
Food Hazard Plans and Objectives |
6 |
FHMS Policy |
7 |
Data analysis and performance measurement |
8 |
Product / service inspection record |
9 |
Non-conforming products / services record |
10 |
Instrument calibration certificate (if available) |
11 |
Hazards Limitation Record |
12 |
Hazard Control Record |
13 |
Record of Hazard Control Efficiency and Effectiveness |
14 |
Temperature check record |
15 |
Health and safety instructions |
16 |
Cleanliness and Sanitization Record |
17 |
Record of Microbiological Tests |
18 |
Product Safety Instructions |
19 |
Pest Control Record/s |
20 |
Employees |
21 |
Customer Opinion Survey |
22 |
Customer Complaints |
23 |
Top Management Decisions and Recommendations (if applicable) |