Bakery, snack challenges
Allergens throw the biggest food safety hurdle at bakers and snack food manufacturers. These foods meet the F.S.M.A. definition of ready-to-eat, and many of their ingredients qualify as allergenic to one or another segment of the public. Thus, the new food safety rules demand a more rigorous environmental monitoring program, especially after the kill step.
“Under F.S.M.A., the baking industry can expect a lot more attention to be paid to allergen controls,” Dr. Brackett said.
More baked foods are recalled because of allergen labeling problems than for any other reason.
“Cross-contact with allergens is too common due to weak preventive actions and procedures,” Mr. Steed said. He directed attention to the new cGMPs outlined under 21 CFR 110. Part 117 identifies 24 instances where allergen cross-contact potential needs to be addressed and controlled.
Allergen labeling plans are important to this effort.
Mr. Hugo explained, “If a company has plant conditions for allergen cross-contact or different allergens in its products, it is required … to prevent undeclared allergens through proper label control programs from the inception of the label and into plant operations from receiving through packaging.”
Validation of kill steps will also be necessary to food safety plans for bakery and snack operations.
“Kill steps can be important depending on the product risk and must be determined through the preventive control process,” Mr. Bremer said. “These need to be updated with cGMPs that are current for the operations and the food risk as past food safety programs must be updated.”
It’s common knowledge that the heat of the oven or fryer destroys pathogenic microorganisms. But proving that it works as a kill step — validating it — is another matter. Mr. Hugo described AIB International’s new tools to help bakeries evaluate food safety preventive controls. The AIB Kill Step Calculator evaluates pathogen risks for production of buns, whole wheat bread and muffins, with cookies the next to be added to the program. It relies on information from data logging equipment that bakeries commonly use to verify oven temperatures.
The design and equipping of food facilities plays a significant part in F.S.M.A. compliance.
“These are things that are easier to work with early in the design of facilities than later on,” said Richard Wiehe, PE, senior associate mechanical engineer of Burns & McDonnell.
