This document is designed to provide practical guidance on how to minimize microbial contamination and food safety risks in packaging facilities. In 2002, a new section of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, Food Safety Standards, was introduced. It is intended for use by those involved in and responsible for food safety management in fruit packing plants.
This increases the risk of microorganisms settling in the fruit and food safety can be compromised if the water quality is not high.
Water cooling systems
Listeria can survive in aerosols for up to three hours, spreading through a packing shed in this way. It can also survive and grow in water that pools on floors and in drains.
Staff facilities
Water treatment systems and options Treatment of water with sanitisers is part of the
It is important to carefully assess and decide on the best form of water treatment before surgery. If you choose to install an unknown or unproven water treatment method, its performance must be validated. A list of approved substances is available in the Food Standards Code.11 2.5 Monitoring water treatment and water.
The purpose of monitoring will determine where and how often samples should be taken for testing. However, many factors must be considered when deciding which water samples to collect for testing. Although there is a general guideline that water should be monitored at least annually, this is a minimal approach that should be taken.
Where water treatment systems are installed, a number of water samples may need to be collected to verify that the system is effectively treating the microbial contaminants. If microbial pathogens are detected on the final product, it is likely that water used in the warehouse will need to be tested to help identify the cause of contamination. Once a water treatment system has been tried and proven effective, current industry practice incorporates ongoing annual testing as a minimum verification step.
Cleaning and Sanitising Programs
What should be included in cleaning and sanitising?
How are cleaning and sanitising undertaken?
The washing and grading line
Shed Sanitary Control
Sources of microbial contamination Effective shed sanitation requires consideration
The outside environment
Inside the packing house
The cleaning and sanitising programs These programs should be effectively managed
Accumulation of fruit and other plant debris adjacent to the packing shed encourages pest harborage and microbial growth. Reduce the hose on the outside of the collection bins Reduce the transfer of bins and equipment from the field to high-risk areas of the packing bin. For example, a collection of soil and water on the floor near the packing line offers a high risk of cross-contamination compared to the same collection remote control on the packing line.
Microbial load in the packing house for a particular type or group of fruit being packed. Microbiological quality of water used in packaging and effectiveness of water treatment. While general industry requirements dictate that packing houses be cleaned approximately weekly during the packing season, each packing house must evaluate the validity of its cleaning and disinfection schedule against the microbial inputs to the operation.
When fruit e.g. brought out of controlled atmosphere storage, there is a higher incidence of spoiled or rotting fruit in the packing house. It is likely that under these higher microbial load conditions, daily cleaning of the packinghouse is required to maintain hygiene control. When the packing plant is at its peak, due to time constraints it seems difficult to incorporate cleaning and disinfection into the daily schedule.
Pest/vermin control program
For example, packing fruit from cold storage may introduce more pathogens into the bin due to the presence of rotten fruit in the bins. For example, some harvested bunches will contain more leaf litter in the bins than others. Carrying out cleaning and disinfection according to on the scheduled plan is easier and more time efficient in the long run. store materials and equipment off the floor. keep all packaging dry, ventilated and covered. remove waste frequently during and at the end of each work day. include areas behind and under appliances and furniture in your routine cleaning schedule. where practical, store tubs and tubs inverted after cleaning.
Research in the United States has shown that raw fruits and vegetables can be directly infected with E. coli 0157:H7 by transmission of the organism from wine flies.4 During research conducted in Western Australia, frogs were found to inhabit the water cooling system. in which Listeria monocytogenes was detected, directly next to the apple. Dogs and cats carry human pathogens in their gastrointestinal tracts and can carry soil, dirt, plant debris and pests into the packhouse. If it is not possible to prevent birds from entering the packing room, they should not be allowed to roost near storage, handling or packing of fruit or where there is packaging, containers, etc.
A tidy packhouse is easier to keep clean, reduces the likelihood of harboring pests and reduces the possibility of physical contaminants in the fruit. Keeping conveyor belts, tubs and other surfaces in contact with food in good condition prevents the accumulation of microorganisms and their transfer to the fruit and reduces the risk of physical contaminants in the fruit. Use partitions and screens to separate storage areas and packaging materials in close proximity to the packaging line.
Other areas of control
Rodents and insects such as cockroaches carry pathogens such as E. coli and salmonella in their digestive tracts. All doors and windows should be kept as closed as possible to prevent wind-borne infection and the entry of animals, birds and vermin. Do not perform high-risk procedures, such as sweeping and hosing down equipment, in areas where the fruit is exposed.
Storage of equipment and chemicals Equipment and packaging materials should be
Personnel Hygiene Control
Staff facilities
Food handler hygiene
Illness
In general, more frequent hand washing is required, and wipes should be discarded after one use. It may be appropriate for non-food contact tasks to be performed while employees are recovering. If staff have diarrhoea, vomiting, sore throat with fever, fever or jaundice, it may be appropriate for them to stay away from work or perform non-food contact duties until fully recovered.
A management system should be in place to ensure that employees adequately inform their supervisors of any illness they have suffered that may affect food safety controls.
Cross contamination
Training
Product Handling Guidelines
Microbial risk categories and microbiological criteria for fruit
The cold chain
Conclusion
Glossary of Terms and Definitions
There are examples of pathogenic microorganisms in each group, although not all of these pathogens will occur on, or pose a food safety risk in, fresh produce. Some of these groups contain microorganisms capable of causing product spoilage, but most of the microorganisms in the groups are of no significance for food safety. Like viruses, they are unable to multiply outside a human or animal host, but can cause disease with only a low number of organisms.
These would include microorganisms that are harmless, such as lactic acid bacteria and some coliform bacteria. There will also be microorganisms present that can cause fruit to spoil in storage, such as Botrytis fungi, Erwinia bacteria or yeasts. It is not the intent of a food safety program or code of practice to eliminate microorganisms from fresh produce.
Rather, the goal is to minimize the presence of harmful microorganisms to a level that does not pose a threat to food safety, and to prevent their growth. Control measures used to achieve this have the added benefit of controlling other microorganisms that can cause spoilage of the product. Harmless microorganisms can play a positive role by actively competing with those that cause disease or spoilage.
The Microbiology of Fresh Produce
Salmonella can be found in ripe tomatoes that have survived on the plant from the time of contamination of the tomato flower.4. Hence, micro-organisms can enter the packaging sheds on the fresh products or directly through one of the sources mentioned above. They include just some of the microbial pathogens known to cause foodborne illness in fruit.
High-risk groups in the population such as pregnant women and their fetuses, young children, the elderly and adults with weakened immune systems are particularly susceptible to infection with L. Pathogenic microorganisms can survive and grow in the packaging environment when conditions are conducive. The conditions under controlled atmosphere storage are important to control both food safety and food spoilage risks.
Conditions in the packing shed can affect the survival of microorganisms during storage through factors such as cross-contamination from equipment and workers. If pathogens have survived and/or grown during storage in the packhouse, their presence on the fruit through transport, further processing and in the hands of the consumer is likely to create a significant food safety hazard. Therefore, controls to reduce the level of contamination of fruit in the packing plant and the ability of microorganisms to grow help to reduce the risk of foodborne illness at the end use of the product.
Quality Assurance in Packing Houses
Independent third-party auditors, who must be technically competent in the field being audited, audit all these systems. These systems are the preferred option in the market especially for larger manufacturers, packing houses, shippers, wholesalers, retailers, processors and food service industries. Freshcare COP13, like Cattlecare and Flockcare for example, has added many system management components (HACCP) to the original Approved Supplier Guidelines.
It now includes elements such as verification to meet retailer requirements as in the full HACCP process. These programs are designed to reduce costs for operators, meet basic food safety requirements and have a base acceptance in the market. Training can be done on site and is designed to be relevant to the identified risks and the management needs of each business.
This demonstrates food safety controls and provides avenues to follow in the event of an investigation. Training and effective ongoing management are supported by procedures and guidelines that can complement a company's quality assurance program. Publications such as 'Guidelines for on-farm food safety for fresh produce' and 'Guidelines for the management of microbial food safety in packinghouses' should be used.
