Outsource
Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC)
It maybe too costly for a start up food establishment to employ a full time QA/QC. We provide outsourcing of qualified QA/QC personnel to help set up the system for your company and maintain your system until you have your own in house personnel to take over.
The deliverables will also includes the following:
| 1 | PREMISES | |
| 1 | Surroundings | |
| 1.1.1 | Cleanliness. | |
| 1.1.2 | Drains, roads etc properly maintained. No storage of unused items. | |
| 1.2 | Design, construction & maintenance | |
| 1.2.1 | Walls, ceiling and doors are constructed of materials that are durable, impervious, smooth and clean. | |
| 1.2.2 | Floors should be smooth, impervious, clean & free from litter. | |
| 1.2.3 | No damage at joint between wall & floor. | |
| 1.2.4 | No stagnation of water on floor. | |
| 1.2.5 | Overhead structures & fittings are designed to prevent dirt accumulation and clean. | |
| 1.2.6 | All doors/windows at open product areas are closed during production. | |
| 1.2.7 | Activities are conducted in properly demarcated areas which are adequately separated by partitions or other effective physical means, inclusive of separation between wet/dry areas. | |
| 1.2.8 | Buildings and facilities are designed to facilitate hygiene operations by means of a regulated process flow from the arrival of the raw materials to the storage of finished products with no criss crossing of process lines. | |
| 1.3 | Lighting | |
| 1.3.1 | Lighting is adequate. | |
| 1.3.2 | Lighting fixtures (inclusive used in electric fly-killing devices) located in areas where there are open products are protected & in good working condition. | |
| 1.4 | Ventilation | |
| 1.4.1 | Adequate ventilation to prevent unacceptable accumulations of steam, condensation, dust, odours or heat. Air flow from clean to dirty area. | |
| 1.4.2 | All ventilation equipment and fixtures are clean & in good working condition. | |
| 1.5 | Waste disposal | |
| 1.5.1 | Effluent or sewerage lines do not pass directly over or through production areas. | |
| 1.5.2 | Adequate and appropriate refuse containers are provided. All waste is removed at regular frequency to minimise contamination. | |
| 1.5.3 | Containers used for waste are clearly identified, covered, leak-proof and if feasible, internally lined with a plastic bag. | |
| 2 | STORAGE | |
| 2.1 | Storage Facilities & Practices | |
| 2.1.1 | Adequate, well designed storage rooms/areas with appropriate storage facilities (racks and containers etc) are available and which are impervious to moisture, clean, free from pest infestation & overstock. | |
| 2.1.2 | All chilled/frozen ingredients, intermediate and finished products are stored and maintained at appropriate temperatures with records of the cold storage rooms being made available. | |
| 2.1.3 | All food items are covered. | |
| 2.1.4 | Appropriate segregation of finished products/cooked/ready-to-be-consumed products from raw ingredients/semi-processed food. Separate storage for packaging materials as well. | |
| 2.1.5 | Food items are stored off the floor & away from walls. | |
| 2.1.6 | Proper stock rotation (First In First Out) is practised. | |
| 2.1.7 | All non-conforming products are clearly identified and isolated in designated areas or containers for appropriate disposition. | |
| 2.1.8 | Chemicals, detergents and other cleaning materials are stored in designated areas away from food items. | |
| 3 | FOOD PROCESSING EQUIPMENT | |
| 3.1 | Design, Installation & Maintenance | |
| 3.1.1 | All food processing equipment are resistant to corrosion and impervious to moisture, clean and are in proper working condition. | |
| 3.1.2 | All food processing equipment are easily accessible for cleaning, sanitising, maintenance and inspection. | |
| 3.1.3 | Food contact surfaces of food processing equipment are clean, smooth and free from rust or other possible contaminants. | |
| 3.1.4 | Only food grade lubricant is to be used on direct food contact surfaces. | |
| 3.2 | Washing & Sanitising Facilities | |
| 3.2.1 | Washing and sanitising facilities are adequately separated from food storage, processing and packaging areas to prevent contamination. | |
| 3.2.2 | Washing and sanitising facilities are constructed of corrosion resistant materials capable of being easily cleaned; provided with potable water at appropriate temperature for cleaning. | |
| 3.2.3 | Washing and sanitising facilities are clean, well maintained and are in good working order. | |
| 4 | Pest Control | |
| 4.1 | No sign of pest infestation. | |
| 4.2 | Carried out by external pest controller/trained staff. | |
| 4.3 | Toxic rodent are not used in production area | |
| 4.4 | No insect-expelled type of fly-killing device is used at open product areas. | |
| 5 | FOOD HANDLING & STAFF FACILITIES | |
| 5.1 | Facilities for Food Production Personnel | |
| 5.1.1 | Appropriate changing rooms/lockers are provided which are clean & properly maintained. | |
| 5.1.2 | Outdoor clothing & other personal items must be stored separately from work-wear within changing facilities. Facilities shall be available to separate clean & dirty work-wear as well. | |
| 5.1.3 | Toilets shall be adequately segregated & shall not open directly into production / storage area. | |
| 5.1.4 | Toilets shall be provided with hand-washing facilities comprising of hands-free operated taps, liquid soap & appropriate hand drying facilities. | |
| 5.1.5 | Toilets are clean and kept close; Toilet facilities are in working order. | |
| 5.1.6 | Provision of hand washing facilities equipped with hands-free operated taps, liquid soap and appropriate hand drying facilities at access to and to other appropriate points within production areas. | |
| 5.2 | Food Handling & Personal Hygiene Practices | |
| 5.2.1 | Food handling personnel are provided with clean protective clothing, hair covering, footwear, gloves, facial mask, etc., which are appropriate to the operation that they are engaged in. | |
| 5.2.2 | Watches & jewellery shall not be worn, with the exception of a plain wedding ring. | |
| 5.2.3 | Washing of hands should be performed prior to entry to production areas. | |
| 5.2.4 | Control in the movement of personnel and visitors within food processing areas to prevent any possible contamination. | |
| 5.2.5 | No personal food, drink & belongings are kept in production areas. | |
| 5.2.6 | No food preparation activities on floor. All food items & utensils are placed appropriately off the floor. | |
| 5.2.7 | No eating, smoking, spitting or any unhygienic practices in food processing area. | |
| 6 | PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION & TRACEABILITY | |
| 6.1 | Final products are appropriately batched or date marked. | |
| 6.2 | Effective traceability system & recall capability. | |
| 7 | DISPATCH & TRANSPORT | |
| 7.1.1 | Food vehicles are internally lined with appropriate material and provided with suitable facilities. | |
| 7.1.2 | Chilled/frozen raw materials are transported at correct temperatures with transportation temperature being monitored & recorded. | |
| 7.1.3 | Vehicles are covered, clean, free from pest infestation and other contamination. | |
| 7.1.4 | An effective loading/unloading system should be provided. Loading/unloading areas are adequately separated from food processing areas and activities. | |
| 7.1.5 | Separate food vehicles are used for raw and finished products. | |
| 8 | PRODUCT INSPECTION & LAB TESTING | |
| 8.1 | Appropriate sampling & testing plan. | |
| 8.2 | Test results are recorded & reviewed. Appropriate actions taken for unsatisfactory results. | |
| 8.3 | Validated/official testing method. | |
| 9 | FOREIGN BODY CONTROL | |
| 9.1 | Foreign body control/monitoring system in place (e.g. metal detector, magnet, sieve & etc.) & in good working condition. | |
| 10 | REWORK | |
| 10.1 | Rework procedure in place. | |
| 11 | MANAGEMENT OF ALLERGEN | |
| 11.1 | Allergenic material handling system in place. | |
| 12 | IMPLEMENTATION OF QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAMS | |
| 12.1 | Implementation of quality control measures or food safety programs. (Good – HACCP or equivalent, Fair – Other QC measures, Poor – No QC programs) | |
| 13 | STAFF COMPETENCY & FOOD HYGIENE TRAINING | |
| 13.1 | Hygiene Officer | |
| 13.1.1 | Performance of qualified Food Hygiene Officer in carrying out his assigned duties. | |
| 13.2 | Training Program | |
| 13.2.1 | Continual food hygiene training for food production personnel. | |
| 13.3 | Trained Personnel | |
| 13.3.1 | Percentage of production, QA/QC managers/supervisors underwent appropriate food hygiene training. (supported by records) (Good – 90% and above, Fair – at least 50%, Poor – below 50%). | |
| 13.3.2 | Percentage of food production operators underwent appropriate food hygiene training. (supported by records) (Good – 50% and above, Fair – below 50%, Poor – Nil) | |
| 14 | DOCUMENTATION & RECORDS | |
| 14.1 | Inspection records on cleanliness/sanitation of premises/facilities and personal hygiene. | |
| 14.2 | All product, process control & CCP monitoring records. Records need to be kept at least till end of product’s shelf-life. | |
| 14.3 | Raw ingredients information: Certificate of Analysis of Vendor, testing records & etc. | |
| 14.4 | Waste disposal procedure & records. | |
| 14.5 | Medical records of all food production personnel. | |
| 14.6 | All customer complaints shall be recorded, investigated & the results of the investigation & root cause shall be recorded. | |
| 14.7 | Cleaning schedule and records. | |
| 14.8 | Pest control is documented & records are maintained. | |
| 14.9 | Equipment maintenance and servicing schedules. | |
| 14.10 | Food vehicles cleaning and maintenance records. | |
| 14.11 | Calibration records for measuring equipments e.g. used to monitor CCP, lab testing & etc. | |
| 14.12 | Foreign body control monitoring records. | |
| 15 | VIOLATION RECORDS | |
| 15.1 | Premises | |
| 15.1.1 | Written warnings & summary action. (Good – Nil, Fair – 1WW, Poor – More than 1 WW or SA) | |
| 15.2 | Food & Personal Hygiene Practices | |
| 15.2.1 | Written warnings & summary action. (Good – Nil, Fair – 1WW, Poor – More than 1 WW or SA) | |
| 15.3 | Products | |
| 15.3.1 | Written warnings & summary action. (Good – Nil, Fair – 1WW, Poor – More than 1 WW or SA) | |
