Food Safety Management Systems

Food Safety Management System

  • A food safety management system encompasses practices and procedures designed to prevent foodborne illnesses.
  • It aims to actively control risks and hazards throughout the flow of food.
  • Effective food safety management relies on establishing foundational food safety programs.

Common Risk Factors for Foodborne Illness

  • Purchasing food from unsafe sources
  • Failing to cook food correctly
  • Holding food at incorrect temperatures
  • Using contaminated equipment
  • Practicing poor personal hygiene

Active Managerial Control

  • Active managerial control involves managers actively controlling risk factors for foodborne illness.
  • It's a proactive approach that anticipates and plans for food safety risks.
  • Achieving active managerial control involves using tools like:
    • Training programs
    • Manager supervision
    • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
    • Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) programs
  • Managers must practice active managerial control throughout the flow of food.
  • This includes:
    • Anticipating potential foodborne illness risk factors
    • Controlling or eliminating those risks
    • Ensuring staff has the proper tools, procedures, and training

Steps for Implementing Active Managerial Control:

  1. Identify Risks:
    • Find and document potential foodborne illness risks.
    • Identify hazards that can be controlled or eliminated.
  2. Monitoring:
    • Monitor critical activities in the operation.
    • Identify where employees should monitor food safety requirements (e.g., temperature checks, sanitizer concentrations).
  3. Corrective Action:
    • Take appropriate steps to correct improper procedures or behaviors.
    • Example: Increase sanitizer concentration if it's too low.
  4. Management Oversight:
    • Verify that staff follows policies, procedures, and corrective actions.
  5. Training:
    • Ensure employees are trained in food safety.
    • Provide retraining when necessary.
  6. Reevaluation:
    • Periodically reassess the system to ensure it works correctly and effectively.

Public Health Interventions (FDA Recommendations)

  • Designed to protect public health by controlling foodborne illness risks.
  1. Demonstration of Knowledge:
    • Managers must show they know how to keep food safe.
    • Food safety certification is one way to demonstrate this.
  2. Staff Health Controls:
    • Implement controls to ensure staff practice good personal hygiene.
    • This includes reporting illnesses and symptoms to management.
  3. Controlling Hands as a Vehicle of Contamination:
    • Control bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food.
    • Require the use of utensils like tongs.
  4. Time and Temperature Parameters:
    • Incorporate time and temperature controls into food safety procedures.
    • Limit the time food spends in the temperature danger zone.
    • Example: Check the temperature of hot held food every two hours.
  5. Consumer Advisories:
    • Include consumer advisories if serving raw or undercooked food.
    • Advise customers about the risk of eating these foods.

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)

  • A system for controlling biological, chemical, or physical hazards.
  • Identifies significant hazards at specific points in a product's flow.
  • Hazards can be prevented, eliminated, or reduced to safe levels.
  • An effective HACCP system must be based on a written plan specific to the facility's:
    • Menu
    • Customers
    • Equipment
    • Processes
    • Operations
  • Each HACCP plan is unique; a plan that works for one operation may not work for another.