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Federal, state, and local agencies share responsibility for
ensuring that food processors follow food safety laws. The goal of all
of these laws is to protect the public by ensuring that food
processors produce safe food. Laws and regulations are legal
requirements that must be followed. "Prerequisite Programs"
is the term used to describe a range of programs that enhance
operational conditions and provide a foundation for food safety
programs. Examples of such prerequisite programs are Good
Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP),
and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP). Why are
prerequisite programs important? Prerequisite programs, when properly
followed, help keep small problems from becoming serious problems that
could eventually have an impact on food safety. Voluntary programs are
completely voluntary and in many cases are developed by the food
industry associations to provide guidance for their members.
Local, state and federal public health agencies may inspect
food-processing facilities. Federal agencies such as the FDA have
jurisdiction over products in interstate commerce that is; products
that move or have moved across state lines. State agencies have
jurisdiction over food produced, distributed and consumed in the
state. State regulators may adopt federal requirements as their own
state laws. Some states may adopt requirements that must be met in
addition to federal requirements. Food processing operations must
comply with all existing state and federal laws and regulations that
apply to food establishments.
To view the California Health and Safety Code, Division 104, Part
5, "Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Laws", click on the
link below:
Sherman
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law
"The Act"
The first of these laws is the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
which is sometimes referred to as the "F D & C Act" or
simply "The Act". The Act is one of the main legal
authorities for food inspection in the United States. The Act was
enacted to protect public health.
The Act prohibits the interstate shipment of adulterated food,
which includes any food containing a pathogen (an organism that can
cause disease) such as Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, or any other
harmful substance. Foods that are spoiled or that are prepared using
spoiled food or foods that are contaminated by insects, rodents, or
other types of filth are also considered to be adulterated. High
quality food prepared or stored under insanitary conditions, such as
in a dirty environment, or handled by workers with poor personal
hygiene, is also adulterated. When food is adulterated, regulatory
agencies have procedures that they follow. In some cases they may ask
the firm to voluntarily correct the problem. Sometimes the agency may
send a warning letter to the firm. In other cases the adulterated food
may be removed from commerce through the courts. Finally, in serious
cases the regulators may file an injunction to stop the firm from
producing adulterated food or they may initiate a criminal prosecution
of the responsible persons, typically the manager and owner of the
firm.
To view the entire Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, click on
the following link:
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/laws/fdcact/fdctoc.htm
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
GMP are regulations that describe how food processing plants should
be designed and run to ensure food safety. GMP regulations for food
production and storage facilities can be found in the Code of Federal
Regulations, Title 21, Part 110 "Current Good Manufacturing
Practice in Manufacturing, Packing or Holding Human Food". The
GMP were designed to ensure that processed food is produced under
conditions that meet minimum food safety standards. GMP
are a system that you can incorporate into your daily operation to
ensure the safety of your product from receiving of ingredients to
distribution. The standards were developed with input from the public,
including the food industry.
Current Good Manufacturing Practice
in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food (pdf)
Voluntary Programs
As mentioned previously, once GMP and Prerequisite Programs are
in place, processors can develop additional food safety programs
such as HACCP. HACCP (pronounced as "hassip.")
H-A-C-C-P, is an acronym that stands for "Hazard Analysis and
Critical Control Point". This concept is an important part of
a food safety program because it builds upon the use of GMP and
prerequisite programs and focuses on prevention of food safety
problems. HACCP is a tool for managers and line workers to
evaluate each of the firm’s operations from receiving to
distribution. In HACCP, the biological, chemical, and physical
hazards that are associated with each operation are identified.
After identifying the hazards, Critical Control Points (CCPs) are
identified. CCPs are those points in the processing where controls
can be applied and where loss of control would lead to a food
safety problem. Therefore, a process is put in place for each CCP
to make sure that food safety problems do not occur. The process
is then monitored frequently to ensure that all aspects of the
product process at the CCP are in control. HACCP programs are a
mandatory part of juice, meat, poultry, and seafood production,
but HACCP is not currently required for all processed food
products. Just as one cannot sanitize without first cleaning,
HACCP cannot be properly planned and implemented without a strong
foundation of GMP and prerequisite programs.
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