Food Safety

The AgriChain Centre - Freephone 0800-247-424 - www.agrichain-centre.comCopyright © 2013. The AgriChain Centre Ltd.

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TRAINING & SUPPORT PROGRAMMES FOR NEW ZEALAND BUSINESSES

THE AGRICHAIN CENTRE HAS DESIGNED A WIDE RANGE OF TRAINING AND SUPPORT SERVICES TO ASSIST BUSINESSES TO BECOME FOOD SAFETY COMPLIANT

ISSUE 1 | AUGUST : SEPTEMBER 2013

PO Box 101 245, NSMC, Auckland 0745,

New ZealandPhone: 0800-247-424Fax: (09) 414-6140

Email: [email protected]

FOODSAFETY

AGRICHAIN-CENTRE.COM

WelcomeThere is no shortage of food safety itemshitting the headlines globally.

Many parents would have been horrified withthe latest tragic report from India wherepesticide in cooking oil used to prepareschool lunches resulted in the deaths of 23school children.

Whilst this type of event is rare and wewould all hope that it would never happen inNew Zealand it does highlight the need forvigilance when it comes to Food Safety. Andhere in New Zealand, we are watching theFonterra situation unfold.

Ensuring that food is safe is not an optionalextra and needs to be treated as a seriousand critical element of the overall mix thatensure a food company's long-termsustainable survival.

Governments, local body regulators as well ascorporate retailers are increasing theirinterest in the food management practices ofany organisation handling food of any kind,from lunch bars and lettuce growers towholesale produce markets, abattoirs andbakeries.

As a consequence, food companies need tomeet increasingly stringent customer andregulatory assurance requirements. FoodSafety Programmes and effective training areessential in any food preparation/handlingbusiness.

IN THIS ISSUEIn this edition of our Food Safetynewsletter we are looking toprovide updates on:

1. Progress with the proposed new Food Bill

2. Voluntary Incidental Trace AllergenLabelling (VITAL)

3. Introduction to Hazard Analysis CriticalControl Point (HACCP) Training

4. The release of WQA Version 8

5. The newest member of our Food Safetyteam - Esperanza Reyes

6. Food Safety Services

Food Safety Newsletter August- September 2013 © The AgriChain Centre

UPDATE ON THE FOOD BILLThe proposed Food Bill had stalled at the second reading stage,in part because of lobbying by interest groups that createdconfusion as to what the bill was seeking to achieve.

The need to move the bill forward is increasing, in order toprotect food exporters who need to show equivalence,especially in relation to the USA requirements.

The new food safety minister, Nikki Kaye, has taken a fairlypragmatic approach to these issues in order to get the billthrough Parliament.

A supplementary order paper has been written which outlineswhere the bill needed to be adapted. This controls issuesraised about school fairs, sausage sizzles and other areas thatare peripheral to the main intent of the bill.

This means that the bill goes back for a second reading, butit is hoped it can then move more quickly through theParliamentary process.

Once the bill passes through Parliament second and thirdreadings, it will be enacted. There will then be a 12-18

month consultation process for regulations and specificationsto be prepared.

This means the likely commencement date will be aroundJanuary-June 2015. Businesses will then have three years toimplement the new regulations.

As can be seen from the changes to the WQA standardAllergen Management is an increasingly important aspect offood manufacture.

The AgriChain Centre has been endorsed by the AllergenBureau to offer a one day VITAL course which gives foodproducers / manufacturers an understanding of the principlesunderpinning Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling(VITAL) and how to manage allergens in a productionenvironment.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

This course is suitable for manufacturing staff responsible forpackaging and labelling products.

It is also advisable for staff responsible for HACCP and FoodSafety Programme management to understand the riskassessment of allergens.

The process requires an in depth knowledge of themanufacturing plant and processes and ingredients.

WHAT THE COURSE COVERS:

• Food Allergy

• Allergen Management

• Allergen Labelling

• VITAL Process and Tools

• Allergen Testing

A certificate of attendance is issued to programmeparticipants.

INTRODUCING VOLUNTARY INCIDENTAL TRACEALLERGEN LABELLING (VITAL) TRAINING

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Auckland City Bylaws

In the meantime, for Auckland based food companiesplease note that following on from the merging of thevarious councils into a "Super City" the various CouncilBylaws have also now been combined into the AucklandCouncil Food Safety Bylaw 2013 with many of theclauses having come into effect from 01 July 2013.

Click here to access a copy:

http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/licencesregulations/Bylaws/Documents/foodsafetybylaw.pdf

HACCP TRAINING

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

• Senior management, supervisors, business owners• People monitoring a food safety programme• People planning to develop and implement a food safety

programme

PRE-REQUISITES:

We suggest that attendees should complete the IntroductoryFood Safety course before attending this course (if they haveno prior food safety training).

WHAT THE COURSE COVERS:

• The seven principles of Hazard Analysis Critical ControlPoint (HACCP)

• Incorporating good operating practices, i.e., pre-requisiteprogrammes and monitoring

• Legislation relevant in New Zealand• Practical examples of HACCP implementation in the

workplace

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Basic knowledge of a HACCP system• An awareness of the seven principles of HACCP (Hazard

Analysis Critical Control Point)• An understanding of the importance of implementing a

HACCP Plan


For anyone that supplies product into Countdown, SuperValue orFreshChoice you need to be aware that Woolworths has released theWoolworths Quality Assurance (WQA) Standard Version 8 earlier thisyear.

We have reviewed the standard for Produce and can report that whilstmany of the areas have been changed in terms of their order and wherethey now fit in relation to the standard, the big changes and /or newareas of focus relate to:

• Customer Focus

• Food Fraud

• Foreign Object Management & Detection Systems

• Weight / Volume control

• Management of Food Allergens

• Incident Management

WQA VERSION 8

HAZARD ANALYSIS IS ALSO A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF FOODSAFETY. The AgriChain Centre offers a one day introductory HACCP trainingcourse which provides an understanding of HACCP principles and how they can beapplied in the workplace.

Visit our website www.agrichain-centre.com to view our Food Safety training calendar and book online or call us Freephone 0800 247 424

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To discuss your requirements please contact:Carolyn Brown: [email protected] Arts: [email protected]

The AgriChain Centre LtdPO Box 101-245, NSMC, Auckland 0745, New Zealand.Telephone: +64-9-414-4536 or 0800-247-424.Facsimile: +64-9-414-6140.www.agrichain-centre.com

Dr Hans Maurer Publisher

Debbie Woods Publication [email protected]

Lisa Ritchie Media [email protected]

PUBLISHER’S CONTACT DETAILS:


OUR NEWEST FOOD SAFETY TEAM MEMBERIn April we welcomed on board Esperanza Reyes as a Food Safety Advisor.

Esperanza is a Food Technologist with a background in operational quality aspectsof food manufacturing including Internal Audit for ISO programmes.

Esperanza is committed to Quality Excellence and Food Safety.

She is involved in the development and implementation of Food SafetyProgrammes for our clients.

Esperanza is also a Food Safety Trainer for our Introductory and HACCP Food Safetycourses and the Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling (VITAL) training.

Visit our website www.agrichain-centre.com to view our Food Safety training calendar and book online or call us Freephone 0800 247 424

FOOD SAFETY SERVICES

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FOOD SAFETY SUPPORTDeveloping and implementing your Food Safety Programmewithin your business is one thing but it does require ongoingregular maintenance and updates to ensure that complianceis maintained.

The AgriChain Centre has a range of support services availableto assist with this including:

• Providing general Food Safety Consultancy and Advice

• Conducting Internal Audits

• Assisting with documentation changes and close out ofnon-conformances at External Audit

• Completing Manual Updates

• Management Review

• Implementation Support

These Food Safety Support Services options are typicallycustomised for individual businesses as no two businesseshave exactly the same requirements.

To discuss your requirements please contact:Carolyn Brown: [email protected] Arts: [email protected] Reyes: [email protected]

FOOD SAFETY PROGRAMMESDepending on the nature of your business, the type of foodyou handle or process and whom you supply, you may need a:

• Food Safety Programme

• Food Control Plan

• WQA Programme

• HACCP Programme

• Risk Management Plan

We will work with the key personnel from your organisationto ensure the smooth implementation of whatever programmeis required.

We offer a complete Food Safety programme assessment,design, implementation and support service.