A trade association in the UK has published a guide on food safety management for the temperature controlled storage and distribution sector.
The Cold Chain Federation said the guidelines should make it easier for members to develop, improve and implement food safety plans and processes. The guide was produced with the support of the Association’s members and the UK Food Standards Agency.
It brings together information on compliance, best practices and recommendations for managing food safety risks in the cold chain, as well as insights into likely future problems.
Help businesses and regulators
Ensuring food safety in the cold chain consists of nine chapters and shows what measures are required under food safety legislation, best practices for the BRCGS Global Standard for Storage and Distribution (Issue 4) and can be used by members to review processes as part of employee training and obtain the highest level of BRCGS certification for storage and distribution.
Tom Southall, Policy Director of the Cold Chain Federation, said the guide is intended to help companies achieve high standards of food safety in their facilities and to help enforcement agencies better understand specific functions of the cold chain.
“The safety of frozen and chilled food is the fundamental purpose of the cold chain. While the UK’s cold chain companies are experts at delivering safe food to the country, rapidly evolving innovation and changing consumer demands can make these standards difficult to meet. This can take a long time to familiarize yourself with and stay up to date with a number of regulations, certification systems and best practices, ”he said.
Topics covered include food safety culture, hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) in the cold chain, temperature control, prevention and response to contamination, food allergens, good hygiene practices and food crime prevention.
BRCGS support
Shane Brennan, CEO of the Cold Chain Federation, said with the UK’s exit from the European Union and new trade deals, changes could be expected in global food supply chains.
“At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has extended the cold chain to the consumer’s doorstep. Food safety compliance systems need to be resilient, agile and forward-looking to ensure that good standards ensure safe food from start to finish throughout the food chain, regardless of new challenges we may face, ”he said.
The document is made available as part of the BRCGS online library platform for sites and certification authorities that have subscribed to the BRCGS Global Standard for Storage and Distribution.
Jon Murthy, BRCGS director of global marketing, said the focus is on improving performance rather than meeting minimum standards.
“The global pandemic has put supply chain resilience to the fore for brands and retailers. It has accelerated the changing role of the warehouse and logistics sector with the growth of e-commerce, diversification of operations and new transport flows, ”he said.
A copy can be requested by email: compliance@coldchainfed.org.uk
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