A Food Safety Manual is a well-planned published document of Food Safety Management Systems for the Food Industry. Publish Food Safety Manual is the primary step towards a Food Safety plan. Every worker from food handlers to Management follows a defined food safety manual in your Industry.
A food safety manual consists of job descriptions, purpose, definitions, product descriptions and food safety systems. Therefore let’s know how to write and form a Food Safety Manual.
It simply curates what and how your Industry should work from a Food Safety point of view. A manual provides a safe food system for food processing.
Contents of Food Safety Manual
A Food Safety Manual consists of various divisions which help a Food Safety Team develop and practice better hygiene and safe food in every line of processing. Below are the most important divisions or contents in a Food Safety Manual:
- Introduction
- Food Safety Policy
- Organization Chart
- List of Products
- Product Description
- Process Flow Diagram
- Standard Operating Procedures
- Food Safety Management Plan
- Control of Documents
Form a Food Safety Manual
It is the responsibility of the food safety team to develop, implement and maintain the food safety management system and related documents or records.
A Food Safety Team Leader reviews the food safety management system (FSMS) manual for relevance and accuracy. General Manager approves the reviewed documents before implementation or use.
If the drafted documents require correction, they should be returned to the originator for correction and need approval by the General Manager before implementation/use.
The Food Safety Team Leader should maintain and update the “Master List of Documents of the food safety management system (FSMS) documents in use required by the food safety management system.
Food Safety Consultants
Food Safety consultants play an important role in designing a food safety plan. Most of the consultancy assists with framing a manual based on audits and findings. They are with the technical team and FSMS specialist to give the best of the Food Safety Plan.
A Food Safety Team will be the primary contact for consultants. It is their final decision to select and present to the higher management.
When to Revise the publication of the Food Safety Management System (FSMS)
The food safety management system (FSMS) and the system-related documents should be reviewed at least once a year to ensure its suitability and conformity even if no changes in the food safety management system.
The food safety management system (FSMS) and the system-related documents should be reviewed when there are significant changes such as:
- Emergency situations like food poisoning outbreaks,
- Confirmed customer complaints,
- Introduction of new raw materials/products not covered by the food safety management system and have an impact on food safety,
- The introduction of the new process or equipment is not covered by the food safety management system and has an impact on food safety,
- Changes in legal requirements (e.g. Food control regulations)
- Changes in standard requirements (e.g. ISO 22000 BRC or standard requirements)
Final Record of Food Safety Manual
So finally a document has turn to a record which is otherwise a Food Safety Manual. The Food Safety Team Leader can email or provide the soft copy of food safety management system (FSMS)document and authorized staff or department uses for food safety responsibility only.
The newly developed procedure or the revised procedure should send to authorized staff and ensure that the current or valid document is available at the point of use.
Author: Meera Jacob
A Food Safety Officer and Food Technologist in nature. Auditing and observing food safety systems is a prior interest. Writing and describing my experience is another passion. The food Industry is a diverse area with food safety as its prime focus to flourish. And that makes me more enthusiastic to work on various Non-Conformances and Risk Analysis. Happy Food Safetying to all Food Safety Professionals !!!
