Good Manufacturing Practices [GMP]

 Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) refers to the Practices which

manufacturers, processors, and packagers should take as proactive
steps to ensure that their products are safe, pure, and effective.
GMP requires a quality approach to manufacturing, enabling companies
to minimize or eliminate instances of contamination, mixups, and errors.
This in turn, protects the consumer from purchasing unsafe and poor
quality products. Failure of firms to comply with GMP can result in very
serious consequences including recall, seizure, fines, and imprisonment.
It addresses issues including recordkeeping, personnel qualifications,
sanitation, cleanliness, equipment verification, process validation, and
complaint handling. Most GMP requirements are very general and open-
ended, allowing each manufacturer to decide individually how to best
implement the necessary controls. This provides much flexibility, but
also requires that the manufacturer interpret the requirements in a
manner which makes sense for each individual business.
(GHP)
The foundation for Food Safety is infrastructure and hygiene. Quality
and food safety improvement and maintenance is a continuous process.
It can be achieved if primary production measures, production
operations, storage and packaging are monitored properly with care.
Food Regulations have substantial influence on the manufacturer.
Adoption of Good Hygienic Practice (GHP), Good Manufacturing Practice
(GMP), food safety management systems based on HACCP/ISO 22000
and quality management systems based on ISO 9001 help food
processing industries to maintain food quality and safety. In India,
quality of export consignments is certified by several Government
Agencies. The Quality and food safety inspection is carried out by
conducting physical, chemical and microbiological examinations and
monitoring of levels of various toxic contaminants like aflatoxins, heavy
metals and pesticide and drug residues in various foods. Since most of
food poisoning cases arise out of microbiological contamination,
therefore, stringent measures are taken to control these contaminants
during the manufacture of food products.
Objectives of GHP
 o identify the essential principles of food hygiene applicable
throughout the food chain (including primary production through
to the final consumer), to achieve the goal of ensuring that food is
safe and suitable for human consumption;

o recommend a HACCP-based approach as a means to enhance

food safety;

o Indicate how to implement those principles.

Scope and Use

Governments can consider the contents of this document and decide
how best they should encourage the implementation of these general
principles to:
o protect consumers adequately from illness or injury caused by
food; policies need to consider the vulnerability of different groups
within the population

o provide assurance that food is suitable for human consumption

o maintain confidence in internationally traded food

o provide health education programs which effectively communicate

the principles of food hygiene to industry and consumers.