Translated from Dutch to English - www.onlinedoctranslator.

com

Hygiene and food safety at

Suzanne van de Weijer| June 2021

eurofinsfoodtesting.com
Training Content

1. Food Safety

2. Legislation

3. Hazards

4. CBL Hygiene Code

5. Basic conditions

6. Complaints

7. Recalls
Food Safety

You've probably heard of people getting sick after eating food. Or about product recalls.
Below you can see an example.

How can you, as a Flink deliverer, prevent

products from being unsafe?

In this training we deal with

factors that influence food safety.

Naturli milkfree contains milk, but milk is not

mentioned as an allergen at the label. This product is
not suitable for persons with an allergy for milk.
3
Naturli Foods recalls this product.
Food Safety

You will meet various consumers within your delivery addresses.

In the context of food safety, consumers are classified by risk group.

You have probably heard the term YOPI (“joopie”).

Y= young / young

O= old / old
P= Pregnant / pregnant

I= Immusurpressed / low resistance

People who fall under this group can often develop severe symptoms after consuming an unsafe product.
The consequences are also often significant, such as a hospital visit or possibly even fatal consequences.

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Legislation

Food safety and hygiene for foodstuffs are regulated by law.

The basis are the HACCP principles, anno 1969, in the time of NASA.

The question arose of how food could be safely consumed in space.

Do you know what the term HACCP stands for?

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points

In other words: determining the hazards within the process and determining and controlling the critical points

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Legislation – European level

Several European legal provisions are set up by the HACCP methodology, including:

Regulation EU 178/2002: the basis for food law

Contents: Foods are not placed on the market if they are unsafe.

Regulation EU 853/2004: food hygiene

Contents: Food business operators are responsible for the implementation, implementation and
enforcement of one or more permanent procedures based on the HACCP principles.

Regulation EU 1169/2011: labeling requirements

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Legislation – National level

In addition to legislation at European level, there is also legislation at national level.

You have probably heard the term 'Commodities Act Decree'.

The NVWA (Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) has been appointed in the Netherlands to
ensure that these rules are complied with. The NVWA checks the food safety assurance of food companies/
distributors through inspections (both unannounced and announced).

Which food safety system does Flink work with?

Flink uses the CBL hygiene code.

Contents: The hygiene code describes the processes that characterize the retailing of
foodstuffs to consumers or to end users.

This hygiene code has been drawn up for the Central Bureau for Food Trade (CBL), and has been approved
by the NVWA as a food safety system.

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Hazards

As you have just read, HACCP requires that the hazards within a company are identified and recorded.

What hazards can arise within foodstuffs? There are 4 main groups of hazards, divided as:

• Microbiological

• Physical

• Chemical

• Allergens

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Hazards – microbiological

What are micro-organisms?

These are living beings/cells that are too small to see by the eye of a person.

Think of bacteria, fungi. These micro-organisms can be transmitted through foodstuffs.

There are foods with desirable micro-organisms, e.g.:

But also foodstuffs with undesirable micro-organisms, e.g.:

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Danger - microbiological

To what extent can you prevent unwanted growth of micro-organisms from occurring?

• Time & temperature; the optimum growth temperature for micro-organisms is between 30 and 40°C.

Check whether the standard/storage temperature on the label is correctly observed.

• Presence of oxygen;

Check that gas containers are not broken.

• Moisture;
Check whether products are stored in a dry area.

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Hazards - Chemical

How can you ensure that foodstuffs are not contaminated with chemicals?

• Make sure food is well sealed

• Store chemical agents (lubricants, cleaning agents) in a separate cupboard, preferably lockable.

• Make sure that cleaning products are stored immediately after use.

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Hazards - physical

How can you ensure that foodstuffs are not contaminated with physical contaminants?

• Make sure foodstuffs are well sealed.

• Limit the use of foreign parts in food storage. Think of staples, biodegradable blades,

material made of glass or hard plastic.

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Hazards - allergens

What are food allergens and for whom is this a danger?

• Food allergy is an abnormally strong reaction of the immune system to proteins in our food.

• As a reaction, all kinds of substances are released in the body, including histamine. We call this the
allergic reaction.

• The complaints depend on where in the body this reaction takes place.

Allergic reaction

• The complaints vary from skin complaints, itching, diarrhea to life-threatening (anaphylactic
shock).

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Hazards - allergens

There are 14 legal allergens:

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Hazards - allergens

What can you as an employee mean in this?

• If a product breaks, the environment can become contaminated. Allergens can be transported via the
packaging. So make sure that allergen-containing products are separated from non-allergen-containing
products within storage.

• Correct labeling is up to the supplier. However, if you see strange things in the context of allergens
=> report this to your manager.

Biggest cause of recalls

=
wrong allergen labelling

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CBL Hygiene Code

The CBL hygiene code describes parts that can influence food safety, under the heading 'basic conditions'.
Flink uses these basic terms and conditions:

Personal
Training & hygiene Cleaning
Design
instruction
building

Shelf life

Purchase Reception Storage Deliver

Temperature-
Cross-
control Pest-
contamination management
Waste

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Basic condition - room layout

Do you know what requirements a commercial space and storage space must meet?

• The space must be clean and well-maintained.

• No dirt can accumulate within the room.

Do you see damage in the wall, or a torn pillar? => Report it to your manager.

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Basic requirement - training & instruction

You will learn a lot about food safety through this training, but….

…the CBL Hygiene Code gives you much more information.

• Find out where it is located on your HUB, and take a look at it carefully.

• Make sure you are aware of the work instructions and their correct implementation.

• Are you missing something? Ask your manager.

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Basic requirement - personal hygiene

You, as an employee, are the 'face' of Flink for the consumer.

• Make sure your consumers like to see again.

Prevent bacteria from being transferred (via the packaged food):

• Wash your hands regularly after coughing, sneezing or going to the toilet.

• Do you suffer from stomach or intestinal disorders? Report it to your manager.

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Basic condition - cleaning

As a Flink employee, do you know how and when to clean?

The cleaning plan states the following:

• How often you should clean

• Which parts/materials you need to clean

• With which cleaning agents

Before using a cleaning agent, make sure that you know how to use the cleaning agent (working time, which
agent, drying or rinsing). They are, after all, chemicals.

In the unlikely event that something happens; the safety data sheets can be requested from your manager.

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Basic condition - shelf life

Why is there a shelf life on a product?

• Best before (best before) indicates until when the quality is guaranteed.

• For non-refrigerated products, this is mainly based on the quality of a product.

• For refrigerated products, this is also based on the safety of the product.

• To be used until (TGT) indicates until when safety is guaranteed.

Make sure you do not deliver products that have expired.

Make sure you use FIFO within the storage of products. So the products that are delivered first, also be the first
to be delivered.

FIFO = First in, first out.

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Basic Condition - Temperature Control

Why is temperature control so important?

• Micro-organisms are naturally present in a product. To prevent these from developing into an unsafe
product, legal standards have been established for each product group.

• The following standards apply to Receipt, Storage & Delivery:

Organ meats: 3 °C or colder

Chicken, turkey and game meat, rabbit: 4°C or colder

Refrigerated products such as dairy, pastries, cheese: 7 °C or colder

Frozen products: - 18 °C or colder

If a lower temperature standard than the legal one is stated on the packaging, the standard on the
packaging is leading. eg. Packaging beef with 3°C, legal standard 7°C => 3°C applies as standard.
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Basic Condition - Temperature Control

How do you measure product temperatures?

• Flink uses combined stab and infrared thermometers.

• When using Infrared (laser beam), the following is important:

• Focus on packaging with product (mass) behind it, so not on the headspace.

• Keep 1-3 cm in terms of distance from product to thermometer, because of the laser beam.

• Do not measure on metal or cardboard packaging. (metal reflects laser beam, cardboard retains heat).

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General rules for temperature measurements:

• When in doubt about a temperature, always use the probe

thermometer. You can place the pin between 2 products. If in doubt,

prick the product and write off the product as a waste.

If the temperature is not satisfactory:

• Register the deviating temperature

• Register what has been done with the

products.

• Has the manager also been informed?

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Basic Condition - Temperature Control

When do you measure and record

temperatures?

• Reception:

• Measure and record the product temperature of each load. (if 2 compartments, measure both).

• Storage:

• Daily measure and record a product that is stored in the refrigerator and in the freezer.

Vary the location within the refrigerator/freezer as some places are warmer (e.g. near a doorway) than
others.

• Delivery:

• Measure and record the product temperature/dummy after you have visited the (last) customer.

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Basic requirement - food waste

Within food waste, the number of micro-organisms and thus spoilage is high. As an

employee, how do you ensure that waste does not pose a risk to the environment?

• Store products in containers intended for this purpose that are easy to clean and can
be closed.

• Remove waste at least at the end of the day or sooner if necessary.

• Make sure that waste can never contaminate food.

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Basic Condition - Cross Contamination

In the case of cross-contamination, you should think of foodstuffs that come into contact with (old) product
residues, contaminated environment. Through contact, this pollution is dragged to another location or to

another food. Remember that this food eventually ends up in the consumer's kitchen cupboard

How do you, as an employee, ensure that cross-contamination is prevented?

• Upon receipt of the goods, check whether the packaging is clean, undamaged and free of vermin.

• Store products in a clean, dry place.

• Never place products directly on the floor.

• Completely shut down products.

• Where possible, separate allergen-containing products from other products.

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Basic Condition - Pest Control

Pests carry all kinds of bacteria, and are located in the most unhygienic places. How do we prevent

Contamination/presence from pests?

Barrier:

• Screens
• Closed waste containers

• To clean

• Entrance Control
Combat
• Set traps

• Lure boxes
• Insect lamps 28
Basic Condition - Pest Control

How can you contribute to this?

• Do you see that forms of protection and/or control are broken, or do not work properly =>
report this to your manager.

• Do you report pests? => report to your manager what, where and when you have seen. The pest
controller can get to work with this notification.

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Complaints

Every complaint is an opportunity. This means that every response from our consumers is seen as valuable.
Because we know what is going on and what may be wrong, we can actively make adjustments.

How can you as an employee contribute to this?

• Know where to register complaints and what information you need for this (e.g. article name, weight,
brand, best before date, lot code, etc.). Flink has a complaints system for the registration of complaints.
Food safety is part of this.

• Discuss the consumer's complaint with the relevant responsible person within your HUB.

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Recalls

A recall stands for a recall. If faulty products have been delivered, they can pose a danger to the consumer.
Think of pieces of glass in a product, or incorrect allergen listing. Consumers can get very sick from this. To
prevent this, a recall is being initiated.

How can you as an employee contribute to this?

• Know where the recall procedure can be viewed, and who is the contact person for this within your HUB.
• If a product is recalled, always consult with the recall manager.
• Act quickly to ensure that as few products as possible are delivered to the consumer. The danger can be
drastically reduced in this way.

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Thank you very much
for
your attention!

eurofinsfoodtesting.com