Week 16 Stock Control - We've Got SALSA Sussed

Week 16 Stock Control

Hi Everyone!

I hope all of you have had a good week and are looking forward to another good week ahead!

From my perspective, the industry seems to have got a lot busier which is great. Here’s hoping it’s going to continue this way.

Another simple one this week!

Stock Control can be carried out in many ways, however when you are just starting out, then simple systems are the best.

We need to think about the following:

·         Stock Counts

·         Stock Rotation

·         Traceability

·         Segregation in Storage

Let’s get started!

What’s coming next…

Week 17 – Waste Control

 

Stock Control – what do you need to show your SALSA auditor?

Stock Control Procedure

Stock Checklist

 

In previous weeks we have spoken about Goods In. Goods In is the first part of the process, where we take control of the raw materials. Stock Control is the second part.

 

Stock control is important for many reasons:

·         Making sure your stock is suitably stored and protected from contamination.

·         It will also ensure you have good control on all of your stock for ordering purposes.

·         To ensure we use the right batch of ingredients first. This will ensure that ingredients are not waste by them going out of date.

 

Stock Control Procedure

The Stock Control Procedure needs to document how you are controlling stock once it has been checked off at Goods In. The considerations you need to make are:

 

Stock Allocation

Storage

Stock Control

Storage Traceability

Stock Recording Systems

Stock Checks

 

Stock Allocation

How it is allocated to its storage area? Are there any ingredients which have to allocated to specific storage locations such as:

·         Chilled

·         Frozen

·         Ambient stores

·         Segregated Allergen area

 

Some sites have allocated shelving for specific ingredients. Shelving is labelled up so that it is clear where everything must be stored for staff who are stacking everything away, or getting ingredients out to use.

 

As my Dad always says ‘A place for everything and everything in its place’.

 

Shelf allocation is most important where Allergens are concerned. They should always be stored in the same location with labelled shelves. The same rules apply whether they are stored in ambient, chilled or frozen storage.

 

Allergens must also be stored in lower level shelves to prevent spillage onto non-allergen ingredients stored below.

 

If you are storing ingredients which come in glass packaging (which should be avoided if possible), they must also be stored on low level shelves, to prevent contamination from damage if they were to fall and smash.

 

Storage

Make sure your storage areas are suitable for ensuring stock does not get contaminated, such as by pests. The rules are, that you must store everything:

·         Off the floor

o   Use pallets so that they are easily moveable to clean.

o   Or use racking so that you can easily access underneath to clean.

·         Away from the walls

o   Have racking and pallets positioned slightly away from the walls. This is to ensure that you and the pest contractor can see behind the storage to check pest bait points. It also prevents damp on walls transferring onto your ingredients and packaging.

 

Stock Rotation

When putting stock away, check Best Before and Use By dates. Move the older to the front and put the new towards the back. This will ensure that you use the right stock first.

 

Stock Traceability

Do you use the suppliers batch codes for traceability purposes? Or, do you allocate Batch No’s to goods on arrival?

 

I would always suggest using the suppliers batch codes, to keep it simple.

 

If any ingredients are decanted for storage, it is very important to have a procedure for staff to follow to do this.

 

Decanting

When decanting, it always needs to be done into a clean empty container. Do not top up containers with a new batch of ingredient, when there may still be some of the old batch left in it. Once decanted, there needs to be Traceability Labelling on the container. This must include the name of the ingredient, the Batch Number and the ‘Best Before Date’ or the ‘Use By Date’.

 

Work In Progress

If you make products which you prepare in advance, then store before processing, they are classed as ‘Work in Progress’ ingredients. These could be foods such as pastry, or cake fillings for example. You need to have a Traceability Label on the container it is being stored. The essential items to put on the label are; the Product Name, Use By Date and Batch Code.

 

The above traceability labels are so important. When you come to using your ingredients in production you can record the batch number, on a Production Record, for each product you make. The purpose of traceability labelling is for when you need to carry out a recall. For example, it could be due to a contaminated raw material. The traceability labelling enables you to trace the batch number of the raw material. We will go into traceability in a lot more detail in coming weeks.

 

Stock Recording System

Once the Goods In Record is completed, do you log goods onto a Stock System or onto spreadsheet to track stock levels and Best Before / Use By Dates? If so, document the systems you use on your procedure.

 

Stock Checks

A stock check needs to take place on a set frequency. State the frequency in your procedure. You need to complete stock checks for ordering purposes, and also to check that all of the stock you hold is within its shelf life dates, and still safe to use in your products. It is handy to have a printed list of all ingredients used, which includes food contact packaging, then complete a stock count. When doing this, checking all of the Use By / Best Before to ensure there is no out of date items.

 

If you discover any out of date ingredients, if they are fresh ingredients with Use By Dates, they will need putting to waste.

 

If you find any out of date ‘Ambient Stable’ ingredients which have Best Before dates, I am often asked if they can still be used. The simple answer is No! Not unless you go back to the supplier and get written confirmation from them of an extension on the date. The suppliers are the experts on their ingredients, so only their advice along with a lab test result is sufficient to extend any shelf life dates. Otherwise, it cannot be done.

 

A simple example of a stock checking record:

 

Have a good week!

 

If you need assistance, please feel free to contact me! On that note, that is the end of this section. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions.

 

Be careful and stay safe!

Ruth

Ruthshawconsultingltd@gmail.com

07732 966 836