Week 23 Distribution Control - We've Got SALSA Sussed
Hi Everyone!
Right, we are nearly finished with our Prerequisite
Procedures!
It’s no mean feat writing procedures, but hopefully with
the guidance and suggestions I have given you so far, you have the
understanding to be able to go forward with confidence and get yourselves ready
for SALSA!
This week it is Storage & Distribution Control, next
week Shelf Life …… then we are onto Section 2 HACCP!
Let’s get started Storage & Distribution Control…
What’s coming next…
Week
24 Product Shelf Life
Storage & Distribution Control - what do you need
to show your SALSA auditor?
Storage & Distribution
Procedure
Dispatch Record
Storage & Distribution
Procedure
Storage
You may need to store your
Finished Product off site. Having another storage facility from which you
distribute your product could be a good option if you do not have enough
storage of your own, also, if you do not have storage suitable for your
product, i.e. chilled or frozen.
Make sure the storage facility is suitable
by checking their certification and HACCP Plan. Any business which is handling
food should legally have a HACCP plan. It might be a relatively simple HACCP
Plan, but it will show how they will look after your product safely whilst it
is in storage with them. It could also be called a Hazard & Risk Analysis
or a Food Safety System.
Have Contract Agreements with Storage
Providers which should stipulate terms.
Contract Agreements
Having a contract with the Storage
and Transport Service Providers is a requirement of SALSA too. You can
stipulate the terms. You may need to have deliveries at a specific times, specific
storage temperatures, allergen segregation in storage, products that cannot be
stored or transported next to yours. Draw up the agreement and ensure they are
signed by both parties. Thinking about these things before you contract the
Service Provider will prevent it becoming a problem.
Recently, a customer of mine had
some cream in storage, which was stored next to garlic and onion ingredients.
Their customer ended up with very funny tasting products!
Another example; if your product
is ‘Nut Free’, you do not want it storing next to, or under peanuts and nuts,
in the storage facility or when it is being transported in case of
contamination.
Transport
You need to choose the
transportation method of your product.
1.
Own Transport
2.
Third Party Contracted Transport
3.
Postal or Courier Services
Keep in mind, whichever method you
decide, if your product is chilled or frozen, the chill chain has to be
maintained. It will need to be distributed chilled or frozen. It is essential
to use transportation which has suitable temperature control to do this. However,
this can be costly. Understandably, when starting out, this can be a cost which
is not yet practical, so we need to think of other options.
Alternative options to chilled and
frozen transport delivery are; to deliver the product with ice blocks in
insulated containers and packaging. There are a few things to weigh up here,
such as the additional cost of the insulated packaging and containers, the ice
blocks etc. versus the cost of getting the product sent on a chilled or frozen
vehicle.
If you sent your product as a chilled
or frozen product with ice-blocks in insulted packaging, you must validate that
this method of distribution. You must ensure that you use the worst-case
scenario conditions, put the product through its paces! Ensure temperatures are
taken, a data logging temperature probe is advised to be able to prove your
product stays safe throughout its journey – any help with this, please give me
a shout!
Once you have decided upon your
storage and your transport, put the details of it in your documented Storage
& Distribution Procedure. Then consider and add the following…..
Own Transport
If you use your own transport to
distribute your products, the vehicles you use must be suitable.
The vehicles will need maintaining.
You need to put them on your Planned Preventative Maintenance Schedule. If they
have refrigeration units, these will also need maintaining and calibrating to
ensure they are holding at the right temperature.
The vehicles will need inspecting
before loading.
A vehicle cleaning schedule must
also be in place.
Vehicle breakdown instructions are
also an important consideration – especially for chilled and frozen vehicles.
The drivers need to know what to do in these instances. A plan needs putting in
place before it happens to prevent any potential loss.
Third Party Transport
Third Party Contractors are experts
in the distribution and storage of product. However, you need to make sure they
are used to storing and distributing Food or Drinks and it is necessary to check
they are reputable, just like any other supplier you contract.
As a supplier approval method, you
can ask if they are accredited to BRC Storage & Distribution? Or if not, do
they have a HACCP Plan? If they do not have either, then I would question if
they are suitable at all. All businesses which handle food, even if just
storing and distributing, require a HACCP Plan. As mentioned before, it might be
a simple HACCP Plan / Hazard & Risk Analysis, but it will show they
understand the food safety risks.
Again, a breakdown or incident
reporting system is a good idea. It can be written into a contract with them,
so they know what you want them to do, should such an incident arise.
Couriers
Using Couriers or the Postal
service for transporting your product is very often a service used, especially
when your business is just starting out. It is less likely your product will be
chilled or frozen, but there are some chilled Courier services out there.
Checking their vehicles are free
from contamination, spills and pests is still just as important on these
vehicles as it is on your own, or Third-Party Contractors.
Suitability of Packaging
You need to ensure the packaging
you use is suitable and robust enough to be delivered by the transport method
you choose. This is most important for products which are distributed in
packaging such as glass due to breakages, or products which are very delicate
such as cakes, desserts, or ready meals, which need to look just as good as
when they were packed for example.
Transit Trials
When using delivery transportation
methods for the first time, you need to do trials to make sure the product
arrives with your customer in the correct condition, the right quality and food
safety-wise. This is especially important if using couriers and postal service.
Complete a documented transit
trial of each of your transportation methods, and ask the person receiving to
report back with photos of external packaging and photos of the product inside.
Vehicle Inspections
All vehicles, no matter what
method you use, need to have vehicle inspections carried out prior to them
being loaded to ensure they are clean, free from spillages, contamination,
signs of pests and damp.
These inspections need to be
recorded on some form of Dispatch Record. The checks which are required are:
·
Temperature of product / vehicle
·
No product with damaged packaging is being
loaded on
·
The correctly coded and batch numbered products
are being loaded
·
Vehicle free from pests or signs of pests
·
Vehicle free from contamination such as
spillages or damp
·
Vehicle is clean
It’s just like a Goods In check,
however its Goods Out…. Dispatch.
I find a lot of businesses do not
do this vehicle inspection check when I visit them, however it is essential and
part of the SALSA requirements, so make sure you do not forget! It is
important, as it is the last point in the process where you have control of your
product and the vehicle it is being loaded on to.
Well that’s another topic
discussed! See you next week!
That’s it for now folks!
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
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