122 PRINCIPLES OFFOODSANITATION
to checking the final product and determin-
ing the stability or keeping quality. Figure
8–1 illustrates areas of responsibility of the
administrator of the QA program.
Responsibility for the daily functions of a
QA program related to sanitation should be
delegated to a designated sanitarian, who
should be provided with the time and means
to keep abreast of methods and materials
necessary to maintain sanitary conditions.
The role and position of the sanitarian within
the processing firm should be made clear to
all personnel. Management should clearly
define parameters of responsibility by a writ-
ten job description and an organizational
chart. The sanitarian should report to the
level of management with authority over
general policy. This position should be equal
to that of managers of production, engineer-
ing, purchasing, and comparable depart-
ments to command respect and maintain
adequate status to administer an effective
sanitation program. Although smaller-vol-
ume operations may necessitate a combina-
tion of responsibilities, they should be clearly
defined. The sanitarian should have a clear
understanding of the appropriate responsi-
bilities and how the position fits in the com-
pany structure so that assignments can be
performed properly. Figures 8–2 and 8–3
show examples of how the plant sanitarian
should fit in the QA program of large and
small processing organizations.
A high-caliber QA program requires one or
more technically trained employees to admin-
ister it. The QA director or manager should
have experience in food processing and/or
preparation. Some of the QA staff can come
from the ranks, provided that they show inter-
est, leadership, and initiative. Workshops,
short courses, and seminars often are available
to help train new workers.Figure 8–1Organizational structure for specific QA tasks.