548 Chapter 31
work is necessary. The purpose of records
on the processes is to provide evidence of
appropriate process control (e.g., compliance
with “ due diligence ” as defi ned in product
liability legislation). Statistical process
control and records such as the Shewhart
control charts also serve as tools to identify
problems and initiate corrective actions
before critical limits are exceeded and the
batch may have to be rejected.
On the other hand, over - documentation
and problems related to information fl ow
and distribution of documents are a major
cause of staff frustration and of noncompli -
ance with the system. In particular, over -
documentation prevents effective use of
documents (by increasing the time required
for searching), increases the workload neces-
sary for updating, and reduces fl exibility.
Hence, each document should be checked as
to whether it is really necessary or whether
its purpose could also be reached by other
means (training and education, using other
existing documents, etc.). Moreover, many
documents are not concise enough, and their
style and layout is not suitable for use by its
target group.
To avoid confusion, it is also essential that
documents are paginated (page x of y) and
that every page of a document has a header
or footer indicating the title, the author, the
approving person, and the date and number
of the version.
It is also important to make sure that
everyone has exactly the documents avail-
able he/she needs, and that any previous ver-
sions of the document are removed.
Appropriate computer software may be
very helpful to organize documentation and
records, provided that it is easy to use by all
employees, with a minimum of training. In
particular, it should allow easy construction
of organigrams, fl ow sheets, and standard
operation procedures. All documents rele-
vant to a given entry in these diagrams (e.g.,
to a specifi c process step) should be acces-
sible after one or two “ mouse clicks. ”see also the chapter on HACCP in this
volume).
This chapter provides the key elements of
quality assurance plans specifi c for the pro-
cessing of meat (primal cuts and trimmings)
into products that are either ready to cook or
ready to eat. Measures to assure the quality
of the slaughtering and butchering processes
and the resulting (primal) meat cuts are not
considered here. Moreover, the chapter will
not review current legislation in different
countries. Rather, it gives general informa-
tion, combined with details based on (and
biased toward) products, regulations, and
standards important to meat processors in
Germany. These documents include, among
others, the regulations of the European Union
on food safety (in particular, Regulation [EC]
nos. 178/2002 , 852/2004 and 853/2004 ), and
the requirements specifi ed in the International
Food Standard (IFS, a standard accredited by
the Global Food Safety Initiative) and in the
guidelines for meat processors given by the
German “ Qualit ä t und Sicherheit ” program
(2008).
Organization of Quality
Assurance Activities
Quality assurance, being an essential part
of total quality management, is a task for
an organization ’ s executive management
(Vasconcellos 2004 ). Hence, QA activities
cannot be “ outsourced, ” and the QA offi cer
must report directly to the executive manage-
ment. Documents must be integrated into the
“ quality manual ” of the organization.
An appropriate documentation is essential
for an effective and effi cient quality - assur-
ance system. The purpose of process plans is
to ascertain that processes work reliably,
even though the persons responsible for them
may change. Moreover, they are necessary to
provide evidence that the management has
delegated responsibility in an appropriate
manner. Basically, the better trained and
experienced the workers are, the less paper-