Chapter 8 Quality Assurance for Sanitation
Since the late 1970s, the food industry has
emphasized an organized sanitation pro-
gram that monitors the microbial load of
raw ingredients in production plants and the
wholesomeness and safety of the finished
products, in an effort to maintain or upgrade
the acceptability of its food products. As a
result of increased consumer sophistication,
it is even more vital for the food industry to
develop an effective quality assurance (QA)
and sanitation program. Cleaning and sani-
tizing are the two most important elements
that comprise a food sanitation program,
and both should be performed in tandem to
successfully achieve food safety and quality
assurance goals.
During the past decade, additional empha-
sis on sanitation, food safety (including
HACCP), and consumer and customer pres-
sure have placed an increasing onus on food
processors to expand their testing initiatives,
utilize rapid testing methodology, and
employ emerging technologies to reshape
and enhance their testing programs. Food
scientists have also had a positive impact on
QA programs because many of these profes-
sionals have joined various companies in the
food industry. Their efforts have been instru-
mental in the adoption and/or upgrading of
QA programs for the organizations that they
represent.
In its initial stages, QA was primarily a
quality control (QC) function, acting as an
arm of manufacturing. It has now evolved to
a formidable force within the executive struc-
ture of large food firms and has emerged
into a broad spectrum of activities. Quality
implies that equipment is properly cali-
brated, tests are performed properly, positive
and negative controls are run, and labora-
tory results are documented accurately.
A QA program provides the avenue to estab-
lish checks and balances in the areas of food
safety, public health, technical expertise, and
legal matters affecting food processors.
Activities related to food sanitation include
sanitation inspections, product releases and
holds, packaging sanitation, and product
recalls and withdrawals.
A QA program that emphasizes sanitation
is vital to the growth of a food establish-
ment. If foods are to compete effectively in
the marketplace, established hygienic stan-
dards must be strictly maintained. However,
it is sometimes impractical for production
personnel to measure and monitor sanita-
tion while maintaining a high level of pro-
ductivity and efficiency. Thus, an effective
QA program should be available to monitor,
within established priorities, each phase of
the operation. All personnel should incorpo-
rate the team concept to attain established116