Principles of Food Sanitation

Quality Assurance for Sanitation 119

independent of QA. Regardless of the
organization structure, QA should have the
ultimate responsibility for implementing
and maintaining an effective sanitation pro-
gram. The QA organization should be
responsible for improving the sanitation
program to keep current with trends, new
regulations, and technical expertise. All QC
procedures should be formulated and fol-
lowed precisely. Quality control differs from
TQM because it is only a segment of the lat-
ter and is not a comprehensive management
approach.
The basic elements of QC programs serve
as a way for food processors to achieve both
quality assurance and safety requirements.
Since the implementation of new in-process
intervention technologies that reduce the
incidence of microbial, chemical, and physi-
cal contaminants, improved processingequip-
ment design and placement within facilities,
and automated data monitoring systems,
processors are more favorably positioned
to ensure a high degree of confidence that
products are produced, packaged, distrib-
uted, and reach consumers in a high quality
and safe state (Bricher, 2003).

Organization for quality assurance

Large-volume plants should place enough
emphasis on process control to form a QA
department. Those involved with QA have
the obligation to respond to technical
requests, interpret results in practical and
meaningful terms, and assist with corrective
actions. A QA department should be struc-
tured as a corporate function so that it is
directly responsible for the establishment,
organization, execution, and supervision of
an effective QA program that is integrated
into corporate strategy.

Major Responsibilities of a Sanitation

Quality Assurance Program

Before a QA program is implemented,

these requirements must be established:

1. Criteria for measuring acceptability
   (e.g., microbial levels) should be deter-
   mined.


2. Appropriate control checks should be
   selected.


3. Sampling procedures (e.g., sampling
   times, numbers to be sampled, and
   measurements) should be determined.


4. Analysis methods should be selected.

The major responsibilities of sanitation

QA are:

●Perform facility and equipment sanita-

tion inspections at least daily.

●Prepare sanitation specifications and

standards.

●Develop and implement sampling and

testing procedures.

●Implement a microbial testing and

reporting program for raw products and

manufactured products.

●Evaluate and monitor personnel hygiene

practices.

●Evaluate compliance of the QA pro-

gram with regulatory requirements,

company guidelines and standards, and

cleaning equipment.

●Inspect production areas for hygienic

practices.

●Evaluate performance of cleaning com-

pounds, equipment, and sanitizers.

●Implement a waste product handling

system.

●Report and interpret data for the appro-

priate area so that corrective action, if

necessary, can be taken.

●Incorporate microbial analyses of ingre-

dients and the finished product.