PROCESS CONTROL
By Richard F. Stier
Building a World-class
Allergen Control
Program, Part 2
Part 1 of this article discussed the fol-
lowing elements of allergen control: re-
search and development, vendor
approval and selection (purchasing),
shipping and receiving, warehousing
and human resources. In this article we
will cover production, labeling and sanitation.
Production and Production Scheduling
Allergen control in production operations is a combination of production
scheduling, programs designed to minimize cross-contamination, good sanitary design of equipment and facilities, proper control and labeling of raw materials and
ingredients, good sanitation practices and the application of technologies, especially vision systems, to “catch” containers or packages that are going where they
should not be going. As was emphasized previously, there must be documented
procedures that include proper monitoring and corrective actions.
Production scheduling: Food processors who are processing and handling allergens need to establish rigid protocols for production scheduling to minimize the
potential for allergen cross-contamination. Processors packaging organic products
will run those items first thing in the morning on clean lines, so the organic items
are not “contaminated” by conventional products. Allergens should be scheduled
at the end of the work day for the same reasons. If there are products that have
slightly different formulations, say one contains egg noodles (wheat and egg) and
the other contains a whole-wheat pasta, the item containing the two allergens
should be scheduled later in the day. Depending upon the products being run, different cleaning procedures should be developed for use between products. These
protocols will be addressed in the sanitation section below.
Another means to minimize allergen contamination is to establish dedicated
lines for manufacturing products containing allergens. Ideally, such a line would be
separated physically from lines used to manufacture products without allergens.
In many plants, those responsible for production scheduling will not only develop the schedules, but provide production with paperwork that includes formulations, batching and coding information and any other pertinent information
germane to manufacturing. These documents should also highlight any allergens that are used in the products. Some
companies even place colored stickers
on the paperwork that highlight the allergen or allergens being handled.
Sanitary design: Sanitary design of
equipment and facilities, including giving proper consideration to traffic patterns and ventilation, is a key element
not only for allergen control, but to prevent contamination of any kind. Plant
design should include dedicated areas
for staging and mixing allergens and the
use of dedicated lines for processing allergens. One of the largest concerns in
food-processing facilities is potential
contamination though dusting. Areas
where dry ingredients such as wheat
flour, soy protein or cheese powders are
dumped and mixed must be designed
with proper ventilation to ensure that
these allergens do not spread through
the plant. Often, plants install blowers
that blow dust into the plant. Dry ingre-dient-handling plants must pay attention to ensuring that connections
between lines and pipes are properly gasketed to minimize leakage. Sanitary design is another topic to which one could
devote an entire piece.
Staging and ingredient usage: When
gearing up for a production run, it is important to consider how ingredients are
organized and staged in order to minimize potential allergen cross-contact.
Persons working in this area must make
sure that ingredients containing allergens are properly labeled. This will serve
as a check on receiving and warehouse
operations and will ensure that production personnel understand that they are
working with allergens. One key activity
is to ensure that partial bags of ingredients have been labeled as to the date
they were opened and properly sealed so
that there are no leaks or spills. As part
of this program, tops of drums and pails
should be cleaned for use in blending
operations.
Dedicated utensils: Another means
for minimizing cross-contamination
with allergens is through the use of dedi-
